‘I go abroad then fly home in time for bed’

For most people, the idea of a holiday abroad involves packing a suitcase and being away for at least a weekend, if not a week or more.

But for Monica Stott, a single day is enough to fly to another country, explore, and return home before bedtime.

The 37-year-old from Wrexham enjoys taking part in holidays that have become known online as extreme day trips – and has visited Milan, Bergamo, Lisbon, Amsterdam and even Reykjavik for a single day.

“I think people are always surprised that you really do feel like you’ve had a holiday,” said Monica.

Monica, who is a full-time travel blogger, said the idea of an extreme day trip first occurred to her while travelling for work.

“My first few extreme day trips were to Ireland when I had clients over there,” she explained.

“I’d quite often pop over for a one or two-hour meeting and come home. Then I realised I could stay [a bit longer] and make a full day of it.”

Monica then discovered a number of Facebook groups where people were sharing their own experiences of extreme day trips, and became inspired to start booking her own in her spare time.

“There’s research suggesting that most of your best holiday memories are made in the first one or two days. When I thought about it, I agreed. A lot of the best moments happen when you first arrive.

“You arrive in time for breakfast, squeeze as much as you possibly can, and then fly home at night. It’s an intense, busy, crazy day.”

While Monica enjoys busy days in one location, Luka Chijutomi-Ghosh, an 18-year-old student from Cardiff, has taken things a step further.

“It began on Christmas Eve when I found a return flight to Prague for under £15. I booked it immediately, but then I realised the flight landed in Prague at 21:00 and returned to the UK at 09:00,” said Luka.

“So, I thought I could treat it as if it was daytime, sleep in the day and walk around the city at night.”

Luka said he realised that he only needed six hours to explore a city.

A few weeks later, when on holiday in Paris, he decided to see how many neighbouring countries he could travel to within a day by train.

“I went to Luxembourg, Brussels and Amsterdam, and returned to Paris all within the same day,” he said.

Luka’s logic, he said, was that he would probably have spent as much time travelling if he was on a day trip in the UK.

Facebook groups where people share their experiences of taking extreme day trips have acquired hundreds of thousands of members, with some focused specifically on regional UK airports.

Monica and Luka said their trips were efficient, budget-friendly, and helped to break up their routines without needing a week away from home.

“People always say they’d love to visit places like Paris or Rome but don’t have the time or money for a long trip. This is a way around that,” Monica said.

For Luka, it’s also a practical choice.

“I look at how much I spend on a student night out, sometimes up to £60 or £70. If I can get a return flight for under £20 and experience a whole new city instead, why not?”

Despite Monika and Luka’s enthusiasm, extreme day trips have drawn criticism over their environmental impact.

Flying is responsible for 2.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 8% of UK emissions.

These gases warm the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change.

Both Monica and Luka acknowledge this issue.

“I think if it means people are taking way more flights, and airlines are putting on more flights, then I do see that as a negative impact,” Monica said.

“But a lot of people doing extreme day trips are doing it because they either can’t afford to take a longer holiday or don’t have time.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say one person’s holiday is more important than another person’s holiday, because they’re going for longer.”

Luka argued that the flights would often go ahead regardless.

“The seat will be filled by someone,” he said.

“Also, if another form of transport can be used then that would be a good idea. For example, on my trip involving three cities, I didn’t take a single flight.”

Both also said that extreme day trips were appealing due to the high cost of public transport within the UK.

Monica said her trips required careful planning.

“I try to choose destinations that are less than a two-hour flight. Once you get in over two hours, it’s just such a long day of travel.”

She also said she tried to stay calm at the airport to avoid unnecessary stress.

“A lot of people get really excited or anxious at the airport, and that can be exhausting,” she said.

“If you just treat it like getting on a train or a bus, you don’t use up all your energy with that pre-holiday anxiety.”