When I was growing up in Yorkshire in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a day trip treat would be to head over to Scarbados (Scarborough to all your readers not familiar with God’s Own Country). I still have PTSD from the many hours we queued in traffic jams there and back on the A64, just to sample some fish and chips in the rain, roll up our trousers and dip our toes in a freezing North Sea.
But how times and tourism have changed. Low cost flights have opened up amazing opportunities. Now, a 46 euro round trip on a Saturday between London Stansted and Palma de Mallorca has rebooted the term "day tripper". It has given a new meaning to the words "flying visit" - and I, for one, am not sure if it is for the better.
The people I met had boarded a flight out of the UK at 6.40am. They were in Palma for 10am local time for a sun-kissed breakfast. By midday they were in the sun supping cava. By 2pm they were eating at "the best tapas bar in Europe" that TripAdvisor had recommended. A few beers later, and the first half of Barcelona v. Seville, they got ready for their flight back to Blighty.
And they were not alone. "Everyone does it," they revealed to me. "So much better and cheaper than going to London for a day out." What an experience. In a day.
It wasn’t that long ago that Majorca marketed itself for the long haul. Saga members came in winter for two months. Even now, Spanish "pensionistas" come for a few weeks. But it seems now that, in the fast food and instant world in which we live, even the long weekend is too much. Whether this new generation of day tripper is an opportunity or a threat for Majorca, who knows. But one thing is for sure, our island needs to understand - and react to - the fact that the times, as the cliche demands, they are a-changing.
Yours
Richard Chew
Calvia
2 comments
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They are called cig runs . Not only do you get a day out but you can save a fortune on cigs and ale and catch a bit of sun to . I will leave it up to you as to how they dispose of the said items .
Yes, I have done a number of day trips in past years to Majorca before owning my own apartment, by visiting friends whilst they were on holidays, for a chat, as we very seldom seen each other, but nice to catch up for a chat. This was mainly work wise and fitted in with work. Last June I went on a day trip to Geneva from Majorca, and the whole trip, including fuel from Cala Millor, and spending money came to less than £100. It was real nice to fly along the French Alps and see thsnow on the mountain peaks. Then get a bus to the Swiss French boarder, and go up a cable car to look back at Geneva. This partly made the trip to Majorca a good holiday. I even have had day trips since owning my apartment for various things, and it can work out cheaper than a trip from the south coast to London for a day.