A mother has shared how she paid just £1,400 for an £8,000 holiday to Lapland – saving thousands by snapping up return flights for just £50 and booking everything ‘individually.’
Karen Armstrong, 51, from Lancashire, set off on a four-day trip to Finland’s capital, Rovaniemi, on 2 November with her two children, aged 9 and 10, and her partner Kadie Green, 36.
Just a week before their trip, Karen managed to secure return flights with Ryanair for just £50 per person, totalling £200.
Their accommodation – an apartment costing £330 for a three-night stay – was only a six-minute drive from the airport to Santa Claus Village, allowing the family to spend an entire day enjoying reindeer rides and crossing the Arctic Circle.
Karen, a permanent make-up artist, said: ‘My best friend had done it two years ago – I spoke to her and said, ‘how did you do it?'”.
‘She recommended Ryanair as they put last minute flights out. We did it from Manchester and it was £25 per person each way.
‘I went on Booking.com for the apartment – that was £330 for three nights. I’ve got friends who’ve been for two days and spent £8,000.’
For an extra £100, Karen hired a car to explore more of the resort, which she described as practically empty at the beginning of November.
A mother has shared how she paid just £1,400 for an £8,000 holiday to Lapland – saving thousands by snapping up return flights for just £50 and booking everything ‘individually’
Karen Armstrong, 51, from Lancashire, set off on a four-day trip to Finland ‘s capital, Rovaniemi, on 2 November with her two children, aged 9 and 10 (pictured), and her partner Kadie Green, 36.
Just a week before their trip, Karen (pictured, right, with her partner, Kadie) managed to secure return flights with Ryanair for just £50 per person, totalling £200
The family were able to enjoy a range of free activities during their trip, including visits to Santa Claus, close encounters with reindeers and crossing the Arctic Circle.
However, to make the most out of their three-day break, Karen shelled out a further £227 for the family to enjoy a husky experience, £64 for a family visit to Ranua Zoo, and a total of £88 for reindeer rides.
She explained: ‘There was quite a lot of free stuff do there which is why we didn’t book anything. We toasted marshmallows and made s’mores which we took with us because they’re cheaper.
‘Crossing arctic circle and seeing Santa Claus was free. Walking around seeing the reindeers is free.
‘We had a walk to see if we could spot the Aurora Borealis whilst we were here. The reindeers were £88 for the ride and the huskies were £227 but we wouldn’t do it again.’
The only downside, Karen said, were the ‘absolutely freezing’ temperatures and the lack of snow – though this didn’t stop the family from enjoying their time at the resort.
On the final day, the mother forked £120 for a family visit to Santa Park, which included a variety of experiences such as elf school, cookie baking, Santa sleigh rides and an elaborate elf show with acrobats.
The family even managed to squeeze in a number of activities, without having to book anything in advance, before setting off on their midday flight.
To make the most out of their three-day break, Karen shelled out a further £227 for the family to enjoy a husky experience, £64 for a family visit to Ranua Zoo, and a total of £88 for reindeer rides
The family were able to enjoy a range of free activities during their trip, including visits to Santa Claus, close encounters with reindeers and crossing the Arctic Circle
Karen said: ‘We had a walk to see if we could spot the Aurora Borealis whilst we were here. The reindeers were £88 for the ride and the husky’s were £227 but we wouldn’t do it again’
On the final day, the mother forked £120 for a family visit to Santa Park, which included a variety of experiences such as elf school, cookie baking, Santa sleigh rides and an elaborate elf show with acrobats
The family even managed to squeeze in a number of activities, without having to book anything in advance, before setting off on their midday flight
The only downside, Karen said, were the ‘absolutely freezing’ temperatures and the lack of snow – though this didn’t stop the family from enjoying their time at the resort
Advising holidaymakers to book ‘everything individually’ in order to get the best deal, Karen said: ‘Don’t go to travel agents they literally just cream off a load of money from what you’re spending and do it all individually yourself’
After spending just £1,400 on a trip that could have cost £6,600 more, the family were treated to an eagle-eyed view of a fireworks display as they arrived in Manchester on Bonfire Night.
Advising holidaymakers to book ‘everything individually’ in order to get the best deal, Karen said: ‘My partner has got a friend going for one day and they are spending more than us.
‘Don’t go to travel agents they literally just cream off a load of money from what you’re spending and do it all individually yourself. Apparently going in February is really cheap and you also have snow so we’re going to do that next time.’
She added: ‘They were back in school next day and are asking to go back. It was a really lovely time – people need to make the most of having fun and stop being miserable about the weather.’
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