Bec Oakes
A mum-of-three decided to take a whirlwind 12-hour trip to Lanzarote, claiming it was cheaper to the fly there than have a night out at her local pub.
Earlier this month, 44-year-old Nichola Stafford, from Astley in Greater Manchester took her niece, Lily-Mae, 20, for a day of sun, sand and sea on the Spanish island.
The pair jetted off from Liverpool John Lennon Airport at 5.45am, paying just £45 for return tickets with Ryanair.
Nichola said that the day trip cost them £86 each, including flights, food and cocktails — less than she'd spend down at her local boozer.
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After the duo arrived in Lanzarote, they caught a bus from the airport to Puerto del Carmen, where they wandered around the shops for a short while before heading to the beach.
"It was absolutely gorgeous," Nichola said. "The weather was 32 degrees."
After sunbathing for a few hours, Nichola and Lily-Mae enjoyed tapas and sangria before sneaking into a nearby hotel to use its facilities.
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She said: "After enjoying tapas and a jug of sangria, we were walking along the beach front and we approached a hotel that looked really nice.
"I needed the toilet so we walked up to the reception and there was a security man.
"We just said 'Hola' and pretended we were a resident [at the hotel].
"We went in and explored the hotel and relaxed on the sun loungers. We just told other guests [in the hotel] that we had just arrived."
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The aunt and niece stayed at the hotel for the next two hours, soaking up the sun and enjoying the view.
Nichola said: "We attempted to go in the pool but it was freezing. Nobody was in the pool so we just sunbathed."
They then took a taxi back to the airport at 4pm and checked into an airport lounge, where they watched the sunset and enjoyed one last cocktail, before hopping on their 7.15pm flight home.
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The pair landed back at Manchester Airport around 11pm and were tucked up in bed by midnight.
Nichola, who is a rapid response worker, said she would normally spend her days off cleaning and carrying out 'mum duties.'
"I would normally spend my days off work cleaning and doing housework, preparing tea and taking my kids to and from school.
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"It was nice to escape from mum duties for the day."
She says booking the trip was 'definitely worth it' and has already booked her next day away for 8 December — a solo trip to Lanzarote to explore the island.
"I tell people to just book the day trips," Nichola said. "Life's too short not to, and I'd spend more than £86 in my local pub at the weekend."