Neil Loft began his bizarre mission a few years ago, and only has 34 left
Neil Loft on his travels(Image: SWNS)
Meet the travel-obsessed Brit on a mission to fly to all 120 destinations from his local airport. Neil Loft, 44, has so far ticked off 86 locations from Bristol Airport. A lifelong travel lover, he started his mission a few years ago.
Neil, from Bristol, admits his job as a cabin crew member helps. But he still spends much of his free time travelling to achieve his goal – racking up 21 last year and even three in one day this year.
He journeyed to Basel in Switzerland, St Louis in France, and Weil am Rhein in Germany all in 24 hours earlier in 2026. Neil said: “I am well on track to achieve (all 120 destinations). I have only got a handful more to do.
“I have no commitments to hold me back, so I am just an intrepid traveller really. I have to literally go on my airline apps to remind myself where I am going some of the time. I just tend to see a deal and go book it.
“I enjoy the variation of it, meeting different people, trying different cuisines, the cultures. We are so fortunate in the UK to have Europe on our doorstep.”
Neil Loft in Almeria, Spain(Image: SWNS)
Neil says his travel love affair has lasted a lifetime, with him leaving school at 16 to work as a travel agent for a few years before becoming an overseas holiday rep. He then became a cabin crew member with over ten years of flying experience, completing the set of skills that he needed to complete his 120-destination mission.
One of the main skills he learnt was finding bargain flights, with most of his travel costing less than a taxi fare to his town centre. He added, “I have always done something travel-based. All these skills that I have learned over the years have equipped me.
“There are just so many places that you can do with the low-cost airlines that I can get a flight to Malaga probably cheaper than a taxi or an Uber into Bristol city centre.
“With the booking side of things I know where to look to get the best flights and pair them up with the hotels and transfer. And being a holiday rep gave me the confidence to do it alone.
“It has always been my life. In my home I have model planes. I also just bought a board with a tracker on it that tells you what aircrafts are flying over your house at any given time.”
A lifelong travel lover, Neil started his mission a few years ago(Image: SWNS)
So far, he has seven more trips planned for 2026, with hopes of scheduling more in. On one holiday, he journeyed to Basel in Switzerland, St Louis in France, and Weil am Rhein in Germany all in 24 hours in March.
Neil said: “I did three countries in one singular day. It was quite straightforward really. Without even realising I had crossed the bridge and walked into a new country. They don’t promote it that you can do three in one for a short trip and I think it is a great selling point. There are not a lot of places in the world where that would be accessible.”
After waking up on day two of his Basel holiday, Neil caught the tram to the border with France, where he walked over to St Louis for a coffee and a croque monsieur. He then travelled back to Basel before hopping on another tram across the border to Weil am Rhein in Germany, where he had a beer in a rooftop bar before heading back to his Swiss hotel.
With travel passes being provided upon arrival in Basel, the entire three country day trip cost Neil a total of £3 and he says others should definitely try it. He added: “They were all different in their own respects. I liked Germany, it was a nice place on the river and quite vibrant.
“It was shockingly easy. I took a bit of time in each to have a drink and a mooch about but you could have done all three countries in two or three hours if you wanted to.
“People were amazed. Basel should be promoted more as a destination where you can access three countries in a short space of time.”