The definition of a day trip is:  a  visit to a place in which you go there and come back on the same day. Day trips are very popular with travellers who use a city as a homebase for going to different places of interest for a day, returning in the evening. These day trips are typically by car, train, boat, or  even aircraft. 

Staying in one city is a low-stress way of taking a holiday in a far-flung place. When our girls were younger, we would often fly to city and stay for a week or two and take day trips every few days to expand our experience. Day trips are a valuable  way of seeing places and attractions within a relatively short distance from a hotel or other centralised accommodation, especially when some sights are difficult or too time-consuming to travel by public transport. Day trips may be spaced out over the length of a holiday to provide a less-hectic itinerary than that of a bus tour.

Cruise lines offer day trips or shore-excursions from each of the ports in which they dock. They offer a wide variety of sightseeing or activity tours especially designed to coincide with the time the ship is in port. 

Many of my tours incorporate several day trips to nearby destinations of interest from whatever city or town I happen to be staying. Some destinations have been selected specifically because I wish to visit a particular sight. 

Day trips have many advantages; they are easy to find either online or at hotel travel desks, they take care of the logistics of transport and entry to attractions, and they include a guide who provides a commentary over the course of the day.

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Alternatively, the day trip does not have to include a formal tour, but may be simply a self-drive excursion, or a trip by train.  For me, the day trip offers a valuable and often cost-effective day away from home or an opportunity to experience a culture or a place that I would not otherwise be able to visit. 

Click on the images below to read about my most interesting day trips.