European day trips

[overthinkersanonnymus]

Does anyone do these on a regular basis, or at all in the past?

I haven't been abroad in forever and would like to build my self back up (anxiety disorder related) to travelling. I love the idea of just popping to Barcelona for a couple hours on the beach, a lovely meal, then back home to my own bed. Or a spa day in France eg.

Any tips or suggestions are very welcome.

Prob 2 hours or less flight time. So Paris and Brussels. Milan, Turin poss Rome, Geneva, lots of Germany and Benelux/France. Nice, Lyon. Look on a map then see who flies there. Paris is an easy win as is Amsterdam.

Guernsey or Jersey.

It depends on where you live. Are you near a large airport with flight options that would work for a day trip?

We go over to France and Belgium a lot but we live in the Dover/Folkestone area so it's easy to get the ferry or eurotunnel.

My favourite was Brussels in a day by plane.

Living on the south coast, I've done many day trips to Northern France. Eurotunnel used to do a February half term daytrip offer for £19.

My 2 children used to choose a friend each to fill the car up. Many happy memories created.

I'm really close to Manchester airport so plenty of flights going all over from there.

Hi OP didn't want to read and run as I used to do stuff like this all the time before kids (to everyone's astonishment.) I have to travel to another city just for the day for my work once in about 6 weeks which is a 1 hour flight. It's perfectly doable with a very early start and really changes your world!
I would consider starting small with easy cities and shortish flights and see how you feel as it is quite exhausting and a few things can go wrong but not the end of the world. Fast track airport pass helps too.

I would not fly for a day trip, I can use Eurostar though and have done a couple of times to Brussels for an art exhibition.

I’ve done a few and love it!
I live close to an airport and it’s great way to get out and about and have a day out in the sun- cheaper than going to another uk city.

Set your budget, looks for flights on Skyscanner and also look at staying over a night - can sometimes be cheaper than doing a day trip depending on flight times.

do it and enjoy! I need to book my next one x

@overthinkersanonnymus I've done all those trips I've posted from Manchester

I think they made a valid point and you were unnecessarily rude

I did a day trip to Paris on Eurostar. I was already in London so it was very straightforward.

If the get to airport/ check in/ get from airport to hotel is the part you’d find stressful have you looked at escorted trips? Usually by coach though some are flights but you literally do nothing but sit, read, listen to music, watch a movie. Everything else is done for you. Even the tea and coffee is made for you at rest stops.

Not for me... far to stressful!
But I would second train travel (I know expensive in UK) but maybe Eurostar or inter-rail ticket could be useful if planning trips carefully.

Also from Manchester I would look at Ireland and maybe Oslo (Norway) or Stockholm (Sweden). Seems a bit closer than some places in southern Europe.

Can't you read? OP asked for European destination suggestions not to be guilted by an Eco lecture. You're rude too.

Remind me of the S and B boards where someone wants to splash out on an item and they are guilted and told to donate the money to charity. Start your own @Mightymoog thread and lecture about the environment to your heart's content.

What a ghastly idea. Why on earth would you think it’s ok to do that?
The argument that the plane is going there anyway is particularly stupid. It’s the argument certain types of people use for watching horrific things on the internet.

Now, that is a particularly stupid comparison

gosh you're angry.😄
S/he asked for any suggestions: someone suggested not doing it for environmental reasons.
That seems valid to me.

Have you considered doing a domestic day trip first for practice eg Belfast or somewhere on the south coast? I flew Bournemouth to Edinburgh last year - not a day trip, but with small airports you are through in no time, when we got back I was driving out of the airport 10 mins after we touched down on the runway because you walked straight off, a few metres into the tiny terminal and straight out the door opposite and into the car park. Made me think about the day trip idea.

What?? 😂😂

Why is it not ok to do that? People do it for work every single day? My boss flies to Ireland and back in one day once a week, or is it not ok because I won't be going on a work related trip?

I've also never heard so much bollocks in all my life regarding your internet comment.

Thanks @ExtraDecluttering i was thinking of London too. A nice meal and show then back to my own bed.

One night stop over will be my next hurdle.

I assume it's seen as soemtimes unavoidable for work but is a choice for leisure.
I do think it's a terrible thing for the environment to do a one day trip

I've done this.
However, to make it worthwhile you need to be within a short distance away from an airport, my local one is London City, I can be there in 20 minutes, security takes less than 10 minutes and the gates are minutes away.
Flights need to be shortish, no more than 2 hours, and the outbound early morning with return late evening.
You want an airport close to your destination, some budget airlines are budget because the airport they use is miles away from the city.
There's a group called Extreme Day Trips on Facebook which can help more.

If you are anywhere near St Pancras, you can do a day trip to Paris and see all the Northern French countryside at blink-and-you-missed-it high speed, and the inside of the Channel tunnel (well almost!), have lunch, see a few sights, and be home by bedtime. It's a good day out.

I think it's dreadful for the environment to be flying somewhere for a day trip & don't think I could justify doing it.

I have taken an overnight ferry though, had the day there e.g. Dublin, then got the ferry back again overnight. I've also caught early trains somewhere in the UK & a late train back. I'd stay in London & catch the Eurostar for a day trip.

This is one of the most brainless things I’ve read on mumsnet, and I’ve read some brainless things.

Those planes fly because there is demand. You are as much a part of that demand as the other people on the plane. There is absolutely no way of justifying the environmental impact of your trip.