'I travelled to 16 cities in six months using just 11.5 days of annual leave'

Marie-Claire Dorking
Updated

How much time we can spend away is often dictated by the holiday allowance we have left, but a woman has shared how she managed to travel to 16 places in six months using just 11.5 days of annual leave.

Ella Brown, 24, from Hockley, Essex, didn't want her job in PR to get in the way of her time off, so decided to meticulously plan her trips away to really make the most of her annual leave.

In the first six months year she has managed to visit 16 destinations, including Croatia, Sorrento in Italy and Munich in Germany, by using the Easter and late May bank holidays and cramming in short breaks over weekends.

Brown got the travel bug after taking a gap year in September 2021 and spending three months in America.

When she returned to start work in September 2022 she still wanted to still carry on travelling and looked at guides on how to maximise her 25 days off a year.

(Ella Brown/SWNS)
Ella Brown pictured (right) on the South Italian coast and (left) at the Hungarian Parliament Building. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

She initially started looking at dates in December 2023 and planned to fly out to Malaga, Spain, in January 2024 with her boyfriend, Sam, 24, a physiotherapist, using a half day on a Friday and flying back on Sunday.

But their flight got diverted on the way back and they ended up spending a day in Paris and using one extra annual leave day.

"We made the most of it," she says.

"Malaga was incredible. The UK is depressing as a place in winter and it's nice to get a bit of winter sun."

In March the couple went to Nantes, France, for a weekend, using no annual leave.

"It cost us £170 each for everything," she says.

Brown, 24, on her sixth month trip around Europe. (Ella Brown/SWNS)
Brown, 24, on her sixth month trip around Europe. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

Brown went away with her family in April over the Easter weekend, taking four days of annual leave.

"We did an inter-railing trip," she explains. "We did Rome, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Capri in Italy.

"I did love Sorrento," she continues. "We stayed at an Airbnb on a lemon farm."

Using just one more day of her annual leave, Brown then went to Zadar, Croatia, for a girls weekend.

"It's one of my favourite countries," she says. "It's absolutely beautiful."

Brown and her boyfriend also booked five days off for a 10 day trip, using another bank holiday, and travelled around Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Munich and Nuremberg.

"Hallstatt is the village which inspired Frozen," she says.

"It was a hectic 10 days but we saw so much.

"We were getting up early and going to bed late.

"As soon as you get a focal point in Europe it's so easy.

"Some of the trains were cheaper than my daily commute costs."

Brown has been travelling with her boyfriend, Sam. (Ella Brown/SWNS)
Brown has been travelling with her boyfriend, Sam. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

Brown has also booked nine days off for a trip to Turkey in August and has three days annual leave already taken off for a trip to Mallorca in October.

She now has three annual leave days left which she may save for a trip to Australia in January.

After carrying two days holiday over from 2023, Brown started the year with 27 annual leave days and also took half a day for a hen do and a day to go and see Taylor Swift.

As well as making the most of her annual leave Brown believes travelling doesn't have to be the financial drain some think.

Brown collecting oranges in Italy. (Ella Brown/SWNS)
Brown collecting oranges in Italy. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

"You can do it for a lot cheaper than people realise," she explains.

"We noticed if me and my boyfriend were are home for a weekend we spent £100 to £150 on dinner, brunch, shopping," she says.

"That money would pay for us to spend in a different country.

"It's a nice way to continue see the world and making the most of weekends and time off," she says of her travels.

"I'll click on anywhere on my chosen dates on Skyscanner and it will come up with all the solutions."

Brown at the Colosseum in Rome. (Ella Brown/SWNS)
Brown at the Colosseum in Rome. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

Brown also recommends trying destinations you might not have considered.

"Don't turn your nose up at places you might not know," she advises.

"You don't realise how many lovely cities there are until you go there.

"I look at the time to see where I could strategically book dates.

"This year is the first year I've really planned out what I wanted to do.

"It's all quite logical.

"There is no point putting your love of travel on hold for work."

Malaga

Paris

Nantes

Rome

Sorrento

Positano

Amalfi

Capri

Zadar

Budapest

Bratislava

Vienna

Salzburg

Hallstatt

Munich

Nuremberg

Turkey

Brown doesn't want her job to get in the way of her love of travelling. (Ella Brown/SWNS)
Brown doesn't want her job to get in the way of her love of travelling. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

  • Plan around bank holidays and weekends to maximise annual leave - "Even though you can maximise using bank holidays you should still be considerate of colleagues"

  • Be as flexible as possible with your destination

  • Book the earliest flights out you can to get more time at a destination

  • Pick a base and travel around to different cities while there

  • Use your weekends for short, budget trips

  • Go out of season for cheaper flights and costs

Follow Ella on TikTok and Instagram @thatgingerabroad

Additional reporting SWNS.

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