I'M A SINGLE MUM AND I TOOK MY BOYS TO PARIS FOR THE DAY
- Stefanie Curran, 40, from Torquay, found Paris cheaper than Legoland, UK!
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A single mother flew to Paris for just 11 hours to celebrate her birthday with her two children - and claims it was cheaper than taking them to a theme park in the UK.
Stefanie Curran, 40, from Torquay, Devon took her two sons Brody, 11, and Romeo, seven, to France for the day because she didn't have enough money for a week-long escape.
She only spent £55 each on return flights, and the family spent the day sightseeing, eating pastries and shopping.
The single parent estimates she saved £100 in comparison to a day trip to a British theme park, such as a £500 overnight trip to Legoland, but admits she could have cut costs even further.
Stefanie, a director for a social enterprise said: 'I wanted to do something for my birthday but didn't have enough for a full-blown holiday.
'So I just started looking around for ideas and realised we could go to Paris and back in a day.
'We didn't do it as cheap as we could have, but it was definitely cheaper than taking the kids to a waterpark or some of the attractions in the UK which are extortionate. So I think we did pretty well for the price'.
Stefanie flew from Bristol Airport at 7.15am and arrived in Paris at 9.30am, before taking a taxi straight to the Eiffel Tower - costing her €73.
The family travelled across the city via the sightseeing bus Tootbus for the combined price of €83.
She said: 'The bus saved our legs from getting tired and meant we could see loads of the main sights.
'You can get on and off wherever you want, which worked really well for us.
'My eldest's only goal for the trip was having a croissant and he wanted the most expensive croissant in Paris, so we were able to stop off on our way and do that'.
The Tootbus also allowed Stefanie to visit her favourite shop Le Creuset as well as see the Champs-Elysees.
They enjoyed avocado and sundried tomatoes on toast before finishing back at the Eiffel Tower.
Stefanie and her boys took a €57 taxi back to the airport for their 8.10pm flight, arriving back in the UK at 8.25pm.
Stefanie says that the trip was a cost-effective substitute to a day out at home - even including the additional shopping and travel costs.
She said: 'Even our local water park costs £95 for the day with parking included. It costs £500 for Legoland with an overnight stay'.
Stefanie felt lucky the day all went to plan - with no delays.
The single mother said: 'I had to do a lot of warning my kids that this could be a complete disaster because if you get a couple hours delay, you've missed half your day.
'My eldest is autistic and my youngest would have got bored if there had been any delays, so I brought a whole bag of fidget toys which broke everything up a bit.
'It's a whistle-stop tour so we had to decide not to go into any of the attractions because of the queuing time, but it was a really good way of experimenting with travelling with the kids.
'I felt really good because I'd survived taking my kids to another country in one day – it was a proud single parent moment'.
Stefanie says anyone planning a similar trip should wear comfortable footwear, and pack as much as you can 'without making your bag too heavy'.
She said: 'It was a really fun adventure. We're hoping to do another one in the summer, ideally to Alicante'.
The total cost of the trip including expenses was an estimated £400.
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