Mum takes family to Lapland for what she considers bargain price by sticking to two rules

Emily McColgan-Upfold, 31, her husband, Stephen, 32, and their lad Finn, five, jetted disconnected to Lapland for 3 days aft seeing different families online sojourn the festive region

A mum has shared however her household had a "Hollywood Christmas movie" acquisition successful Lapland connected a fund of £1.7k, redeeming an estimated £19k by lone taking manus luggage and eating astatine McDonald's.

Emily McColgan-Upfold, 31, was inspired by different families she saw online visiting the festive portion and wondered if she could bash it for less. She spent £1.7k connected a three-day trip, a important simplification from the emblematic outgo of £20k for a family-of-three. After allocating astir of the fund to flights, Emily spent £422 connected activities, accommodation and nutrient for herself, her hubby Stephen, 32, a concern improvement director, and their 5 twelvemonth aged lad Finn.

By packing light, bringing snacks and opting for McDonald’s for evening meals, she managed to save money. Despite the choky budget, the household inactive got to spot reindeer, conscionable Santa Claus and play successful the "crisp, white" snow. Emily, a phonics teacher from Bangor, Northern Ireland, said: "It was truly bully to marque memories arsenic a household - and this goes to amusement you don't request to walk £20k to bash it.

"Lapland conscionable kept coming up connected my [TikTok] 'for you' leafage - it looked awe-inspiring. My lad is besides astatine the property wherever he's truly starting to judge successful Santa. I booked it truthful last-minute, I had a precise choky fund of £2,000."

Emily decided to publication the vacation successful October 2023, aft proceeding astir Stephen's friends going, and getting "FOMO" [fear of missing out]. She arranged the flights, accommodation, and itinerary for the household escapade adjacent month. Bargain flights from Dublin to Rovaniemi successful frosty Finland came astatine £900 all-in.

To bushed the baggage fees, they donned astir each their wintertime wardrobe for the trek to the airport. "We paid for our seats, which included manus luggage, and question insurance," she explained. The layers piled on—ski pants, heavy socks, hefty snowfall boots—all for the involvement of squeezing everything into that carry-on allowance. .

Having touched down successful Santa's expected hometown by midday Saturday, the household wasted nary clip diving into Rovaniemi’s delights. They marvelled astatine a cost-free airy spectacle and revelled successful carnival antics astatine a budget-friendly “mini Winter Wonderland” wherever the amusive clocked successful nether a tenner.

McDonald's curiosity seized the boys—Stephen and Finn. The last accelerated nutrient measure came to a humble £37. "They truly wanted to effort the northernmost McDonald's," Emily recalled. Mingling with the inexpensive eats, she sampled Finland’s instrumentality connected mulled wine, known locally arsenic glögi.

Their escapade continued to Santa's Village, opting retired of heftier-priced jaunts specified arsenic snowfall safaris oregon Arctic hikes. There was nary skimping connected the Christmas magic though—they encountered Saint Nick himself, gratis. Emily shared, "It was escaped to spot Santa - we didn't wage £40 to get a photo."

The brushwood near them spellbound, the authenticity unquestioned, adjacent by adults. "That was truly astonishing - adjacent I was similar 'is this real? Their lad Finn savoured a heartwarming moment, personally handing Santa his Christmas letter.

Emily and her household had a magical, budget-friendly Christmas acquisition successful Lapland, taking the kids to a husky parkland for £110. They enjoyed feeding the dogs, with young Finn making friends with a canine named Batman.

The escapade continued arsenic they visited an 'elf's farmyard' to favored reindeer, learned festive dances astatine a snowfall school, and adjacent stopped by 'Mrs Claus' House'. Emily recounted, "We sat successful teepees astatine the elf's farmyard," and shared, "It felt due outdoorsy - toasting s'mores and sitting among the reindeer."

She added, "Finn met Mrs Claus - past posted 4 cards backmost home, from 'Santa's station office'." Delighting successful "really saccharine activities," the household besides relished their escaped clip engaging successful wintertime fun.

Emily described, "A batch of our clip was spent experiencing the quality of the snow," and noted, "It's not similar snowfall backmost location - it’s similar a movie scene."

Constructing snowmen and engaging successful snowball fights were each portion of their snowy escapades. Emphasising frugality, Emily said, "It depends what you value," pointing retired that costly excursions volition person a higher outgo but redeeming is imaginable with compromises similar casual dinners, second-hand clothing, and bringing snacks along.

She encouraged, "If you’re blessed conscionable eating McDonald's for dinner, buying second-hand apparel and bringing snacks, you tin bash it. We sat successful teepees astatine the elf's farmyard. It felt due outdoorsy - toasting s'mores and sitting among the reindeer. Finn met Mrs Claus - past posted 4 cards backmost home, from 'Santa's station office'," Emily said.

"They were truly saccharine activities. A batch of our clip was spent experiencing the quality of the snow. It's not similar snowfall backmost location - it’s similar a movie scene. We built snowmounds, snowmen and made snowfall angels. It depends what you value. If you privation to bash the big, agelong excursions - you'll person to wage for that.

What it cost

• Flights from Dublin Airport: £900.
• Accommodation, including meal for 2 nights: £371.
• McDonald’s meals: £37.
• Angry Birds taxable park: £100.
• Meeting Santa: Free.
• Husky park: £110 for 3 people.
• The elf's farmyard: £50 for 3 people.
• Lunch: £30 successful total.
• Snow school: £106 for 3 people.
• Meeting Mrs Claus: £5 per person.
• Four letters posted from Santa's Post Office: £11.
• Total: £1,720.