Black Friday 2025: Why I'm Trading Deals for Day Trips This Year

Sam Burden
4 days ago
5 min read

Person on sofa using a laptop displaying "Black Friday Sale" with a red buy button. Cozy setting with jeans and checked pattern blanket.

It’s 3 AM on Black Friday 2025, and half the country is awake.Not because they want to be, but because they’re refreshing their browsers, chasing deals like their lives depend on it.

But here’s the thing: I’m not playing this year. And if you’re reading this, I’m betting you’re tired of it too.

The Black Friday Trap We All Know Too Well

You know the drill. Seventeen tabs bookmarked. Alarms set. Waiting rooms joined. And for what? A discounted suitcase you don’t need for trips you can’t take because most of your annual leave is already used up and it’s only November.

I say this with love: we’re doing it wrong.

I used to be that person. The one who stayed up until midnight for Black Friday sales to drop, convinced this was the year I’d snag the perfect travel backpack at 60% off. Hours spent comparing deals, adding things to my basket, justifying purchases because “it’s such good value.”

Then January would roll around, and my bank account would whisper: you’ve spent £200 on stuff you didn’t use. That “investment” hiking jacket? Still with the tags. The “essential” travel adapter set? Already had three.

Meanwhile, my precious annual leave sat unused, because I’d spent my weekend glued to a laptop instead of actually going anywhere.

What Is Green Friday Anyway?

While everyone’s losing their minds over Black Friday, a quieter movement is happening: Green Friday.

It’s the anti-Black Friday. Instead of buying things you don’t need, Green Friday encourages you to:

Get outside and into nature
Spend time with people you actually like
Invest in experiences instead of things
Support causes that matter
Generally, just… avoid the consumption chaos

Honestly? For those of us with limited time and budgets, it makes way more sense.

The Math That Changed My Mind

Let’s break down what Black Friday really costs us:

Time spent hunting deals: 3–5 hours (probably more)
Money spent on “bargains”: £150–300 on average
Things we actually needed: Maybe 20%
Buyer’s remorse: Starts around 2 December

Now compare that to spending the same time and money on experiences:

Book a day trip: 1 hour of planning max, easy through Trainline for train tickets or GetYourGuide for guided tours
Actual cost: £50–100 including travel and food
Memories created: Priceless
Regret level: Zero

Which one sounds better?

For My Time-Poor Professional Friends

I get it. Monday to Friday is exhausting. And when Black Friday promises 50% off travel gear, it feels productive, like you’re investing in future adventures.

But here’s the truth: buying travel gear isn’t the same as actually travelling.

That discounted suitcase doesn’t give memories—it gives another thing to store in your flat.

Instead, spend that budget on:

A day trip you’ve been putting off – check Airbnb Experiences for unique local activities
Train tickets somewhere new – book easily on Trainline
A weekend break you can book immediately through Booking.com or Airbnb
A really good meal in a city you’ve never visited – reserve through OpenTable

You’ve got the time. You’ve got the budget. The only thing stopping you is habit.

Explore Solo or Local: Build Confidence Without Buying Gear

Black Friday can feel overwhelming if you’re trying to plan travel. There’s often pressure to buy all the “right” gear before you can start exploring—the perfect luggage, the latest gadgets, the trendiest backpack.

Here’s what I wish someone had told me: you don’t need any of that. You just need to go.

This Black Friday, instead of hunting for “perfect” deals, take one small, confidence-building trip. Start local. Start simple. Start now.

That £200 you were going to spend on sales? Use it for a solo overnight stay nearby through Airbnb or a boutique hotel on Booking.com.
Practice navigating a new place, eating dinner alone, or simply being comfortable in your own company.

Not near a new city? That’s fine. Even if you live somewhere familiar—like Dorset or along the South Coast—you can rediscover the adventure in your own backyard:

Take that beach walk you’ve been meaning to do.
Explore a National Trust property nearby—get a National Trust membership and enjoy year-round access.
Wander around a market town you haven’t visited in years.
Walk a section of the coastal path you’ve never explored.

It’s mostly free, it’s already here, and you can be spontaneous. The gear can come later; confidence comes from doing, discovering, and actually experiencing new places.

The Green Friday Challenge

Here’s my proposal: this Black Friday, let’s make a deal (pun intended). For every hour you’d have spent scrolling sales, spend it outside. For every pound you’d have spent, put it toward an actual trip.

The 24-Hour Green Friday Challenge:

No online shopping from midnight Thursday to midnight Friday
Spend at least 2 hours outside in nature
Plan one trip you’ll actually take and book it on Booking.com or Airbnb
Check in with someone you’ve been meaning to see
Move your body in a way that feels good

What you’ll save:

Money you’d have regretted spending
Time wasted comparing prices
January guilt of unused purchases
The feeling that you’re always planning to live but never actually living

What you’ll gain:

Fresh air and actual dopamine
Real memories instead of cardboard boxes
Progress toward adventures you actually want
The smug satisfaction of not playing the game

But What About Good Deals?

I’m not anti-Black Friday. If there’s something you genuinely need and it’s on sale, great.

Buy it.

But ask yourself honestly:

Would I buy this if it wasn’t on sale?
Do I actually need this, or do I need the trip I’m planning to use it for?
Will I regret this in January?
Could this money create a better experience than another possession?

If you’re buying because it’s cheap, not because you need it, that’s not a deal. That’s just spending to feel like you’re winning at something.

The Real Investment

Travel gear depreciates. Memories appreciate.

£200 backpack? Worth maybe £80 next year – shop trusted brands like Osprey or Nomad
£200 day trip somewhere new? Worth infinitely more every time you remember it
Your 25 days of annual leave? They expire if you don’t use them. Black Friday deals will come again. Your time won’t.

My Green Friday Plan

This year, I’m going outside. I’m taking the money I would have spent on “deals” and booking a trip I’ve been putting off. I’ll spend the time I would have wasted comparing prices actually researching somewhere new.

On Friday itself? I’ll be on a day trip, far from my laptop, phone on airplane mode, proving the best deals in life aren’t online.