I’m obsessed with the price of going on holiday, says Chelsea (Picture: Chelsea Dickenson)
‘You will know each other well after this!’
The restaurant host was gesturing to me and the two Italian students sitting opposite me at Oda Garden, a popular traditional restaurant in Albania’s capital, Tirana.
The place gets booked up well in advance, but we had all managed to squeeze in – provided we didn’t mind sharing our space with strangers.
As soon as I arrived, I realised why it was such a hotspot. Amidst a courtyard crammed with tables, macramé parasols and lights strung up between lemon trees, people were up dancing to a live band pumping out Albanian classics.
It was one of those magical moments where I felt like I’d been dunked, head first, into the culture of a place.
And the best bit? My main meal only cost me £4.10. This was music to my ears given the fact I was halfway through my challenge to do a getaway for just £100 – and that included everything.
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A post shared by Chelsea | Cheap Holiday Expert (@cheapholidayexp)
My name’s Chelsea Dickenson and I’m obsessed with the price of going on holiday.
I know I’m not the only one. I believe that in each and every family or friendship group, there’s a bargain obsessive, promo-code checking, spreadsheet-wielding individual who loves nothing more than saving money on their next trip.
It was this obsession that led me to do a holiday challenge back in 2017 where I took half the amount the average British person spends on holiday a year (which worked out at slightly under £2,000) and tried to do as many holidays as possible for the total and capture it all for my newly created YouTube channel.
For over a year, I’d had the idea to do a getaway for under £100 where the budget had to cover everything (Picture: Chelsea Dickenson)
How much does the average Brit spend on holiday?
Research from VoucherCodes.co.uk forecast that Brits would spend £64.20billion on holidays in 2024
This would mean that each person in the UK would spend £1,140 on average
In the first half of 2020, Statista data found 26% or holidaymakers between 25-35 would spend between two and four thousand pounds, while 32% would spend between one and two thousand
The same website found that UK travellers, on average, spent 8.7 nights on vacation in 2022, compared to 10.8 nights in 2021
That year, I ticked off 10 countries, on three continents, and I even flew business class.
The challenge kickstarted what is now my full-time career as a travel expert and content creator, posting advice and travel inspiration across my website, TV, print and radio, and to my 630k followers on social media.
For over a year, I’d had the idea to do a getaway for under £100 where the budget had to cover everything. That included: getting to and from the airport, flights, accommodation, food, drink and the …read more
Source:: Metro
