Couple book £35 day trip to African winter sun destination – with 32C heat

A BRITISH couple flew to Africa for just £35 each where they soaked up some winter sun for 17 hours.

Earlier this month, Jamie MacLeod, 37, and his wife Sarah, 36, flew 1,600 miles to Marrakesh from Edinburgh for just £35.

The couple travelled to the Moroccan city on November 18.

Their journey from Edinburgh to Marrakesh took six hours, with the couple landing at 11:15am local time before returning 17 hours later.

Jamie was inspired by the Extreme Day Trips UK page on Facebook.

While most members had hopped on budget flights to European cities like Paris and Barcelona, Jamie and Sarah decided to take their trip one step further.

The couple decided to head for Marrakesh, which had been on Jamie's bucket list, after spotting £35 flights.

Jamie told SWNS: "I've always wanted to go to Marrakesh, and we realised a one-way flight from Scotland was only £35. We looked at it and just thought, 'Let's do it'.

"It had originally been planned to take the boys, but I'd heard some not-so-good stories about crime in Marrakesh, so my wife and I took the opportunity to go as a couple."

"It was amazing. We went to see the markets - did all three souks, saw the tombs, it was beautiful.

"We didn't have a lot of time, so we just spent it wandering about. The weather was really nice, 32C heat in November."

After spending their day visiting the souks, seeing the Kasbah Mosque, and enjoying the warm weather, the pair flew home.

Because they were unable to get a direct flight back to Edinburgh, they decided to touch down in Barcelona for one night, with their flight costing just £24 per person.

However, the husband-and-wife duo encountered some problems at the airport before their departure due to the unusual trip.

Jamie added: "There was a bit of trouble - in Morocco, when you're going through the gate, you need to tell them your job title, and hotel name, and show them your boarding pass.

"Of course, we didn't have a hotel name as we weren't staying - which the guy at the gate wasn't having at all.

"It took a bit of time negotiating with him - but once I saw Sarah getting stamped through in the queue next to me, he let me through."

Thankfully, the couple were let through and landed at El Prat Airport at midnight.

In Barcelona, the couple booked themselves into a budget hotel, which cost £77.

While the hotel wasn't a luxury stay, it allowed the couple to visit the Spanish city.

Jamie said: "The hotel was pretty basic. We had a bed and a shower - which was all we needed.

"We literally checked in at 1am, slept, and checked out at 10am to explore the city.

"It was bang in the centre though - we didn't need to take any transport. We saw the Sagrada Familia, which was beautiful, and walked around the Bullring.";

Later that evening, Jamie and Sarah boarded a flight back to Edinburgh, which cost them £29.

The couple arrived back in Scotland at 1am on November 20, with the entire trip costing them £165 per person.

Jamie and Sarah aren't the only Brits who've taken day trips and cheap city breaks to the extreme.

Earlier this year, TikTok user Callum Ryan revealed how he flew to Italy to get a pizza - and it still cost less than a Domino's.

The TikToker paid just £8 for a last-minute plane ticket from London Stansted to Milan.

In the video, he showed how he packed lightly, with just a small backpack, before boarding his Ryanair flight.

In a , he then headed to a local restaurant in Milan, where he paid just €8.50 (£7.50) for a margarita pizza and another €2.50 (£2.22) for the service charge.

Adding that to the flight, it means he paid just £17.72 - cheaper than a medium Domino's pizza which costs £19.99.

He's also flown to Ibiza for less than a crate of beer.

Other people have undertaken similar trips too, with a woman and her friend flying to Lanzarote for a day out for just £23.