[tori dunlap in italy]Courtesy Tori Dunlap * To celebrate a major money goal — saving $100,000 before age 25 — I recently took a 10-day trip to Italy and London with my best friend. * We road tripped, visited a family farm, and ate the best meals of our lives. * In total, it cost me about $2,100 for our all of our transportation, food, entertainment, and Airbnb costs. * Read more personal finance coverage. I recently traveled to London and Southern Italy with my best friend, and it was my first vacation longer than a few days in over two years. What better way to celebrate saving $100,000 at 25 than going to Europe? I was thrilled to go on what we call our annual "#friendmoon" — our honeymoon-type trip as best friends. We initially looked at going to Greece, but the trip was going to be more rigid (with ferries and flights between islands), and more expensive. We knew we wanted to eat good food and be somewhere warm, which led us to Southern Italy. In total, I spent a little over $2,100 on the 10-day trip — it was worth every penny. Here's every dollar I spent on the trip (my BFF spent about the same). TRAVEL (INCLUDING FLIGHTS, RENTAL CAR, TRAIN TRAVEL, GAS, PARKING): $923 Courtesy Tori Dunlap We found a cheap round-trip flight to London from the US — less than $500 round trip, with a direct flight to Seattle on the way back — and then flew from London to Bari, Italy. I typically use TheFlightDeal.com when I travel, but I got lucky and found this deal using Google Flights. We rented a car in Bari and dropped it off five days later in Naples before flying back to London (and unexpectedly incurred an extra charge for dropping off in a different city). We took public transportation while in London, and had to finagle storing our luggage for our brief layover on day two. LODGING: $448.50 Courtesy Tori Dunlap I always try to stay in Airbnbs when I travel — they tend to be cheaper than hotels, and they offer a more unique experience. You feel like a local. Our first Airbnb was a Trullo house in Cisternino that I had saved on my Airbnb profile over three years prior. We actually based our entire vacation around that Airbnb — it was absolutely gorgeous. Then, we booked a cute house with a jaw-dropping bathtub on the side of the Amalfi Cliffs, with lemon and olive trees surrounding us. Our last Airbnb in London was just a room, which worked out just fine — we only slept about 12 hours total over our two days in London. ACTIVITIES/ENTERTAINMENT: $320 Courtesy Tori Dunlap We did two activities in Italy using Airbnb Experiences — the first was a visit to a family farm (the highlight of our trip). We learned how to make cheese and pasta, met the farm animals, and drank wine. We both cried over how amazing the experience was. The second was a boat trip to Capri, complete with swimming, cave exploration, and drinking limoncello as the sun set. While in London, we saw two West End shows — "Matilda" and "Waitress" — and loved both. We got day-of rush seats, which cost us about $30 each. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER SEE ALSO: * 4 signs it's time to switch banks * 5 bad money habits to give up sooner rather than later * Intimidated by points and miles? Here are 8 steps for beginners looking to earn travel rewards
 |
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.businessinsider.com |
