One woman took 16 different vacations in six months, using only 11.5 days of her annual leave in the process.
Ella Brown, 24, from Hockley, Essex, refused to let her job stop her from travelling and was keen to make the most of her annual leave.
In the first six months of the year, he visited 16 different countries, including Croatia, Italy and Germany, taking advantage of public holidays and, whenever possible, interspersing short breaks during weekends.
He also visited Türkiye in August, using nine more days of his annual leave.
Ms Brown said: ‘It’s a great way to still see the world and make the most of weekends and free time.
Ella Brown, 24, from Hockley, Essex, refused to let her job stop her from travelling and was keen to make the most of her annual leave.
In the first six months of the year, he visited 16 different countries, including Croatia, Italy and Germany.
‘I’ll click anywhere on my chosen dates on Skyscanner and all the solutions will appear.
‘Don’t look down on places you may not know about. You don’t realize how many beautiful cities there are until you visit them.
‘I look at the weather to see where I can strategically book dates. I always relate it to weekends.
“This year is the first year where I’ve really planned out what I wanted to do. It’s all pretty logical.”
She first felt the desire to travel around the world after taking a sabbatical in September 2021, where she spent three months in the United States.
After returning in September 2022 to start work, she was still eager to “keep traveling” and looked for guides on how to make the most of her 25 days off per year.
Having planned a varied itinerary in December 2023, she decided to fly to Malaga, Spain, in January with her boyfriend, Sam, 24, a physiotherapist, using half a day on a Friday and flying back on Sunday.
Although their return flight was diverted, this actually worked in their favor as they ended up spending a day in Paris on the way back.
She continued: “We made the most of it. Malaga was amazing. The UK is a depressing place in winter and it’s nice to have some winter sunshine.”
After returning in September 2022 to start work, she was still keen to “keep travelling” and consulted guides on how to make the most of her 25 days off a year. Pictured: Ella with her boyfriend Sam
The enthusiastic traveller Ella is seen here at the world-famous Colosseum in Rome.
Then in March the couple went to Nantes, France, for a weekend away, not using their annual leave in the process, costing them £170 each in total.
In April, Ella and her family took a train ride over the Easter weekend, taking four days of their annual vacation.
She said: “We visited Rome, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Capri in Italy. I loved Sorrento; we stayed in an Airbnb on a lemon plantation.”
Ella then headed off to Zadar, Croatia for a weekend with friends (taking just one day off from her annual vacation) to experience what she says was one of her “favorite” experiences.
Ella and Sam then booked five days off for a 10-day trip, taking advantage of a bank holiday to maximise their free time.
They traveled to Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Munich and Nuremberg.
She said: ‘Hallstatt is the town that inspired Frozen. It was a hectic 10 days, but we saw so much.
‘We got up early and went to bed late. Once you get a focal point in Europe, it’s very easy.
He has also visited Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Munich and Nuremberg.
Reflecting on her whirlwind year so far, Ella said: “There’s no point in putting aside your love of travel for work.”
‘Some of the trains were cheaper than the daily cost of my trip.’
The keen traveller then booked nine days off for a trip to Turkey in August and has booked a trip to Mallorca in October, which will allow her to take three more days off.
She started the year with 27 days of vacation, having already accumulated two and having used one day for a bachelorette party and another to attend a Taylor Swift concert.
Ella now has three days of annual leave left, which she says she could save for a trip to Australia in January.
She said: ‘You can do it for a lot less than people think. We found that if my boyfriend and I were at home for a weekend we would spend between £100 and £150 on dinners, lunches and shopping.
“That money would allow us to spend some time in another country. It makes no sense to put aside our love of travel for work.”
