The concept of extreme day tripping is no new thing. I first cottoned on to the idea about 15 years ago when, during our final years of high school (Sixth Form as we would call it in the UK), my best friend and I would spend the weekend jetting off to some random European destination for lunch.
Back then, you could do it in relative style for a ridiculously low price. British Airways had an £88 day return fare available to countless destinations in Europe, albeit they didn’t advertise it very well. Those were the glory days when free drinks and snacks in economy were still around.
It’s only recently, though, that extreme day tripping has gained a cult following. Dozens of Facebook groups devoted to the art have cropped up, as have many sharing the cheapest dates and destinations. One became so popular, the page’s founder published a book on the subject.
What Are Extreme Day Trips
Extreme day trips are exactly as they sound. Rather than taking a day out to your local town, nearest beach or amusement park, you head somewhere a little further afield. In most cases, this means booking a same-day return flight to another country.
For most Brits, it’s the chance to sunbathe on the Algarve, Costa Brava or even the Canary Islands for the day. Alternatively, it might mean heading to Paris for a romantic lunch, or Budapest to unwind in the thermal baths.
I grew up right by the beach, so for me, extreme day trips in summer were about getting away from the crowds of tourists at home to tick new places off my never-ending bucket list. Most of my favourite day trip destinations have been in Italy. Rome, Bologna and Milan are all excellent day trips from the UK.
In fact, some of those first £88 day trips we took were completely pointless. We ended up in Stockholm for a pint, Glasgow for a curry and Stavanger for, well, I’m not entirely sure. We ended up spending the day looking around a museum devoting to fish canning.
Think what you will of the Norwegian Canning Museum, but it was those random trips which inspired my love of travel. The weirder the experience, the longer it stays with you.
Why Extreme Day Trips are so Popular
Price
When I first started taking extreme day trips as a teenager, the reason was simple. I couldn’t afford the luxury of staying away in hotels. Price remains one of the best reasons to take an extreme day trip. You’ll get to see the city, or wherever it is you choose to go, without the expense of hotels and overnight airport parking.
On the note of price, air travel in Europe is still relatively cheap. Just like the rest of the world, the post-Covid recovery sent airfares right up to 39,000ft, but over the last couple of years, they’ve began to calm down again.
Low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Wizz and easyJet regularly have lead-in fares that almost look too good to be true. And, that’s exactly what they’re meant to be; they make their money through baggage and seat fees. But when you’re going for the day, you needn’t worry about hefty extras to take your belongings.
Time Constraints
There’s a lot of truth in saying there are never enough days in the week. With most of us working full-time jobs, we have a day or, maybe two, to relax. If you’ve got families and other commitments, time is even more precious.
Extreme day tripping is a great way to stretch out your annual holiday allowance. Rather than going away for a couple of weeks twice a year, they enable you to tick off a new destination whenever you have a free day.
Ideal for New Travellers
I’ve already mentioned that it was day tripping which inspired my love for travel, and this is the same for a lot of people. This is especially true for those who aren’t sure they’re ready to dive in to longer holidays or multi-centre adventures. Going for the day is great for dipping your toe in the water. I can say from experience, next time, you’ll go for a swim and never want to stop.
Even for those of us who now travel regularly, extreme day trips come in very handy. They’re a great way to get a feel for a place before deciding to return for a longer visit. Moreover, day trips are convenient for ticking off those more random spots- like my trip to Wuppertal- that don’t require a full weekend or more.
Where to Take Extreme Day Trips
Naturally, the options for extreme day trips for you depend on a number of factors. First and foremost, the biggest restriction is where you live. For those living in or near major cities, London for example, the potential destinations are endless.
For those of us living close to smaller regional airports, we’re far more restricted. Indeed, my current day trip options are limited to Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Having previously lived 40 minutes from Heathrow, it can feel a bit difficult at times!
Then, of course, there’s how far your willing to travel. One of the great things about extreme day trips is there are no, or very few limits.
There’s absolutely nothing to stop you taking the first flight from Heathrow to New York, having a wander round Times Square, and returning on the last flight at night. One word of caution if you do that though: expect an even more rigorous grilling from the CBP officer at JFK than usual, if that thought is possible.
On the flip side, an extreme day trip can be as simple as taking a long train ride. In Europe, we’re extremely lucky with international trains. From London, taking the Eurostar to Paris or Brussels for the day is almost as easy as going to Bournemouth or Cardiff.
Of course, the same applies wherever you live in the world. For those of you in the United States, international extreme day trips are a little more limited, and flight times tend to scupper my idea of a transatlantic day trip heading east. But you have such a great domestic flight network, with airports in even the smallest communities, there’s no real need to go to another country for the day.
Sometimes, I think the best way to choose an extreme day trip is to take a leap of faith. Go somewhere you wouldn’t normally go; either take a look at a map and pick a random destination, or simply select the destination with the cheapest flights that you haven’t been to before. It’s a great way to explore new, and more importantly, different places.
