A fantastic destination wedding in Cyprus allowed me to plan a wonderful week visiting friends and discovering new places in London, Bologna, Venice, Milan, Paphos, Kyrenia, and Pareklisia. This trip was between September 17th-27th, 2021, nine nights and ten days. Below are the costs of airfare to travel to Europe, transportation during the journey, and lodging.
The Flight
The total cost to cross the pond was $590.90. The flight legs were DFW-LHR and LCA-LHR-DFW via American Airlines and British Airways. I wanted the flexibility to travel within Europe after landing in London and bought tickets separately for the rest of the trips.
One of the lounges at the Holmes Hotel, London 
Sherlock at Holmes Hotel
Transportation
I paid with a combination of low-cost flights with Ryanair and trains. I understand that not everyone is a fan of low-cost carriers. However, I only take these flights if they are the only direct route to my destination and the price difference is 40% less than legacy carriers. For example, the flight from London to Bologna was $23.56, and Milan to Paphos was $34.66. Very affordable prices, less than my ride to the airport.
Bologna at night 
Piazza view from Casa Isolani
Within Italy I used trains. A train ticket between Bologna and Venice was $15.18, and between Venice and Milan $24.36. Train prices can fluctuate depending on the date, time, and class one chooses. Total transportation costs within Europe were $97.76.
Lodging
Depending on the rate, and considering that lodging would be divided by two people, I used a combination of points and cash to pay for hotels, depending on where I found the most value.
We stayed at the Holmes Hotel for 75,000 Radisson points on our first night in London.
The second night we stayed close to London Stansted airport for 20,000 Hilton points. This booking is an exception. It was cheaper to buy points and then book the hotel. Hilton was running a 100% match bonus on points purchased. Usually, 10,000 Hilton points cost $100, and with the match bonus, I received 20,000 Hilton points in my account. I used the points to book the hotel instead of paying the $123 nightly rate.
Our following country was Italy. We arrived in Bologna and found a charming hotel by the Piazza Maggiore named Casa Isolani. Our stay was $41.32 per person. Then we went to Venice and stayed at the JW Marriott for 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Our night in Venice was a dream and probably our best point redemption since paying for a night cost at least $673. The JW Marriott Venice is delightful, in its own private island 25 minutes from Venice. The hotel itself was one of the highlights of the trip.
Our last stop in Italy was in Milan, where we stayed at the Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale for 15,000 Hyatt points.
Our colorful hotel in Milano. Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale. 
Duomo di Milano
Finally, we arrived in Cyprus for the wedding. On our first night, we stayed in Paphos, at the family-owned Axiothea Hotel, paying $37.65 per person for a night. The views from the hotel were fantastic. Then we were fortunate to visit friends in Kyrenia, North Cyprus, for our second night. Finally, we stayed a block from the wedding at Olosuites in Pyrgos for $80.74 per person on our last two nights. The total paid for lodging was $209.34 per person.
View from Axiothea hotel in Paphos 
Kyrenia
Conclusion
Flight $590.56
Transportation $97.76
Lodging $209.34
Total $857.63
The total only includes out-of-pocket expenses per person. However, I’ve also attached a table comparing the number of points used and the value per redemption to the average redemption value. $857.63 for ten days of travel in Europe. I hope this helps you plan your future amazing trips and budget.
If you still need help maximizing your points and miles and planning your trips, you can contact me at consulting@culturaiq.com.