- Freelance travel writer Allie Hubers spent $20,000 on a cruise in 2022.
- Her most expensive trip was a two-week trip to Europe with her husband, which cost $12,000.
- She breaks down all expenses including flights, hotels, cruises, meals, and more.
This told story is based on conversations with. Allie Hubers, 29-year-old freelance travel writer. Edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified Hubers' spending.
My husband Luke and I met during our sophomore year at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. We have traveled together for the past 10 years, including trips to Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as cruises to countries such as Morocco, Thailand, Malaysia, Croatia, and Italy.
I'm a freelance travel writer and Luke is a pilot in the United States Air Force. He has been flying since he was 16 years old. We both have wanderlust and traveling together is what strengthens our marriage.
We allocate a budget for travel every month, and our favorite way to travel is cruising. In 2022, we spent a total of $20,000 on cruises. The most expensive trip we took was a 12 night cruise around Europe.
At the time, Luke had just returned from a months-long deployment, and we wanted to spend some quality time together. His budget was $12,000, which included a cruise, first class airfare, tickets to his Sheeran concert, and hotel accommodations. We had been saving money for this trip for years. Here is the breakdown of the budget.
Ticket cost: $4,000
We spent $1,200 each on an economy flight on Delta Air Lines from Florida to London. I ended up upgrading to First Class on Delta One the night before my flight. The upgrades cost $800 each. We hadn't taken a special trip together in years, so It was well worth the splurge.
This is not standard for us, but the attractive upgrade offer was too tempting to refuse.
Concert ticket cost: $476
Luke and I are big Ed Sheeran fans. He was playing a set at Sunderland's Stadium of Light. We got general admission tickets for about $116 each.
We both love his song “Tenerife Sea”. When we first met in college, we added Tenerife, Spain to our list of lifelong goals. We ended up going on his 12-night cruise to Tenerife, which was just as beautiful as the song says.
I also got tickets to Imagine Dragons at the last minute, which cost $244.
Hotel stay cost: $621
During this trip, we stayed in four hotels. We stayed for two nights at her 5 star hotel, Edition, near London's Soho. A night's stay at The Edition costs about $670, but since we used 60,000 Marriott points each night, we didn't have to pay any cash.
We also spent one night at the Montcalm East Autograph in London for $350 and our final night at the Renaissance London Heathrow for $111 before heading back to the US.
We stayed at the Newcastle Marriott Hotel Metro Center for one night to attend an Ed Sheeran concert. The cost was $160. Back in London, we spent the night at the Bankside Autograph Collection, a luxury hotel near the River Thames. A night's stay costs about $600, but I got a free night using 45,000 Marriott points.
12-night cruise cost: $2,800
A 12-night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas cost $2,800 for two. We had originally booked an interior cabin, the cheapest room category, but were eventually upgraded to a screened-in balcony room a few days before sailing. In the end, the upgrade was free.
The cruise also included stops in Spain's Canary Islands, including Tenerife, and Lisbon, Portugal. We spent our days exploring new countries, drinking cocktails by the sea, and reuniting after so long.
Meals and transportation: $2,055
We took the 3 night dining package for $240. On the cruise, we purchased two special dining options and a Chef's Table Experience for $574. Including food in London, we spent a total of about $1,170 on eating out, coffee, and drinks.
Transportation costs took up a large portion of the budget. Uber, taxi, and scooters cost a total of $528. Renting a car to and from the concert venue cost $186, and gas cost about $40. We also used the train for transportation, which cost $131.
Fees: $2,000
We spent $639 on souvenirs, gifts, and shopping. Excursions were not free on the cruise ship, so her two excursions in the Canary Islands cost him $214. Other costs include $374 for internet during the cruise and $103 for roaming with T-Mobile.
We also flew my sister to Florida to watch the dogs and provided them with two weeks of food service. It cost a total of $670.
There was nothing stingy or on a budget for this trip. I had no regrets about the money I spent on this cruise trip.
