Iesha decided to do a one-day holiday because she had Tesco Clubcard vouchers to spend and discovered that the vouchers would cover her travel costs to and from France. She booked the Eurotunnel Shuttle which is a train service that transports cars beneath the English Channel, so all you do is drive on and 30 minutes later, you’re in France! The return trip that Iesha booked would have cost her close to £140, but for her, it was free! Hence, the one day trip.

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So, let’s see how much the rest of the trip cost and see if we can inspire you to venture overseas for a day!

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What did the day look like?

Iesha left her home first thing Saturday morning to undertake the hour and a half car journey to Folkestone. She and 3 friends caught the 8:20am Eurotunnel shuttle to Calais, taking just half an hour, and reached France at 9:50am (can’t forget the one hour time difference). From there, they drove another hour and arrived at their destination of Bruges at almost bang on 11am!

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They parked their car in the local station car park and walked 10 minutes into the city. The day started with traditional Belgian waffles, followed by a stop at a bar with over 100 Belgian beers to choose from and then of course, visiting every single chocolate shop they wandered past. They then ventured out on a boat tour of the city before finding somewhere to settle for a late lunch. As it was a sunny day, they finished the day off with shopping, sightseeing and a trip to the supermarket to get sushi for the trip home. Iesha began driving back to the shuttle terminal at around 7:15pm to catch the 9:20pm train back to England.  

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How much did everything cost?

Travel - £11

Petrol (£10) - almost a full tank (£40) split between four people, Parking (£1) - £4 for all day. Of course, the shuttle was technically free.

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Food - £41

Snacks (free) - all car journey snacks were brought from home, Waffles (£4) - worth every penny, Lunch (£22) - late lunch deal for €25 each, Dinner - £15 for a very large platter of sushi.

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Activities - £13

Boat trip (€15) for half an hour and sightseeing (free).

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Total per person - £64

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Top Tips for a European Driving Trip:

1. Make sure your car insurance covers you to drive in Europe.
2. Book Shuttle tickets as early as possible to get the best deal.
3. Check your Supermarket Loyalty points! If you have a few built up, a day out in Europe might be something worth looking into.
4. Bring a packed lunch to keep food costs down.

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