Claire Howard, 47, took 13 extreme day trips – visiting each location within 24 hours – in a bid to tackle her fear of flying. She spent just £2.6k – and used no annual leave
It’s a brave and brutal take on shock therapy for one mum desperate to overcome her fear of flying
Claire Howard, an English teacher from Solihull, went on 13 whirlwind day trips, cramming each extreme daytrip into a mere 24 hours, all to crush her fear of flying in its tracks. Now 47, Claire had been in knots over flying since she was 21.
But she wasn’t having any of it; she pushed the boat out with shock therapy, and has now kissed goodbye to her phobia. The bold lass took the plunge and booked her maiden solo flight from Birmingham to Geneva, setting off in January 2024.
Panic gripped her the morning after booking, nearly bailing on the whole thing, but Claire stuck it out and ended up loving the jaunt so much that she zipped through 13 trips in just the same year – without touching a single day of leave!
She took the plunge in a big way
Claire spilled the beans: “After a late night of scrolling I just booked one. I decided to go on my own, I just thought ‘if I can do this then I can do anything.’”.
The next day, shivers of doubt hit her: “When I woke up the next morning in the cold light of day I panicked and tried to cancel. But there was a £40 cancellation fee and I had only spent £42 on the flights so I decided to just go.”
Despite nerves running wild, the thrill of the unknown beckoned: “I was really anxious but also so excited. The feeling when I got back and I had done it was amazing, I was on such a high from it.”
Her travels weren’t always smooth sailing; Claire’s fear took flight way back in the late ’90s at the tender age of 21, while globetrotting. A gnarly bout of turbulence on her flight from Perth to Singapore flipped her world upside down, sparking a fear that would follow her for years.
She was trying to beat her fear of flying
She recounted: “I was young, I was on my own, and loads of people on the flight had started getting out prayer beads. It was really terrifying. That was what really sparked my fear of flying.”
“I did fly again, but I was at the point where I had to go to the doctor and get diazepam to get on a plane.”
“It starts a couple of days before. I start obsessing about getting on the plane and running through all sorts of scenarios.”
“When I get on the plane, any sort of sound or judder will make me freeze. For me it is the lack of control, you can’t get off.”
“The fear is paralysing. I can’t concentrate on anything but analysing to see any signs of something wrong. I become frozen from the fear.”
“I am fine once I am there, but the build up to getting on the plane again overshadows all the fun and excitement.”
Everything changed two years ago when Claire underwent surgery for a preventative hysterectomy after finding out she carried the BRCA 1 gene, which significantly increased her risk of breast and ovarian cancer. This life-altering operation led her to reduce her work hours to four days a week, giving her an extra day to herself.
Its a crazy plan
Faced with the question of how to spend this newfound time, Claire decided to confront her fear head-on. She joined a Facebook group dedicated to overcoming such fears and set herself a challenge, as she explained: “What I didn’t want to do was spend my day off cooking or cleaning. That is when I saw the Extreme Day Trips group. I decided I was going to use my day off to do 12 trips in 12 months.”
To overcome her fear, Claire set herself a goal of taking a flight once a month, even if it was just for a day trip, to get accustomed to the experience. “Flying has become much easier, I am now used to the routine of it. I now feel that I know what the noises are and everything is normalised.”
Over the course of 13 extreme day trips, Claire has made significant progress in conquering her fear while also creating cherished memories with her two children, Henry, 17, and Caelia, 16. Among her travels, Claire has developed a special affinity for Poland, having visited Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, and Poznan.
To make her trips more affordable, Claire packs her own food for the plane journey and uses the Too Good To Go app to find discounted food abroad. Her flights have ranged in cost from £27 to £65 for return tickets, resulting in a total trip budget of around £180 to £200, including activities and food.
She’s used it to see more of the world
This means she has spent around £2,300 to £2,600 for all 13 trips.
Looking ahead to 2025, Claire has already booked six more trips, with a flight to Budapest scheduled for next week. She expressed her commitment to continuing this new aspect of her life, saying, “I am not going to stop. I want it to continue being part of my life.”
Holiday 1 on 25-01-24 saw a trip to Geneva, followed by a journey to Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix.
Holiday 2 was on 27-01-24 in Alicante. The third holiday took place on 08-02-24 in Montreux.
The mum has made cherished memories
Bucharest was the destination for Holiday 4 on 12-02-24. Warsaw was visited during Holiday 5 on 02-03-24.
Bydgoszcz was the location for Holiday 6 on 09-03-24. Beauvais was the spot for Holiday 7 on 08-06-24.
Malaga was the destination for Holiday 8 on 18-06-24 and again for Holiday 13 on 07-12-24. Berlin was the city of choice for Holiday 9 on 10-07-24.
Palma was the location for Holiday 10 on 23-07-24. Howth was visited during Holiday 11 on 17-09-24.
Poznan was the destination for Holiday 12 on 28-10-24.