'I've been to 44 countries in a year - I never spend more than £150 on a trip'
A solo traveller who has been to 44 countries in a year has never spent more than £150 on a journey.
Since she began her travels in the summer of last year, travel influencer Maddie Jaye from Sheffield, England has been to more than 44 countries. In her globe-trotting exploits, the 22-year-old has been to Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Singapore and Indonesia – each for less than £150.
Madeline uses websites such as Skyscanner to plan her journeys, most recently her trip to India, which cost her £150 and took her a total of 37 hours. To grab the bargain flight she had to travel from Birmingham to Bucharest for an overnight stopover, before heading to Riyadh and then on to Mumbai.
Maddie stays in basic hostels which provide her with a place to rest her head. She spends most of her time exploring and taking buses to different sightseeing spots. The keen traveller sees the long layovers as positives as they allow her to see other countries on her way to her final destination.
Maddie has decided to document her travel journey on TikTok, where she has gained 16,400 followers during her trips to 44 countries. She hopes to make it 50 by the end of the year.
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The 22-year-old is hoping to make it to 50 countries by the end of the year (mediadrumimages/@Mjayeex)
Maddie got the travel bug last year (mediadrumimages/@Mjayeex)The young traveller uses Skyscanner to find flights to her destinations by entering in where she wants to go, sorting the results from low to high in price and selecting the cheapest option without worrying about how long it will take to reach her destination.
When looking for hotels or hostels she favours booking.com, puts in where she will be travelling to and her travel dates, again selecting the cheapest option that takes her fancy.
“I travel as cheaply as possible. This does mean spending long durations on buses and trains. When I book flights I will always book the cheapest option, even if it takes me three days to get somewhere," she continued.
“I pick long layovers, which also gives me the chance to visit other countries on the way to my destination.”
When travelling across Europe Maddie made an effort to visit as many countries as possible, managing to do so for less than £100 for each one. She studied and worked the whole time.
“I stopped going out partying and ordering clothes which I never wore for long. The money I spent on those things, I spent on cheap budget travelling. I stayed in hostels and I took local buses," she added.
“I got diagnosed with Autism and ADHD when I was 17, after a whirlwind of a time during school where I wasn’t understood. I spent most of my early years shy and unable to fit in with anyone else.
“I’ve always dreamed of going travelling but I thought I didn’t have the courage or skill set I needed. In 2021 I went on holiday with my ex boyfriend and this was the first time I had ever left the UK, I was 20-years-old.
“We went to Spain and when I stepped out of the airport I saw a palm tree for the first time ever in my life. I was so amazed by it I actually called my mum and cried."
Maddie has done all her trips for £150 or less (mediadrumimages/@Mjayeex)While Maddie was sad after breaking-up with her boyfriend in January 2022, she saw the split as a way to reinvent herself.
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"After my final exams for my second year of university, I study law, I began spending all the money I saved up whilst working as a carer in lock down and I began going abroad," she said.
Maddie began her travelling journey with friends but took the leap to solo traveller a year ago, and she has never looked back.
“I went to Italy for 10 days and I was so nervous when I landed in Venice. After a few hours of walking around I realised that I actually preferred solo travelling as I could make myself happy," Maddie said.
“With my autism, I find it difficult to interact with others, they find it hard to understand me. By solo travelling it enabled me to be sociable on my terms and if I felt overwhelmed I can take myself away.
“I will always remember that first trip because it was a massive turning point in my life. The feeling of ‘I can do anything’ whilst I was away gave me so much confidence I booked to go Interrailing by myself for the following month.”
By this time the travel bug had well and truly bit Maddie and she began going even further afield.
“A friend of mine was going to South East Asia in September 2022 and I flew out alone to meet her,” said Maddie. After a week of being with the group I realised I didn't like to be in a group and I much preferred to go alone," Maddie said.
“I didn’t tell my mum but I continued the six-week trip alone. I returned back in October 2022 to go back to university but I spent most days searching for cheap flights on Skyscanner.
“Now that I knew I was capable of solo travelling, I didn’t need to rely on anyone to come with me. The world really was my oyster.”
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