Marsha Doran, 45, from Bristol, spent £110 on an extreme day trip to Faro in Portugal compared to a recent day out in London, which set her back £250
Under Marsha Doran’s EDT to Faro, Portugal, her husband is Charlie Doran
The UK has been identified as one of Europe’s most costly places to travel by train, with London recently clinching the title for the most expensive city worldwide to use public transport. So pricey that it has driven thrifty travellers such as Marsha Doran to choose extreme day trips overseas.
Marsha, from Bristol, found that a remarkable day trip to Faro in Portugal amounted to just £110, while her recent jaunt to London cost her a hefty £250. A flight to the picturesque Portuguese location was a mere £30, whilst a train journey to the often dreary British capital dented her finances by £90.
This situation comes to light as new data from travel resale platform Transfer Travel shows that for Britons, jetting off to European holiday destinations can now be cheaper than domestic train fares, as reports the Mirror.
Furthermore, Marsha discovered that savings extended beyond the airport. “I came across a Facebook page called Extreme Day Trips from Bristol Airport and started reading about other people’s amazing day trips abroad,” Marsha shared with The Mirror.
“I’d never really thought about it before but when you compare the price of flying abroad for the day to a day trip in the UK it seems so much more cost effective – plus there’s the adventure element!”
While the trend of extreme day-tripping isn’t a new phenomenon, it’s one that continues to gain momentum – and when you weigh up the cost of a budget flight from the UK against the price of a train ticket, it’s easy to understand why. Marsha found that her entire trip was less expensive than a day out in London, and it was surprisingly swift too.
She and her husband Charlie hopped on a bus from the airport to Faro, a journey that took a mere 15 minutes. They then popped into a local cafe to get their bearings, where they indulged in two lattes and two cakes for just over €5 (£4.19).After refuelling, they were eager to discover the city.
Under Marsha Doran’s EDT to Faro, Portugal, her husband is Charlie Doran
Marsha shares: “I’d already booked a segway tour which cost £37 – It was so much fun and it turned out to be just the two of us. We saw the gardens at Palácio de Estói, Faro Cathedral, learned all about the history of the city and worked out where it was worth going back to later that day,
“After the tour we went back to the Old Town and sat outside and had a lovely alfresco lunch with a bottle of wine – even though it was December it was around 16 degrees in the sun.”
They also made a point of visiting Vila Adentro – a restaurant with hidden tunnels dating back to the 11th century and were treated to a private tour of the tunnels by the friendly owner. At no stage did Marsha feel like they were rushing or trying to squeeze everything in.
“You can do more than you realise in just one day abroad,” she says. “It was the perfect day which we finished off by watching the sunset from a rooftop bar while sipping on cocktails – and we were back in our own bed by 11:15pm.
“We worked out that we spent £110 each and we didn’t skimp or scrape on anything.”
Just weeks prior to her Portugal escapade, Marsha embarked on a day trip from Bristol to London, which proved to be significantly costlier. “The train from Bristol Parkway to London was £90 and I had to go at 5:50am to get it that cheap, otherwise it would have been £150,” she remarks with disdain.
“I did have a fantastic day indulging in everything I wanted like breakfast at The Ivy and a show, but the total came to £250.
“When you compare that to my day trip to Portugal you can see why extreme day trips are so popular – with the right planning they can be so much cheaper and feel so much more adventurous. I’ve already booked my next extreme day trip to Geneva and I can’t wait.”
(Image: supplied)
Laura Carden-Lovell, Head of Operations at Transfer Travel, comments: “With rail fares continuing to rise, it’s eye-opening to see how many UK travellers could actually save money by looking abroad this summer. We’re seeing more people realise they can swap a weekend in Edinburgh or Cornwall for a holiday in Barcelona or Greece – often at a lower total cost.
“We found deals from Bristol to Barcelona return flights are available for £150 – a full £200 cheaper than train tickets from Bristol to Glasgow. London to Crete flights listed for £10 less than standard rail fare from London to Edinburgh and Manchester to Antalya, Turkey flights available for over £100 less than train tickets from Manchester to Newquay.”
Marsha’s top tips for your first extreme day trip:
If you’re nervous, start by booking a trip not too far away – maybe try a UK city like Edinburgh
Check the airport has good connections to the nearest city
Other popular destinations for day trips include Malaga, Alicante, Amsterdam – but it will also depend which UK airport you’re flying from
Do your research in advance to get the most out of your day – there are apps for free walking city tours
You only need one and a half hours to get through security if you don’t have luggage to check in