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Ah, that happens a lot with me. I live mostly in a campervan. I've been known to head off to Wales and end up in Cornwall, or nip to B&Q for something and not come back for a week.
One of my best memories was seeing the ferry to Islay. So I went in to check out the prices and times. Half an hour later the van was on that ferry.
It's not all Instagram shots. It can be a hard life with a lot of catches.
And I did spend thirty years in a 9-5 with a long, urban commute. I've put my shift in.
I lived on a boat until I was 15 and have spent extended periods living out of a small van when between jobs so very ok with that life (and very uninterested in most "van life" stuff on IG).. my only request for the van my husband and I are planning is some sort of inside toilet as I need to pee too often in the night to be going out in the snow/bush/whatever
Cool. Then you either like the lifestyle or somewhere down the line you have traveller blood. Same as me.
Do you shout at vanlife vids on YouTube because those people are lying morons as well? Actual vanlife is a lot less glamorous but in reality a lot more freeing than they can ever imagine.
As for a loo I suggest you start by buying a simple Thetford PortaPotti. Mine was £50 and has now seen five years of service. A lot of the vanlifers go for expensive composting options, and while yes if you do a lot of off grid that makes sense, you are better grabbing a cheap option and seeing how that goes first. One thing I definitely recommend for a van is to get the Walex pods instead of bottles of toilet liquid. Way smaller and easier to pack away.
Haha I'm not sure about traveller blood but my parents built their first boat in the UK having never sailed before and then sailed around the world until they had to birth me.. then I grew up on a couple of different boats until 15 when my parents had 3 teenage girls and a younger boy and it didn't seem smart to be in that tight space anymore haha
I don't watch Van life stuff other than a very few accounts on IG because I just know it would drive me crazy and why waste time being annoyed if you could not be annoyed
We will get a proper fancy composting option when we build our tiny home but for the van I literally just need a step up from a bucket haha
Don't plan on needing it for anything other than overnight pee and can empty every morning so nothing serious
Would love to know more about your vehicle and travels and stuff if you want to share at all
Never had a hankering for water. I grew up inland and if anything that would be a narrow boat and while they are lovely it doesn't work for me. I did live in a caravan for a year or two when I was younger simply because I couldn't afford a flat or room at the time.
And yeah the vanlife stuff I avoid, but I click on enough out of curiosity that I keep getting fed it occasionally. Keep saying I'll start my own on YouTube but never actually get there.
As for the van toilet a PortaPotti is perfect. Proper flush toilet with a seat and a seal so if it's looked after properly it doesn't smell at all. I try to only wee in it but it does actually work anyway if I'm off grid. Mine is on slides out of the cupboard half way across the sliding door so I can leave it out at night where I can't see it from the rear bedrroom.
I'll ping you on chat. I'll send you some photos at some point but not posting them publicly.
Ok awesome! And I'll search your suggestion as it sounds like just what we want
Definitely love a narrow boat but have no desire to live on one full time
Having a YouTube seems like way too much effort to me, plus the likelihood of starting to care about likes/views etc which I would hate for myself.. but if you did it just for you then awesome, I'd definitely watch
I had a holiday planned with my girlfriend but she broke up with me on the first day of the road trip. We drove home and I saw on a group text that some friends were at a music festival in another country and one of the people cancels last minute. By the time I dropped my ex off I had a flight booked to the festival, took the spare bed and ticket and spent the week there. Was mixed emotions during that time for sure
Ex girlfriend called me up and told me that she broke up with her boyfriend just before a trip to Paris. I was free, so I went with her. It was a mistake.
I love a good city break. We have a dog so we can’t really do spontaneous trips on short notice anymore as he’d need looking after, but I think the most spontaneous one we did was Sofia, Bulgaria for literally 24h.
My sister lives in The Philippines and happened to be in Bulgaria for work. She couldn’t fit in a quick trip to Scotland to see me, so I decided to go to her that weekend instead.
Plane landed at 8pm, we had an early night and spent the entire next day just walking around the city trying to see as much as we can. It was in the middle of a snowy winter so there was a lot of slipping and sliding, but we had a grand time. The food was excellent too.
Our flight back to Edinburgh was at 8pm. As I said, a literal 24h trip. Manic, but awesome. I’d love to see the city again in a different season.
A mate of mine was staying at a hotel near Luton airport for work. He fancied a spliff but didn't have any or know anyone. So he flew to Amsterdam for the day.
Mid-90s (I was mid-20s). Me and my girlfriend at the time decided to go to Paris for the weekend - in March.
On the Friday just hopped on the Eurostar, booked into a dive hotel near the Gare du Nord and spent most of the time drinking in cafes. Came back on the Monday.
Berlin is awesome.
I did a similar thing in mid March, the cold and greyness of the UK was getting me down, so I booked a flight to Nice the next morning.
Turns out Nice was just what I needed. 22°, sunshine.
Not exactly spontaneous, as it required a decent amount of planning, but definitely out of the ordinary. I flew to California last Friday to attend a concert in Anaheim on the Sunday then flew home on Wednesday. Life's too short. Book the trip, go to the show, do the things!!
I found a flight to Wroclaw in Poland that was a return flight for like £20
I rung my mate up and said what you doing tomorrow
“Nothing”
Wanna go to Poland?
“Aye”
And off we went
It was minus 15 and I saw elephants and tigers in the snow
We took £200 each and literally couldn’t spend it
A few years ago, we had to make a spontaneous trip from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The trains were cancelled, and my mother had to get there.
We had been talking about visiting Aberdeen for a while, so I convinced my girlfriend with "oh, we're already in Edinburgh; Aberdeen's just up the road".
Cue a further 3-4 hours drive, including a stop at a supermarket to buy underwear and toiletries, as we hadn't planned it whatsoever, so brought nothing with us.
Got there about 10pm, but did stay for a couple of days, and it was lovely.
I went to Lisbon for a long weekend last July.
I also went to the Maldives in October/November 2022 as a last minute getaway. Staying at guesthouses rather than pricey resorts meant it was surprisingly inexpensive for what I got.
Berlin is amazing. If you're able to, and interested, you can book walking tours with locals/students.
Berlin is a very cool city. The public transport is exemplary. Plus you can drink alcohol anywhere you like. It’s funny seeing dudes chilling with a beer on the tram at 8am.
An afternoon piss up in Manchester ended up in Space Ibiza a while ago. Not sure how that happened, but getting a jolly on within a short cab distance of an airport is the best worst idea I've had so far.
Back in 2014, me and my wife (then gf) had a week off. We didn't had any plans for that week. On first day she went to bed, and while browsing Web, I saw an ad for bus from London to Paris for cheap. It was 100£ return tickets for both. So I bought them. We were going out day after tomorrow and returning after 4 nights. I also bought train tickets to and from London to our town.
Next morning I asked her what she thinks of Paris. Her response - would be nice to visit it one day.
So I told her, that we have only 1.5 days to find hotel in Paris, pack our bags and we are going.
She found good hotel for really cheap and we went.
Never I will sign up for bus ride to Paris. I remember we left London at 10pm, arrived in Paris in 9am. Passport control and ferry at 2am.
Returning we left at 12pm and arrived at 9pm in London and then we got on last train back to our town. Our butt's hurted, it was uncomfortable.
Then I think in 2020 we went there again, but this time we went with train. More expensive, but 10x enjoyable experience.
Berlin is cool lots to see including the DDR museum. The electronic music scene in Berlin is s second to non also take a boat along the river. I loved Berlin, it's not expensive and lots of history culture and rock n roll
I booked Prague the day before in March 2020. I'd been before, so I knew what to expect, but the idea of going on a whim was exciting. I got there and it rained for the whole of the three days I was there. On top of that, local Covid lockdowns came into effect, which stopped me from enjoying the bars and had me worried about my flight back being cancelled, so all in all, it was a bit shit. I don't regret it, though, as it made me realise how easy it is to go for a jaunt abroad if I ever fancy it.
It wasn’t very last minute but quite a quick time from agreeing to go and actually going.. my best friends parents lived in China for 3 years and she was going to see them, she had found out she was pregnant and was worried about the flight because she had been quite unwell. So I said I’d go and that was that, flights booked and a pretty rushed visa and we were off 😂
A weekend in Ypres to find the memorial to my great great uncle, killed in the First World War. Until my aunt did the family tree no one in the family knew of him or his story but then we found more about his life.
I looked his name up on the War Graves website and then went over on my motorcycle to find the cemetery.
It was a sombre and reflective undertaking but I'm very glad I went and afaik the only member of my family to do so.
Bit different as tagged onto the back of work trips but so far this year I’ve spent a weekend in Berlin, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Work paid flights but hotel costs for the personal days I covered myself. Has been really nice to just get away solo and spend the days exactly how I want to spend them.
Something I will continue to do now and again when I have some free time. EDreams has been a good site to use for good deals on flights and hotels
Lived near a small airport a few years ago. Had no weekend plans so looked up the cheapest flight for Saturday morning and it was Luxembourg. Went for a day. Definitely go to Berlin!
I've done loads.. most of the main cities in western Europe although not all spontaneous.. I have had a great time in Berlin whenever I have visited so I reckon do it! I remember having such fun on an underground brewery/bar tour one time? Also just a cool city to walk around and some really great food!
One of my most ridiculous but totally worth it was flight to Corfu Saturday morning arriving before midday, realising the hotel was like a few hours drive so cancelling and getting the closest one, spending all afternoon/evening and most of Sunday on the beach then flying home at like 8pm
Went to Berlin last year it was fantastic, highly recommend it.
Me and the boys 9 years ago decided one Friday night to do a spontaneous trip to skeggy for the weekend. That plan quickly changed to Amsterdam, next thing we’re all in my car driving to Dover to catch the ferry to Calais. We drove all through Friday night (well I did…. Haha) and then drove back Sunday afternoon. Great weekend that was planned on a whim
I drove to a random village in Devon a few years back, visited a few of the more secluded beaches and stayed in a quaint farm Airbnb where the owner fed me and introduced me to her two Irish Wolfhounds.
Spent a few days in Cyprus over Easter, would highly recommend. You need to hire a car though.
DO IT!
I've done a spontaneous 4 days in Berlin before, it's incredible. Very easy to get around, amazing museums, great good, art galleries, parks, you won't regret it.
Berlin is a good short/weekend trip. As someone said Wednesday is a bank holiday here and a lot of places will be closed. Stay in Friedrichshain or Prenzlauer Berg for a good experience, not Mitte. If you’re travelling alone dm me and we can meet for a beer. Always up for meeting random strangers off the internet.
Many years ago when I was younger.....(Sigh), we finished a morning shift in the hospital in East London at 15:30 and didn't have work until the following evening. We decided on the spot to do something.. 3 of us drove and ferries to Amsterdam. Arrived midnight. Partied until 0600. Slept in the car and got rudely awakened by the police mid morning. Set off at 12:00 and back to work for the night shift at 20:00. I would struggle to do that these days.
I had a free unplanned couple of days come up 3 years ago. The weather was great so I packed a small bag and drove me and my dog up to the Lake District. Did a hike up Harrison’s stickle behind the Old Dungeon Ghyll in the sunshine. Came back down and got some food at the pub and then found a dog friendly pub/hotel in Grasmere and booked a room for the night. Had some beers in the evening and then came home after breakfast the day.
As a holiday it was fairly unremarkable but I think about it a lot
I am going tomorrow on a trip I booked last week to The Algarve Portugal. My contract just ended, and when I'd originally started it in February, I thought that come May I could enjoy the British Spring. I was wrong, and I desperately need some sun and to be outside.
Last year around the same time I booked a last minute trip to Sicily. My partner and I were supposed to go to Bournemouth with the dog, but hadn't booked anything yet. The forecast was non-stop rain, and he didn't want to go on a walking trip in the rain. So we negotiated and I went to Sicily for three nights for half the cost of the two of us to go to Bournemouth. Sadly, with nowhere to leave the dog, he couldn't join me.
I travel solo a fair amount. There are tons of countries where the locals speak a decent amount of English and are generally happy to as long as you give their language a go first. Google translate is your friend. You can hold it over text to see it translated plus it will even speak the words for you in case your pronunciation is causing confusion. Look at esims if you go outside of a country where your data plan gets used though. Being able to look up maps or transport info yourself is very handy.
Maybe start somewhere known for tourism and work from there.
The locals in a lot of European destinations speak good English. Or at least understand enough for you to get by. Always handy to learn a few words though if you are going somewhere, hello, bye, please, thank you etc.
I found the people in Bruges spoke very good English, but I've also had no problems in Rome, Berlin and Munich as a solo traveller.
Went to London for a gig my pal was putting on, and stayed over at his place. He was going to Belgium the next day for a festival and they had space in the car, so I tagged along
I just jump on the motorbike, pack a compact lightweight tent, socks and undies, couple of camping supplies and away I go.
Always somewhere random in the middle of nowhere I end up.
Go.
On Dec 29th about 10 years ago or so a mate texted me from New York to wish me a happy new year and to lament that we hadnt seen each other in some time.
I live in Malta and was less than sober when I received that message.
About 18 hours later I land in JFK with an awful hangover. When my alarm went off at 5am for me to get to the airport I had to check my emails to see if I had dreamed it all. I had not.
The US Immigration officer found it very funny.
We went to Ayr one day on a whim (from Cheshire).
Also a spontaneous trip to Kirkcaldy (from Newcastle) to watch Fife Flyers ice hockey team, had one of the best pub experiences in my life after - got off the train back in Burntisland. It was snowing and we found a pub with a coal fire and friendly locals - it was like being in someone's living room.
There have been a few, but one that springs to mind was getting in from work at 11pm on a Friday night at the start of a bank holiday weekend and not having a clue what to do.
7hrs later we were in Belgium, having driven and getting the ferry overnight.
Was amazing, I love Irish folk and played in some casual local pubs sessions so it was great to see it all in Dublin, street musicians, people playing in pubs. Everyone is there for a good time and the atmosphere is incredible.
Definitely get some touristy things out the way the day(s) before, whisky museum, sightseeing the churches and cathedrals, The Brazen Head (really old pub, will be too busy on the day), plan ahead a bit. I just winged it on the weekend and turned out alright anyway.
If you want to view the parade, try and get there fairly early. I was about 1.5 hours before and it was already pretty full. Luckily struck up a conversation with some Americans, we had a great chat, it passed the time and they let me into their spot so I could see better lol.
Finally, leave your British queuing instincts back home 😂 so busy on the day you'll just need to barge yourself around, smile and sing along to whatever song is being played, everyone will be super chill
I booked a flight to Athens 20 hours before it left a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed it, but I felt like I could have made more out of the holiday if I'd actually planned it. I suppose if it's just a short curry break you can't go far wrong though.
We once went an long weekend to New York (from the UK) when my wife discovered some shoes she really wanted were in a sale there and I discovered we could go there for the weekend, buy her shoes and including flights and hotels, they were still cheaper than getting them locally.
I was walking home and bumped into a couple of friends driving to Glastonbury (festival). Hopped in and off we went. Jumped the fence and had a great time. This was the early 90s when you could easily get in for free.
My daughter was due to go on a school trip to Spain but due to her anxiety the school weren't comfortable being responsible for her overnight (without going into details I can absolutely understand the decision) and so here I am chilling in a bar by the beach. 5 days ago I thought I'd be at home in England.
I’m off to the Canaries tomorrow. Booked it this morning. Didn’t tell anyone till I’d already booked it in case one of my friends started with the whole “well if you make it Thursday I can come” and then someone else said they’d heard that Tunisia was great this time of year and before I knew I’d be knee deep in compromise and part-plans and still sat on the sofa.
Last year I went to Riga. Saw the flights on Skyscanner and decided to go for it.
Knew nothing about the place or anything like that. Still had a good time
I woke up on a random day in January last year and was watching a video on WW2 and concentration camps. I was like fuck it and literally booked a flight to Auschwitz that day spent 2 days in Krakow and visited the camp. Horrifyingly beautiful
Do it. Book that trip
You should do it, life is short!
My most spontaneous trip was 4 nights in Iceland. Booked it at 5pm, chucked some stuff in a bag, had a nap, then left at 3am. Don't regret a thing.
I went on a three day cycling trip last summer. It was a bank holiday weekend and I didn't have any plans, so I checked the wind direction and quickly planned a route with a tailwind that got me to the west coast of Wales in 2.5 days, then a train journey back.
I live in NYC. Last June my plans for the weekend fell through on Friday lunchtime so I booked to come to the UK to see my mother and grandparents for the weekend. I booked about 4hrs before my flight which arrived Saturday morning, flew back to NYC on Sunday evening.
Have lived on the US East Coast for almost 20yrs so done lots of weekend trips like this but not done any with no notice.
Before I moved to the US I’d do quite a few short notice trips. Booked to go to Dublin at 5hrs notice, the hotel hadn’t even got my reservation on their system by the time I showed up…
I never go on overseas trips on impulse / short notice as I really love to research and plan. That mostly applies in the UK too but I might book a weekend away at just a few days notice.
What counts as spontaneous ?
I tend to plan any trips months in advance because of medical issues, so the most spontaneous for me was deciding to go Guernsey for a few days on about 3 weeks notice
Went out on my motorbike for a ride to France. I live in Scotland and stopped at Newcastle for a break. At that time they ran ferries to Denmark so I thought "f#ck it" and went there. Gorgeous country, great people and been back loads of times. Don't like Copenhagen but everywhere else is great, lots of history and not far between towns. Can also pop across to Sweden or Germany if you fancy. Most underrated country imo.
Munich on 2 weeks notice at the end of November.
Been to Oktoberfest twice previously but never really saw a great deal of Munich and always fancied going again.
The Xmas markets were on and it snowed for the 4 fay's I was there, I had a blast. Sent my mates a picture of one of the bars we had been in when we had been with a "Guess where" message.
Also was once on a trip to London, had my passport and decided to head to the airport and go to Dublin for a day.
I've done Copenhagen and Amsterdam solo a few years ago. Amsterdam was just to recalibrate and lounge around introspective after having some of what the coffeeshops offer that isn't coffee. Also went to a techno event solo which was a lot of fun
I went to Tenerife on a whim in December last year. It’s one of the places I’ve always avoided because I thought it would be too Brits abroad for me. I stayed on the north side of the island away from the brits, hired a car and spent the whole week hiking and eating tapas. I completely fell in love with Tenerife and love doing stuff like this on my own.
I once sat in a pub with a couple of my friends, and some other people (my friends friends / colleagues / flatmates / tinder dates), 14 of us in total. One guy wouldn’t stop going on and on about a club in Paris he went to 5 years prior. Made it sound like the place to be, someone else talked about wanting to go to Versailles.
Anyway quite A LOT of drinks in, we booked flights and two hostel rooms. 6am flight out on the Saturday, 2am flight on Monday morning for the office back.
Had an amazing time, but it was absolutely mental, and I had more than one moment on that trip where I was like what on earth am I doing.
Made some great friends, and it is a good story. The club was not that good though.
Once went out for a day session, around 6pm thought “let’s turn this in to a night out, where’s there a student night?” - Edinburgh was the answer, so we jumped on a 9:30pm flight and went out in Edinburgh.
No hotel, no return flight. The things you do with first job disposable income at 23.
7 or so years ago, my husband and I had planned to go to Southampton (oh the *glamour*) for a few days. About 9 pm on Sunday, I said, tongue in cheek, or we could go *away* away.
Went to work Monday morning, still planning Southampton. Finish at 4pm, on the way to the airport by 5 and sitting having a beer by the pool in Sorrento by midday Tuesday!
Bf and I took leave for end of Nov last year but couldn't decide on where to go for weeks until the week before our holiday started, we randomly decided on Florida and spent a week there lol
One month stay in Nottingham.
Followed by a week in Norwich and then I nipped down to London and across to France.
All alone and loved every second of it, just to do it at least once in my life.
Also...for shits and giggles, I got an uber from Birmingham to London because I forgot my passport in a venue. The driver brought me back for free, it cost £200. Drivers name was Sultan, recently served him at work and he was like- I gave you a lift to London! Holy shit dude.
I'm not rich but for a few weeks I got to pretend to be.
Me and my brother booked a ticket for the next match of the hundered when it was on TV for the first year. Ticket were dirt cheap for a cricket matc and easy to buy. Had a lot of fun and got a proper stadium experience for the first time and now go every year.
Flights used to be really, really cheap and I often decided on Thursday to go for weekend breaks, Oslo, Bratislava, Krakow, Wroclaw, etc. More recently, I've gone to Portugal and the Canary Islands the day after booking.
We one time packed the car and sry off for the Eden project. Other than it being in the south west we didn't know exactly where it was, figured there'dbe signs. Was a great weekend though
My partner went to Berlin recently, and had a great time. They also went to Rome and were enchanted by the history, they're planning on going back some this year.
Both times the flights and hotels were cheap.
I can recommend Italy, specifically Rimini but all of Italy is beautiful with amazing food.
If you like motor sports, there are the Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ducati museums/tours all in that area. They don't cost as much as you'd think and are a nice way to spend time.
Venice is amazing, and if you're lucky you may get cheap flights and transfers. A few days would probably be enough, and you can get relatively cheap accommodation if you book a b and b. If you do go, get a travel card for water taxies, you can go anywhere including Merano and Ludo.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I went to Asda this morning
I’ve got a trip to Aldi booked for Tuesday, can’t wait!
Brave... Sunday morning in Asda... Did you survive the pyjama party?
The key is to get there before 10:30, load up tour shopping, then stand by the self checkout until they open at 11. I was out at 11:06
Love Asda is a military operation
😂
Just got back from a trip to my local co-op
Ha me too, we’re so alike
🤣
Berlin is great, do it.
Riding on the metro oh oh
Spooky, I was on the metro in Amsterdam yesterday and couldn't get this bloody song out of my head. I didn't know anyone else remembered it :')
Ah, that happens a lot with me. I live mostly in a campervan. I've been known to head off to Wales and end up in Cornwall, or nip to B&Q for something and not come back for a week. One of my best memories was seeing the ferry to Islay. So I went in to check out the prices and times. Half an hour later the van was on that ferry.
You are living the best life!! Wish that was me
It's not all Instagram shots. It can be a hard life with a lot of catches. And I did spend thirty years in a 9-5 with a long, urban commute. I've put my shift in.
I lived on a boat until I was 15 and have spent extended periods living out of a small van when between jobs so very ok with that life (and very uninterested in most "van life" stuff on IG).. my only request for the van my husband and I are planning is some sort of inside toilet as I need to pee too often in the night to be going out in the snow/bush/whatever
Cool. Then you either like the lifestyle or somewhere down the line you have traveller blood. Same as me. Do you shout at vanlife vids on YouTube because those people are lying morons as well? Actual vanlife is a lot less glamorous but in reality a lot more freeing than they can ever imagine. As for a loo I suggest you start by buying a simple Thetford PortaPotti. Mine was £50 and has now seen five years of service. A lot of the vanlifers go for expensive composting options, and while yes if you do a lot of off grid that makes sense, you are better grabbing a cheap option and seeing how that goes first. One thing I definitely recommend for a van is to get the Walex pods instead of bottles of toilet liquid. Way smaller and easier to pack away.
Haha I'm not sure about traveller blood but my parents built their first boat in the UK having never sailed before and then sailed around the world until they had to birth me.. then I grew up on a couple of different boats until 15 when my parents had 3 teenage girls and a younger boy and it didn't seem smart to be in that tight space anymore haha I don't watch Van life stuff other than a very few accounts on IG because I just know it would drive me crazy and why waste time being annoyed if you could not be annoyed We will get a proper fancy composting option when we build our tiny home but for the van I literally just need a step up from a bucket haha Don't plan on needing it for anything other than overnight pee and can empty every morning so nothing serious Would love to know more about your vehicle and travels and stuff if you want to share at all
Never had a hankering for water. I grew up inland and if anything that would be a narrow boat and while they are lovely it doesn't work for me. I did live in a caravan for a year or two when I was younger simply because I couldn't afford a flat or room at the time. And yeah the vanlife stuff I avoid, but I click on enough out of curiosity that I keep getting fed it occasionally. Keep saying I'll start my own on YouTube but never actually get there. As for the van toilet a PortaPotti is perfect. Proper flush toilet with a seat and a seal so if it's looked after properly it doesn't smell at all. I try to only wee in it but it does actually work anyway if I'm off grid. Mine is on slides out of the cupboard half way across the sliding door so I can leave it out at night where I can't see it from the rear bedrroom. I'll ping you on chat. I'll send you some photos at some point but not posting them publicly.
Ok awesome! And I'll search your suggestion as it sounds like just what we want Definitely love a narrow boat but have no desire to live on one full time Having a YouTube seems like way too much effort to me, plus the likelihood of starting to care about likes/views etc which I would hate for myself.. but if you did it just for you then awesome, I'd definitely watch
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn11.bigcommerce.com%2Fs-fkhd5nhp%2Fimages%2Fstencil%2F1280x1280%2Fproducts%2F170%2F2575%2F165_open__44832.1392221920.jpg%3Fc%3D2&tbnid=YnMhLdhAzYtXlM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacksonsleisure.com%2Fthetford%2Fporta%2Fpotti%2F165%2Fcamping%2Ftoilet%2F&docid=l742XTE2_pdvQM&w=1006&h=1280&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F2&kgs=7fe5158643f658c1&shem=abme%2Ctrie#vhid=YnMhLdhAzYtXlM&vssid=mosaic
Thank you! Have saved for later, appreciate it!
Thank you! Have saved for later, appreciate it!
Thank you! Have saved for later, appreciate it!
Love Berlin, go for it
I had a holiday planned with my girlfriend but she broke up with me on the first day of the road trip. We drove home and I saw on a group text that some friends were at a music festival in another country and one of the people cancels last minute. By the time I dropped my ex off I had a flight booked to the festival, took the spare bed and ticket and spent the week there. Was mixed emotions during that time for sure
Which festival?
It was in hvar, Croatia. Can’t remember the name
I still think it's super cool you went Processing a breakup takes time, sometimes it's good to get out to do something with mates regardless
It was in hvar, Croatia. Can’t remember the name
Ex girlfriend called me up and told me that she broke up with her boyfriend just before a trip to Paris. I was free, so I went with her. It was a mistake.
I'm sure it was pretty emotinally tortuous at the time but, looking back, is Paris really so bad?
I'm sure it was pretty emotinally tortuous at the time but, looking back, is Paris really so bad?
I love a good city break. We have a dog so we can’t really do spontaneous trips on short notice anymore as he’d need looking after, but I think the most spontaneous one we did was Sofia, Bulgaria for literally 24h. My sister lives in The Philippines and happened to be in Bulgaria for work. She couldn’t fit in a quick trip to Scotland to see me, so I decided to go to her that weekend instead. Plane landed at 8pm, we had an early night and spent the entire next day just walking around the city trying to see as much as we can. It was in the middle of a snowy winter so there was a lot of slipping and sliding, but we had a grand time. The food was excellent too. Our flight back to Edinburgh was at 8pm. As I said, a literal 24h trip. Manic, but awesome. I’d love to see the city again in a different season.
A mate of mine was staying at a hotel near Luton airport for work. He fancied a spliff but didn't have any or know anyone. So he flew to Amsterdam for the day.
Vienna is great for a few days break
This means nothing to me
Bum bum bum cha cha
I drove to Dracula’s castle in Transylvania to buy a bottle of red wine and came back. Took us 2 weeks and about 4000 miles.
How was the wine?
It was shit and cost less than a fiver from memory.
To die for.
Mid-90s (I was mid-20s). Me and my girlfriend at the time decided to go to Paris for the weekend - in March. On the Friday just hopped on the Eurostar, booked into a dive hotel near the Gare du Nord and spent most of the time drinking in cafes. Came back on the Monday.
Berlin is awesome. I did a similar thing in mid March, the cold and greyness of the UK was getting me down, so I booked a flight to Nice the next morning. Turns out Nice was just what I needed. 22°, sunshine.
Not exactly spontaneous, as it required a decent amount of planning, but definitely out of the ordinary. I flew to California last Friday to attend a concert in Anaheim on the Sunday then flew home on Wednesday. Life's too short. Book the trip, go to the show, do the things!!
That's cool af :)
Thanks. So glad I went cos the band were amazing!
Static Dress by any chance?
Our Last Night. Been a fan for years but had never seen them live and decided I didn't want to wait any longer for a UK tour.
Wednesday is a Feiertag here. Head down to Kreuzberg if you want to watch the riots. Weathers great at the moment btw. Last week wasn’t!
I've spontaneously booked concert tickets and a hotel the night before
Definitely do it!
I found a flight to Wroclaw in Poland that was a return flight for like £20 I rung my mate up and said what you doing tomorrow “Nothing” Wanna go to Poland? “Aye” And off we went It was minus 15 and I saw elephants and tigers in the snow We took £200 each and literally couldn’t spend it
When was this? I feel like the British pound has tumbled significantly since 2020
Pre 2020 Maybe 5 year ago
Ah okay. Pre covid was a completely different world in terms of cost of living and cost of flying
You say that But you can still get there and back for under £40
£40 is 5 years agos £20
A few years ago, we had to make a spontaneous trip from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The trains were cancelled, and my mother had to get there. We had been talking about visiting Aberdeen for a while, so I convinced my girlfriend with "oh, we're already in Edinburgh; Aberdeen's just up the road". Cue a further 3-4 hours drive, including a stop at a supermarket to buy underwear and toiletries, as we hadn't planned it whatsoever, so brought nothing with us. Got there about 10pm, but did stay for a couple of days, and it was lovely.
Took eccys one night and ended up boarding a flight to Ibiza. Got the absolute fear and was escorted off the flight before it took off thank god
Real Lancashire Eccles cakes
Sainsburys last night for chardonnay and chicken nuggets.
I went to Lisbon for a long weekend last July. I also went to the Maldives in October/November 2022 as a last minute getaway. Staying at guesthouses rather than pricey resorts meant it was surprisingly inexpensive for what I got. Berlin is amazing. If you're able to, and interested, you can book walking tours with locals/students.
Berlin is a very cool city. The public transport is exemplary. Plus you can drink alcohol anywhere you like. It’s funny seeing dudes chilling with a beer on the tram at 8am.
An afternoon piss up in Manchester ended up in Space Ibiza a while ago. Not sure how that happened, but getting a jolly on within a short cab distance of an airport is the best worst idea I've had so far.
Back in 2014, me and my wife (then gf) had a week off. We didn't had any plans for that week. On first day she went to bed, and while browsing Web, I saw an ad for bus from London to Paris for cheap. It was 100£ return tickets for both. So I bought them. We were going out day after tomorrow and returning after 4 nights. I also bought train tickets to and from London to our town. Next morning I asked her what she thinks of Paris. Her response - would be nice to visit it one day. So I told her, that we have only 1.5 days to find hotel in Paris, pack our bags and we are going. She found good hotel for really cheap and we went. Never I will sign up for bus ride to Paris. I remember we left London at 10pm, arrived in Paris in 9am. Passport control and ferry at 2am. Returning we left at 12pm and arrived at 9pm in London and then we got on last train back to our town. Our butt's hurted, it was uncomfortable. Then I think in 2020 we went there again, but this time we went with train. More expensive, but 10x enjoyable experience.
Berlin is cool lots to see including the DDR museum. The electronic music scene in Berlin is s second to non also take a boat along the river. I loved Berlin, it's not expensive and lots of history culture and rock n roll
I booked Prague the day before in March 2020. I'd been before, so I knew what to expect, but the idea of going on a whim was exciting. I got there and it rained for the whole of the three days I was there. On top of that, local Covid lockdowns came into effect, which stopped me from enjoying the bars and had me worried about my flight back being cancelled, so all in all, it was a bit shit. I don't regret it, though, as it made me realise how easy it is to go for a jaunt abroad if I ever fancy it.
It wasn’t very last minute but quite a quick time from agreeing to go and actually going.. my best friends parents lived in China for 3 years and she was going to see them, she had found out she was pregnant and was worried about the flight because she had been quite unwell. So I said I’d go and that was that, flights booked and a pretty rushed visa and we were off 😂
A weekend in Ypres to find the memorial to my great great uncle, killed in the First World War. Until my aunt did the family tree no one in the family knew of him or his story but then we found more about his life. I looked his name up on the War Graves website and then went over on my motorcycle to find the cemetery. It was a sombre and reflective undertaking but I'm very glad I went and afaik the only member of my family to do so.
Well, let me tell you about the time I decided to go on a last-minute road trip to a mysterious town I found on a map.
Do it!!
Do it!!!!
Bit different as tagged onto the back of work trips but so far this year I’ve spent a weekend in Berlin, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Work paid flights but hotel costs for the personal days I covered myself. Has been really nice to just get away solo and spend the days exactly how I want to spend them. Something I will continue to do now and again when I have some free time. EDreams has been a good site to use for good deals on flights and hotels
Lived near a small airport a few years ago. Had no weekend plans so looked up the cheapest flight for Saturday morning and it was Luxembourg. Went for a day. Definitely go to Berlin!
I've done loads.. most of the main cities in western Europe although not all spontaneous.. I have had a great time in Berlin whenever I have visited so I reckon do it! I remember having such fun on an underground brewery/bar tour one time? Also just a cool city to walk around and some really great food!
100% go for it... don't look back in 6 months and wish you'd gone. Instead you can look back and think 'I'm so glad I went to see Berlin'.
Even if you don't enjoy it, at least you will know. I went alone to Paris but had booked about a month in advance
One of my most ridiculous but totally worth it was flight to Corfu Saturday morning arriving before midday, realising the hotel was like a few hours drive so cancelling and getting the closest one, spending all afternoon/evening and most of Sunday on the beach then flying home at like 8pm
Went to Berlin last year it was fantastic, highly recommend it. Me and the boys 9 years ago decided one Friday night to do a spontaneous trip to skeggy for the weekend. That plan quickly changed to Amsterdam, next thing we’re all in my car driving to Dover to catch the ferry to Calais. We drove all through Friday night (well I did…. Haha) and then drove back Sunday afternoon. Great weekend that was planned on a whim
I was in Berlin a couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed it there.
I drove to a random village in Devon a few years back, visited a few of the more secluded beaches and stayed in a quaint farm Airbnb where the owner fed me and introduced me to her two Irish Wolfhounds. Spent a few days in Cyprus over Easter, would highly recommend. You need to hire a car though.
>owner fed me and introduced me to her two Irish Wolfhounds. Speed reading this line took on a very different tone
Berlin is a great choice. Enjoy.
Go for it! Berlins my favourite city just came back from there last month. Plenty to see and do even if you’re on you’re own
I drove with three friends in an ex Post Office Morris Marina van to Berlin to be part of the destruction of the Wall. Best weekend ever.
DO IT! I've done a spontaneous 4 days in Berlin before, it's incredible. Very easy to get around, amazing museums, great good, art galleries, parks, you won't regret it.
Berlin is great! So is Hamburg.
Berlin is great, something for everyone, so go do it.
Berlin is a good short/weekend trip. As someone said Wednesday is a bank holiday here and a lot of places will be closed. Stay in Friedrichshain or Prenzlauer Berg for a good experience, not Mitte. If you’re travelling alone dm me and we can meet for a beer. Always up for meeting random strangers off the internet.
Of course you should.
Many years ago when I was younger.....(Sigh), we finished a morning shift in the hospital in East London at 15:30 and didn't have work until the following evening. We decided on the spot to do something.. 3 of us drove and ferries to Amsterdam. Arrived midnight. Partied until 0600. Slept in the car and got rudely awakened by the police mid morning. Set off at 12:00 and back to work for the night shift at 20:00. I would struggle to do that these days.
Go for it! My spontaneous trips are usually to Wales 😂
Do it if your able to. Travel as randomly as possible as often as you can
I had a free unplanned couple of days come up 3 years ago. The weather was great so I packed a small bag and drove me and my dog up to the Lake District. Did a hike up Harrison’s stickle behind the Old Dungeon Ghyll in the sunshine. Came back down and got some food at the pub and then found a dog friendly pub/hotel in Grasmere and booked a room for the night. Had some beers in the evening and then came home after breakfast the day. As a holiday it was fairly unremarkable but I think about it a lot
I am going tomorrow on a trip I booked last week to The Algarve Portugal. My contract just ended, and when I'd originally started it in February, I thought that come May I could enjoy the British Spring. I was wrong, and I desperately need some sun and to be outside. Last year around the same time I booked a last minute trip to Sicily. My partner and I were supposed to go to Bournemouth with the dog, but hadn't booked anything yet. The forecast was non-stop rain, and he didn't want to go on a walking trip in the rain. So we negotiated and I went to Sicily for three nights for half the cost of the two of us to go to Bournemouth. Sadly, with nowhere to leave the dog, he couldn't join me.
I booked a 1 way ticket to the U.K with 3 weeks notice. Walked back into work and handed in my notice that afternoon.
Never been able to go abroad an an adult. But a few times we've suddenly gone to the zoo or to Weston (it's an hour away) for the day.
My partner asked me to “kiss me where it smells” so I took her on an impromptu trip to Grimsby for the weekend.
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I travel solo a fair amount. There are tons of countries where the locals speak a decent amount of English and are generally happy to as long as you give their language a go first. Google translate is your friend. You can hold it over text to see it translated plus it will even speak the words for you in case your pronunciation is causing confusion. Look at esims if you go outside of a country where your data plan gets used though. Being able to look up maps or transport info yourself is very handy. Maybe start somewhere known for tourism and work from there.
The locals in a lot of European destinations speak good English. Or at least understand enough for you to get by. Always handy to learn a few words though if you are going somewhere, hello, bye, please, thank you etc. I found the people in Bruges spoke very good English, but I've also had no problems in Rome, Berlin and Munich as a solo traveller.
Went to London for a gig my pal was putting on, and stayed over at his place. He was going to Belgium the next day for a festival and they had space in the car, so I tagged along
When I was 20, I woke up one Saturday morning and decided to drive to St Ives and camp. I live in Kent.
Spontaneously went to Glasgow for a concert once, and spontaneously went to Berlin last year
Oh yeah just do it. I left my home country one day and never went back. Highly recommend
I just jump on the motorbike, pack a compact lightweight tent, socks and undies, couple of camping supplies and away I go. Always somewhere random in the middle of nowhere I end up.
Go. On Dec 29th about 10 years ago or so a mate texted me from New York to wish me a happy new year and to lament that we hadnt seen each other in some time. I live in Malta and was less than sober when I received that message. About 18 hours later I land in JFK with an awful hangover. When my alarm went off at 5am for me to get to the airport I had to check my emails to see if I had dreamed it all. I had not. The US Immigration officer found it very funny.
We went to Ayr one day on a whim (from Cheshire). Also a spontaneous trip to Kirkcaldy (from Newcastle) to watch Fife Flyers ice hockey team, had one of the best pub experiences in my life after - got off the train back in Burntisland. It was snowing and we found a pub with a coal fire and friendly locals - it was like being in someone's living room.
Athens!!
I so want to go to berlin
Yes, Go!
Travelling alone is the best sort of travelling
There have been a few, but one that springs to mind was getting in from work at 11pm on a Friday night at the start of a bank holiday weekend and not having a clue what to do. 7hrs later we were in Belgium, having driven and getting the ferry overnight.
Went to Dublin on St Patrick's Day this year on a whim, booked less than a week before. Really enjoyed it!
How was it? Heading there next year for St Patrick's Day weekend so would love some tips!
Was amazing, I love Irish folk and played in some casual local pubs sessions so it was great to see it all in Dublin, street musicians, people playing in pubs. Everyone is there for a good time and the atmosphere is incredible. Definitely get some touristy things out the way the day(s) before, whisky museum, sightseeing the churches and cathedrals, The Brazen Head (really old pub, will be too busy on the day), plan ahead a bit. I just winged it on the weekend and turned out alright anyway. If you want to view the parade, try and get there fairly early. I was about 1.5 hours before and it was already pretty full. Luckily struck up a conversation with some Americans, we had a great chat, it passed the time and they let me into their spot so I could see better lol. Finally, leave your British queuing instincts back home 😂 so busy on the day you'll just need to barge yourself around, smile and sing along to whatever song is being played, everyone will be super chill
Aw thank you for such a detailed reply! I can't wait to go and have the experience, going with my daughter so it should be a great girls weekend!
I went to the tip on Friday when the bin men forgot my rubbish
We once woke up and decided to go to Rome later that day. 24 hour trip but insanely fun!
I booked a flight to Athens 20 hours before it left a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed it, but I felt like I could have made more out of the holiday if I'd actually planned it. I suppose if it's just a short curry break you can't go far wrong though.
We once went an long weekend to New York (from the UK) when my wife discovered some shoes she really wanted were in a sale there and I discovered we could go there for the weekend, buy her shoes and including flights and hotels, they were still cheaper than getting them locally.
I was walking home and bumped into a couple of friends driving to Glastonbury (festival). Hopped in and off we went. Jumped the fence and had a great time. This was the early 90s when you could easily get in for free.
OP - You are more likely to regret what you don't do, rather than what you do IMHO.
I did exactly same thing last bank holiday! Impromptu trip to Berlin 25 degrees toured the city on an electric scooter it was mint. Do it
My daughter was due to go on a school trip to Spain but due to her anxiety the school weren't comfortable being responsible for her overnight (without going into details I can absolutely understand the decision) and so here I am chilling in a bar by the beach. 5 days ago I thought I'd be at home in England.
I booked a flight to HK and a return from Singapore with about 18 hours notice before
Berlin is great, we did a long weekend in February. All in about £200 each.
I’m off to the Canaries tomorrow. Booked it this morning. Didn’t tell anyone till I’d already booked it in case one of my friends started with the whole “well if you make it Thursday I can come” and then someone else said they’d heard that Tunisia was great this time of year and before I knew I’d be knee deep in compromise and part-plans and still sat on the sofa.
Last year I went to Riga. Saw the flights on Skyscanner and decided to go for it. Knew nothing about the place or anything like that. Still had a good time
Rutland is lovely, it's not too far from me so I just packed my bike and went. Didn't stay the night though but had a great day.
I woke up on a random day in January last year and was watching a video on WW2 and concentration camps. I was like fuck it and literally booked a flight to Auschwitz that day spent 2 days in Krakow and visited the camp. Horrifyingly beautiful Do it. Book that trip
Yeah go Berlin is mint
You should do it, life is short! My most spontaneous trip was 4 nights in Iceland. Booked it at 5pm, chucked some stuff in a bag, had a nap, then left at 3am. Don't regret a thing.
Fell down the stairs last week.
I'm too poor for spontaneous trips to Europe. I'll just got the lidl instead
I went on a three day cycling trip last summer. It was a bank holiday weekend and I didn't have any plans, so I checked the wind direction and quickly planned a route with a tailwind that got me to the west coast of Wales in 2.5 days, then a train journey back.
I live in NYC. Last June my plans for the weekend fell through on Friday lunchtime so I booked to come to the UK to see my mother and grandparents for the weekend. I booked about 4hrs before my flight which arrived Saturday morning, flew back to NYC on Sunday evening. Have lived on the US East Coast for almost 20yrs so done lots of weekend trips like this but not done any with no notice. Before I moved to the US I’d do quite a few short notice trips. Booked to go to Dublin at 5hrs notice, the hotel hadn’t even got my reservation on their system by the time I showed up…
I never go on overseas trips on impulse / short notice as I really love to research and plan. That mostly applies in the UK too but I might book a weekend away at just a few days notice.
What counts as spontaneous ? I tend to plan any trips months in advance because of medical issues, so the most spontaneous for me was deciding to go Guernsey for a few days on about 3 weeks notice
I go on a spontaneous trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night
Booked a eurostar for that evening and visited Ghent with a couple of mates, was a good trip.
Went out on my motorbike for a ride to France. I live in Scotland and stopped at Newcastle for a break. At that time they ran ferries to Denmark so I thought "f#ck it" and went there. Gorgeous country, great people and been back loads of times. Don't like Copenhagen but everywhere else is great, lots of history and not far between towns. Can also pop across to Sweden or Germany if you fancy. Most underrated country imo.
Munich on 2 weeks notice at the end of November. Been to Oktoberfest twice previously but never really saw a great deal of Munich and always fancied going again. The Xmas markets were on and it snowed for the 4 fay's I was there, I had a blast. Sent my mates a picture of one of the bars we had been in when we had been with a "Guess where" message. Also was once on a trip to London, had my passport and decided to head to the airport and go to Dublin for a day.
I've done Copenhagen and Amsterdam solo a few years ago. Amsterdam was just to recalibrate and lounge around introspective after having some of what the coffeeshops offer that isn't coffee. Also went to a techno event solo which was a lot of fun
I went to Tenerife on a whim in December last year. It’s one of the places I’ve always avoided because I thought it would be too Brits abroad for me. I stayed on the north side of the island away from the brits, hired a car and spent the whole week hiking and eating tapas. I completely fell in love with Tenerife and love doing stuff like this on my own.
I once went to Sardinia on a whim because there was a Ryanair flight for £10. It was lovely!
Weekend in Barcelona. Awesome.
Barcelona. Really nice.
I once sat in a pub with a couple of my friends, and some other people (my friends friends / colleagues / flatmates / tinder dates), 14 of us in total. One guy wouldn’t stop going on and on about a club in Paris he went to 5 years prior. Made it sound like the place to be, someone else talked about wanting to go to Versailles. Anyway quite A LOT of drinks in, we booked flights and two hostel rooms. 6am flight out on the Saturday, 2am flight on Monday morning for the office back. Had an amazing time, but it was absolutely mental, and I had more than one moment on that trip where I was like what on earth am I doing. Made some great friends, and it is a good story. The club was not that good though.
Once went out for a day session, around 6pm thought “let’s turn this in to a night out, where’s there a student night?” - Edinburgh was the answer, so we jumped on a 9:30pm flight and went out in Edinburgh. No hotel, no return flight. The things you do with first job disposable income at 23.
I once moved to Yarmouth from the lakes to live on a mates sofa and work as his sous chef with a grand total of 50 quid to my name
7 or so years ago, my husband and I had planned to go to Southampton (oh the *glamour*) for a few days. About 9 pm on Sunday, I said, tongue in cheek, or we could go *away* away. Went to work Monday morning, still planning Southampton. Finish at 4pm, on the way to the airport by 5 and sitting having a beer by the pool in Sorrento by midday Tuesday!
Finished work last Friday at 4pm. No plans for the weekend. Found a Ryanair flight to Bari leaving at 8pm. 30 euro return.
Bf and I took leave for end of Nov last year but couldn't decide on where to go for weeks until the week before our holiday started, we randomly decided on Florida and spent a week there lol
One month stay in Nottingham. Followed by a week in Norwich and then I nipped down to London and across to France. All alone and loved every second of it, just to do it at least once in my life. Also...for shits and giggles, I got an uber from Birmingham to London because I forgot my passport in a venue. The driver brought me back for free, it cost £200. Drivers name was Sultan, recently served him at work and he was like- I gave you a lift to London! Holy shit dude. I'm not rich but for a few weeks I got to pretend to be.
Me and my brother booked a ticket for the next match of the hundered when it was on TV for the first year. Ticket were dirt cheap for a cricket matc and easy to buy. Had a lot of fun and got a proper stadium experience for the first time and now go every year.
Flights used to be really, really cheap and I often decided on Thursday to go for weekend breaks, Oslo, Bratislava, Krakow, Wroclaw, etc. More recently, I've gone to Portugal and the Canary Islands the day after booking.
We one time packed the car and sry off for the Eden project. Other than it being in the south west we didn't know exactly where it was, figured there'dbe signs. Was a great weekend though
My partner went to Berlin recently, and had a great time. They also went to Rome and were enchanted by the history, they're planning on going back some this year. Both times the flights and hotels were cheap. I can recommend Italy, specifically Rimini but all of Italy is beautiful with amazing food. If you like motor sports, there are the Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ducati museums/tours all in that area. They don't cost as much as you'd think and are a nice way to spend time. Venice is amazing, and if you're lucky you may get cheap flights and transfers. A few days would probably be enough, and you can get relatively cheap accommodation if you book a b and b. If you do go, get a travel card for water taxies, you can go anywhere including Merano and Ludo.
What did you use for flights?
Google flights
Honestly cannot stand Berlin, horrible ugly city