‘We flew to Spain for eight hours to sunbathe after washout British summer’

Paul Calcutt, 53, and his wife, Julieanne, 54, from Shepton Mallet in Somerset, say their eight-hour trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca was cheaper than getting the train to the capital for a day out

Sick to the back teeth of the classic washout British summer, a couple jetted off to sunny Mallorca just to catch eight hours of beach bliss before zipping back home and all for the bargain price of £47.

Paul Calcutt, 53, alongside his wife Julieanne, 54, couldn’t believe their luck as they managed to bag a trip that was more wallet-friendly than a train journey to London. Taking off from Bristol Airport at 9.45am on July 17 and returning from Palma de Mallorca at a late 10.25pm, the Somerset duo spent a full eight hours bathing in Spanish sunshine.

The day out proved unbelievably thrifty, setting them back a mere £61.21 each which covered their flights, bus fares, and food throughout the day. On landing in Palma, the pair treated themselves to some well-deserved glasses of sangria, coffees, beers, and fresh salads while unwinding on the stunning Playa de Palma beach.

Paul, from Shepton Mallet, explained: “I don’t get a lot of time with my Mrs, so we like to take the opportunity to jump on a plane as much as we can. You pay peanuts for flights – it’s cheaper to go away than to stay here. The day is long – but it’s dirt cheap.”

Not strangers to whisking away at the drop of a hat, Paul and Julieanne have made ‘extreme’ day tripping abroad part of their routine, with a recent Milano adventure ringing up at just £45 per person. With wanderlust nipping at their heels again, the couple casually scoped out SkyScanner on July 15 and stumbled upon the steal deal to Mallorca, quickly snapping up tickets for that looming Sunday.

Paul pointed out, “If I was to go somewhere like London, I’d have paid much more. It’s ridiculously cheap for some reason. We used discount codes to pay £47 each for Bristol to Mallorca return flights.”

On July 17, the pair flew out at 9.45am. They got a bus to the beach after landing – and spent eight hours “purely relaxing”.

Paul said: “We would’ve only paid four euros for the bus – but we ended up on the wrong one. We looped over into Palma’s old city. It was just too hot – otherwise we would’ve walked.”

The couple spent “the majority” of the time chilling on the beach – as well as heading to a backstreet bar for sangria and beer. While Julianne took a packed lunch to save money, they also ate Caesar salad and garlic bread.

“It was pure relaxation,” Paul said. “We literally got to the beach and had a little cuddle. Then we hit the backstreets and found a nice little bar. We had a spot of lunch, some nice cool beer and sangria. It was a really cheap day out.”

Paul and Julieanne caught a flight back to Bristol at 10.25pm – and landed at 11.55pm UK time.

Breakdown of spending

• Return flight from Bristol to Mallorca: £47 each.
• Food and drink: £12.69.
• Buses: £10.15 each.
• Coffee: £2.54 each.

Itinerary

• Flight out: 9:45am.
• Arrived: 12pm.
• Chilling on the beach: 2pm.
• Headed to bar: 2:30pm.
• Flight back: 10:25pm.
• Arrived: 11:55pm (BST).