NYC to Paris and Back in a Day: The ‘Out-and-Back’ Travel Trend Is Real

The burgeoning obsession with out-and-back day trips might be the latest “it trend” in the travel industry’s incessant buzzword cycle, or perhaps an unconventional indicator of a coming recession. Or it could illustrate people’s reluctance to spend money on hotel rooms and multi-week journeys when they could see their dream cities in the span of eight mere hours.

Whatever the reasoning behind them, those who seek out such getaways are generating plenty of online fascination, to the tune of millions of views, likes, and comments asking for specific cost breakdowns and similar details, in hopes of replicating the micro-itineraries.

Droniak flew from NYC to Denver and back for a one-day ski trip. Photo: Google Maps

Droniak, who first got the travel itch around 2018 while studying abroad, says he started embracing out-and-back travel because he wasn’t in a position to leave home for very long due to family obligations.

“I could go on a quick trip, see some new place or go back to a place that I love, and then be back and not miss out on much,” he explains. “It has given me more of a thrill, because the clock’s ticking and you want to do everything and you’re not just sitting there on your phone.”

There’s a certain freedom in honoring your whims and hopping on a plane. In February 2025, Droniak said he wanted to squeeze in a ski trip before the season ended but didn’t have many options near NYC in a quick time frame. The solution? He booked a 6 AM flight to Denver, with a flight back at 10 PM. The time difference provided an advantage. “It just felt so fulfilling to be on the slopes and then go to bed in my New York City apartment,” Droniak shares.

 

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His Instagram reel detailing that experience has close to 90,000 likes as of April 2025. It starts with him standing on the street, bleary eyed, saying: “You probably don’t know this, but Colorado is a day trip from New York.” In short order, Droniak is taking an Uber to the mountain after touching down in the snow-covered city, then whizzing down the mountain in ski gear, a giant smile now on his face.

Despite the instant gratification portrayed on screen, Droniak has to put time into finding the cheapest flight deals (Expedia and Google Flights are his top two platforms) and making sure other logistics are viable. He’s quick to acknowledge that living near a major metropolitan airport hub is a major factor that allows him to make out-and-back travel happen, and recommends that anyone trying to plan similar trips pick flights that meet certain criteria. That includes choosing nonstop flights that leave early in the morning, and making sure there are night flights back to where you live. He also recommends at least six hours on the ground and won’t do less than that.

So far, Droniak’s been able to see friends in Montreal, tan on a Puerto Rico beach, eat sushi in Miami, people-watch from a Parisian sidewalk cafe, and make many more memories packaged into a single day. He has no plans of stopping.

Out-and-back day trips allow travelers to fly with just a small bag or backpack. Photo: Twinsterphoto/Shutterstock

But Seth Kugel, the New York Times’ former “Frugal Traveler” columnist who now pens the paper’s “Tripped Up” advice column, is a skeptic. “My first thought is, how often is the flight going to be on time? It’s okay if everything goes perfectly, but aren’t you already going to be spending two hours at the airport on one end and two hours at the airport on your way back?”

I think it sounds like something that people just made up to get views,” he added.

The only scenario he imagines that could justify such an unconventional (and, in his mind, ill-advised) mode of travel is an unmissable event, “like if you had an amazing, hard-to-get reservation in a unique restaurant, or you’ve always wanted to visit [a particular] museum in Paris.” “But why would you not want to then go to dinner in Paris? And, if you’re already spending hundreds or thousands to do this, why can’t you stay in a hostel overnight? It just doesn’t compute for me. It’s not serious for the average person.

Smith recommends buying hotel day passes to use facilities like pools, and booking when airlines have promotional discounts. Photo: Chiycat/Shutterstock

Maddie Smith, a DC-based travel influencer who does out-and-back travel and has a video series called “Out ‘N Back,” thinks the viewers most receptive to her content are average travelers, and that nothing about the trips reads as cost prohibitive.

Her popular Instagram reels share not only the exact flight prices and amounts spent at any given destination, but also include time-stamped agendas that anyone can follow without feeling like they’re perpetually running out of daylight. Smith also shares detailed tips and tricks on how to make the most out of these day-long escapes. She recommends using sites like ResortPass to gain access to hotel amenities like pools and showers, picking only two or three must-do activities (with backup options), packing light, and researching nearby luggage storage facilities. She also notes that anxieties over the unique method of travel can be managed by remembering that at the end of the day, everything can be figured out.

 

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In January 2025, Smith and a friend took a day trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, costing them each only $120 per person, thanks to a Southwest Airlines sale. In one day, they explored the city’s main drag, relaxed on the beaches, and had multiple meals and snacks, all while being back in their beds by 11 PM the same day.

Smith has also traveled for special occasions, as Kugel suggested may be the only way to make this type of travel make sense. In fact, she says it’s one of her favorite excuses for day trips, which made up over half of the 50-plus trips she took in 2024.

“In September, I went with my dad to the opening game of the [New Orleans] Saints season. We both had commitments that Saturday and Monday, and so we could only fly down on Sunday,” Smith says. “It’s the type of thing where, in previous years, we were like, ‘Oh, this just isn’t going to work.’” Ultimately, it ended up being “one of the best days ever” for Smith.

Both Smith and Droniak always book very early morning flights, and return well past dark. Photo: Nico.Stock/Shutterstock

It wasn’t the first time she’s traveled for a single event. She recalls another standout travel moment, when she surprised her best friend who was running the Chicago Marathon.

“I took the first flight out and was able to get to her by about mile 10 of the marathon, and she had no idea I was coming,” Smith says. “That video went viral and got 10 million views. Out-and-back travel is a way to be there for key milestone events that I never would have thought was possible before.”

With 10 million views comes much praise and awe, yes, but, just as frequently, influencers like Smith and Droniak get fervent pushback. The common thread? Environmental concerns, what with all that flying. “There are so many people out there who fly private, while I’m flying commercial. Also, this is my full-time career, and it’s not uncommon to fly on a daily or weekly basis for work, so it’s kind of the same thing,” Smith offers in response.

Droniak addresses the criticism with concision: “These planes are taking off with or without me.”

A delayed flight could quickly turn a single-day vacation into just a day spent at the airport. Photo: Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock

Kugel of The New York Times remembers working in a Massachusetts summer camp when he was younger and getting just 24 hours off to decompress. He recalls that he and his fellow counselors would go to Boston and New York — peak daredevil behavior in their eyes at the time.

“Even that was a challenge,” he says. “Drive three hours to New York and then come back by the next day at noon.” But he recalls that at one point, one counselor said randomly that they were going to go to London for 24 hours.

“And they did it,” he recounts. “But only to tell other people they did it, right? They didn’t enjoy their four hours in London.”

Droniak has gone from NYC to Puerto Rico and back in a single day. Photo; Sean PavoneShutterstock

Both Droniak and Smith try to get a bit more than four hours on their out-and-back day trips, and both say there are benefits to this type of travel. “Doing these day trips makes me realize how much time there actually is in a day, which trickles into real life,” says Droniak. “When I’m home doing things, I’m like, ‘Oh, actually, I could make time for this, because I just went to Puerto Rico and back for a day.” Being able to pack so much into his out-and-back day trips has helped him learn to make the most of each day, he thinks.

Most people will likely fall into one of two camps: the group inspired to pull out their travel backpacks and jet-set out to Mexico City for a day, or those like Kugel, who think all this “sounds like lunacy” mixed with a healthy dose of privilege. But out-and-back day-trippers claim there’s a major lesson to be learned: that of taking advantage of the limited time you do have and enjoying a full day –- even if it’s just one day – in an amazing destination thousands of miles away.