A woman flew to Madrid for eight hours to celebrate her sister’s birthday – for less than the cost of a day trip to London.
Michelle Ingram, 43, loves to travel, and now that her children are all grown up, she goes on regular day trips abroad to her dream travel destinations, including Berlin and Prague.
The pet supply business owner, from York, took a day trip to Madrid in January, to visit her sister on her birthday, and the whole trip cost her less than £100.
She escaped the snow and storms in England, and enjoyed blue skies and stunning views, as she strolled around a city centre park, and drank coffee in the sunshine.
Michelle spent just eight hours in the Spanish capital, but says this was enough to make it one of her favourite travel destinations.
She said: ‘I love extreme day trips because they’re an affordable way to travel and see different places, and things that aren’t the everyday norm.
‘I’ve always wanted to go to Madrid, and my older sister lives in Malaga, so me and my younger sister planned a trip to celebrate her birthday.
‘It was so lovely, as we don’t see much of each other.
Michelle Ingram’s trip to Madrid to meet up with her sister
Michelle Ingram, 43, loves to travel, and goes abroad regularly
‘I absolutely loved Madrid, it’s up there with one of my favourite cities, everything’s so clean, the buildings are just so beautiful.
‘There’s so much to see and do, there’s street art and street performers everywhere. There was blue skies all day, it was only eight degrees, but at the time it was snowing in the UK, so it was a welcome relief.
‘Everything went so smoothly, the city is so clearly signposted, and everybody speaks English, so we didn’t struggle with any language barriers.
‘It helped that my sister is fluent in Spanish though of course. I did the whole trip for £100. It was a fairly cheap day out.
‘I feel like eight hours was plenty of time for us to explore the city, and I’d definitely recommend Madrid as a day trip for people.’
Michelle is a huge fan of extreme day trips, and last year visited, Poland, Germany, Ireland and Italy for the day last year.
The mum of three loves travelling, and enjoys booking day trips rather than longer holidays, due to the affordability.
In January 2025, Michelle and her younger sister Bethany decided to fly to Madrid for the day, to meet up with their older sister Victoria who lives in Malaga, to celebrate her birthday.
Michelle’s recent trip to Madrid involved sightseeing and exploring the city
Michelle Ingram with her grown-up daughter
On the day of the trip, Michelle woke up at 1am, having gone to sleep at 9pm the day before, and drove to Manchester airport, arriving there at 4am. She took the 6.15am flight, arriving in Madrid at 9.30am.
Despite already having a long day before arriving in Madrid, Michelle said she wasn’t tired, as the ‘momentum’, and excitement of the day kept her going.
After arriving in the Spanish capital, Michelle and Bethany wandered through the bustling streets, had a coffee and did some clothes shopping, before meeting Victoria, who had flown in from Malaga.
The trio then had some tapas, wandered around the famous El Retiro park, before grabbing another coffee, and then heading back to the airport in time for their 9.15pm flight back to Manchester.
Michelle’s entire trip abroad cost her just £100, with her flight coming to £49 return, airport parking costing £10 each, lunch costing £30, and then snacks costing around £11.
Michelle was back in her bed in York at 2am, having spent eight hours in total in the Spanish capital.
She has plenty of day trips planned for the year ahead, including a trip to Prague next week, and a visit to Albania in May.
