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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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).
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.