A Kent woman bitten by the travel bug has visited 20 countries before turning 20, and says it doesn’t have to be expensive to see the world.

Lauren Kirby from Maidstone fell in love with travelling after being paid to work abroad which helped her pay for more trips.

After seeing an advert for a childcare rep on TikTok she decided to take a sabbatical from her work in a nursery and flew out to Corfu in Greece where she stayed for three months.

The travel company, TUI, paid for Lauren’s accommodation, flights, food and bills and paid her a minimum wage of €950 a month.

Lauren was able to save £2.5k which she used to fund her next travels to Portugal, Finland and Mexico.

Then in February 2023, Lauren went to Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt to work and again saved most of her wages, some £3.5k.

Lauren, who works part-time at the nursery, says she “loved” her travelling experience.

She added: “People think travelling is expensive but it doesn’t have to be.

“I didn’t have to pay my bills or anything and saved all my wages.

“I had a beachside apartment and one-and-a-half days off.”

Lauren flew out to Greece in August 2022 and spent her days on the beach and exploring the island – while being paid.

She was often able to finish earlier in the afternoon so she could enjoy full evenings.

Lauren came home to the UK in October 2022 before heading to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in February.

She had her accommodation covered again, including her medical insurance, meaning she could save £3.5k to go travelling afterwards.

Lauren said: “We went to the pyramids at the end and I loved Portugal and Lake Bled in Finland.

"Everywhere is on my to-do list. I'm always on the Skyscanner website."

Lauren has trips to Bali, LA and Australia lined up and is keeping her eyes peeled for other seasonal jobs.

The 20 countries Lauren has visited include Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy, France, Hungary, Iceland, the Netherlands, Mexico, Finland, Estonia, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, Egypt, Ireland, Scotland, United States, Norway, and Wales.