Home Travel Revealed: How to visit 30 destinations across seven countries from New York to Venice… using only 25 days of annual leave and spending just £1,358 on planes and trains

Revealed: How to visit 30 destinations across seven countries from New York to Venice… using only 25 days of annual leave and spending just £1,358 on planes and trains

by Merry
0 comment
This 16-day break uses just eight days of annual leave and covers 11 cities (including Amsterdam, pictured) in four countries.

Do you dream of traveling the world but feel limited by your annual vacation and your budget?

You may be surprised to learn that it is possible to visit 30 destinations in seven countries in 55 days, using just 25 days of annual leave. And the total cost of the trip? Less than £1,400.

The itinerary has been devised by the flight subscription service Jack’s Flight Club, which divides it on five separate bank holidays in 2024, covering key dates that take advantage of UK bank holidays, from Easter to the May holiday and Christmas.

It also combines flight deals and Trainline prices to create a trip starting at £1,358. This includes return flights to various European locations and New York, as well as all internal train fares to each destination.

Is that how it works…

EASTER – 16 DAYS OF EUROPEAN ADVENTURES

This 16-day break uses just eight days of annual leave and covers 11 cities (including Amsterdam, pictured) in four countries.

This 16-day break uses just eight days of annual leave and covers 11 cities (including Amsterdam, pictured) in four countries.

Date Location Details of the trip Train price Duration
23 of March Cologne, Germany Fly from London Stansted to Cologne Bonn
March 24th Dusseldorf, Germany Early train to Dusseldorf From £9 25m
March 25th Dortmund, Germany Early train to Dortmund From £19 1h10m
March 26 Amsterdam, Holland Midday train to Amsterdam From £18 3h45m
March 27th Amsterdam
28th March Utrecht, Netherlands Early train to Utrecht From £9 26m
March 29 Rotterdam, Netherlands Early train to Rotterdam From £12 37m
March 30th Antwerp, Belgium Early train to Antwerp From £14 1h5m
March 31st Brussels, Belgium Early train to Brussels From £10 52m
April 1st Brussels
April 2 Luxembourg, Luxembourg Midday train to Luxembourg From £23 3h17m
April 3 Luxembourg
April 4 Frankfurt, Germany Mid-morning train to Frankfurt From £28 4h15m
5th of April Frankfurt
6 of April Bonn, Germany Early train to Bonn From £20 1h24m
April 7 Cologne / London Early train to Cologne. Flight back to London Stansted From £9 1h7m

This 16-day break uses just eight days of annual leave and covers 11 cities in four countries from March 23 to April 7.

Fly from London Stansted to Cologne, Germany, and then take the train to Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Bonn, before finishing back in Cologne for your return flight.

Airfares start from £30 return for a 1h15m flight with Ryanair, according to Jack’s Flight Club.

Annual leave dates to book: March 25, 26, 27, 28 and April 2, 3, 4, 5.

Total trip cost: from £201 per person.

TRAVEL TO THE USA FOR THE BANKING HOLIDAY IN EARLY MAY

Book a return flight from London Gatwick to JFK Airport and explore New York City (pictured). Then hop on a train to explore Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC.

Book a return flight from London Gatwick to JFK Airport and explore New York City (pictured). Then hop on a train to explore Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC.

Book a return flight from London Gatwick to JFK Airport and explore New York City (pictured). Then hop on a train to explore Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC.

Date Location in USA Details of the trip Train price Duration
May 4 NY Fly from London Gatwick to JFK International
May 5th NY
May 6th Philadelphia Early direct train to Philadelphia From £8 1h25m
May 7 Philadelphia
May 8 baltimore Early direct train to Baltimore From £4 1h17m
May 9 baltimore
May 10 Washington D.C. Early direct train to Washington DC From £4 40m
May 11 NY Early direct train to New York From £26 3h20m
May 12 New York / London Return flight to London Gatwick

Use just four days of annual leave for a nine-day trip to the United States from May 4 to 12.

Book a return flight from London Gatwick to JFK Airport and explore New York City. Then hop on a train to explore Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC before returning to the Big Apple for your flight home.

Airfares start from £400 return for an eight-hour flight with Virgin Atlantic or British Airways, according to Jack’s Flight Club.

Annual leave dates to book: May 7, 8, 9, 10.

Total trip cost: from £442 per person.

SPRING BREAK IN ITALY

Embark on a fascinating Interrail journey through the beautiful Italian countryside, with stops in the cities of Venice (pictured), Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Milan.

Embark on a fascinating Interrail journey through the beautiful Italian countryside, with stops in the cities of Venice (pictured), Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Milan.

Embark on a fascinating Interrail journey through the beautiful Italian countryside, with stops in the cities of Venice (pictured), Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Milan.

Date Location in Italy Details of the trip Train price Duration
25 of May Milan Fly from Manchester to Milan Malpensa
May 26 Milan
may 27th Venice Direct midday train to Venice From £40 3h5m
May 28 Venice
May 29 Bologna Early train to Bologna From £27 2h5m
May 30 Florence Train to Florence From £10 37m
may 31 Florence Early train to Pisa From £9 54m
June 1st Pisa Early train to Milan From £17 54m
June 2nd Milan / London Flight back to London Gatwick/Stansted

Enjoy a nine-day break with just four days of annual leave and explore five cities in Italy from May 25 to June 2.

Fly from Manchester to Milan Malpensa and then embark on an Interrail odyssey through the beautiful Italian countryside, stopping in the cities of Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Milan.

Flights start from £200 return for a two-hour flight with Ryanair, according to Jack’s Flight Club.

Annual leave dates to book: May 28, 29, 30, 31.

Total trip cost: from £303 per person.

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA AND IN MONACO

This nine-day break uses four days of annual leave and covers four cities in the south of France, plus Monaco (pictured).

This nine-day break uses four days of annual leave and covers four cities in the south of France, plus Monaco (pictured).

This nine-day break uses four days of annual leave and covers four cities in the south of France, plus Monaco (pictured).

Date Location in France Details of the trip Train price Duration
August 24 Marseilles Fly from London Gatwick / Stansted to Marseille
August 25th Toulon Early train to Toulon From £13 43m
26 of August cannes Early train to Cannes From £23 1h13m
August 27th Nice Early train to Nice From £8 36m
August 28 Monaco Midday train to Monaco From £5 21m
August 29 Monaco
August 30th Marseilles Early train to Marseille From £38 3h15m
September 1st Marseille / London Flight back to London Gatwick/Stansted

This nine-day break uses four days of annual leave and covers four cities in the south of France, plus Monaco, from August 24 to September 1.

Fly from London Gatwick or Stansted to Marseille, and then take the train to Toulon, Cannes, Nice and Monaco before returning to Marseille for your return flight.

Flights start from £130 and return for a one hour and 55 minute flight with Ryanair, according to Jack’s Flight Club.

Annual leave dates to book: August 27, 28, 29, 30.

Total trip cost: from £217 per person.

CHRISTMAS – FESTIVE FUN IN SWITZERLAND

Fly to Geneva and explore Switzerland by train, stopping in Lausanne, Freiburg, Bern (pictured) and Neuchatel.

Fly to Geneva and explore Switzerland by train, stopping in Lausanne, Freiburg, Bern (pictured) and Neuchatel.

Fly to Geneva and explore Switzerland by train, stopping in Lausanne, Freiburg, Bern (pictured) and Neuchatel.

Date Location in Switzerland Details of the trip Train price Duration
December 21 Geneva / Lausanne Fly from the UK* to Geneva then take a train to Lausanne From £7 35m
December 22th Lausanne
December 23th Freiburg Midday train to Freiburg From £14 44m
Dec. 24 Freiburg
December 25th Freiburg
December 26 Bern Train to Bern From £8 22m
December 27 Bern
December 28th Neuchatel Train to Neuchâtel From £13 34m
December 29 Neuchatel
December 30 Geneva Early train to Geneva From £13 1h13m
December 31 Geneva
January 1 (**or January 2) Geneva / London Return flight to the UK*
*London Gatwick / London Stansted / Glasgow / Edinburgh
**January 2 is a public holiday in Scotland.

Use five days of annual leave for this 12-day festive holiday in Switzerland from December 21 to January 1, or January 2 for the Scots, which is 13 days.

Book a return flight from the UK (London Gatwick, London Stansted, Glasgow or Edinburgh) to Geneva and then explore the country by train, stopping in Lausanne, Freiburg, Bern and Neuchatel before returning to Geneva.

Flights start from £140 and return with British Airways, KLM or Jet2, and take two to four hours, depending on the airport and airline of your choice.

Annual leave dates to book: December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31.

Total trip cost: from £195 per person.

HOW TO VISIT 30 DESTINATIONS IN 55 DAYS USING 25 DAYS OF ANNUAL VACATION
dates No. of days Annual leave days Dates to be absent from work Number of cities Cities visited
March 23 to April 7 sixteen 8 March 25 to 28 and April 2 to 5 eleven Cologne, Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Luxembourg, Frankfurt
May 4 to 12 9 4 May 7 to 10 4 New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington
May 25 to June 2 9 4 May 28 to 31 5 Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa
August 24 to September 1 9 4 August 27 to 30 5 Marseille, Toulon, Cannes, Nice, Monaco
From December 21 to January 1 (or January 2*) 12 or 13 5 December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31 5 Geneva, Lausanne, Freiburg, Bern, Neuchatel
TOTAL 55 or 56* 25 days 30 cities
*Those in Scotland get an extra day off with this trick as January 2nd is a bank holiday.

Katy Maclure, editor of Jack’s Flight Club weekly newsletter The Detour, said: ‘Many people tend to feel restricted by the amount of time they can be away from work.

‘Choosing the right days to book annual leave can be stressful for some, as people put pressure on themselves to make the most of their free time.

“We understand the value of a good vacation and believe that everyone should have the opportunity to travel more during their precious annual vacation.”

For more information visit Jack’s Flying Club.

You may also like