Thrifty Leeds resident Natalie Barrett managed to put together a trip to Alicante, Spain for just £70. She said the day was less expensive than some trips to British cities
Holidaying Brits looking to save a few quid on their travels could follow in the footsteps of one savvy woman who went on a European city break for just six hours.
Times are tight in the run up to Christmas, but many of us will still feel like we need a break. A trip abroad might be just the thing to calm the nerves and give us some respite.
Clever Leeds woman Natalie Barrett jetted off on an “extreme day trip” to Alicante, Spain in an excursion that cost her just £70. Here is a guide on how you could repeat the trip.
“Why not go and make a nice day of it?” Natalie said of her trip to Tyla. She said she went on to the Extreme Day Trip UK Facebook group to help her draft an itinerary for the day so she could see some of the local sights.
“On the day we took it a little more relaxed and spent more time enjoying lunch and drinks and just chatting in the sun,” she recalled. Natalie added: “We still managed to see the marina, the castle, the cathedral, ‘Mushroom Street’, the city hall and countless other monuments and landmarks. The only activity that cost money was the lift up to the castle, which was €2.70, and the bus to and from the airport was €8 for 10 tickets, which we split.”
Natalie said she did not feel short-changed for her day and got in everything she had planned. She said: “We pretty much did see everything that I had wanted to beforehand, other than getting time on the beach – however, getting to know each other over a delicious lunch and cocktails more than made up for that…And it just gives us an excuse to go back!”
The trip was taken with a group of similarly-minded strangers, but the six-hour fun went well. “The flights were on time, there were no queues at security or passport control and we stepped straight onto a bus at both ends,” she said. “This gave us the maximum possible amount of time in Alicante city. If only it were always that easy! And the weather was so warm and sunny, so we had a brilliant time.”
Interestingly, Natalie said that trips to major British cities such as Newcastle and Manchester had ended up costing her more in the past. Parting with €5 for sangria didn’t seem so bad compared to her normal Starbucks order, she said, while a burger meal with two cocktails and sangria cost her around £19.
She said: “It was so much fun going with girlfriends. Also the cost of the whole day with car parking, flights, food, drink and activities was only £70. I’ve had more expensive days out visiting my home city!”
In her advice, Natalie said people should make sure they carefully plan the trip, arrange travel beforehand and look up the opening hours of key sights. The day can also be quite tiring, so try and stay stress-free by going with the flow if something comes up.
