I'm a Lancashire mum & I saved over 6k on a Lapland holiday - this is how
A Lancashire mum says she saved £6.6k on her family's trip to Lapland after bagging £50 return flights - and "loved it" despite finding no snow.
Karen Armstrong, 41, travelled to Finland’s capital Rovaniemi with her children aged nine and 10, and her partner Kadie Green, 36, on November 2.
Just a six-minute drive from the airport to Santa Claus Village, they were able to spend their full first day crossing the Arctic Circle and going on a reindeer ride.
Snapping the cheap flights up just a week before their trip, the resort “wasn’t busy” and Karen even hired a car to explore further.
The entire three-day trip came to £1,400 in total, but Karen says she knows friends who have paid £8,000 to visit closer to Christmas.
Karen, a permanent makeup artist from Accrington said: “My best friend had done it two years ago – I spoke to her and said, ‘how did you do it?’
“She recommended Ryanair as they put last minute flights out.
“We did it from Manchester and it was £25 per person each way.
“I went on Booking.com for the apartment – that was £330 for three nights.
“I’ve got friends who’ve been for two days and spent £8,000.
“My partner has got a friend going for one day and they are spending more than us.
“Don't go to travel agents they literally just cream off a load of money from what you’re spending and do it all individually yourself.
“You can go to The Santa Claus Village website for everything you need.
“Apparently going in February is really cheap and you also have snow so we’re going to do that next time."
Flying out at 12pm on Sunday, the family managed to pack in lots of activities with no pre-booking needed.
Karen said: “There was quite a lot of free stuff do there which is why we didn’t book anything.
“We toasted marshmallows and made s'mores which we took with us because they’re cheaper.
“Crossing arctic circle and seeing Santa Claus was free.
“Walking around seeing the reindeers is free.
“We had a walk to see if we could spot the Aurora Borealis whilst we were here.
“The reindeers were £88 for the ride and the husky’s were £227 but we wouldn’t do it again.
“It was just cold and this is why I didn’t care that there was no snow, it was absolutely freezing”.
After spending just £64 for the whole family to visit Ranua Zoo on the second day in Karen’s rental car which cost £100 for the full trip they visited Santa Parks on their last day.
The mum said: “It’s like a huge Santa experience in a cave.
“It was £120 for the four of us but it had loads of experiences included like elf school, baking cookies and a ride on Santa’s sleigh.
“They did a big elf show with acrobats and trampoline dudes."
Flying back on November 5, the family managed to catch Bonfire Night celebrations as they flew over Manchester.
Karen says: “We loved it but we like to travel.
“We do it quite a lot and have been to Barcelona, Lanzarote and Amsterdam for £15 per person flights.
“The kids were shattered but happy.
"They were back in school next day and are asking to go back.
“It was a really lovely time - people need to make the most of having fun and stop being miserable about the weather."
Prices for the trip:
Flights: £50 per person
Accommodation: £330
Car hire: £100
Reindeer ride: £22 per person
Certificates for crossing the Arctic Circle: £6 each
The husky experience: £56.75 per person
Visiting Santa: Free
Santa’s post office: £5-£10 each
Zoo restaurant: £86
Zoo entrance: £64
Day at Santa Parks: £120
Total holiday cost: £1,400