Savvy mum-of-four jets off on 12-hour city breaks cheaper than UK day trips

21 April 2024 , 13:56

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Owen, 5, enjoyed his family trip to Venice (Image: Catriona Lee / SWNS)

A mum-of-four has shared her top tips to jet off abroad on a budget and says her adventures are cheaper than some UK day trips.

Catriona Lee, 45, from Orpington, South East London, recently bagged return flights to Tirana, Albania, for £25 with Ryanair. She has ventured on 10 city breaks over 10 years, including four that she has taken in the past four months. The savvy parent says she often goes on 12-hour city breaks which can cost a lot less than going to the theatre with her four kids.

The family have opted for budget flights to explore the likes of Italy, Germany, Morocco and Denmark. Catriona says her children "really enjoy" discovering different cultures and they "talk about it all the time." The charity worker said: “A museum in London will sometimes cost more in order to take them all out.

"It works out cheaper to take them out for a day and they get to see other cultures and try different foods." Catriona got the bug for day trips prior to having children. She said: “I started going on day trips before I had children with my friends if we found a cheap flight.

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Owen, 5 and Catriona, 45, during a camel ride in Marrakech (Catriona Lee / SWNS)

Savvy mum-of-four jets off on 12-hour city breaks cheaper than UK day trips

The family stayed in Marrakech overnight (Catriona Lee / SWNS)

"Then I had four kids so it got expensive but now two of them play football and the others get dragged around. I thought if there are not as many of us going it will be easier, and started going again. I usually look for the cheapest flight to places we haven't been before.” She has four sons - and two of them, Owen and Cameron, often join her. The other two, Flynn, seven, and Jackson, nine, prefer to play football at home with their dad, Jeremy Lee, 46. They have only stayed overnight in one location for a 24 hour trip - to Marrakech - otherwise managing to get there and back in one day.

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The family’s favourite destinations include Venice, Berlin, Marrakech and Billund, where the family had a trip to Legoland. Catriona said: “I would rather take them away all day rather than going to a one-hour museum or theatre show, which can get expensive. We just save all our money and do one trip every one or two months.” The most memorable highlights for Catriona were in Albania and Morocco.

She said: “We went into the desert, watched a fire show and rode on camels in Marrakech. I had never seen that before and there is nothing like that here. I would never normally find myself in a nuclear bunker in Albania or riding camels in the desert." They recently went to Tirana, Albania where they travelled in off-road buggies and a cable car, and visited two nuclear bunkers to understand the area's "fascinating" history. The whole day cost around £135 inclusive of all food, travel and activities for the three of them.

Owen and Cameron having fun in The Museum of Fantastic Illusions, Prague (Catriona Lee / SWNS)

The mum said: “We are never fussy about where we go, as long as we are on time for school run and so that at least one of us can watch the match of the other two that play football. You just need to search around really, so we will get a 6am flight on a Saturday and come back at 10 to 11 pm on a Sunday.”

Catriona plans to do future day trips to Vienna, Slovakia and Nuremberg - but will be waiting until winter to go away again. She said: “Flights are cheaper from January to March as not many people go away. If you are travelling outside of Europe you don’t really know what weather you are going to get and many people prefer to go in the summer.” Catriona’s advice to aspiring day-trip makers is flying from a nearby airport in order to not waste time on the road, booking the earliest flight out and the latest one in, and allowing time for delays.

Owen often joins his mother on her adventures (Catriona Lee / SWNS)

Owen and Cameron look forward to the day trips (Catriona Lee / SWNS)

She also uses public transportation and prefers having food on the go so there is more time for activities. She said: “My son likes to go to places he has not been before. He wanted to go to Austria so we booked a flight to Vienna in two weeks, and then we will take a bus that takes us to Slovakia. We are not going to have much time in each place but we kind of like to run around. It is a good way to experience everything and get a taste of a place so you can decide if you want to go back."

Catriona has revealed the list of her flights below