A former Race Across the World winner has revealed how he managed to visit three continents in just four days – all without spending a single penny.
Alfie Watts, who won fourth series of the epic BBC reality show in 2024, partnered with Virgin Red to test just how far travel hacking – which involves the savvy use of loyalty points, insider tips, and strategic planning – can take travellers.
Using 224,000 Virgin Points, the 22-year-old from St. Albans travelled 9,000 miles from Johannesburg to London, before ending his trip in New York City, ticking off bucket list destinations in Africa, Europe and North America in less than a week.
As more young Brits adopt a ‘travel hacking’ mindset, Virgin Red‘s latest research shows 55 per cent of Gen Z already consider themselves savvy travellers, with over 40 per cent regretting not earning points on past trips.
The survey of 2,000 UK travellers also found over half (52 per cent) now plan their holidays around hacks, and 61 per cent use them to find more affordable travel options.
Alfie’s journey began in South Africa, where he immersed himself in the vibrant culture of Johannesburg, exploring the stylish spaces of Rosebank and 44 Stanley Street.
From there, he flew overnight to London to enjoy iconic street food at Borough Market, before catching another long-haul flight to New York – all covered entirely with points.
Visiting Johannesburg was a particularly meaningful experience for Watts, who has long wanted to explore South Africa.
Former Race Across the World winner Alfie Watts partnered with Virgin Red to test just how far travel hacking – which involves the savvy use of loyalty points, insider tips, and strategic planning – can take travellers
Using 224,000 Virgin Points, the 22-year-old from St Alban’s travelled 9,000 miles from Johannesburg to London (pictured), before ending his trip in New York City
Visiting Johannesburg was a particularly meaningful experience for Watts, who has long wanted to explore South Africa (Pictured: FNB Stadium)
One of his highlights was seeing the FNB Stadium in person – the site of the 2010 FIFA World Cup’s opening match, which he described as the moment that sparked his childhood love of football.
He said: ‘It was the first football event that I watched as a kid, that, like, got me into football, which is behind travel, my second passion.
‘That was pretty remarkable because I got to see that in the flesh and I just think, being able to explore Johannesburg which someone has been on my list for such a long time. It was really special.’
Despite the whirlwind nature of the trip, Watts said the key to making the most of his time was smart scheduling.
The avid traveller revealed he made the most of every stop by cleverly using overnight flights to maximise time on the ground to explore each location.
He pointed out that while back-to-back long-haul flights are always a challenge, he found the experience manageable, especially with the comfort of premium economy on the final leg to New York.
The entire trip was solely covered by Virgin Red points, with Watts revealing he spent 88,000 Virgin Points on his premium economy flight from London to New York – a journey he says can cost as little as 16,500 with more flexibility.
Watts commented: ‘If I was more flexible with my days, I’d have got a much better deal for myself. But I thought it was important to still show how far you can get using just points because of the extensive route network.’
Despite the whirlwind nature of the trip, Watts said the key to making the most of his time was smart scheduling
The entire trip was solely covered by Virgin Red points, with Watts revealing he spent 88,000 Virgin Points on his premium economy flight from London to New York – a journey he says can cost as little as 16,500 with more flexibility
In total, Alfie used 224,000 Virgin Points to fund the whole trip, which included his overnight stay at a Virgin hotel in New York once the challenge had come to an end
In total, Alfie used 224,000 Virgin Points to fund the whole trip, which included his overnight stay at a Virgin hotel in New York once the challenge had come to an end.
The value of points, which can be exchanged for flights, upgrades and hotel stays – depends on how they are redeemed, but can be worth up to 2p each when used for business or first-class Virgin Atlantic fights, and around 0.5p for economy flights.
He encouraged would-be travel hackers to start off small by checking which everyday purchases and high street retailers are linked to loyalty schemes like Virgin Red.
By simply linking accounts and continue regular spending habits, travellers can can collect points without purchasing a plane ticket – even common services like food delivery apps, he noted, can earn points when linked properly.
Watts added: ‘It can be a really difficult thing to get your head around. Hands down, best thing to do is just go to the virtual website, then see where you spend money.’
‘Sign up, link your accounts, and then your Virgin points will just start dropping into your account as you spend.’
On Deliveroo, for example, new customers can earn 7 points with every £1 spent, while existing customers can earn 2 points with every £1 spent.
Watts also confessed he previously missed out on points by not taking travel hacking seriously – but after this challenge, he’s planning to get more strategic for future trips.
Pictured: Watts’ adventures wandering round markets in South Africa
Pictured: Watts’ trip to Borough Market, London
Pictured: The last leg of Watts’ trip: New York City
He said: ‘You don’t actually realise about how much value you’re you’re losing out just by just by not linking your account, so it’s definitely something that I’m going to start doing.
‘I am going away for three weeks, but when I get back, I’m going to properly knuckle down and start being a bit more savvy.’
The BBC star is now about to set off on a trip to the US, but playfully mentioned if he could go anywhere using only Virgin Points, he’d opt for ‘Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to the Maldives, followed by a premium economy trip to St Vincent and the Grenadines’.
For more information on how to set up a Virgin Red account and begin earning points and rewards, visiting the website here.
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