Woman shares how she visited 7 countries in a year without using annual leave
A mum managed to visit seven countries in just one year, spending just £2,600 and without taking a single day of annual leave. Claire Howard embarked on 13 extreme day trips, each lasting no longer than 24 hours, to conquer her fear of flying - a phobia that developed when she was 21.
The English teacher from Solihull, West Midlands, found this intense approach to travel incredibly effective in overcoming her flight fears. Claire's journey began with an impulsive booking for a solo day trip from Birmingham Airport to Geneva in January 2024.
Despite trying to cancel the next morning in a state of panic, she went ahead due to the high cancellation fee and her determination to overcome her anxiety. Claire said: "After a late night of scrolling I just booked one.
"I decided to go on my own, I just thought 'if I can do this then I can do anything'. When I woke up the next morning in the cold light of day I panicked and tried to cancel. But there was a £40 cancellation fee and I had only spent £42 on the flights so I decided to just go."
She added: "I was really anxious but also so excited. The feeling when I got back and I had done it was amazing, I was on such a high from it."
The bravery can be traced back to a traumatic experience during her early travels, a terrible bout of turbulence on a flight from Perth to Singapore in the late 1990s, reports MyLondon. She recalled her ordeal: "I was young, I was on my own, and loads of people on the flight had started getting out prayer beads.
"It was really terrifying. That was what really sparked my fear of flying. I did fly again, but I was at the point where I had to go to the doctor and get diazepam to get on a plane.
"It starts a couple of days before. I start obsessing about getting on the plane and running through all sorts of scenarios. When I get on the plane, any sort of sound or judder will make me freeze. For me it is the lack of control, you can't get off."
She added: "The fear is paralysing. I can't concentrate on anything but analysing to see any signs of something wrong. I become frozen from the fear. I am fine once I am there, but the build up to getting on the plane again overshadows all the fun and excitement."
But everything transformed after she underwent a preventative hysterectomy due to her elevated cancer risk from carrying the BRCA 1 gene. The procedure meant she could cut back her working hours and gained an additional day off weekly.
Refusing to squander this precious time, she discovered a Facebook group dedicated to conquering phobias. Claire said: "What I didn't want to do was spend my day off cooking or cleaning. That is when I saw the Extreme Day Trips group. I decided I was going to use my day off to do 12 trips in 12 months."
Determined to conquer her phobia, Claire pledged to board a plane once monthly, even if just for a single day, to familiarise herself with flying. "I was going to force myself to get on a plane once a month," she said.
"If I was only there for a day, I didn't have time to waste stressing about the flights. Flying has become much easier, I am now used to the routine of it. I now feel that I know what the noises are and everything is normalised."
Throughout 13 intensive day excursions, Claire has not only mostly defeated her terror but also forged precious moments with her kids, Henry and Caelia. Among her travels, Poland has made a profound impact, with journeys to Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, and Poznan proving especially unforgettable.
To keep her adventures budget-friendly, Claire has embraced bringing her own meals on flights and using the Too Good To Go app to discover reduced-price food whilst travelling. With return journeys costing between £27 and £65, each adventure, including attractions and meals, has totalled roughly £180 to £200.
For 2025, Claire has already gone on a flight to Budapest and intends to undertake six additional journeys. She boldly declared: "I am not going to stop. I want it to continue being part of my life."
Claire's trips so far:
January 25, 2024: Flight to Geneva, travelling to Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix
January 27, 2024: Alicante
February 8, 2024: Montreux
February 12, 2024: Bucharest
March 2, 2024: Warsaw
March 9, 2024: Bydgoszcz
June 8, 2024: Beauvais
June 18, 2024: Malaga
July 10, 2024: Berlin
July 23, 2024: Palma
September 17, 2024: Howth
October 28, 2024: Poznan
December 7, 2024: Malaga
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