Woman, 48, flies to France for a day of sightseeing, wine and dinner as she says it’s cheaper than ‘lunch and the cinema’ in the UK
One teacher flew to France and enjoyed a full day of food, drink and excursions for less than ‘a day in the UK’.
Claire Howard, from Birmingham, told how she flew to Beauvais, France, for an international holiday that cost slightly more than going ‘to the cinema and lunch at the mall’ in England.
Explaining how he managed to do this, the 48-year-old actor revealed that he saw Ryanair round-trip flights for just £27 on Skyscanner and booked a month in advance.
“I’ve been to Paris a few times and I didn’t want to come here from Beauvais because Paris is really expensive and busy,” Claire said.
‘I wanted to see what Beauvais really had to offer, for a relaxing day of sightseeing, eating and drinking.’
The early morning flight left Birmingham around 7.30am and the return journey departed at 11pm.
Her husband dropped her off at the airport and she took a £1.80 bus 15 minutes to Beauvais.
In total the whole trip – including flights, buses, dinner and wine – cost around £70, with Claire adding: ‘I don’t want to pay £50 to go to the cinema and have lunch here in a shopping center when I could go abroad and experience so much more for a very reasonable price.’
A teacher flew to France and enjoyed a full day of food, drink and excursions for less than ‘a day in the UK’
Listing her expenses, Claire said she spent the morning enjoying coffee and bitter chocolate at the city’s weekly Saturday market, which earned her £4.
He then relaxed with a drink while listening to live music in the town square before taking a £10 Uber to popular lakeside spot Plan d’Eau du Canada.
Lunch was an £8 French picnic of supermarket baguettes, cheese and a small bottle of wine while we read and sunbathed by the water.
The itinerary also included visits to Beauvais Cathedral and the nearby Musée de l’Oise, both of which offer free admission.
The day ended with a Pad Thai dinner at a local Thai restaurant, costing around £10, before returning to the airport for the evening flight home.
She also took an £8 bracelet with her to help her remember the day; For a total of £70, Claire added: ‘I’d say it could probably be done even cheaper.
‘It’s exciting to go to a different country just for lunch or to explore for a day. I just saw on Skyscanner that return flights were only £27, so I took it.
‘Being abroad is a different feeling. It feels more like an adventure than just going somewhere at home.’
The avid traveler added that he became addicted to cheap day trips abroad after discovering discounted flights from Birmingham Airport.
She flies to a different city almost once a month, which means this year Claire has visited Bergamo in Italy, Malaga in Spain, Valletta in Malta, Poznan in Poland and Porto in Portugal.
‘I stay in some places depending on flight times, but that wasn’t necessary for this trip as the flight times were convenient and I could still have one dinner and a full day,’ Claire continued.
‘There’s no point in staying here just to buy a flight home the next morning because it’s a waste of accommodation money.’
Claire Howard, from Birmingham, told how she flew to Beauvais, France, for an international holiday that cost a lot less than going ‘to the cinema and lunch at the mall’ in England.
The avid traveler added that he became addicted to cheap day trips abroad after discovering discounted flights from Birmingham Airport.
When asked about future travel plans, Claire said she bought return flights to Poland and Berlin in August for £70.
Claire said: ‘I just focus on what is possible and affordable. I don’t get any time off during the semester, but I do have Tuesdays off, so I like to use them.
‘I love the way you can do and see so much at once that you can spend a day at home just watching Netflix and doomscrolling.
‘I usually find the best prices four to six weeks in advance.
Claire added that her husband doesn’t like short trips, so she doesn’t get jealous.
