Meet Monica Stott, a 37 year old busy mum from Wrexham. Despite her hectic schedule, Monica manages to squeeze in multiple holidays each year by leaving her children with their grandparents and embarking on 24-hour trips.
Monica has become an enthusiast of mini breaks or what she refers to as extreme day trips (EDTs). These brief yet fulfilling holidays involve her departing her home at 5am and returning by midnight, allowing her to sleep in her own bed.
The mother of three, whose children range from five to ten years old, typically plans her trips mid-week to take advantage of cheaper flights. She reveals that all her travels have cost less than £40 per country.
For example, she flew to Dublin for just £22, and a ticket to Budapest only cost her around £15. Monica also says that midweek is ideal for arranging childcare - since her kids are already going to be at school all day.
They then stay with their grandparents for the day, and she is back home with them by the time they wake up the next morning. Overall, Monica says that it is mostly men who don't understand the trips - while she claims that mums usually get the appeal.
She added: "It is really cheap, much cheaper than having a day out in the UK. I think a lot of people don't get it. I personally find that it is always the men who think it is a waste of time. They say that the airport is too stressful.
"It feels like this is for mums who are really busy and want to have a holiday but will never have time to get away without the kids. Busy mums with jobs and children are really keen on the idea."
Monica first had the idea when she began flying to Dublin for the day to meet clients and realised that it felt like a holiday. She said: "I had a client in Dublin so I used to pop over for meetings and while I was there I would make a day out of it. Then I realised that it did feel a bit like a holiday with the exception of the meeting in the middle.
"As I have gotten older, I have more responsibilities. I have three children, a dog, and a garden where all my plants will die if I go away for a week. I just love the adventure of having these quick trips. I am always surprised that it feels like I have had a holiday.
"It is a lot easier to arrange with other people as well. If you say is anyone free next Thursday, then they can come but nobody is ever free for a weekend away."
Monica's favourite holiday so far was her day trip to Reykjavik, where she explored the city and then spent her afternoon relaxing in a spa. She has also been to places like Bergamo and Alicante.
Since beginning her trips, the mum says that she has begun seeing many other people on the plane who are doing the same as her. In the future, she is hoping to do even more EDTs with plans to take all of her children on individual adventures for their birthdays. And she says that despite the long days being exhausting, it is always worth it in the end.
Monica said: "It is a long day but it is really fun and there is something about the adrenaline of knowing that you are only there for a day.
"It is so strange coming home and going to bed because you feel like you have been away for so long, but you got out of the bed that morning."
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