A mum has revealed how she took her children to a different country for lunch and it cost less than going to a theme park.
Gill Martini-Pullen had searched high and low for a fun day out to treat her two kids without breaking the bank.
She looked at theme parks, such as Alton Towers, but with tickets alone costing £68, it wasn’t in the 49-year-old’s budget.
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The mum grew fed up and settled on looking at local activities; until she spotted people going abroad for just one day.
Not believing it could be done for cheap, she was surprised when the total cost, all-in, came to just £212 [see list at bottom for full breakdown].
And her kids, aged 11 and 15 [not named for privacy reasons] were back in time for bed.
“The thought of being able to go to another country for the day was so exciting,” the business support assistant, from Kent, told What’s The Jam.
“I didn’t even know it was possible – and for so cheap.
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“A day trip to London or a theme park is very expensive, especially when you factor in travel costs, food and drink.
“I wanted to treat them to something fun and be back home for their bedtimes.”
Gill, who took them away to Bergamo, Italy, during May half-term, scored flights through Ryanair, costing £80 in total.
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Instead of parking at the airport, she put her car in a nearby Premier Inn for £12.
The airport shuttle was £4 and they set off at 7:25am.
She said: “We spent the day wandering around the pretty streets of Bergamo, stopping at a lovely restaurant for lunch.
“We looked in lots of cute shops, then walked most of the way back down to the lower town before catching the bus back to the airport.
“With time to spare, we crossed the road to the huge shopping centre for a little look.”
For lunch, they ate pizza and gnocchi, with Gill enjoying a cheeky Aperol Spritz, coming in at £46, followed by cake and gelato for £10.
They spent £13 bringing home some traditional Italian pesto and pasta for dinner the next night and went to McDonald’s at the airport for tea, costing £11.
Their flight home at 9pm was delayed, though they didn’t let this ruin the day, and the kids were home and in bed by 1am instead of 11:30pm.
Gill advises to look at going midweek to score the best deals and to make use of free sightseeing.
And always scour websites such as Skyscanner.
She added: “Doing extreme day trips are such a good way to get tasters of other countries.
“I’m looking at going to Paris next or to the Bucharest Thermal Spa with my girls.
“The kids loved being able to say they went to Italy for lunch rather than the usual theme park.
“And they can’t wait to do more.
“Their feet were hurting after 25,000 steps, but we had a great time.”
COST BREAKDOWN:
- Flights – £80
- Car Park – £12
- Airport Shuttle – £4
- Breakfast – £12
- Bus Passes – £18
- Lunch – £46
- Cake and Gelato – £10
- Pesto and Pasta – £13
- McDonald’s – £11
- Two Muffins – £6
- TOTAL: £212
