I travelled to three countries for under £50 – here's how you can too
Watch: Solo traveller spends under £50 on flights to three countries
A woman travelled solo to three countries for under £50 by setting herself the challenge of picking her destinations the night before flying.
This way Sabina Trojanova, 29, a content creator from east London, was able to secure the cheapest flights she could find that day, also thriving off the spontaneity.
Kicking off the adventure, she found a flight to Dublin from London for just £12.99 on 9 May 2023, and flew the very next morning.
After two days enjoying the Irish city, she set off to Marseille after finding the cheapest flight that day was £17.38. She then explored the French city before jetting off to Palma in Spain for the last leg of her trip, which cost her just £16.
Trojanova also set herself an overall budget of £200 for each country – including accommodation for two nights and the flights – spending £613.83 in total for her whole trip.
But she is confident she could have cut this down further if she'd been even more frugal.
"I get so many people saying they want to travel but can’t afford it," she says of her inspiration for doing the challenge.
"My intention was to take the cheapest flight to a new country. I really wanted to do it solo.
"I booked each flight the night before to find out my next destination. I explored the cities on foot.
"I wanted to show that you absolutely can travel as a woman on your own."
Trojanova used an app called kewi.com to help with hunting down the cheapest flights for her next location.
To add to the fun, she also set herself four tasks for each country she visited.
"I had to eat the national or regional traditional dish," she says.
"Next was something sweet – again from the region.
"Then I had to find an interesting woman from history and finally a book by a local author.”
Trojanova stayed in a hostel in Dublin for £88.88 and tucked into a traditional Irish stew in a pub, washed down with a pint of Guinness, of course.
She also found a traditional Irish bread and hung out with friends living in the city.
In Marseille, she stayed in an Airbnb for £94.26 and found a regional seafood stew. "For my sweet, I had a Madeline," says Trojanova.
“I felt super-safe. It’s [Marseille] super-interesting and diverse."
And for her last stop of Palma, she booked her two nights in a hostel for £80.36 – complete with a rooftop pool. Though not everything was smooth-sailing.
"I got to Palma and got immediately sunburnt," she says, though things soon picked up in the food department.
"I ended up with Spanish tapas. I had Gambas and croquettes and I went to a local food market.
"I felt I could relax in the moment."
Trojanova does have the benefit of speaking both Spanish and French but insists it would have still been easy to get around without her language skills.
Plus, she adds, "I could have done it for a lot less. The flights were super-cheap but my tasks totalled up the price.
"The point of this was to show how affordable travel can be.
"If you did this every week it would be hugely environmentally impactful."
Globetrotter Trojanova, found on Instagram as @girlvsglobe, has visited 60 countries and loves to go travelling alone, as well as adventuring with her boyfriend Sam, 30, a researcher.
"I love it. I think it’s important to travel solo, even if you’re in a relationship," she points out.
Some of her favourite destinations include West Bank, Pakistan, Malawi and East Africa.
Her next escape will be to Argentina for three months with Sam, where they will stay for free by housesitting.
Here's a breakdown of the costs for her recent European trip, to inspire your next budget adventure.
Dublin
Flight - £12.99
Hostel - £88.88
Bus fare - £0
Pub dinner - £20.28
Bewley's - £16.51
Trinity library - £16.05
Book - £1.74
Spice bag - £7.79
Grocery shopping - £3.91
Drinks - £8.70
Korean food - £7.79
Salad - £9.52
Airport bus - £6.96
Total - £201.12
Marseille
Flight - £17.39
Airbnb - £94.26
Airport buses - £17.40
Uber - £8.92
Couscous - £28.70
Ferry - £9.57
Uber - £10.40
Madeleines - £1.48
Carrefour - £2.38
Cake from bakery - £4.17
Bouilladbaisse lunch - £26.09
Tea house - £4.35
Total - £225.12
Palma
Flight - £16
Hostel - £80.36
Taxi - £9.09
Airport bus - £4.35
Coco Cocina - £25.22
Snack - £1.39
Pre-made salad - £3.42
Tapas lunch - £12.18
Matcha latte - £3.83
Ice creams - £5.66
Spanish dinner - £26.09
Total - £187.59
Additional reporting SWNS.
