With the cost of just about everything rising, a holiday feels out of the question for some.
But one Londoner flew to Milan for just £27, enjoying a luxury spa day and some proper excellent food before flying back before bedtime.
Ehteshan Hanifa, 29, told Metro.co.uk the entire trip cost him just £156, including pasta, pizza, gelato, train connections and hours of pampering.
Ehteshan shared his exploits on X, where over 1 million users enjoyed his retelling of his trip.
The post, which received over 11,000 likes, was captioned: ‘£27 05:45 to Milan, spa day, pasta, pistachio pizza, gelato and catching the 20:30 flight back to London.’
Alongside the captions were also four pictures detailing his exciting yet short lived trip to the Italian city.
Speaking to Metro, Ehteshan explained that his inspiration for the day excursion came from TikTok. ‘I was on TikTok and a video of the QC Termemilano spa appeared on my page and I decided to go to it,’ he said.
‘Once decided, I called my friend and told him about the spa. I’ve been to Milan before, so I told him you don’t really need more than a day there. So, immediately we decided to find an early morning flight and return on the same day but later at night.’
WIN the ultimate family day out at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland with Crystal Ski Holidays
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Crystal Ski Holidays have partnered up with Metro to give you the chance to win the Ultimate Family Day Out at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland this festive period so you can get that feeling you can’t forget.
You could win entry for six people to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland including tickets for the Real Ice Slide in partnership with Crystal Ski Holidays and Magical Ice Kingdom. You’ll also receive three Ride Tokens per person so you can continue the fun, plus 1 x food voucher and 2 x drink vouchers per person so you can tuck into the delicious alpine snacks and beverages available in the park.
Click here and fill out the form to enter – you have until midnight 24 November. Full T&Cs here.
He found his very cheap and early flights on Skyscanner and highly recommends the site for last-minute deals.
‘I went on Skyscanner and played around with the dates,’ he recalls. ‘I found a Ryanair flight from London Stansted at 05.45 and a return flight back to London at 20:30 for £27.
‘When my friends found out how cheap the flights were, five of them joined me. We booked it and the plan for the day was to land at Milan Berghamo just before 9am and to go to the spa at 10.30am, stay there for a few hours as the ticket we bought allowed us to stay for up to five hours.
‘We left the spa at 14.30 and took the train to the city centre, did some exploring, grabbed something to eat such as pizza, pasta and gelato, found a place to watch some football matches and caught the train to Milan Malpensa airport and flew back home.’
For others who wish to do something similar, Etheshan has some sage advice.
‘The main piece of advice I’d give to others is to go on travel websites like Kayak,’ he explains. ‘Play around with the dates to see if you can find cheap flights. Ryanair, Wizzair and Wasyjet are always doing cheap flights.
‘Once you book your flights, visit Tiktok and search different cities and see what kind of activities you can do there and you can organise your entire trip from there.
‘I did a similar trip to Cologne last July where I went there for just one day too. There are so many cities you can visit for a day without having to break the bank.’
Milan in a day price breakdown
Flight – £27
National express to and from London Stansted – £14
QC Termemilano Spa – £60
Food and drinks – £40
Trains in Milan – £15
Total: £156
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
MORE : The world’s most loved Airbnbs includesa UK home for your next staycation
MORE : Want a cruise with a conscience? These tours pair holidaymakers with scientists to help the planet
