I flew to Europe expecting a horror show. Here’s what actually happened

I’m writing this from Europe. I finally made it, without having to try my patience in excessive queues, which worried me last week.

I think it’s always good to plan for contingencies and I admit I’m a worrier. I know what can go wrong when I travel, so I tend to plan from a negative position. But most of the time the anxiety is completely unjustified.

This time, I had the added worry of taking a long route, fraught with the possibility of missed connections, because the Middle East wasn’t an option when the ticket was booked.

On paper it looked stupid: Sydney-Hong Kong-Helsinki-Venice. Thirty-one hours of flying and that’s not counting getting to the airport three hours ahead in Sydney and getting to my hotel in Venice.

There were two and half hours between connections in Hong Kong but only about 90 minutes in Helsinki. The chances of the Hong Kong flight arriving late were reasonably high, I thought.

I had to clear immigration in Helsinki and that was a worry, given what I’d heard about the lines for EES – the European Entry/Exit System.

I chose the Qantas-Finnair connection because I wanted to fly with a carrier with the Oneworld alliance and make the most of my status. If I’m going to be stuck in economy for a very long time, I like to have a few perks such as lounges and priority boarding.

They’re not essential, actually – good airports these days have great lounges and free Wi-Fi – but they’re psychologically helpful.

The other guiding consideration was the airports where I’d make my connections. If I were to miss a connection, I’d rather be stuck in Hong Kong and Helsinki, which have excellent airports. And if I had to wait a long time for another flight, they are great cities to visit.

I was thinking about everything that could go wrong. And nothing went wrong.

The Qantas flight to Hong Kong was first-rate (much improved) and the plane was half full, which meant I had a window and an aisle to myself. For the first time I can remember in ages, I could curl up with a book or lie down to nap.

I’ve asked a couple of other Australians holidaying here how they found their entry. Both said they breezed through immigration.

The Cathay Pacific Bridge lounge, another Oneworld member, near my gate, had a Chinese food section and an international section, beautifully appointed. It was like Disneyland for this weary traveller.

The Finnair flight was comfortable as I had a front-row seat in their economy section. I knew to nab one after a flight last year.

My flight was early into Helsinki.

In Helsinki, you have to switch from non-Schengen into Schengen and I still had to have my fingerprints checked, despite already being registered with EES.

But there were only five people ahead of me, crowd control was great, and I barely slowed my pace going through security.

And here’s the thing – having cleared Schengen in Helsinki I just got off the plane in Venice and went straight through to collect my luggage.

The other thing I want to report is this part of Europe does not seem as crazily overcrowded as we’ve heard.

It’s Biennale time in Venice, which always draws more people, but in fact I’ve found the crowds not nearly as bad as when I came in August one year.

There are plenty of people around the popular sites such as St Mark’s Square and the Doges Palace, but the lines to look at the Bridge of Sighs are only about two or three people deep, not six or seven.

Venice has brought in a new tourist tax and you need to register and download a QR code to show you’ve either paid the fee or you’re exempt, if you’re staying at a hotel or on a cruise.

I was asked for it twice this morning and the officers are everywhere. So, maybe it’s working and it’s deterring day trippers.

I’ve asked a couple of other Australians holidaying here how they found their entry. Both said they breezed through immigration.

One took a similar option to me, flying with Cathay to Hong Kong and then to Milan, and then taking the train to Venice. She said getting the water bus to her hotel in Venice was the hardest part of the trip.

We Aussies are made of stern stuff.

I’m sure there are bottlenecks in some airports at some times of day, but I’m hopeful that they’ve sorted out the worst of the EES implementation.

Now all I have to do is worry about my flight back.

The writer travelled as a guest of Uniworld Cruises.