The Budget Travel Special with Chelsea Dickenson aka Cheap Holiday Expert
The Travel Diaries
Holly Rubenstein
4.6 • 758 Ratings
🗓️ 8 April 2025
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to our first Budget Travel Special! This is one that you, the listeners, have been asking for a lot - and I get it! Travel can feel expensive and overwhelming, but what if I told you that it really doesn’t have to be?
That’s why I knew I had to bring on the ultimate budget travel expert - someone who has made it her mission to help people travel smarter, stretch their money further, and still enjoy incredible experiences, Chelsea Dickenson, aka the Cheap Holiday Expert.
Chelsea has built a huge following all thanks to her easy-to-follow, no-nonsense travel hacks. You’ve probably seen her viral videos on how to snag the best hotel upgrades, fly for less, or even go on an amazing holiday for under £100. And if you’re a fan of This Morning, you’ll recognise her as their go-to expert for low-cost travel. She’s also the co-host of Passports Please, the travel podcast that helps you hack your holidays.
Now, I know budget travel is something so many of you are interested in, and you’ve sent in loads of brilliant questions on Instagram for this one. We’re covering everything, from whether five-star hotels are actually worth it to the best destinations where your money goes furthest, plus Chelsea’s ultimate flight-booking hacks that will save you time and money.
So, whether you’re planning your next getaway or just love hearing about the best travel tricks out there, this episode is packed with useful tips and plenty of fun stories too.
Destination Recap:
- Berlin, Germany
- Krakow, Poland
- Wroclaw, Poland
- Gdansk, Poland
- Budapest, Hungary
- Kozmo, Budapest, Hungary
- Vilnius, Lithuania
- Seville, Spain
- Turkey
- Nidum Casual Luxury, Innsbruck, Austria
- Vietnam
- Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
- Cat Ba Island, Vietnam
- Koh Lanta, Thailand
- Dubai
- Iceland
- Chill out hostel, Zagreb, Croatia
- South Korea
- Uzbekistan
Today's episode was produced by Alexandra Calder.
With thanks to Visit Guernsey and Airbnb for their support of today's episode.
Thanks so much for listening today. If you want to be the first find out who is joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram I’m @hollyrubenstein, and you’ll also find me on TikTok - I’d love to hear from you. And if you can't wait until then, remember there’s the first 13 seasons to catch up on, that's over 145 episodes to keep you busy there.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today's episode is supported by Visit Guernsey. You know that feeling when you just need to escape? |
| 0:10.0 | Somewhere that feels a world away but without the long haul flight. Well, let me tell you about the islands of Guernsey. Tucked away in the Bay of San Marl, these five beautiful islands, Guernsey, |
| 0:24.0 | Aldenis, Sark, Kerm and Liu are the ultimate hidden gem of the British Isles. And the best part |
| 0:29.8 | is that you can be there in an hour from the UK. It's only an hour's flight from London Gatwick. |
| 0:34.7 | Or if you fancy the scenic route, a ferry will get you there in under three hours from pool in Dorset. |
| 0:40.5 | Picture waking up to fresh sea air exploring rugged coastal cliffs and island hopping between charming car-free islands where time slows down. |
| 0:50.1 | Whether it's a solo retreat, a romantic escape or an adventure with the family, |
| 0:54.9 | the islands of Guernsey are all about switching off and soaking up that slower pace of life. |
| 1:01.1 | So if you're craving an island getaway without the fath of long travel, take this as your sign. |
| 1:07.0 | Visit the Islands of Guernsey and start planning your escape at Visit Guernsey.com. |
| 1:12.4 | And if you're after even more inspo, have a listen to Dawn O'Porter's episode of this podcast. |
| 1:18.3 | She grew up on Guernsey and she paints a beautiful picture of its best spots and mustsees. |
| 1:24.2 | Thank you to Visit Guernsey. |
| 1:30.5 | Today's episode is supported by British Airways, helping you write the next chapter in your |
| 1:36.4 | travel diaries with flights to over 100 European destinations from London Heathrow, Gatwick and |
| 1:43.2 | city airports. For me, travel is all about |
| 1:46.6 | discovery, that thrill of stepping off a plane somewhere new, ready to explore. And with British |
| 1:52.6 | Airways, there are so many places to choose from. A weekend in Tromso chasing the Northern Lights, |
| 1:58.6 | a culture-packed escape to Tbilisi, maybe a road trip through |
| 2:02.0 | the Azores, they'll get you there. And because convenience is everything, you can fly from three |
| 2:08.3 | London airports, whether you're heading off for a spontaneous city break, or finally ticking that |
| 2:13.2 | dream destination off your list. These days, I'm normally flying with a toddler and British Airways |
... |
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