I took 13 trips abroad last year for less than £3,000 and didn’t use a single day of annual leave

A SAVVY mum of two spent just £2,600 visiting everywhere from Poland and France to Germany, Spain and Switzerland last year... without taking a single day off work.

English teacher Claire Howard went on 13 extreme day trips in 2024, after reading about the travel trend on a Facebook group.

The 47-year-old has had a fear of flying ever since she took a turbulent flight from Perth to Singapore when she was 21.

In a bid to conquer her fears, Claire from Solihull in the West Midlands, took a leap of faith and booked her first solo day trip from Birmingham International Airport to Geneva last January.

Claire told SWNS: "After a late night of scrolling I just booked one. I decided to go on my own, I just thought 'if I can do this then I can do anything.'

"When I woke up the next morning, in the cold light of day, I panicked and tried to cancel.

"But there was a £40 cancellation fee and I had only spent £42 on the flights so I decided to just go.

"I was really anxious but also so excited. The feeling when I got back and I had done it was amazing, I was on such a high from it."

Claire's fear of flying began in the late 1990s, with the English teacher only able to fly again after being prescribed diazepam by her doctor.

But everything changed two years ago, when Claire underwent a preventative hysterectomy after discovering that she had the BRCA1 Gene.

After the operation, Claire started working four days a week and decided to tackle her fear of flying on her extra day off.

She said: "What I didn't want to do was spend my day off cooking or cleaning, that's when I saw the Extreme Day Trips group.

"I decided I was going to use my day off to do 12 trips in 12 months.

"I was going to force myself to get on a plane once a month. If I was only there for a day, I didn't have time to waste stressing about the flights.

"Flying has become much easier, I am now used to the routine of it.

"I now feel that I know what the noises are and everything is normalised."

Not only did Claire tackle her fear of flying, but she made memories with her two children, Henry, 17, and Caelia, 16.

Flights varied from £27 to £65 for returns, so each trip with activities and food included has come to around £180 to £200.

The mum of two cut costs further by packing food for the plane and using the Too Good to Go App to get discounted food abroad.

Overall, Claire spent roughly £2,600 for all 13 extreme day trips.

In 2025, Claire plans to go on six more trips, with a trip to Bucharest already booked.

She said: "I am not going to stop. I want it to continue being part of my life."

Extreme day tripping has seen people book cheap morning flights before returning the same day and swerving any accommodation costs.

One mum booked £37 return flights to Ibiza, after wanting to visit London - only to find trains were £152.