We flew to Spain for just eight hours to escape ‘miserable’ Britain – it cost us less than a train ticket in the UK
TWO friends revealed how they flew to Spain for less than 24 hours as part of the ‘extreme day-tripping’ holiday trend.
Care home workers Louise Dunning, 59, and Tracey Dover, 52, paid just £66 for return flights to Alicante in December – spending just eight hours in the destination, before jetting home for bed.
The two colleagues flew with easyJet from Manchester airport at 5:50am to Alicante, and then flew back at 10:30pm.
The duo had time to explore the cafes and restaurants, walk around the town and beach and do some shopping.
From Greater Manchester, the pair realised they could escape “miserable” Britain for less money than a day trip in the UK.
And it wasn’t the first time they did it – their first trip was to Amsterdam the previous month with another colleague of theirs.
The trio have since booked five more day trips to European destinations with Palma this month, Brussels in May, Bergamo in northern Italy in October, Paris in November, and Copenhagen for the Christmas markets in December.
Louise said: “We do the extreme day trips because we get to go abroad – we’re seeing new countries.
“I can go to Asda and spend £100 when I can go abroad for a full day out, and still be back in my bed at night.
“I wouldn’t dream of getting the train and going up to the Lake District now – it’s so much cheaper and easier getting a flight. We’ve only just begun doing it but I love it.”
When the trio started doing it, everyone either thought they were mad or travel agents.
She added: “We were inspired by some groups on Facebook, as there’s quite a lot of people who do the extreme day trips now to try and get out of Britain.
“It’s very dreary in the UK – very drab – there’s no atmosphere here.
“I went to Amsterdam, and everyone is dead friendly, there are flowers everywhere, people are waving, it’s so much more happy abroad.”
In Alicante, Louise found it to be more laid back with cute coffee shops.
She continued: “It’s a novelty, you get a kick out of it, and we can go to the same place twice and go to a different area and have a completely different experience.”
Louise also shared how places like Chester Zoo and Alton Towers are a fortune to get into, and that she can spend less but be in a totally different country in just over an hour.
Extreme day trips have surged in popularity over the past year, with many opting to have a day trip abroad to save money and annual leave.
Whilst on her travels, Louise has also met other extreme daytrippers.
Louise explained: “We went to Alicante for a full eight hours actually in the city.
“It was in December 2024, it was about 21 degrees. It was freezing here at home and we got there and it was lovely.
“We were at the airport early, we had breakfast at the airport – croissants and coffee.
“Then we jetted off, walked around the town and the famous mushroom street, and then we stopped for lunch.”
Whilst in the city, the colleagues brought some souvenirs including sweets, a scarf each and a fridge magnet, but had to make sure they were lightweight as they only travelled with backpacks.
Louise shared: “When we came back from Alicante, the plane was nearly empty, there were just 10 or 15 people on the flight and they were all day-trippers.
“They were more experienced than us – some of them had been to Tunisia and Morocco on day trips.
“I’m trying to do one trip a month – that’s my aim.”
For their day trip to Amsterdam, with Ruth, the trio paid £112 each for flights with easyJet, setting off from Manchester at 7:05am, and catching a return flight home from Amsterdam at 9:30pm.
Louise said: “Amsterdam was dead easy. It was just over an hour’s flight. Then it was 10 to 15 minutes on public transport into the centre of the city.
“We went on a canal boat along the river, we had a walk round the town, we went up to the Red Light District for a look – that was an eye-opener.
“It’s so easy and a lot cheaper than staying in Britain. You get to see the world one day at a time – that’s the slogan for the extreme day-trippers.”
One man travelled on 30 day trips, and has shared his favourite one.
Plus, one couple went to Africa on a day trip for just £35.