Last-minute and unexpected plans are always the best ones - and what a great way to start 2025 by going abroad. With Christmas having finished and money spent on presents, going on wasn’t the best financial decision - but I still went for it and I don't regret it at all.

Over dinner, my friends and I came up with the idea of visiting for the weekend. I had a few days before starting my new job and wanted to take the opportunity to travel with my friends. When we started looking for flights two weeks before our trip, the cheapest prices fromwere £130 with a three-hour layover.

Since I live close to the airport, it made sense for me to travel from there, even though London has four other airports. But with the Airbnb already booked, there was no turning back - besides, I really wanted to get away from London, even if it was only for the weekend. Instead, my friends suggested driving. Thinking about it, despite the long journey, it wasn’t a bad idea, so we decided to go for it.

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I woke up not-so-bright and early at 3am, met my four friends, and hit the road. We drove for two hours to Folkestone and took the Eurotunnel to cross into France. Once we arrived, between coffee breaks and binge-watching Dubai Bling Season 3, we stopped in Bruges, Belgium, to explore the city and eat waffles. Since we were passing by, why not take the chance to visit another country?

After filling up on food, we continued on to Amsterdam and finally arrived in the evening. I couldn’t believe I had sat in a car for eight hours when I could’ve taken a quick flight instead. But then again, I had crossed four countries, and a funny little thing was receiving text messages saying, "Welcome to France," "Welcome to Belgium," and "Welcome to the Netherlands." We arrived at 8pm, so technically, we had lost a day, but as soon as we got to our apartment, we headed straight to the city centre to explore its vibrant atmosphere and endless bicycles.

The next day, we visited the Heineken Museum, which the Dutch take a lot of pride in, and fair enough, it was interesting to learn how they craft their beer from scratch. We walked and ate a lot, visiting so many places that my step count reached 30,000 (because the best way to explore a city is by foot.) After dinner and one last night wandering around Amsterdam, it was time to head back to London. But before that, we had to try the famous crêpes and bitterballen.

When I calculated how much we had spent on petrol and accommodation, I was stunned at how cheap it was compared to a last-minute flight. The total cost of petrol for the round trip was under £250, and when split between five people, it worked out to just £50 each. Of course, that didn’t include the Eurotunnel fees (£214) or the Airbnb (£400). Altogether, I spent £172.80 on the entire trip, which is less than if I had booked the £135 flight and added that to the grand total.

Excluding other expenses, it was definitely a money-saver, considering it was a last-minute trip and flight fares were high at the start of the year. Nonetheless, it was such a fun experience - I got to visit three different countries, try different foods, and, of course, see some sunshine. As someone who moved to London at a young age, going back home and travelling to new places has always interested me. Although I love London, getting from one place to another by public transport can take hours, yet a couple of hours of driving took me to another country. I’ll always cherish the memories I made on that short but much-needed trip.