Quito

Like Madrid, Quito was simply an overnight airport stop. We booked the Holiday Inn Quito Airport on points, mainly because it offered a shuttle bus.

Immigration was painfully slow — one of those queues that barely seems to move. By the time we finally emerged, we were exhausted. Thankfully, the shuttle was waiting right outside, which felt like a small but significant win.

In hindsight, we probably should have chosen the Courtyard by Marriott Quito Airport, which was walking distance, and avoided the transfer altogether.

Still, we managed a quiet evening: light food, a couple of beers, and an attempt to reset our jet-lagged bodies to South American time. Spoiler: three days later, that still hadn’t worked.

We didn’t see any of Quito itself, but everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful.

The Galápagos Departure Process

Returning to the airport the next morning for our flight to the Galápagos was more stressful than expected.

Before departure, you need to:

• Purchase a $20 TCT (Transit Control Card)

• Register your visit online

• Have your bags inspected

The first two steps require a decent internet connection — something the airport notably did not provide. In the end, I completed the process using the mobile hotspot of the government agent that was serving us, which was incredibly kind of him.

Then, slightly bizarrely, we were each given a badge. We later realised this wasn’t a special honour — everyone gets one.

Lounge Logic & eSIM Lessons

We retreated to the lounge using our Priority Pass for what turned into both breakfast and lunch (not brunch). We were only there for an hour, but perfectly timed it between the breakfast wind-down and lunch rollout — maximum options achieved.

I also logged a support call with my eSIM provider, Wiiline. To their credit, the chat was answered quickly and they walked me through steps that properly restored connectivity — at least in Quito.

The Latin American eSIM cost under £25 for 20GB over 30 days, which felt like an excellent deal compared to competitors. If only it had worked flawlessly from the start.

A Realisation

We also reflected on how naïve we’d been booking this trip with almost no Spanish and limited English spoken around us.

That said — we’re managing.

Just.

After one final documentation check at the gate, we were cleared for departure.

Next stop: the Galápagos.

No photos - as there wasn't much of anything interesting!