Am I being unreasonable to think extreme day trips are excessive?

I mean the flight is still going to run whether I’m on it or not for a day trip.

Wow, I’ve never met anyone else who has done this! I did, nearly 30 years ago. A local holiday company was running one and I asked for that as my 18th birthday present, so my mum and I went. Pyramids, Sphinx, a camel ride, the museum then home.

Cairo is the longest day trip I’ve done from the UK, but have done many others to France, Belgium, Germany, Italy etc. Paris for lunch is nice on the Eurostar. Also managed Moscow from St Petersburg which is four hours each way on the high speed train so a long day but well worth it.

I don’t post photos on social media so definitely not doing it for clout. I don’t claim to have “done a place” - although most of the places I’ve been this way are also places I’ve spent longer in as well - but it’s nice to do something different for a day, see a museum, eat some interesting food, get some sun or shop at a Christmas market etc. And no need to pay for a cat sitter.

I don’t drive and don’t have children, so I’m saving carbon there.

I do it and love it.
Id rather do that than have kids.

Not as damaging as having child or two.

You understand that carbon emissions from flying are far higher than travelling by train, even for a journey of the same distance, yes? Which form of transport has the smallest carbon footprint? | Our World in Data

From an environmental point of view, it's a disastrous trend. I honestly think some people have just decided that the climate is fucked anyway so who cares? It's not rich westerners who will bear the worst brunt though. I find it disgusting.

A few destinations work well, usually smaller cities with direct flights from your nearest airport, and excellent public transport.
Dublin was great, I flew from LCY at 0620, was in the city centre for breakfast where I found a lovely Irish cafe, explored the National Museum of Ireland, stopped for coffee, went on a walking tour exploring the city's history which was fantastic, had dinner in a pub in temple bar (not the temple bar), and listened to some street performers, then got coach back to the airport and was tucked up in bed with some Barry's tea by 2200.

Would do again.

This. I get so fed up with the argument of "well the plane is going anyway"

It does when there's lots of people doing it, you're not the only person doing this and it all adds up.

IMO it's not a problem if you're doing it on eurostar

You don't care that it's appalling environmentally and massively increases your carbon footprint?

Individual usage means nothing when corporations keep on polluting the planet

It wouldn't be for me, I don't enjoy airports/flying so it would ruin the enjoyment of the day.

Plus for environmental reasons I try not to fly when there's a practical way of getting where I want to go by ferry/train/coach (though I do fly when I have to).

Yes individual context is important.
10k car miles + x flights + high non-travel consumption is different to
No car miles + 3 return flights + low non-travel consumption

There used to be more discussion about individual and comparative carbon footprints, this can be useful for assessing own usage.

Why would it be excessive for people who choose to do it? Why does it matter to you?

The environmental impact of choices like this are shared, so each person is entitled to have a view.

Same here although my trip was not too impressive as we were staying in Hurghada anyway 😂

Did a day trip to Cairo, years ago, to see the pyramids.

They were fascinating - but a day there was enough.

I am near Dublin airport and have been to most of the places you mentioned but for weekend trips rather than just for the day. The day trips were to Bristol, York, Birmingham, London a few times etc just because we took a notion but a bit further out and I prefer a few days to really get immersed in places :)

I think it's immoral for environmental reasons, but even if I didn't the ratio of travel vs actually seeing the place is way too poor for me to enjoy it. Years ago I went to Prague for a two-night hen-do and even that felt like two days in an airport vs one day sightseeing. Not worth it.

Of course one could also argue that flights should be made too expensive for it to be an option.

I think your emissions numbers are off

most people it’s about a third for food, a third for home heating/electric/transport and a third on stuff from memory - anyway it isn’t just owning a car

the only way you can get to 18 flights because you don’t own a car is to assume you buy a new car every year / most cars have a MUCH longer life and it’s normal to divide the emissions of manufacture across the expected life

anyway
0.5 tonnes co2 for a return London to Prague flight

I have a car and our household emissions are around 4 tonnes CO2

the UK average is around 9 tonnes ( think that’s per person not household )

18 flights alone is 9 tonnes. You have to also get to the airport ( walk) , not eat anything ( starve) not turn your lights or heating on and not buy anything else to support your ridiculous claim that your emissions are not high for the UK

Air travel has the potential to get massively delayed. A 2 hour flight can easily take 3 hours, plus getting to the airport 2 hours before. A 2 hour drive or train journey is not the same as a 2 hour flight.
I think it could be potentially quite pressurised to do a 2 x 2 hour flights in a day.
I have done it for work to avoid being away from home for a full night, but that was not my own money and not meant to be fun.

Can I ask (and this is nothing not do with emissions, etc). Do you live close to an airport and do you get a taxi or are you able to rely on buses to get to the airport? Those are the bits that add would more time onto the journey for me. Is there anything in particular or anywhere, that you’d avoid?

I don't know. I've been tempted to do it for DS as he has food allergies. It would mean we could take some food, find a mcdonalds and be home safely.

Can confirm. My dd did it. Holocaust Memorial Trust run trips from all over the UK, not sure if the plane is chartered, a few kids from lots of schools, she went to meetings and lectures beforehand. Left here at midnight for flight to Poland arrived back midnight next day.

YABU. I haven't done it myself but I can see the appeal. Why does it matter to you what others do?

Our of interest, how many children do you have?