We travelled to seven countries including the Maldives for under £250 each
A COUPLE have revealed how they travelled to seven countries including The Maldives and Saudi Arabia – and only spent £250 on their flights.
Justin Walley, 52, and his girlfriend Victoria, 47, spent six weeks travelling through Austria, United Arab Emirates, The Maldives, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Romania.
The couple started planning their budget adventure after falling into a rut at the end of last year.
Justin said: “Last year wasn’t the best for us, we both got stuck in a rut due to health scares, our flat getting flooded and jobs falling through.
“We decided to try and get ourselves back out into the world for some fresh positive energy and just get new jobs once we’re back.”
The pair, who’ve been travelling and backpacking for 30 years, started researching new holiday destinations to visit.
Justin added: “I was having a look through for cheap flights and spotted that Wizz Air was having a sale and that Saudi Arabia had recently opened up their borders to tourists.
“I started seeing all these really cheap flights to and from Saudi Arabia and I almost didn’t even click on the Maldives as I thought it would be way too expensive.
“I was shocked when I saw the price and instantly started shouting for Victoria to come and have a look.
“After that, we just started planning out the routes and how we’d get to each place, and just kept adding to the trip.”
Victoria and Justin purchased nine flights in six weeks and spent no more than £40 a day on accommodation, food, and travel.
He said: “We kept track of our money by writing down what we’d spent.
“When we went to the Maldives, we stayed at a bed and breakfast on the islands the locals lived on which cost us about £30 a night.
“We still got to see the beauty of the Maldives but paid a fraction of the price.
“We went snorkeling with huge manta rays, saw reef sharks chasing fish, and got to meet the real people of the Maldives.
“Jordan was very special and Wadi Rum is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but Saudi Arabia exceeded expectations.
“Everyone was so welcoming, we were treated so nicely and saw so many amazing sights.”
Justin and Victoria's flight costs
- Latvia to Austria: £17
- Austria to United Arab Emirates: £33
- United Arab Emirates to Maldives: £75
- Maldives to United Arab Emirates: £80
- United Arab Emirates to Jordan: £7
- Jordan to United Arab Emirates: £7
- United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia: £9
- Saudi Arabia to Romania: £11
- Romania to UK: £8
- Total flight cost: £247
Justin, who is a football press officer, even managed to watch Cristiano Ronaldo play for Al-Nassr in the Saudi League.
The couple only faced one issue on their entire trip when they had to take an 11-hour detour around a holy city where non-muslims are unable to enter.
Despite the taxi costing €100 (£87), Justin and Victoria remained upbeat and focused on “seeing parts of the world some people would never get the chance to.”
In total, the savvy backpackers, who started their trip in Latvia, visited Austria, United Arab Emirates, The Maldives, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Romania before returning to the UK.
Justin and Victoria aren’t the only couple who’ve travelled through several countries on a budget.
Andrea Meszaros, 33, and Tobias Svensson, 33, spent a year travelling through Latin America, and only spent £500 during those 12 months.
Meanwhile, Keith Barker has also used house sitting programmes to travel the world for free.
In the last 15 years, he’s lived in Mexico, Hawaii, Panama, and Portugal without spending a penny on hotels and other accommodation options.