I spent £9,000 on 12 holidays in a year thanks to living with my parents rent-free – everyone should take time off once a month to take a break from work
A woman who spent £9,000 on 12 holidays in 12 months has said everyone should take one time off a month to take a break from work.
Mel Anyamene, 24, from Croydon, London, has always loved traveling and made a New Year’s resolution to visit a new country every month in 2023.
After completing a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering and landing a job in November 2022, Mel wanted to make sure she took a good break every month – vowing to take 12 vacations in one year.
Mel booked her first trip in January to Malaga, Spain, and has since been to Dubai, Lisbon, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Miami in the US, Nigeria, St. Lucia, Grenada and Cyprus.
Mel has flown away with friends and family – and spent £8,300 on the holidays so far this year – and says she has been able to afford it because she lives rent-free with her parents.
Mel Anyamene, 24, from Croydon, London, spent £9,000 on 12 holidays in 12 months – and says everyone should take time off once a month to take a break from work (pictured in Grenada)
She has a trip planned to Milan, Italy, in November and another to Lagos, Nigeria, in December – to complete her holiday year.
Mel, a consulting analyst, said: “I made a New Year’s resolution to travel to 12 countries in 12 months in 2023. I wanted to discover more.
‘I have been in education continuously for a long time and since I had just started my graduate project, I thought this was the perfect way to spend my money.
‘The money comes back, experiences don’t. I should enjoy it.
‘Everyone should take time off at least once a month. Take time off for yourself.’
Mel went away with her family every year growing up and got a kick out of traveling.
She said: ‘From a young age my parents took me to different places. We always went to a new place and never went to the same place twice.”
Mel decided to take on the challenge in November 2022, booking a trip to Malaga, Spain, in January, and her mother, Ifesi, paid for a holiday in Dubai in February 2023.
She used a British Airways Amex card to collect points to get cheaper flights to her future destinations, and was able to afford the trip because she lived rent-free with her parents.
Mel loves traveling in ‘affordable luxury’ and spent £360 on a bohemian luxury hotel – La Zambra, Malaga – and return flights.
She said, “I’m more of a hotel person.”
In March, Mel went to Lisbon for a solo weekend on £35 return flights and enjoyed a cooking class.
She was offered a sponsored trip to Romania, could go for free and transferred to Dubrovnik, Croatia and Montenegro in April.
Mel said: ‘Croatia was absolutely amazing. I always took a boat trip whenever I could.’
Mel has flown away with friends and family – and has spent £8,300 on the holiday so far – and says she can afford it as she lives rent-free with her parents (pictured left in Miami in June and right in Spain in January)
After completing a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering and finding a job in November 2022, Mel wanted to make sure she took a good break every month – vowing to go on holiday twelve times a year (pictured in Cyprus)
She was offered a sponsored trip to Romania and could go for free. In April she transferred to Dubrovnik, Croatia and Montenegro (photo left in Dubrovnik). In the photo on the right, her mother, Ifesi, paid for a family vacation to Dubai in February 2023
Mel enjoys visiting interactive museums during her travels and makes the most of her 30 days of vacation – which run from September to August – and public holidays by going away at the weekends.
She left for Miami in June before heading to Nigeria to visit family in August. She redeemed her British Airways points to book a return flight for just £100.
She said: ‘I used a British Airways Amex card and started collecting points. Then I could pay with points.’
In September, Mel crossed two more countries – St. Lucia and Grenada – for a family holiday. She said: ‘St Lucia is a beautiful place. It’s so colorful and so vibrant.’
Mel visited Cyprus in October and has a trip to Milan, Italy and Nigeria planned for the final months of the year.
Mel loves traveling in ‘affordable luxury’ and spent £360 on a bohemian luxury hotel – La Zambra, Malaga, and return flights
Mel enjoys visiting interactive museums during her travels and made the most of her 30 days of annual leave (from September to August) and holidays by going away at the weekends (pictured left in Romania in April). In total she has visited 33 countries over the years and has already planned a number of trips for next year (photo right in Paphos)
In September, Mel crossed two more countries – St. Lucia and Grenada – for a family holiday (pictured in St. Lucia)
She said, ‘It’s full. I’m used to busy days. I’m used to being on the road.’
Mel estimates she will have spent a total of £9,000 on her 12 trips this year, but says you can travel cheaper than her.
In total, she has visited 33 countries over the years and has already planned a number of trips for next year – to Greece, Norway and Thailand.
But she is not up to the challenge of taking the same number of holidays in 2024.
She said: ‘My parents tell me to relax. I’m lucky that I don’t have to pay rent. Traveling is an education. I’m grateful I did it.’