A woman flew to Brussels for less than 24 hours to escape “boring” Britain and it only set her back less than £200.
Kellyann Joce loves travelling, but struggles to find the time – and money – to do so.
For her birthday, the 42-year-old longed to leave the UK and celebrate somewhere less “depressing”.
She did her research and came across a day trip to Brussels, costing only £178 each all in.
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And now, Kellyann and her husband, Colin, 47, are getting ready to book their next savvy 24-hour trip.
“I’ve always wanted to do an extreme day trip, as we love travelling and exploring new cultures,” the sales and marketing manager told Luxury Travel Daily.
“However we never have any holiday from work left over after our yearly family trips.
“Our son usually plays football on a Saturday, but on this weekend, he didn’t.
“So I found a flight to Brussels with good times and booked it for my birthday treat – just for me and my husband.
“It was exhilarating.
“You don’t remember it was only a day.
“You remember the experience, the culture, food and memories.”
Kellyann and Colin set off from Manchester Airport on 26 April 2025.
It cost them £50 each for return flights with Ryanair, a further £52 for all-day parking at the airport and a return shuttle bus from Brussels airport to the city centre cost £79 for both of them.
They left at 6:15am and when arriving, walked around the city before stopping for a coffee.
The couple continued exploring and then met up with a walking food tour group they had booked in advance, costing just £52 each, including food.
She said: “We stopped at six traditional food stops, including Frikandel, Belgian frites, fish nuggets, Belgian chocolate ice cream, truffles and of course, a Belgian waffle.
“After the tour, we had a beer.
“Then after a quick walk around the shops to the bus stop, we were ready to set off home.”
Kellyann, who is looking at going to Milan on a day trip next, was ready for bed by 10:30pm the same day.
She suggests looking for flights on Skyscanner and using sites like Get Your Guide for tours.
A new report, released by Archers, found that 85% of Brits would be open to taking an extreme one-day holiday – tipping it as the top travel trend of 2025.
The brand has just created its very own fuss-free itinerary travel agency, makeitpeachy.ai, using AI to help make the planning a little easier.
The mum added: “We could have visited any major city in the UK and the major attractions for the same cost as our trip.
“Getting up and flying to another country and being back in my own bed the same day is something else.
“It’s truly surreal.
“It was over in the blink of an eye, but also felt like a week-long trip at the same time.”
COST BREAKDOWN:
Return flights: £50 each
Airport parking: £52 for the day
Return shuttle bus from the airport to the city centre: £79 for two
Walking food tour: £52 each
Coffee: £6
Beer: £15
TOTAL: £356/£178 each
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