…that’s the exact question a friend just asked me. I didn’t plan the year throughout, but just went with the flow, and definitely, with whatever my finances would permit!

So here’s the breakdown of how I was able to afford each destination, with tips and recommendations for those reading this too.. enjoy!

 

Before I begin, please note:

• I work full-time, and probably get the same number of holidays as you do.
• The plus side of being able to travel more frequently this year was with working unsociable hours overnight, granting me days off during the week to rest (or in other words for me, to fly away!)
• I generally don’t spend a lot of money on holidays. The most I’ve spent on a holiday was £650 for a week in Barbados everything included. The cheapest being £55 for 2 days in Malta!
• If booking a holiday will leave me low on money, I won’t book it. Period. I think what enticed me to travel more in the beginning was being able to spot ridiculously cheap deals, some of which I’m about to show you!

January

Was already in Ghana, then flew to Nigeria – quickest trip ever, flew in from Accra after all of the Christmas festivities and madness, and went to work straight away as soon as I landed in Lagos. It was mostly a work and rest trip which lasted 4 days. Flight from Ghana was less than $100 via Africa World Airlines, and I stayed with a friend who hosted me in Lagos, for the win! I’ve probably visited Nigeria the most as it’s my motherland, four times in the past year for a mixture of work and leisure purposes.

 

February

Budapest – first city break of the year, a new country, and a refreshing experience! Booked flights in December for £70 via Skyscanner, and the cutest apartment which cost £20 per person for 2 nights in total! Book via booking.com with my discount code and receive 10% off – https://www.booking.com/s/34_6/b2edb5cd. It was crazy cheap to book as you can see – and spending money for both days didn’t exceed £100.

 

March

Morocco – a holiyay! I was itching to explore more and felt like I was the last person on the planet to visit, so finally! Lol. Really cheap time of year to travel. Flights were £90 per person, and the stunning riad we stayed in was only £30 a night per person!

 

 

April

Guess.. Nigeriaaa! Haha. This time for a bit longer and mostly for networking in Lagos and then family in Ibadan. Flights booked via Virgin about £500 return, which is the BEST airline in my experience. Stayed with family = free accommodation!

 

 

May

South of France – solo trip part 2! This is something I want to continue doing each year since falling in love with taking myself on holiday. It’s the best. Beziers is super friendly, small, peaceful, and just what u needed. I stayed in a hotel costing about £30 a night and super central. Flights were £30 return with Ryanair. I wouldn’t stay there again/ recommend it as I got bitten by bed bugs! Eek!

 

June

Prague – girlssssss trip!!! So much fun with lovely ladies who I usually see at bbtravelmeetup meet ups. Flights were ridiculously cheap at £20 return with Ryanair! And this incredible apartment at £25 in total per person for 2 nights. So much fun exploring a new city and definitely my ultimate girls trip of the year.

 

July

Hamburg then Barcelona to celebrate the birthday week! As it’s birthday week we did go a tad boujee and I’d say both cities with flights and hotels came up to about £450. Both super fun cities that I’d recommend. Also, Gran Hotel Havana in Barcelona is probably the best hotel I’ve stayed at this year.

August

Ireland! A cute day trip to Ireland flying out in the morning, returning later that evening. Had never been and had a friend living there who was kind enough to book me a flight there as a late birthday treat! So that lowered my costs by a mile, and spending money didn’t exceed more than £30 for the day I was there 🙌🏾

September

Holland for a big group trip with the bbtravelmeetup crew. Stayed in Eindhoven for a day followed by Amsterdam for a couple more nights. Flights with Ryanair were super cheap at only £20 return and hotels came up to about £40 per night. Holland is always a good idea!

October

Italy to do some trio exploring, 3 cities! From Rome, to Florence, to Pisa. Italy is too big to stay in just one place. Super easy to connect between cities via train which was so convenient and efficient. Flights, hotels and transport came up to about £300. In my opinion this is great, considering we were in three cities!

 

November

Madrid for a sweet city break and catch up with a friend who lives in another country. So nice exploring and getting in the Christmas mood! Flights were £50 return and cost and lush apartment was £80 per person.

December

South Africa was a dream come true! Every single part of it. I’ve always wanted to go so what a perfect way to mark an epic year for travel. Me and a bunch of other friends were hosted by our friend who was celebrating her birthday, so paid for the incredible villa we stayed in! We only just had to pay for the flights 😭❤️ God bless friends like these, because wow! Haha flights were £565 with Ethiopia airlines, who ill never fly with again!!

 

So I’ve just calculated, and including the amounts above, plus spending money which I didn’t mention above, in 2018, the total amount I’ve spent on travel, is £3000 in total! That’s actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Phew!