A humble Facebook group has ignited a trend that’s taking the UK by storm - extreme day trips.
Day trips were once leisurely, gentle activities. Enjoyed on a day off work or a weekend, the emphasis was on switching off and taking the time to relax.
Not any more.
Instead, day trips are being superpowered by social media, easy access to fast, cheap travel and imaginative, competitive Brits.
What are Extreme Day Trips?
You’d be forgiven for assuming that extreme day trips involve adrenalin sports or some kind of challenging outdoor activities.
But the premise is much simpler. Extreme day trips are all about travelling somewhere and back in the space of a day. Jamming as many experiences as possible into this short time is essential to the challenge.
And, of course, posting, boasting and comparing notes about your achievements on social media is all part of the fun.
The Rise and Rise of Extreme Day Trips
What started out as a small community has quickly caught fire. Membership of the original extreme day tripping group has now ballooned to over a quarter of a million. For a country with a population of 68 million, that’s quite a feat.
When the group hit 250,000 members, one of the founders posted to celebrate the occasion.
"Yet again, I find myself in the position of not quite believing just how far the page has come, especially in the last 12 months.
I think that the concept of an extreme day trip is quite alien to some people and terrifying as well. There are some who joined this page who thought this way too, but have now become hooked on them."
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As with many trends, smaller groups have broken out as people take the concept and run with it. Offshoot groups have even been set up for specific regional hubs.
- Extreme Day Trips from Manchester Airport (163,000 members)
- Extreme Day Trips from Bristol Airport (70,000 members)
- Extreme Day Trips from Scottish Airports (25,000 members)
- Extreme Day Trips Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds Bradford Airport (22,000 members)
One avid fan has even written a book about it.
You get the idea. Extreme day tripping seems to have found roots in Brits' love of a challenge, community, travel and a little healthy competition.
And it doesn't look like this trend is going away any time soon.
Upping the Ante? Challenge Accepted
In the early days of the extreme day tripping group, most people were travelling to cities within one hours' travel or flight time.
But, spurred on by their social media-loving peers, adventurous Brits are pushing the boundaries further every week.
In the last month, the group's members have travelled from the UK to cities such as Pisa, Bergen, Bologna and Gdansk.
Several have travelled as far as Budapest and Bucharest. Flying in the morning, they've flexed about seeing as many sights as possible before landing back on home soil before midnight.
One group of extreme day trippers who met on a previous trip even managed to fly from London to Geneva, visit Chamonix, climb a mountain and return to Gatwick before 10pm on the same day.
In summer 2024, one group member posted to reflect on their extreme day tripping achievements so far and bringing their baby daughter along for the ride.
"Me and my fiancé are avid extreme day trippers and we’ve done over 60 day trips in the last two years. Including Greece, Spain, Germany, Poland etc… Today is our daughter's first extreme day trip! She's only six months, but handled it like a pro!"
In short, if you want to compete at the extreme day tripping game, the message seems to be 'go big or go home'.
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Extreme Day Tripping and the Environment
Like any conscientious traveller, you may be wondering if extreme day tripping is considered to be strenuous on the environment. This is a question that divides people, but discussions tend to centre around the following.
Potential Benefits
- Higher Occupancy Rates - When travellers take up last-minute, low-cost seats, it can increase occupancy rates for flights, trains and buses. For scheduled flights and trains, this doesn’t increase the number of journeys or fuel consumption significantly, since they’re already planned.
- Short Distances - Extreme day trips usually cover relatively short distances, potentially generating fewer emissions than long-haul travel. This could be beneficial if the alternative was to take a longer trip by air, which has a higher per-mile emission footprint.
Possible Downsides
- Increased Frequency - Frequent trips can accumulate a substantial carbon footprint over time. If travellers take many short-haul trips rather than fewer longer trips, this could lead to higher cumulative emissions.
- Environmental Cost of Cheap Flights - Last-minute and low-cost seats encourage spontaneous travel, often by air, which has a high environmental impact. Budget carriers or unfilled seat deals may lead to more people taking trips they otherwise wouldn't have, which would add to overall emissions.
- Local Transport Impact - Extreme day-trippers need ground transport at their destinations. If they rely on cars or taxis, this can add to congestion and emissions in local areas.
Extreme day tripping has been around for a relatively short time. Any long-term environmental impact it has largely depends on how it influences people's travel habits over time.
Why Extreme Day Tripping is the Trend to Watch
Whether it's for a cobweb-blasting change of scenery or a micro escape, these trips are all about having fun and memorable experiences.
One of the other draws of extreme day trips is they rarely need extensive planning or a big budget. With flights as short as an hour or two, you can steer clear of packing, buying extra luggage or factoring in other expensive add-ons.
They can also be pulled off by taking just one day away from work or other responsibilities. A temptation for those with full schedules but adventurous spirits.
Extreme Day Trips Abroad from the UK - Our Recommendations
As for me, I haven’t yet taken any extreme day trips abroad from the UK.
But, as a travel addict based in Manchester and within easy reach of the airport, watching this group evolve has sparked my interest - never say never!
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be researching extreme day trips in Europe, exploring what’s possible and sharing tips and findings on the Airalo blog.
In the meanwhile, if you’re planning any extreme day trips abroad from the UK, you don’t want to get caught without data. Thankfully, Airalo has you covered. Browse our Europe eSIM packages here for flexible options as you travel.
