{{Short description|British travel blogger}} {{Sources exist|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Chelsea Dickenson | image = | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = | education = | years_active = | title = | occupation = | employer = | known_for = Tipsy Tourism <br> Passports Please! }}
'''Chelsea Dickenson''' (born 7 February 1990) is a British travel blogger and social media influencer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Street |first=Francesca |date=2023-06-26 |title=Meet the traveler behind social media's viral packing hacks |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/chelsea-dickenson-cheap-holiday-expert-packing-hacks/index.html |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> She is known for her social media posts about how to travel cheaply, find the best deals and how to pack for travel, and provides tips and tricks for budget-friendly vacations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boyd |first=Milo |date=2023-05-23 |title='I'm a travel expert - you can get free hotel upgrades with an email' |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/im-travel-expert-you-can-30051645 |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=mirror |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-05 |title=How to book a cheap holiday this summer, from a budget travel expert |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/chelsea-dickenson-cheap-holidays-budget-travel-tips-b2368392.html |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>
== how many holidays == Dickenson rose to prominence in 2018 when she set herself the challenge of booking as many holidays as she could from the United Kingdom for half the sum the average British household spent on one holiday in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-19 |title=Traveller who spent £1,709 going to ten places shares how to make money stretch |url=https://metro.co.uk/2018/02/19/thrifty-traveller-who-spent-1709-going-to-ten-places-abroad-shares-how-to-make-your-money-stretch-7324764/ |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref> Dickenson's strategies included finding free accommodation in Paris through a cat-sitting website, house-swapping her home in London for a luxurious New York apartment and using a private browser to ensure she received the best deals from price comparison websites.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-18 |title=This woman took 10 holidays in a year for £1,700 – and she's revealed how |url=https://www.savethestudent.org/travel/chelsea-dickenson-how-many-holidays-cheap-travel.html |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=Save the Student |language=en}}</ref> Dickenson's success led her to create the website ''how many holidays'', where she shared tips for other travellers to secure better deals on flights and accommodation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chelsea |first=Dickenson |date=2020-04-21 |title=how many holidays |url=https://howmanyholidays.com/ |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=how many holidays |language=en}}</ref> Dickenson also started vlogging her travels via YouTube and creating content for social media websites including Instagram.
== Cheap Holiday Expert == In early 2020, Dickenson rebranded under the name Cheap Holiday Expert.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chelsea |first=Dickenson |date=2020-04-21 |title=New Name, New Website, New Home! |url=https://howmanyholidays.com/2020/04/21/new-name-new-website-new-home/ |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=how many holidays |language=en}}</ref> During the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in the United Kingdom, Dickenson created an online challenge called ''Dash Across the Globe: Europe'', where she set people the challenge of travelling from London to Istanbul as cheaply as possible.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-21 |title=Wrexham woman creates travel game giving you the mission of crossing Europe with £400 |url=https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/18807259.wrexham-woman-creates-virtual-travel-game-help-people-explore-world-home/ |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=The Leader |language=en}}</ref> Dickenson also published regular news from her Instagram account to help travellers from the UK stay up-to-date with changing travel restrictions. While unable to travel overseas, Dickenson collaborated with her partner James Robinson, a radio producer for XFM, to create the podcast ''Tipsy Tourism'', in which the couple combined reviews of lesser-known tourist attractions in the UK with reviews of cheap alcoholic beverages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PodcastingToday |date=2021-12-01 |title=Hit podcast Tipsy Tourism visits more legendary locations for second series - PodcastingToday |url=https://podcastingtoday.co.uk/hit-podcast-tipsy-tourism-visits-more-legendary-locations-for-second-series/ |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=podcastingtoday.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>
From 2023, Dickenson became a regular guest on ITV talk show This Morning, where she would offer travel advice to help people secure cheap travel deals in the UK and abroad.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2023-01-27 |title=Chelsea Dickenson's best holiday deals! |url=https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/chelsea-dickensons-best-holiday-deals |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=ITV}}</ref>
In 2025, Dickenson and Robinson collaborated again to create the podcast ''Passports Please!,'' in which the pair tell entertaining travel anecdotes and offer advice to help travellers enjoy a fulfilling and cost-effective holiday.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dickenson |first=Chelsea |date=2025-01-29 |title=Our New Travel Podcast 'Passports Please!' is Out Now |url=https://holidayexpert.com/travel-podcast-passports-please/ |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=Holiday Expert |language=en-GB}}</ref> In the same year, Dickenson changed the name of her digital identity to Holiday Expert, reflecting a shift away from a purely budget-conscious audience towards a more general following.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-11 |title=Blindfolds, Cruises, and the Holiday Expert |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/blindfolds-cruises-and-the-holiday-expert/id1575155073?i=1000712378187 |access-date=2025-06-27}}</ref>
== Personal life == Dickenson was born in Wrexham.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wrexham woman creates travel game giving you the mission of crossing Europe with £400 |url=https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/18807259.wrexham-woman-creates-virtual-travel-game-help-people-explore-world-home/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204102439/https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/18807259.wrexham-woman-creates-virtual-travel-game-help-people-explore-world-home/ |archive-date=2020-12-04 |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=The Leader |language=en}}</ref> She lives in North London with her partner James Robinson, whom she met while studying at the University of Manchester.<ref>{{Cite news |title=How to book a cheap holiday this summer, from a budget travel expert |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/chelsea-dickenson-cheap-holidays-budget-travel-tips-b2368392.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214141448/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/chelsea-dickenson-cheap-holidays-budget-travel-tips-b2368392.html |archive-date=2025-02-14 |access-date=2025-07-14 |work=The Independent |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickenson, Chelsea}} Category:Living people Category:1990 births Category:British social media influencers Category:British travel writers
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