Saving Over $5,000 on a Trip to Europe (January Update)

Well… here we are in 2022, which means we’re officially in the year of Europe for Free. And more importantly, we’re only three months away from spending five weeks in Eastern Europe for close to nothing. I don’t know if it’s like this as a reader but each month I start writing this monthly update and think, “already?!” This month’s update is a culmination of how much month Europe for Free is costing us so far and how much money saved, too. With the majority of flights and hotels booked, I’ve saved over $5,000 on airfare and accommodations using points and miles so far. I’ve been keeping detailed records of what I’ve spent, how I’ve spent it and how all of the savings tie in together to create an amazing trip at a fraction of the cost. Here’s the January Europe for Free Update:

Calculating Savings

So far I’ve saved about $5,000 in airfare and hotel expenses for our 5-week trip to Europe. These savings have been a combination of points and miles from Chase, IHG, Hilton, Singapore Airlines and transfers from Chase to Hyatt, Singapore Airlines and British Airways. In total, the savings come from just five credit card sign-ups. Just five! And, both mine and my husband’s credit scores are still hovering the 800 mark.

Since I started booking hotels and airfare I’ve kept detailed records of what I’ve spent and how I’ve spent it so that I can easily calculate my savings and share the information with you. Since I’ve started Europe for Free, I try to be as transparent as possible about this process. Below is a list of everything I’ve booked so far with what I’ve spent or saved calculated.

As a basic summary, most of the hotel redemptions are IHG properties. IHG did me a little dirty devaluing their points before I could book all my hotels (RIP Intercontinental Budapest stay) but they still make up the majority of the accommodations. What’s been great about IHG is that the 4th night is free when using points and I tried to structure 4 night stays around this benefit.

For airfare, I’ve taken advantage of two transfer bonuses that have helped me book better redemptions with less points. I still have a couple airfare pieces outstanding but with the COVID variant I’m holding off on booking anymore airfare until mid-February. The rest of my flights are too cheap to use points, which would make a refund process a lot easier. But a $70 flight from Lviv to Krakow isn’t worth points and unfortunately as of today Poland is still closed to those not entering from the Member States. Ukraine is not a member state, so we might have to redo our itinerary and booking airfare isn’t a good idea right now.

Purchase	Redemption	Savings
Rome – Waldorf Astoria	$250 Hilton resort credit on Aspire for 1 night	$-50
Kyiv – Holiday Inn	13,000 IHG points for 1 night	$+130
Lviv – Ibis Styles	$50 Chase Sapphire hotel credit and 10,000 Chase UR for 3 nights	$-14
Krakow – Holiday Inn	40,000 IHG points for 4 nights (4th free)	$+357
Prague – Holiday Inn	42,000 IHG points for 4 nights (4th free)	$+465
Vienna – Hilton	62,000 Hilton points for 2 nights	$+250
Budapest – Intercontinental	104,000 IHG points for 4 nights (4th free)	+$929
Dubrovnik – Airbnb	Purchased discounted Airbnb gift cards and used Chase Pay Yourself Back for remaining $90 at 1.25 redemption rate	$-170
Kotor – Astoria Hotel	Used Hopper hotel booking with $10 Carrot Cash	$-103
Cappadocia – Sato Cave Hotel	$100 gifted Airbnb gift cards and credits, $160 cash	$-160
Istanbul – Park Hyatt	15,000 Hyatt points for 1 night	$+400
Istanbul – Holiday Inn	36,000 IHG points for 4 nights (4th free)	$+400
Rome – JdW Tribune	45,000 Hyatt points for 3 nights	$+787
Chicago to Rome RT	75,000 Chase points redeemed in portal	$+900
Dubrovnik to Cappadocia OW	22,000 Chase points transferred to Singapore Airlines (I had 10,000 SA miles and received 12% transfer bonus)	$+700
Istanbul to Rome OW	Cash	$-90
Chicago to Kansas City OW	12,000 Chase points to British Airways (received 20% transfer bonus)	$+250

What’s Next

There are still a couple flights and one hotel left to book. But, I’m on standby until I can confirm how easy this trip will be to make happen as COVID stands. I’m pretty certain the trip will happen, but some adjustments to the route and itinerary are likely necessary because of border closures, additional rules and testing requirements, etc. We might just be in the EU for more of the trip than I planned. No big deal, just unfortunate.

Other Updates

AMEX Hilton Aspire

My last card for Europe for Free was approved in December. The American Express Hilton Aspire is a premium Hilton card well worth the benefits included with the card. I took out the card not for the sign-up bonus – like all my other cards – but because of the credits offered. We’re flying Economy on American Airlines to Rome and I want to purchase additional leg room with the $250 airline credit. I also plan to use the $250 resort credit for a night at the Waldorf Astoria Rome. The card also includes Priority Pass lounge access, too. I won’t be utilizing the free night reward, though. I have plans to save it for a wedding in Cabo next December.

Home Logistics

We’re looking into renting our home on Airbnb while in Europe. We live in a college town with a lot of visitors. From some comps we could take a decent amount of money booking the house but need to get it together to list in January. Ideally, we’re just looking to have other people pay our mortgage for the month.

Other Travel

Europe for Free is going to be here before I know it. And I’m starting to get the, “now what?!” feeling. Fortunately, this year is going to be a big year for me. And I keep telling myself it’s going to be the best year yet for budget travel. Right now my husband and I are working on the Southwest Companion Pass, which we plan to use throughout the summer for quick trips around the United States. Our other big trip is planned for the fall. I turn 30 at the beginning of November and it has been my goal to trek to Everest Basecamp before my 30th birthday. So, next fall my husband and I are headed to Nepal for a 2-week trek to Everest Basecamp. Which, also means this summer will include many mountain hikes to prepare!

Explore on. – K