Michelle Ingram, 43 spent just eight hours in Madrid after flying from Manchester airport the same morning
18:11, 28 Jan 2026Updated 18:11, 28 Jan 2026
Michelle Ingram, 43, flew to Madrid for an eight hour trip (Image: Michelle Ingram / SWNS)
One woman says she flew out to Madrid from Manchester and was able to enjoy eight hours at the destination for less than £100 in total.
Michelle Ingram, 43, took the 6:15am flight out of Manchester airport to Madrid and she now says it is one of her favourite cities, despite only spending eight hours at her destination. At the end of the day she took the 9.15pm flight back to Manchester, and was back in her bed by 2am.
To get down to the airport Michelle, who lives in York, woke up at 1am after having gone to bed at 9pm the night before, and drove to Manchester, arriving at 4am. But while this may seem an extreme timetable for many, Michelle says she loves these trips, having also travelled to Poland, Germany, Ireland and Italy for the day last year.
“I love extreme day trips because they’re an affordable way to travel and see different places, and things that aren’t the everyday norm,” Michelle says. “I’ve always wanted to go to Madrid, and my older sister lives in Malaga, so me and my younger sister planned a trip to celebrate her birthday.
“It was so lovely, as we don’t see much of each other. I absolutely loved Madrid, it’s up there with one of my favourite cities, everything’s so clean, the buildings are just so beautiful. There’s so much to see and do, there’s street art and street performers everywhere.
Michelle Ingram in Madrid(Image: Michelle Ingram / SWNS)
“There was blue skies all day, it was only eight degrees, but at the time it was snowing in the UK, so it was a welcome relief. Everything went so smoothly, the city is so clearly signposted, and everybody speaks English, so we didn’t struggle with any language barriers. It helped that my sister is fluent in Spanish though of course.”
Michelle added: “I did the whole trip for £100. It was a fairly cheap day out. I feel like eight hours was plenty of time for us to explore the city, and I’d definitely recommend Madrid as a day trip for people.”
Despite the early start, Michelle also claimed she wasn’t tired, saying the “momentum” of the day kept her going. After arriving in the Spanish capital, Michelle and her younger sister Bethany wandered through the bustling streets, had a coffee and did some clothes shopping, before meeting their older sister Victoria, who had flown in from Malaga.
Michelle claims the whole trip cost her just under £100, with her return flight costing £49. On top of this airport parking cost £10, lunch £30 and snacks £11.
She plans to do more extreme day trips in the next year, and already has trips to Prague and Albania planned.