While it isn’t quite Around The World In 80 Days, extreme day tripping is a travel trend guaranteed to satisfy your wanderlust. So dust off your passport, or maybe get a bumper-size one, download the app to track your EU travel allowance and get ready to adventure!
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What is an extreme day trip?
Put simply, an extreme day trip is a fast-paced, itinerary-packed break where you get the first flight out and the last flight back. The idea is to have a day-long experience of your chosen destination and the magic is in the planning.
Either your express trip overseas will be a sample holiday to know whether you want to go back for deeper cultural immersion, or it is a taster on your travel menu and you’ll feel like you’ve enjoyed what you came for and don’t need any more.
Why are people choosing to do extreme day tripping?
At a time when time and/or money may be limited, extreme day tripping offers the best of both worlds. It doesn’t eat into valuable holiday time, it is perfect for a mid-week escape when flights are cheaper (£30 return anyone?), and in the long run it can help you decide where you want to spend your “big” holiday budget.
It’s also a great way to pack in more destinations given the 90 day EU Travel Allowance
Fun Fact: The UK is perfectly placed for extreme tripping!
To make an extreme day-trip work you need to be within a short flight of your chosen destination. The UK has several airports that are well connected to a whole host of must-visit places in Europe, whether you want to head for sun or snow; city or seaside; mountains or… you get the picture.
Does a day trip abroad count towards the 90-day EU travel allowance?
Yes it does, even if it is just part of a day. So while you can’t cheat your way into having more allowance – you can (in theory) sample 90 different destinations and then choose where to go for an immersive break once your allowance re-sets!
What about travel insurance – does it cover extreme day tripping?
As long as you have the right travel insurance! Day trip insurance provides cover outside of your home country for all the usual things you’d want protected on a longer trip. Lost or stolen luggage, passport, belongings… medical assistance, missed connections, tours or trips… you’ll be glad you have it should things not go to plan!
The best places for an extreme day trip from the UK
So, the best places are locations with a flight time of 2 to 3 hours maximum, to a location where the airport is close to where you want to be, and for budget reasons, destinations with frequent daily flights.
The best UK airports to fly from are Stanstead, Luton & Manchester. Obviously if you aren’t located near one of these then an extreme day trip might need even more planning.
Here are the best places to start when embarking on this new type of travel:
- Amsterdam
- Paris
- Palma de Mallorca
- Venice
- Milan
- Copenhagen
- Lisbon
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How to plan for an extreme day trip
There are a whole host of online communities and booking sites dedicated to this travel trend who are actively sharing itineraries and experiences. Here’s what to look for when planning or researching your own trip:
- Best airport for shortest travel time, most convenient outbound and inbound flights, and less than 30 minutes from where you plan to spend your day.
- Best times of the week/month/year to get convenient but cheap flights.
- Locations that tick your interest boxes – whether that is art, culture, cuisine, shopping, sightseeing, rollercoasters, surfing, drinking…
- Locations where you can create an optimised route to see all the highlights in as little time as possible.
- Choose places where you can pre-book tables, excursions, museum entries etc so you don’t waste time queuing.
Does it feel rushed and is it worth it?
That my fellow traveller depends on you! If you are the high energy type who loves a jam-packed day of sightseeing and exploring, then yes, extreme day-tripping will probably tick your travel boxes. If however you like to relax over a long lunch and take a meander along unknown streets to see what delights there are to discover, then probably not.
Ultimately you need to be someone that is great at researching and planning so you can maximise your time while you are there. You’ll arrive already knowing what route you want to take to see all you want to see, where you will go to eat, and likely what you’ll choose once you are there!
What next?
Get planning! And get your travel insurance – tight schedules can lead to missed connections or flights, which can impact the things you have pre-booked for your day. Travel insurance can help recoup the costs so you can budget for another day.
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