The flight from Spain was easier than leaving Stansted

Coming back to the motherland is always a joy in anticipation, but it never takes long before I’m yearning for the next return flight.

We seem determined to make everything as difficult as possible in this country, with minor infractions often met by some sort of fiscal punishment.

Yesterday I drove the hire car to Almeria airport, arriving four hours early.

Old habits die hard.

I was still in the UK mindset and expecting huge traffic jams.

Instead, as is often the case in Spain, the roads were clear, pothole-free and a pleasure to drive.

Dropping off the hire car was seamless and left me with time to sit outside the terminal in the sunshine.

For the next few hours I watched people being dropped off by friends and relatives.

There was no rush and many drivers casually wandered inside for a coffee or a trip to the loo before saying their goodbyes.

Brett Ellis says stress has become a normal part of everyday British life (Image: Brett Ellis)

Getting through security was only semi-stressful, largely thanks to Spanish customer service, but the contrast on arrival at Stansted was stark.

The welcome home consisted of huge queues of weary travellers wishing they were still abroad, while hi-vis operatives barked instructions at people trying to navigate the new entry scanners.

I congratulated three of them on such an organisational triumph.

The sarcasm was entirely lost.

Outside, as in baggage reclaim, the crowds were enormous and the stress continued.

It costs £10 to stop for up to 15 minutes, and that often involves downloading an app.

Stay longer and the charges rise sharply.

You are effectively punished financially for being delayed by the airport’s own chaos.

I decided to walk to Burger King while waiting for my wife.

Stansted appears determined to make this as unpleasant as possible.

The route involves an uneven, muddy path, concrete blocks and obstacles seemingly designed to discourage anyone with a wheeled suitcase.

Low-hanging signs force pedestrians into an impromptu game of limbo.

There are no convenient crossings to the Burger King either.

I watched a family narrowly avoid a National Express coach.

Presumably that is considered a reasonable consequence of not paying the £10 pick-up fee.

Then came the drive home.

Stuck in traffic, I realised the flight from Spain to Britain had taken less time than getting from Stansted to St Albans.

As the miles crawled by, I found myself wondering where it all went wrong.

When did stress, inconvenience and needless obstacles become accepted as normal parts of everyday British life?

• Brett Ellis is a teacher from London Colney.