25 Years Later: 2001 Confidence To 2026 Shy Backpacking Boy Lonely In Magaluf, Majorca, Spain

“Everything I touched was golden” – Robbie Williams.

It’s a truly weird thing going back to the SAME place many many years later. What is more bizarre about THIS BLOG POST is that it happened by accident and was on EXACTLY the same DATE but 25 years to the EXACT DAY later. Yet everything was different, oxymoronic, juxtaposed, paradoxic…in Magaluf, Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.

In 2001, I arrived by flight from Belfast smiling, by day, in the sun, on the runway.

In 2026, I arrived by flight from Birmingham, despondent, at night, in darkness, by a tunnel straight into the airport.

The only constants/similarities it seemed were the location (Palma Airport), the person (me, Jonny Blair), my Northern Ireland shirt (albeit a different one), a bucket hat and a backpack. Even my sunglasses weren’t on, 25 years on…

Here in 2026, my personality had changed, waned into some shy lad and I could barely muster a smile…

The Magaluf Backstory…

In Summer 2001, 3 friends (Michael, Begzi, Chris) and I, all from Bangor in Northern Ireland decided to go on a lads Summer Holiday. Usually back then my holidays were in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland or England for music concerts, football or with family further afield (France, Spain, Greece and USA).

Although this blog has somehow monikered me as a backpacker, I was NOT a backpacker in my teens or even until I turned 23!! I started backpacking much later – aged 23, crazy but true.

For that lads Summer Holiday we chose Tenerife in the Canary Islands in Spain.

I found a deal in a local travel agents and booked it via a £1000 deposit on a Credit Card for 4 of us (Michael, Chris, Begzi and I). I didn’t do backpacking back then, or even booking flights online. Life was so so different. We had no time to waste and so I booked it 2 weeks before the trip. However, just after booking the trip to Tenerife for 4 of us, I received a call from Michael to say that his brother Gavin was now joining us and we would need 5 of us in 2 rooms instead. I couldn’t change the booking to add a fifth person as the booking was flights, accommodation and transport all together. Of course here in 2026, if we needed to add a fifth person we’d just keep the 4 person booking and the 5th person would book a flight and then take the bus, and sleep on the sofa…luckily the travel agent didn’t take the £1000 deposit off me, but they blacklisted me and my credit card was blocked by my bank! At the time I was wildly upset, I had no experience of travel or banking at the time. Later, I realised the world was about to change and old school travel agents wouldn’t be needed anymore. I’d also later work in a bank, and then later become an expert travel blogger and backpacker!

I had to tell Michael I wouldn’t be booking anything for us again on my cards. I couldn’t risk it – was our holiday dream over? I would pay him in cash but he would have to book it now. Now we missed the Tenerife trip, Michael went away and called me back to ask about Magaluf instead. Both were party resorts on Spanish islands. Initially, I hadn’t even heard of Magaluf and indeed I spelt it Magaloufe! But alas, I needed a summer break from my job working in stock control for Tesco which was mundane.

The Magaluf trip, and my next trip (a month later in September 2001) to Toronto Canada were the two trips that would change my life forever. I didn’t want to be stuck in Northern Ireland anymore, working in shops, bars or offices. Bollocks to that. Oddly in 2026, I’d revisit both Toronto and Magaluf in the same summer again.

In the here and now of a 2001 Northern Irish summer, Magaluf in Majorca, Spain – here I come.

Backpacking In Magaluf: Top 5 Sights

Forget it. I wasn’t a backpacker in 2001. I wasn’t even a travel blogger, because travel blogging didn’t even exist. Neither did Facebook, neither did YouTube, neither did iPhones. We had iPods just come out, Big Brother started in 2000 and Google started in 1997. September 11th 2001 hadn’t even happened yet. So no backpacking travel blog here. The reality…

Partying And Drinking In Magaluf: Top 20 Bars, Top 1 Girls.

Let’s be frank – this was not a sightseeing, backpacking holiday at all. We didn’t even feel like tourists. Every night there were promotions, parties, happy hours, events in every bar and club. It was madness. From “foam parties” to “erection inspection” to “girls getting their waps out and sucking the sausage in a corner” to the “Hey Hey Baby” song! I was confident, chatty and partying the whole 7 days.

“Hey, hey baby ooh aah I wanna know ow ow if you’d be my girl” – DJ Otzi.

It was a wild party week. I was confident, chatting to everyone without fear. Drinking, dancing, partying, chatting to girls every night…and my first beach skinny dip with a lovely lady at 4 a.m. one night. Oh and my first tattoo – the Northern Ireland football badge, I got that in Magaluf. And yes I know who the girl in the photo is, I did keep in touch after Magaluf and she was a part of my story…

“You were there for summer dreaming, and you gave me what I need. And I hope you’ll find your freedom…for eternity” – Robbie Williams.

In those days of course we used Pesetas (proper Spanish currency, not the dreaded Euro!). The 7 day party week was over in a flash and I returned to Northern Ireland.

Why Did I Never Return To Magaluf?

It felt like a one-off, a young man’s game. I learnt to avoid repeats as much as I could. I hate going back to the same place time and time again unless I have a deep connection to it. Magaluf was my summer dreaming trip from 2001. I was destined not to return. It was never on my radar.

How On Earth Did I End Up Back In Magaluf 25 Years Later Then?

You might have known this but…by fluke and to SAVE MONEY. I was in Birmingham catching up with Lock In Lee and the cheapest (and most nuts and “Don’t Stop Living”-esque) route back to my base in Poland was a treble flight – Birmingham to Palma. Palma to Belgrade. Belgrade to Krakow. A lot of novice travellers just don’t understand this or get it, and they NEVER will. It is almost always CHEAPER to take a random ridiculous route through 2 or 3 countries than to fly direct…plus you get the adventure and spontaneity of it.

When I saw that Birmingham to Poland direct (or even with 1 change) was £160 but to fly via Spain and Serbia was £150, it was a no-brainer. Remember, airlines NEED the money for the seats so when they have 20 empty seats and 4 days to sell them, they turn to Skyscanner, Kiwi, Gotogate etc. to help sell those tickets. They’d rather have £20 than ann empty seat and nothing!

Yet this time, 25 years on, I had aged remarkably. I was alone, I wasn’t partying. I went back to a lot of the same places 25 years on, almost just to pinch myself that I was once here. I simply couldn’t believe 25 years had passed. WHAT???!!! My flight from Birmingham was delayed by about 4 or 5 hours in the end. I met two really friendly pretty girls at the airport and they were on the different later flight to Palma, yet their flight ended up leaving BEFORE mine. On chatting to those two girls, I realised I had changed dramatically. I didn’t even flirt, I was shy, I wasn’t confident. I had really changed. In 2001, I would have chatted to them incessantly and flirted. I could see they were both single and ready for Magaluf / Shagaluf. Perhaps the Internet is what had changed. In 2001, we wouldn’t add them on Facebook or Instagram as they didn’t exist. We’d chat away and you could be anonymous…when I finally boarded my flight, I realised the date was the exact same date as 2001 – 26th July 2026.

On the flight I noticed I was now so shy. I decided to buy some alcohol on the flight, as I was shocked they still sold it at 2 a.m. Maybe my confidence would improve. Instead after drinking these, I fell asleep and woke up on landing!

I waited until the first bus in the morning to take me to Magaluf. The A11 Airport bus was surprisingly quiet. Everything was calm.

This was such a juxtaposition from 2001. Everything was opposite.

• the bars were all shut
• nobody was awake / everyone was asleep
• the beach was quiet
• there were thunderstorms
• I was shy

Since I was now a shy older man, I decided just to chill out all day on the beach, in the bars and to walk all the places that I had been 25 years ago, reminiscing. I took similar photos for the memory…including where we slept, where we drank and the party oxymorons…

After my walk, I chilled out and I spoke to NOBODY except the bar staff. I had really changed and I felt sad about that. I had no confidence to just chat to all the girls anymore. I was alone. Travelling the world and being in failed romances had pumped caution into me, through disappointment. These are the photos I took in 2026, years on and rather sad.

I don’t know if I will ever be back in Magaluf again, but this journey was a sentimental and sad one…I ended up in Serbia next on a connection back to Poland. That was also delayed…

Here are some odd videos about my return to Magaluf, 25 years on, it was such a weird feeling…: