A hungry tourist flew to Sweden for just 12 hours to tuck into authentic meatballs, spending a grand total of £44 on her whirlwind adventure.
Adelina Popa, 28, calls herself an ‘extreme day-tripper’ and regularly jets off for lightning-fast visits to European cities, squeezing in as much as possible in just one day.
Her latest escapade on 23 September 2024 saw her hop on an 8:40am flight from Bristol Airport to Copenhagen, before travelling across to Malmö in southern Sweden,
The flights cost £44 return, plus a £20 train to Sweden.
In just 12 hours, Adelina managed to sample local delicacies (yes, the famous IKEA style meatballs), stroll through Malmö’s picturesque castle gardens and parks, and even spent a couple of hours lounging on the beach. She touched down back in the UK at 11pm, ready for work the next day.
‘I think Malmö was my favourite city so far,’ Adelina said. ‘Someone on the Extreme Day Trips Facebook group recommended another city in Sweden, so that might be my next one.’
Her ‘no frills’ approach to travel makes it all the more appealing for her. ‘I love that they are spontaneous and hassle-free. No plan, no accommodation. You can just do it for the day and you don’t have to take much time off.’
Adelina’s adventure in extreme day-tripping began in the summer of 2023, and since then, she’s explored the likes of Copenhagen, Malaga, Monaco, Dublin and Edinburgh – all for under £100 each time.
‘I got into extreme day trips just when they were becoming really popular,’ she explained. ‘If I’m in a situation where I can take time off work, it’s a good thing to do to break the routine.’
Adelina says her travel style isn’t just for fun, but it’s also a savvy way to get a feel for a country without committing to a longer, more expensive trip.
‘And if you’re not sure you’re going to like a country – you can get a feel for it. It’s such a good alternative, financially. It’s much cheaper to go to the beach for a day in Spain than to catch a train to London.’
It wasn’t just the meatballs that caught Adelina’s attention either – with the Bristonian traveller describing her other cultural antics: ‘I went to visit the castle but it was closed so I visited the gardens there instead.
‘Then I went to the food market which has such a large variety of cuisines. They had some sort of bruschetta with a fish paste and ham on top which I had for lunch with some pastries.’
It was quite the adventurous day with other activities including a trip to a few squares, the city library and some parks.
Adelina admitted: ‘On the map I realised they have a beach so I went and spent an hour on the beach – I was lucky that it was 21 degrees.
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‘After I visited everything I wanted to see, I stopped for some meatballs at Spoonery – they were really good – before getting on the train back to the airport.’
How to get to Malmö
If you fancy a trip of your own to Malmö, it’s super easy from London. Just grab a flight to Copenhagen in Denmark – it takes about an hour and 50 minutes – and with Ryanair from Stansted, you can bag a return for as little as £21 at the moment.
You can also fly to Copenhagen from places like Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Bristol, so there are plenty of options.
Once you touch down in Copenhagen, hop on a train or bus and you’ll be in Malmö in no time. Alternatively, if you’re up for it, you could hire a car and drive.
Heads up though, you’ll have to fork out for the toll to cross the Öresund bridge, which is around 360 Krona (£40) – which will rack up the cost of your ‘bargain’ trip.
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