A woman solo travelled to three countries for under £50 – securing cheap flights by picking her destinations the night before flying.
Sabina Trojanova set herself a challenge of travelling to three countries, choosing where she was going based on what was affordable the day before the journey.
The 29-year-old managed to find a flight to Dublin from London for £12.99 on May 9, 2023, and flew the very next morning. After two days in the Irish city she set off to Marseille, France, having secured the cheapest flight that day for just £17.38.
Sabina explored the bustling southern French city before moving onto Palma, Spain, for the last leg of her trip – catching a flight for just £16.
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While she was a frugal as possible when to the flights, the canny traveller splashed out the money she saved on having a good time once there.
Including accommodation for two nights and flights, Sabina spent £613.83 in total, but she is certain she could have cut down the costs even more.
Sabina, a content creator, from east London, said: “I get so many people saying they want to travel but can’t afford it. 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.”
Sabina used an app called kiwi.com to hunt down the cheapest flights for her next location, and set herself four tasks she had to complete for each location, to maximise her short time in the cities.
“I had to eat the national or regional traditional dish," Sabina continued.
“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.”
Sabina stayed in a hostel for £88.88 in Dublin and ate a traditional Irish stew in a pub – nursing her meal with a pint of Guinness. She found a traditional bun to snack on before spending time hanging out with friends living in Dublin.
In Marseille, Sabina stayed in an Airbnb for £94.26, found a regional seafood stew and enjoyed a sweet Madeline cake while taking in the "super interesting and diverse" city.
Her last stop Palma – saw her stay in a hostel for £80.36 for the two nights fit with a rooftop pool.
Sabina said: “I got to Palma and got immediately sunburnt. 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.”
Sabina can speak Spanish and French but insists it would have been easy enough to get around without her knowledge of the language.
She said: “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.”
Prolific traveller Sabina has visited 60 countries and loves to go solo travelling as well taking escapes with her boyfriend, Sam, 30, a researcher.
She said: “I love it. I think it’s important to travel solo, even if you’re in a relationship.”
Some of her favourite destinations include West Bank, Pakistan and Malawi, East Africa. She is now moving to Argentina for three months with Sam and is staying there for free by housesitting.
Breakdown of costs of Sabina's trip:
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
