Woman jets off on cheap 6-hour European city break for spa trip that 'felt like a tropical resort’
There's nothing better than a cheap getaway - especially if you don't have to use up a whole load of annual leave while still getting a whole load of things ticked off your travel bucket list.
Well, one woman has proven you really can have it all after jetting off on a cheap as chips six-hour European city break for a spa trip that 'felt like a tropical resort'.
The savvy traveller, Lauren Francis, 24, from London, talked to Tyla all about her experiences doing the extreme day trip, her top tips for other thrifty globe-trotters and how she seamlessly arranged the whole thing all by herself.
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Lauren flew out to Bucharest, the capital of Romania, at 7:55 am last week (13 January) and returned just a matter of hours later to London the very same day at 11:15 pm
During her short stint abroad, she went to the TikTok-viral Therme Bucharest spa after seeing it all over her 'for you' page.
"I'd presumed it would be really expensive to go there because it's in Bucharest," she explained to Tyla. "I'd thought about doing a day trip abroad for months but I didn't know there were so many people doing it!"
After checking out the 'Extreme Day Trips' page on Facebook, Lauren was sold.
She continued: "When I saw multiple posts about the spa and how cheap people were doing it for I had to look into it myself.
"When I found out I could do it all for £150 I booked it straight away!"
Lauren landed at Otopeni at 1pm and, by 1:45 pm, she got through security, ordered an Uber and was living it up at the spa.
"[I] couldn't believe how easy it all was!" she gushed. "The place itself was great, I went on a Saturday at peak times so I'd expected it to be busy but honestly I always managed to find beds and get into all the saunas so it didn't bother me."
She had planned to spend the entire day in the spa itself, adding: "I didn't book any timed treatments there because I wanted to be able to take my time and explore at my own pace.
"I ended up going in saunas, a steam room, some mineral soaks. I got a face mask, drank some cocktails, used a red light therapy bed and overall just spent my time there relaxing."
The entry to the spa was a bargain £32 and the Brit spent just over £20 whilst she was there on drinks and a massage bed.
Speaking about her decision to do it all solo, Lauren explained: "I went on my own, I've been solo travelling a lot of the last year or so and honestly I prefer it.
"You can do what you want when you want and I find it easier to unwind when I'm on my own!"
While she was admittedly a 'little worried' that if the flights were delayed at all, she wouldn't get much time at the spa, but Lauren ended up having a cushty hours there which was 'more than enough time' to do everything she wanted to do.
The two lots of three-hour flights in one day was 'more tiring' than Lauren expected but that being said, she said: "It was all part of the fun and it made the day feel like an adventure.
"It was really fun and I'm so glad I took the plunge and did it! Normally, when I'm travelling, a huge chunk of my budget goes on hotels so not having that to worry about was great.
"It was fun going into work on Monday and telling people I just popped to Bucharest for a day over the weekend!"
And as for the best and worst parts of the spontaneous day trip, Lauren tells Tyla: "The spa itself was absolutely incredible.
"It felt like somewhere between a spa and a tropical resort and getting to visit it whilst travelling on a budget was amazing!
"The journey back did feel long though - I'd been up since 3 am and couldn't sleep on the plane so I was very tired on the train from Stansted back into London."
Lauren has since shared her top tips for anyone else wanting to get a whole load of day trips done in 2024.
She suggests: "Research as much as you can and talk to other people who've done similar trips.
"There's so much information online now that, if a day trip is possible, you can almost guarantee someone else has done it already.
"Seeing what did or didn't work for other people, what they did and how much they paid for things can make sure you're making the most out of your day trip."
She also added that Skyscanner is her 'absolute lifesaver' when it comes to booking flights, adding: "You can search which airports you're flying between and it'll tell you the cheapest days to fly in any given month, it's a great way to make sure you're getting the best deal possible!"
Lauren has already booked her next extreme day trip to Sweden's capital city of Stockholm at the end of the month to visit the Vasa and Abba museums and is far from ruling out 'doing more trips in the spring'.
Rhiannon Ingle