Chelsea Dickenson, 34, from Wrexham, gave herself the challenge of having a holiday abroad for a total of just £100.
And she revealed how she put the notion to the test in a series of fun and fascinating Instagram clips, which you can see below.
The travel expert told MailOnline: ‘That £100 cost had to cover getting to and from the airport on both sides, as well as my food, drink, activities and accommodation.’
Chelsea, who now lives in London, continued: ‘I’ve been seeking out a destination where this could possibly work for some time – after I spotted flights to Tirana [the capital of Albania] for £9.99 each way, I knew that as long as I could find an affordable place to stay, we may be on to a winner.
‘Albania has started to pop up in all sorts of articles, TV programmes and across social media in the past few years. I booked it expecting an affordable city but not knowing a lot more!’ Read on to see how Chelsea fared in the challenge (and to see just how cheap Tirana can be).
Travel expert Chelsea Dickenson gave herself the challenge of having a holiday abroad for a grand total of just £100 – and picked the Albanian capital city, Tirana, as the destination for the test. She’s pictured above by the ‘I love t’ Tirana symbol on the city’s Skanderbeg Square
Chelsea says: ‘I was so impressed with how incredibly green the city was.’ Above – a view of the city from the artificial lake in Tirana park, which she visited as a free activity
Chelsea bought two byrek – Albanian pasties as pictured above left – for 43p each from Tirana eatery Byrektore as one of her cheap meals. And she went to Radio bar, above right, where she paid £6.82 for a dry martini
TOP TIPS BY CHELSEA
Chelsea said: ‘The most important thing is to be as flexible as you can on your dates and your destination. That way, you’ll have way more choice when it comes to finding a deal.
‘When it comes to budgeting for your trip, check to see what payment options are available to you.
‘I’ve just started using Klarna for my trips as they’re now available on a load of travel booking websites – like Airbnb, Hotels.com and Expedia – and it lets me pay in three [payments], interest free.
‘It’s super helpful for allowing me to spread my costs, and let me jump on a bargain when I see it!’
Day One
Beginning her trip, she took a bus to her local coach station and then a coach to Luton Airport. She caught a Wizz Air flight, took her own snacks and got a free cup of water to drink while in the air.
After landing, Chelsea caught the bus from the airport into Tirana for £3.43. She checked in to stay at the Vanilla Sky Boutique Hostel for two nights (£12.67 a night).
Chelsea noted: ‘I stayed in a female shared dorm with three other women. The hostel itself is so nicely decorated – it’s really not what a lot of people would think of when you say the word hostel! They also have really affordable private rooms for around £30.’
She then ate, for £5.06, a dinner of ‘chicken skepasti [similar to gyros] with fries and soft drink plus free loukoumades [honey pastries]’.
On the food, she commented: ‘Albanian food has a Mediterranean vibe but is very hearty too with plenty of meat dishes on offer. [It] isn’t too far from the local food you can find in the [surrounding] area – such as northern Greece and Corfu.
‘There’s a lot of international choices as well, and the one thing I will say about Tirana is that you will not be stuck for food and drink options. You’re going to love sitting out in the huge sun-drenched terraces that many of these places offer.’
Chelsea bought her breakfast for the two-day trip – water, fruit and yoghurt – at the Spar supermarket to keep costs down, but did sip on a double gin and tonic at Bar My Way for £2.98.
She said: ‘Like all major cities, there’s a real range of prices when it comes to costs, but you could easily find yourself a wine or a beer for around £2. Even in more trendy establishments, it’s really affordable.’
Day Two
Beginning her second day in Tirana, Chelsea ate breakfast from her Spar stocks and then took a free walking tour – she left a £1.71 tip.
The tourist commented: ‘I normally tip more but I’m a true believer in that you should be able to go on these tours even if you’re unable to pay – learning should be for everyone!’
She moved on to lunch, which was very well priced. ‘I found an amazing local bakery serving hot byrek – which is basically an Albanian pasty – and they had so many options for under 50p,’ said Chelsea. She bought two for 43p each from Byrektore.
Her next activity was Tirana park – a 289-hectare public park with plenty of walkways, plants and a lake. It is free to explore.
Chelsea noted: ‘I was so impressed with how incredibly green the city was – it’s so beautiful.’
Chelsea checked into the Vanilla Sky Boutique Hostel, pictured left, and says that even ‘trendy establishments’ like Radio bar, above right, are ‘affordable’ in Tirana
The budget holidaymaker took a free walking tour to see the sights. Above – the Et’hem Bey mosque in Tirana’s Skanderbeg Square in the centre of the city
Chelsea went back to the supermarket and bought some crisps (46p) and a beer (68p) to snack on before going to Oda Garden for dinner.
At the restaurant, the travel pro was treated to free shots and free bread before getting a beer and Fërgesë (cottage cheese with peppers). Her meal cost £7.28 – and she accidentally ordered a family-sized portion, so it could have been even cheaper had she not made the mistake.
The budget holidaymaker then tried a bar named Radio – ‘one of the best bars in the city, I couldn’t resist’ – and splashed out £6.82 on a dry martini before calling it a night.
Chelsea said: ‘It was a big chunk of the budget, but as it was on my final night I had a bit more left over than I had expected so pushed the boat out.’
Day Three
Waking up on her final day, Chelsea caught the bus back to the airport, flew home on her second £9.99 flight and then repeated her coach and bus journey home.
While the travel expert said she ‘absolutely would’ return to Tirana, there were a few small gripes.
She explained: ‘I had a really lovely trip and my only notes of ‘room for improvement’ are that the airport buses – which are supposed to run on the hour every hour – are a little erratic in their timings.
‘Also, Tirana airport doesn’t accept any form of digital boarding pass.’
Concluding her mega-cheap holiday, Chelsea noted: ‘The locals are very friendly and in most places I went, the English spoken was more than enough.
‘I was able to have a really fun trip without going over my budget.
‘Fortunately, Tirana is a very walkable city, so I didn’t have to spend any extra on transport or taxis.
‘I was simply shocked at how great it is given that it’s still quite under the radar. It’s the most underrated city I’ve ever been to.’
To see more from Chelsea, you can visit her Instagram page under the username @cheapholidayexp.
CHELSEA’S TOTAL SPENDING
DAY 1
Bus to coach station – £1.75
Coach to Luton Airport – £6
Wizz Air flight to Tirana – £9.99
Snacks and water on plane – £0.00
Bus to Tirana – £3.43
Coffee – £0.94
Muffin – £1.02
Two nights at a hostel – £25.34 (£12.67 a night)
Dinner – £5.06
Supermarket – £1.88. Shopping basket: Large water (45p), small water (26p), bananas (22p), two yoghurts (95p)
Paper bag – £0.17
Double gin and tonic – £2.98
DAY 2
Breakfast – yoghurt, a banana – price already accounted for
Free Walking Tour – £1.71 tip
Lunch – spinach byrek – 43p, tomato and onion byrek – 43p
Iced Americano with Orange – £2.05
Tirana Park – Free
Lays Tzatziki Crisps – 46p
Beer – 68p
Dinner – shots (free), bread (free), Beer £2.56, fërgesë £4.10
Music charge – 62p
Dry martini – £6.82 | £21.62 left
DAY 3
Breakfast – yoghurt and a banana – price already accounted for
Bus to Tirana Airport – £3.43
Flight to Tirana – £9.99
Coach from Luton Airport – £6
Bus to coach station – £1.75
TOTAL: £99.60
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