My goal for 2018 is to do 12 in 12. Not 12 countries, but 12 places. I was inspired by a few bloggers on my timeline doing this challenge last year and I thought, I can do it too. I managed to do around in 8 destinations in 2016, even more in 2017 and why not do it again, BUT on a budget…
Why pay more when you can pay less… right?
The actual joke is that this probably totals the amount I spend on a yearly Oystercard to get around London and yet I still need a visa to get to Croydon.*
So here is just how much I’m spending on my travel in 2018, well so far.
Venice and Verona, Italy
So I was actually meant to go to Venice/Verona with a friend but they flopped and I had already booked my flights, so a solo trip it was. I’m happy that I’m comfortable enough in myself and who I am to venture solo as some of the best adventures aren’t to be shared. And if you’re someone who likes to cancel on friends/family a lot, you may want to read my post aptly titled ‘How Not To Be A Flake‘.
Flights – £65
I flew into Venice and left from Verona by mixing and matching airlines RyanAir and British Airways. Skyscanner is the best tool for doing this, so if you’re wanting to do two in one, play around with different airports that are nearby to the cities you’re visiting.
Hotel in Venice (1 night) – £45
I stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn Mestre which is around 10 min bus ride away from Venice. It’s clean, modern, with really spacious rooms and a lovely pool area that’d be a nice chill space in summer!
Hotel in Verona (2 nights) – £129
The city of Verona is tiny and is the selection of hotels; I always tend to go for something modern which is near the landmarks and the Best Western Hotel de Capuleti was perfect. Only a 6 minute walk away from the sights, it is perfect for exploring this beautiful old town…
Total for Venice/Verona – £239
So, my trip to Venice/Verona would have been cheaper if it wasn’t a solo trip BUT I wouldn’t change it at all. I had such a lovely time on my own, doing my own thing, waking up when I wanted to and doing the trip at my pace, I’m eager to do it again.
Nice
Flights and Hotel – £144.50 per person
The British Airways sale in January is AMAZING, I couldn’t believe how cheap this deal was, especially for an Bank Holiday. So next year, I’ll be booking my travel in January for the year. Nice has been on my eyeliner forever, as it’s the epitome of French glamour and decadence, I’ll be able to tick off Monaco whilst I’m here too.
Total for Nice (For two) – £289
Amsterdam
Flights – £95
Again, I’m using my bank holidays properly this year, so my flights to Amsterdam has to get booked in advance right? Again booked in the BA sale, I managed to get the early morning flight out and late one back. All about tactics. The hotel on the other hand is TBC because planning a group trip is LONG.
However, I will also be able to tick off Rotterdam whilst I’m here as it’s less than an hour by train from Amsterdam Central.
Hotel – TBC
Total for Amsterdam (So far) – £95
Dubai
So Dubai wasn’t on my radar this year (at all). I actually had booked my ticket to go to Traverse conference in Rotterdam BUT it was working out way too expensive. Flights were coming to £107 and the hotel was working out at £500ish (I wanted to go for 5/6 days), so I kinda thought, ‘Where else can I go for the same amount?’.
Browsing low to high is the best thing ever and somehow I found flights to Dubai with Virgin (My favourite airline) for £250. Adding in a 5* hotel (Yes 5* because I can’t do a hostel in Dubai) came to…
Flights and hotel – £617
Not only that, I’ll be able to tick off Abu Dhabi whilst I’m out there, bringing me to 8 out of 12 destinations in 2018 by the end of May. Even though I’ve been to Dubai before, I can’t wait to go solo, lay in the sun and soak in all things Middle East.
So there we have it, so far I’ve spent approximately £1,001 on travel in 2018, only up until May. Will I spend more? Without a doubt. Will I regret it? No.
I want to give myself the world.
For all my other travel tips, check out all my travel content here.
So where to next? I’ve been thinking about Japan, Seattle, Hong Kong and doing more of Eastern Europe but I can’t decide. Let me know where I should go by commenting below!
Char xo
*I’m a North London so anything in South basically…
You have managed to get some really good travel deals. I’m impressed by your budgeting. I’m the worst at blowing my budget when I travel and spending way more than I planned.
I love how you broke it down cost by cost. Makes it all seem so much more managable to make travel a reality in your life.
Thank you so much ❤️✈️
Really an insightful post. Thank you for sharing!