Mum who flew kids to Italy for just one night reveals how they even walked to the airport to keep costs down
A BRIT mum took her kids on a one-off day out to Pisa in Italy, just “to eat some pizza”.
She claims it was cheaper than a family trip to London or a day out at a theme park somewhere else in the UK – but much more fun.
Roxanne Balciunas, who comes from Sheffield, says she frequently takes her kids on day trips abroad and this time chose to take her two children Cherry and Tayo for a whirlwind 24 hours in Italy.
The 39-year-old mum booked her family on a Ryanair flight to Pisa, costing just £39 each.
The trio landed in the Italian city before a full day of exploring and flying home the next day.
Roxanne said the family only spent £50 while on the 24-hour excursion, including on pizza, gelato and souvenirs.
She shared footage of the whistle-stop trip on TikTok and Facebook with the caption: “24 hours in Pisa to eat some pizza”.
While in Italy, the mum-of-two said the family visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa Cathedral and the Opera del Duomo Musuem in the 33-degree heat.
And, as everything in Pisa was close by, she said they were able to walk everywhere – even to the airport – meaning they didn’t spend a penny on public transport.
Roxanne believes 24 hours is enough to see most cities and says they have already ticked off day trips to Amsterdam and Belgium, while Copenhagen and Ireland are next on the list.
She said: “It’s a cheaper alternative to a day out at home.
“If we were to go to a theme park it would cost a couple of hundred for the day with food, travel and the tickets.
“It was definitely cheaper than a trip to London for sure.
“It cost us around £39 each for return flights, £118 in total, and then it was £150 for the hotel for the night. We only spent £50 on expenditures on the trip for food and a few souvenirs.
“We walked through the city and got some trinkets like fridge magnets and keyrings and then had some gelato.
“We enjoyed pizza while we were there too. It was covered in salami and pepperoni and my son said it was the best pizza he had ever eaten.
“We sat outside and ate it. It was lovely and the atmosphere was great.”
Roxanne said the trip was a great way to reduce her kid’s screen time and both Cherry and Tayo thoroughly enjoyed their 24-hours in Italy in June.
She added: “On a Saturday at home we wouldn’t normally be doing a lot.
“The main reason for this trip was to try and get the kids off their phones and iPad.
“We’ve done these kinds of day trips before. We’ve been to Amsterdam before and Belgium for the day too and I’m taking Tayo to Copenhagen for the Christmas markets in November.
“Ireland is one of the next trips on the list too. It’s just cheaper and I think in some cities, 24-hours is enough to see everything.
“The kids loved it and were really excited. They loved seeing the leaning tower of Pisa and took lots of photos.”
Since returning home from Pisa, Roxanne shared a TikTok video online documenting their cheap getaway and other keen travellers were quick to comment on the mum’s ‘brilliant’ money saving hack.
One user said: “This is brilliant. Thanks for sharing.”
Another added: “We need to do a trip like this one day!”
A third commented: “What a great idea.”
Meanwhile, this man went to Milan for the day for similar reasons.
And these friends went to Ibiza for the day for less than a trip to London.