A teacher flew to France for lunch and says it was cheaper than a typical day out in the UK.
Claire Howard flew to Beauvais, France, for a relaxing day of food, sightseeing and sunshine and was home before midnight.
The 48-year-old spotted return Ryanair flights for just £27 and booked them a month in advance.
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The early morning flight left Birmingham at around 7.30am, with the return journey departing at 11pm.
Her husband dropped her off at the airport and she took a £1.80 bus to Beauvais that took 15 minutes.
Claire says the whole excursion including flights, buses food and drink cost around £70.
“I’ve been to Paris a few times and didn’t want to travel in from Beauvais as Paris is really pricey and busy,” Claire, from Birmingham, told What’s The Jam.
“I just wanted to see what was actually in Beauvais itself for a relaxing day of wandering, eating and drinking.
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“I just saw on Skyscanner that return flights were only £27 so I went for it.
“It’s exciting to go to a different country just for lunch or to explore for a day.
“The bus from the airport to the centre is very cheap.
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“It’s just a different feeling abroad.
“It makes it feel much more like an adventure than just going somewhere at home.
“I don’t want to pay £50 to go to the cinema and lunch here in a shopping centre when I can go and experience so much more abroad for a very reasonable price.”
The English teacher spent the morning at the city’s weekly Saturday market while enjoying coffee and a pain au chocolat that set her back £4.
Then she relaxed with a drink in the town square while listening to live music before taking a £10 Uber to Plan d’Eau du Canada, a popular lakeside spot.
Lunch was an £8 French picnic of supermarket baguette, cheese and a small bottle of wine while reading and sunbathing by the water.
Her itinerary also included visits to Beauvais Cathedral and the nearby Musée de l’Oise, both of which offered free entry.
The day ended with a Pad Thai dinner at a local Thai restaurant costing around £10 before she headed back to the airport for her evening flight home.
She also bagged an £8 bracelet to help her to remember the day.
Claire said: “I’d say it could probably be done even cheaper.
“I do stay over in some places depending on flight times but it wasn’t necessary for this trip as the flight times fit and I could still have an evening meal and a full day.
“There’s no point in staying over to get a flight home the next morning as it’s a waste of accommodation money.”
Claire says she has become hooked on cheap day trips abroad after discovering bargain flights from Birmingham Airport.
She flies to a different city nearly once a month.
Just this year, she’s visited Bergamo, in Italy, Malaga, in Spain, Valetta, in Malta, Poznan, in Poland, and Porto, in Portugal.
And she’s already bagged return flights to Poland and Berlin in August for £70.
Claire said: “I’m just led by what is possible and affordable.
“I can’t take time off at all in term time but I have Tuesdays off so I do like to make use of them.
“I just love the way you can do and see so much in the same time that you might waste a day at home just watching Netflix and doomscrolling.
“I usually find the best prices four to six weeks in advance.
“My husband doesn’t like short trips so he’s not jealous.”
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