Revealed: How to visit 30 destinations in seven countries, from New York to Venice… with just 25 days’ holiday and spending just £1,358 on planes and trains
Do you dream of a world trip, but do you feel limited by your annual leave – and budget?
You may be surprised to learn that it is possible to visit 30 destinations in seven countries in 55 days, with just 25 days of vacation per year. And the total travel costs? Less than £1,400.
The itinerary was created by Jack’s Flight Club, a flight deal subscription service, which distributes it in five separate public holidays in 2024, spread across key dates that take advantage of UK public holidays Easter until May public holiday and Christmas.
It also combines flight deals and Trainline prices to create a trip with a starting price of €1,358. This includes return flights to various European locations and New York, as well as all internal train fares to each destination.
Here’s how it works…
EASTER – 16 DAYS EUROPEAN ADVENTURE
This 16-day break uses just eight vacation days and covers eleven cities – including Amsterdam, pictured – in four countries
| Date | Place | Travel details | Train price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23 | Cologne, Germany | Fly from London Stansted to Cologne Bonn | ||
| March 24 | Dusseldorf, Germany | Early train to Düsseldorf | From £9 | 25m |
| March 25 | Dortmund, Germany | Early train to Dortmund | From £19 | 1h10m |
| March 26 | Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Afternoon train to Amsterdam | From £18 | 3h45m |
| 27 March | Amsterdam | |||
| 28th of March | Utrecht, Netherlands | Early train to Utrecht | From £9 | 26m |
| 29 March | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Early train to Rotterdam | From £12 | 37m |
| 30 March | 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 | Afternoon train to Luxembourg | From £23 | 3h17m |
| April 3rd | Luxembourg | |||
| April 4 | Frankfurt, Germany | Halfway through the morning train to Frankfurt | From £28 | 4h15m |
| April 5th | Frankfurt | |||
| 6 April | Bonn, Germany | Early train to Bonn | From £20 | 1h24m |
| April 7 | Cologne / London | Early train to Cologne. Return flight to London Stansted | From £9 | 1h7m |
This 16-day break uses just eight days of vacation and covers 11 cities in four countries from March 23 to April 7.
Fly from London Stansted to Cologne, Germany, then take the train to Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Bonn, before returning to Cologne for your return flight.
According to Jack’s Flight Club, flights start from £30 return for a 1 hour 15 minute flight with Ryanair.
Annual leave dates to book: March 25, 26, 27, 28 and April 2, 3, 4, 5.
Total trip cost: from £201 per person.
USA TRIP FOR EARLY MAY BANK HOLIDAY
Book a round-trip flight from London Gatwick to JFK Airport and explore New York City (pictured). Then hop on the train to explore Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC
| Date | Location in USA | Travel details | Train price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th of May | New York City | Fly from London Gatwick to JFK International | ||
| 5th of May | New York City | |||
| 6 May | Philadelphia | Early direct train to Philadelphia | From £8 | 1h25m |
| May 7 | Philadelphia | |||
| May 8th | Baltimore | Early direct train to Baltimore | From £4 | 1h17m |
| The 9th of May | Baltimore | |||
| May 10th | Washington DC | Early direct train to Washington DC | From £4 | 40m |
| 11 May | New York City | Early direct train to New York | From £26 | 3h20m |
| May 12th | New York City/London | Return flight to London Gatwick |
Use just four vacation days for a nine-day trip in the US from May 4 to 12.
Book a return flight from London Gatwick to JFK Airport and explore New York City. Then hop on the train to explore Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC before returning to the Big Apple for your flight home.
According to Jack’s Flight Club, airfares start from £400 return for an eight-hour flight on Virgin Atlantic or British Airways.
Annual leave dates to book: May 7, 8, 9, 10.
Total trip cost: from £442 per person.
SPRING BANK HOLIDAY IN ITALY
Take an enchanting interrail journey through the beautiful Italian countryside, stopping at the cities of Venice (pictured), Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Milan
| Date | Location in Italy | Travel details | Train price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | Milan | Fly from Manchester to Milan Malpensa | ||
| May 26 | Milan | |||
| 27th of May | Venice | Afternoon direct train to Venice | From £40 | 3h5m |
| the 28th of May | Venice | |||
| May 29 | Bologna | Early train to Bologna | From £27 | 2h5m |
| 30th of May | Florence | Train to Florence | From £10 | 37m |
| May 31 | Florence | Early train to Pisa | From £9 | 54m |
| 1 June | Pisa | Early train to Milan | From £17 | 54m |
| June 2nd | Milan / London | Return flight to London Gatwick/Stansted |
Enjoy a nine-day break with just four vacation days and explore five cities across Italy from May 25 to June 2.
Fly from Manchester to Milan Malpensa and then embark on an interrailing odyssey through the beautiful Italian countryside, stopping at 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 holiday uses four vacation days and covers four cities in the south of France, plus Monaco (pictured)
| Date | Location in France | Travel details | Train price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 24 | Marseille | Fly from London Gatwick / Stansted to Marseille | ||
| August 25 | Toulon | Early train to Toulon | From £13 | 43m |
| August 26 | Cannes | Early train to Cannes | From £23 | 1h13m |
| August 27 | Nice | Early train to Nice | From £8 | 36m |
| August 28 | Monaco | Afternoon train to Monaco | From £5 | 21m |
| August 29 | Monaco | |||
| August 30 | Marseille | Early train to Marseille | From £38 | 3h15m |
| 1st of September | Marseille / London | Return flight to London Gatwick/Stansted |
This nine-day break takes advantage of four vacation days 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, then take the train to Toulon, Cannes, Nice and Monaco before returning to Marseille for your return flight.
Flights start from £130 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, Fribourg, Bern (pictured) and Neuchatel
| Date | Location in Switzerland | Travel details | Train price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st of December | Geneva/Lausanne | From Great Britain* fly to Geneva and then take the train to Lausanne | From £7 | 35m |
| December 22 | Lausanne | |||
| 23 December | Fribourg | Afternoon train to Fribourg | From £14 | 44m |
| December 24 | Fribourg | |||
| 25th of December | Fribourg | |||
| December 26 | Bern | Train to Bern | From £8 | 22m |
| December 27 | Bern | |||
| December 28 | 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 Great Britain* | ||
| *London Gatwick / London Stansted / Glasgow / Edinburgh **2 January is a public holiday in Scotland |
||||
Use five vacation days for this twelve-day festive holiday in Switzerland from December 21 to January 1 – or January 2 for Scots, making it 13 days.
Book a return flight from Great Britain (London Gatwick, London Stansted, Glasgow or Edinburgh) to Geneva and then explore the country by train, stopping in Lausanne, Fribourg, Bern and Neuchâtel before returning to Geneva.
Flights start from £140 return with British Airways, KLM or Jet2 and take two to four hours depending on your airport and airline of choice.
Annual leave dates to book: December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31.
Total travel costs: From € 195 per person.
| Dates | Amount of days | Annual leave days | Dates to take time off from work | Number of cities | Cities visited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23 to April 7 | 16 | 8 | March 25 to 28 and April 2 to 5 | 11 | Cologne, Düsseldorf, 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 |
| December 21 to January 1 (or January 2*) | 12 or 13 | 5 | December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31 | 5 | Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg, Bern, Neuchâtel |
| TOTAL | 55 or 56* | 25 days | 30 cities | ||
| *Those in Scotland get an extra day off with this hack, as January 2nd is a public holiday | |||||
Katy Maclure, editor of Jack’s Flight Club’s weekly newsletter The Detour, said: ‘Many people often feel limited by the amount of time they can take off from work.
‘Choosing the right days to book a holiday can be stressful for some as people put pressure on themselves to make the most of their time off.
‘We understand the value of a good holiday and believe everyone should have the opportunity to travel more during their precious annual holiday.’
For more information visit Jack’s Flight Club.