Extreme day trips

Trips involving a long-haul-flight, followed by a whistle-stop tour of a city before hopping back on a plane homebound within 24-hours are taking off as travel influencers share their economical fleeting journeys. One such influencer is US-based Kevin Droniak (@kevindroniak on Instagram and TikTok) who has enjoyed “extreme day trips” to see the Colosseum in Rome, the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, among others and quite often ends his videos saying he would happily take the day trip again.

Kevin Droniak Tik Tok — Kevin Droniak day trips. Courtesy of TikTok

Similarly, British travel blogger Monica Stott or @thetravelhack on TikTok, Instagram and X, shares what she calls “realistic and affordable weekend break itineraries” which could span from an extreme day trip to weekend escapes. In a September post on Instagram, she ranked her top five day trips, with Reykjavik, Iceland topping the charts, starting with a city exploration and ending at the Sky Lagoon Spa.

Extreme day trips do not have to be a solo affair. Based in the UK, the Earls - a family of four - are taking advantage of affordable flights to Europe. In May, the family spent a day in Sweden, departing from London Stansted in the morning and arriving at Liseberg, a popular theme park in Gothenberg by 11am. The family optimized time for rides and shows their daughters ages 11 and 13 would enjoy, before having dinner and catching a 9pm flight home. Graham Earl, father of the family, told CNN that taking “day trips on a weekend outside of school and work hours, it kind of works from a budget point of view. It’s allowing us to do lots of little mini-adventures throughout the year.”

It’s allowing us to do lots of little mini adventures throughout the year.

Graham Earl

This in turn is spurring demand for services catering for these micro adventures. Alternative Airlines offers flights catered to this style of travel, helping consumers filter for the destination and time frame they’re looking for. Their website, includes an explanation of what an “extreme day trip” is and why some vacationers prefer one. Extremedaytrips.com also cater to fast-paced travelers, curating 24-hour itineraries for those who don’t wish to linger. Travelers can reserve tours and flights to a range of destinations on their platform and choose relaxing spas and beaches or mountains and theme parks as their activity of choice. And whilst not specifically targeting day-trippers, budget airlines Frontier’s GoWild! All-You-Can-Fly Pass and Wizz Air’s All You Can Fly Pass deals allows for cost-effective, short-trips on a whim to easily happen.

In the US, while spending on air travel and hotels has decreased by 10% and 6% year over year according to a report by Bloomberg Second Measure, the appetite for travel is still present. Travelers seeking ways to cut costs but still gain the experience of an exciting trip are discovering the appeal of fleeting nano trips.