Has anyone done a “extreme day trip”?

[inkyspells]

Well mines not a extreme day trip but will be 47 hours (2 nights ) in gran canaria
The one I’m looking at arrives at 5pm Monday and leaves 4pm Wednesday.
Do you think this is worth it ?
Hotel is 30 mins away
Will have to leave at say 1.30pm on the Wednesday

If you choose not to take them it’s rather pointless being on a thread about them where you have nothing to add to the OP’s query.

Oops sorry for talking about that pesky climate change! FWIW I don’t think it’s pointless, the thread title asks if anyone has been on an EDT, for some of us the answer is no and we’re perfectly entitled to explain why.

Paris by train for a concert. Early train out, river Cruise to see the sites, nice late lunch, gig, then last train home. Exhausting but amazing.

This is insane. A train to Paris if you live nearby - yes okay, that's normal behavior although still surely more fun to stay a weekend. I guess if you have to fly for a work meeting it's somewhat out of your control and just on of those things...

But for everyone else - it's just insane. Carbon footprint aside, why would you not just spend an extra £100 or whatever and make a long weekend of it? Although I find flying for a long weekend pretty bad as well, tbh, but I can see the reasoning behind it. But for one day? Is it because you can't afford any longer? Or is it social media bragging rights about how you're living life to the fullest?

Sometimes I think we're all just fucked

I went to the Spanish GP for the day when I lived in Dublin, got home in time to watch the highlights!

The quickest way to get anywhere sunny by train is Eurostar to Paris and a 3 hour TGV to Marseille I reckon. Not quite day trip territory, but I've done it for a long weekend- from Cornwall! Obviously it's not quite the Canaries, but we were able to swim and sunbathe on November 1st a couple of years ago. I recall the northern European grey fading away somewhere over the Massif Central, to be replaced with brilliant southern colour.

I was totally expecting the "Bore Off" response and did consider whether there was any point posting an alternative view. But I think it's important someone questions the whole premise of extreme day trips.

@AmethystDeceiver nails it when she says it's as much about social media bragging rights as about the enjoyment of the actual trip. And it is a particularly hedonistic and environmentally destructive way to get people to pay online attention to you.

If that doesn't bother you and you have no interest at all in reducing your carbon footprint for the sake of future generations, that's your prerogative. But it's absolutely appropriate - and even necessary - that someone comes on the thread to point out why this might not be such a good thing. It might not deter you, but it might make a few people think about their future choices.

I agree with you that everyone should be watching their carbon footprint and cutting back where they can.
But people seem to blame the extreme day trippers a lot more than they blame people who travel long haul a few times a year, people who drive a lot, people who fly for work, etc.
For me it's about the overall picture and not just one individual event.

And I really think we need to see changes from leadership, with people in charge making good green decisions before we can blame it on someone who takes a mini break in the Canaries.

I think it's that the whole point of Extreme Day Tripping is to go an extreme distance for a very short trip. The positive outcomes from the choice to fly are minimal.

I have challenged someone - who I think was a travel agent - posting on here about how we should all take as many holidays as we can and boasting about how many times she flies each year.

I wouldn't challenge someone who flies once a year for a holiday, though that's not a choice I would make. People who fly for work - well, I know a lot of people who choose jobs where they can bike or use public transport for sustainability reasons. Some jobs can't be done without flying but many, many can.

Yes, we need leadership and strategies at an international level but we also need individuals to recognise this is important and not willfully do things that make it all worse.

I think it's basically only really feasible on the train. Couldn't be faffed doing airports twice in a day.

In 1989 DH flew to Berlin for 8 hours to grab a piece of the Berlin Wall as it was demolished, still has it somewhere.

Leaving aside the valid, but complex, question of CO2, the benefit of a successful mini-trip is that a total change of scene does amazing things for your sense of wellbeing.

Same as a holiday, there's something about being physically distant from your problems and duties that's disproportionately relaxing. Finding yourself in a different place, unlike your home environment, where the language, the light and even the smells are fresh and new to you can wake up your senses and make you feel fully present and engaged. Provided you like the place and have time to soak it all up, enjoy a local meal and a drink, a single day can really make you feel like you've had a holiday.

Although- and I'm playing devil's advocate now because I'm 100% Team Train- sadly taking the Eurostar nowadays does involve quite a lot of airport style faff :(.

Yep. Poland, oslo, Copenhagen and a few more. All arrived about 9am and home by 10pm same day.

Always a fun day with friends.

Early December did a day trip to Paris on Eurostar, first train out and last train back. It was lovely.
Looking to do Belfast later this year, Titanic museum.

I can’t think of anything worse.

I like to explore and make the most of new cities/surrounding areas, so just one night would be extremely frustrating for me personally.

.

Cheers grok

Me and my brothers took my Mum on a surprise day trip for her 70th birthday from the South Coast to Paris on Eurostar back in the 90s.

We walked around a bit, had a nice lunch, went to a couple of museums. Mum was thrilled.

Went on a day trip to Iceland in 1999. First time in an aeroplane and on my own. We had an Icelandic guide who took us by coach to the Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik and Grindavik. I still have the volcanic stone he gave each one of us at the end of the day.

I went to Paris for the day on the Eurostar, pit stop trip to see the main sights, got home at midnight, done the job

You don't believe humans can write joined-up prose?
Bless you 😏

Yes but always to a city. I’ve done Rome, Barcelona, Palma and Milan.

Got Madrid and Pisa booked next couple of months

Yeah I read plenty of normal prose on here, but I tend to suspect inane and generic but superficially "well constructed" paragraphs of text to be AI, given its unfortunate proliferation on this site.

I've done that with the kids - Ireland by ferry - out after school Friday, back Sunday night. Amsterdam again, out straight from school, back Sunday. Pretty sure I've done other similar things that I can't think of righ tnow

I really like it - my children don't really like being away from home for long, so max one/two nights away is great - and I can deal with very little sleep for that long where if it was longer I couldn't.