How we spent $730 on an $8,500 trip for two to the Faroe Islands
So… I turn 30 in July. And we almost NEVER do anything for my birthday.
Last year, I decided I really wanted to go somewhere big for my 30th. Make it a big deal. It’ll never happen again, so I might as well enjoy it.
Long story short, I set my sights on the Faroe Islands - a small group of islands, self-governed but also part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
It was a lofty goal, to be fair. You can only get to the Faroe Islands by flying from Reykjavik, Olso, Paris, or Copenhagen.
Joel was gracious, and agreed. I set out to create the itinerary of my dreams, but also swore I’d use points wherever possible. I spent the last two years maximizing points (while still traveling all over the place, mind you) for this trip.
We leave in a month, and I am SO excited to announce that for an $8,500 trip, we have currently only paid $730 out of pocket. Obviously after food and a few excursions (we’re big hikers, so that’ll probably be most of our excursion-ing this trip), that number will increase.
But, I wanted to give you a breakdown of how we used our points for this trip before we go, and then let you know how the trip went once we’re back with a full photo explosion (probably).
Point Redemptions:
Flights from Traverse City to Chicago AND BACK (it was SO much cheaper to find these flights instead of trying to get to Copenhagen directly from TC. We saved about $700 per person by creating two round trip reservations): 26,000 points through United for 2 people
Round-trip Flights from Chicago to Copenhagen: 87,000 points through United Airlines
Three nights at Nyhavn Hotel in Copenhagen on the front end of our trip: 34,000 points through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Six nights at Hotel Foroyar, a spa hotel with a spa package included, in Torshavn (on the Faroe Islands): 74,000 points through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Rental car for 10 days on the Faroe Islands: 40,000 points through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Hotel by the airport in Copenhagen on the night before we fly back to Chicago: 18,000 points through our IHG hotel credit card
What we paid out of pocket to book:
1. Our cutie Airbnb on the Faroe Islands in Vagar the last three nights on the islands ($362 total)
2. Flights from Copenhagen to the Faroe Islands because Ultimate Rewards doesn’t have a partnership with the only airline that flies to the Islands ($368 total for two round trip tickets)
And that’s it! $730 for a trip that would have been $8,500 out of pocket.
We’ll be doing a bike tour around Copenhagen that’s around $70/person for sure, but other than that, it’ll be a pretty hiking-heavy, outdoor-focused trip with very few pricey excursions.
I am SO excited to spend time with my best guy in such a beautiful place, and I’m totally beside myself that travel hacking allowed us such an incredible experience.
Can’t wait to chat about how this went on the other side, friends!
If you need any help getting started on travel hacking, or figuring out what the heck I’m even talking about here, head to this blog post for more info.
Happy travels!
Britt xoxo
P.S. As you can see above, we clearly love to use our Chase Sapphire Ultimate Rewards Points. Their booking system is through Expedia, so their deals are crazy to begin with and their sign-up bonuses and earning categories are amazing. If you’ve been thinking about getting one, use our referral link below for an extra 10,000 points!!