My Venice day trip cost less than a one-way rail ticket to London
A holidaymaker enjoyed a day trip to Venice for less than the price of a one-way train ticket to London.
Kevin Gill, aged 43, treated himself to 18 hours in the romantic Italian city of canals and waterways for just £71.
He set himself a maximum budget of £100 to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Return flights cost him £44, he spent £18 on bus tickets to and from the airport, £7.50 on pizza, ice cream and pasta and £1.70 on a ride across the Grand Canal.
Meanwhile, the cost of a single train ticket from his home town of Runcorn, Cheshire, to London Euston on Sunday was £171.
Mr Gill, who works in the pharmaceutical industry, said: 'Extreme travelling has turned my ambition of seeing the world into a reality.'
He said he had been looking for a break without a hefty price tag or needing to book time off work, and his cousin told him about 'extreme day trips', which involve travelling abroad with two fixed rules.
The trip should be completed in under 24 hours, with a maximum budget of £100, which includes all travel expenses.
Mr Gill, a keen traveller since he was in his 20s, liked the idea so tried it out for himself booking a trip to Venice on Wednesday February 19, and he was back in time for work the next day.
He said: 'I felt inspired by reading all of these posts on the Facebook page of different people travelling to different places for so cheap just for the day.
'I had no idea travelling like this was possible.'
He flew to Venice from Manchester airport at 5:45am, arriving at 9:30am local time.
He said: 'The weather was lovely, the sun was out, it was nice to escape the UK.
'It wasn't busy like it had said online as I was able to walk around the narrow streets and visit the attractions without much hassle.'
He got to see famous sights including the Rialto bridge, the Piazza San Marco and Saint Mark's Basilica.
He said the price of the trip is near what he would spend on a day trip to the Trafford Centre, in Manchester, or the Liverpool One shopping complex.
He said: 'A typical day trip to a shopping centre can be comparable in price.
'You would have to pay for the petrol or diesel, you'd do some shopping maybe buy yourself a jacket, then you would have to get yourself something to eat, that's not including if you want to go the cinema - it all adds up.'
Mr Gill then returned home, catching a 5:45am flight back to Manchester, landing at 7:30am UK time ready for work later that day.
Mr Gill has 'dreamed' of seeing the world, having visited over 12 European countries, parts of America, Asia including India, and North Africa.
He said: 'I no longer need to have to spend thousands to go on a week long holiday.
'It has returned me to days when 20 years ago travelling was cheap, accessible and affordable.'
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