When you're stuck working a full-time job, it's hard to do all the things you want to do in any given year. Travelling is high on many people's list but with only a limited number of holidays and finances, it's tough.
Well, what if we told you a married couple, who work full-time, managed to visit 40 countries in the last two years? Sounds outrageous right? Who the hell has the time off and money store up to do that while you're still working the 9-5?
Sangam Bhandari and his wife Shikha Neupane, both 28, from Dartford, Kent, work in IT and earn around £50,000 per year.
But they have some obvious but handy tips that you can emulate to be able to do what they do.
Sangam tells the Daily Mail, the key is being really on your finances: "Add the cost of breakfast, coffee, snacks, some after-work dinner and drinks, it can quickly add up.
"If you plan well in advance some of the European destinations can be explored for a weekend for less than £200 for two.
"Another important consideration is living like a local and avoiding expensive tourist traps. Using cards with no foreign exchange fee on purchase and withdrawals certainly helps."
These all might sound like glaringly obvious tips but you'd be surprised how employing all these methods can help.
Like all good British and European travellers, the couple say small weekends away allow them to explore the places they want without having to take too much time off from work as well as not hit the hip pocket too much.
Their favourite five places they've visited recently include Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and Croatia.
But if you're greedy and want to push the envelope a bit further, there is a crafty way to get more holidays than you're usually entitled to. Thanks to the way the double Bank Holiday falls in May, it's possible to have 24 days' holiday by taking just 14.
Your final day in the office would be on May 4, and you wouldn't return until June has almost arrived, on May 29.
Here's the explanation...
In May, there are two Bank Holidays. The first on May 7, the second on May 28. With the weekends falling on May 5-6, May 12-13, May 19-20 and May 26-27, you'll be laughing at the idea of not seeing your colleagues for practically an entire month.
Similarly, by being tactical in March, you could book 14 days off, by using only eight days' holiday. Easter weekend runs from March 30 to April 2, and with two weekends either side (March 24-25 and April 7-8), it means another nicely extended break.
Sadly, there will be no such opportunities remaining throughout this year, as there are no more Bank Holidays in the schedule until Boxing Day.
Featured Image Credit: fourhappyfeet/InstagramTopics: Travelling, Interesting, Community, Holiday