The traveller spent £10 on ‘the best pizza ever’
Claire said the trip cost her less than a jaunt into Central London
A mum jetted off to Italy for the day for “less than a trip to London” and spent merely £10 on the “most amazing pizza ever”. Claire de Stefano, 53, shelled out “no more than £40 all in” following a “spur of the moment” decision to visit Bergamo with her mate Donna Duncombe, 50, on 14 November.
The duo from Romford, East London – who once flew to Ibiza for a single night of partying – paid just £30 for Ryanair flights and departed Stansted Airport at 8.25am. They explored the city near Milan, enjoyed lunch, and then returned to the UK at 10.30pm.
Church safeguarding officer Claire pointed out that their flight fare was equivalent to “a trip into London for some people”. She said: “There was lots to do there. There were Christmas lights and trees going up in the shops. We went on a funicular up to the old town and spent most of the day there. We didn’t spend very much at all. Lunch was about £10 for the most amazing pizza we’d ever had. Apart from that, we just had some snacks.”
Claire enjoyed authentic Italian pizza on the day trip
She added: “We went to the cathedral and it was beautiful. We had some pizza in one of the little restaurants that was recommended, then jumped on the bus, went to the airport and came home. For some people, [the flight price] £30 is a trip into London. It probably wouldn’t even get me to somewhere like Birmingham by train. For that, you get to go to different countries and experience their cultures.”
These aren’t the only whirlwind day trips Claire has embarked on recently – she also made a quick visit to Luxembourg City for her birthday on November 22, accompanied by her husband Scott, 54.
Claire and Scott, who works as a lorry driver, spent a mere £40 on return fares and departed from Stansted at 6.25am. In Luxembourg, they explored the city’s historic caves, admired its skyline from the Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator, and enjoyed hot chocolate from the Christmas markets.
The travellers strolled around the town before flying back home
She shared: “We had lunch, looked in some nice shops and then got the last flight back home at 10pm. In Luxembourg, travel is free on all the trams and buses so that made it even cheaper. We bought quite a few little bits in the Christmas markets, so we probably spent about £50.”
Then, on Monday, December 15, she made a brief solo trip to Gothenburg, Sweden, having secured a return ticket for just £30. There, she visited the city’s cathedral, wandered around the charming Haga neighbourhood, and took in the sights from a hill-top viewpoint before indulging in some late afternoon shopping.
After flying to the Nordic country at 8.25am, she caught a 10.30pm flight back home. She ended up spending around £60 in total after purchasing a Christmas jumper from a market.
Claire and her husband also visited Luxembourg for the day earlier in the year
For these trips, Claire travels light, carrying only a small handbag with essentials like a phone charger, selfie stick, her passport and phone. A passionate traveller, she has also embarked on longer journeys to Egypt, Scotland, Strasbourg and Oslo this year.
She said: “I want to go to Pisa – maybe with Scott or Donna. Me and Donna would like to go to Disneyland Paris as well but that might be an overnight trip. We’ll probably go back to Ibiza next year because we had good fun doing that one. When we have a look, we try and see where’s quite reasonable to travel to and has good transport links from the airport.”
Claire’s trips
Bergamo, Italy – total cost £40
Flight – £30 return eachLunch – £10
Luxembourg – total cost £90
Flight – £40 returnSpending – £50
Gothenburg, Sweden – total cost £60
Flight – £30Spending – £30 on Christmas market
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Dining and Cooking