TRIP REPORT: Paris2024 (or How I Only Spent ~$1,550 in TOTAL for a Wanderlist Olympics Trip!)
Most Recently Updated August 7, 2026
I was hoping to spend €1,500 on Olympic events tickets (with a very large * that I would spend up to another €1K to see Simone Biles). So even I am blown away that I managed to spend around $1558 IN TOTAL for a 13 day Paris2024 trip
There was no need to skimp with accommodations since I was able to book ALL 13 nights on points which meant that I could spend more money on events!
And that included Olympic highlights such seeing Noah Lyles win the 100M race in thrilling fashion during an Athletics medals session, watching Casper Rudd courtside and four other matches at Roland Garros, attending a beach volleyball session with a seat directly across from the Eiffel Tower (and only 6 rows from the action) and experiencing the excitement live with the US Women’s National Team beat Japan in a women’s football semifinal match (again with a seat 6 rows back from the field)!
I am hoping that this trip will showcase why I am so passionate about award travel and sharing it with you.
That it really is just a way to get out there and travel and explore this beautiful world…strategies to travel better, for cheaper and/or more often (for me it’s all three!) and perhaps I should add – to be able to craft your beautiful life and being able to do those once in a lifetime or Wanderlist trips!
TRIP OVERVIEW
Cost (cash and points) breakdown for the trip - because I love spreadsheets, numbers and data (ha! there are so many more spreadsheets and they are much, much more involved!)Cash price is what the going rate was when I booked XX (ie: flights, hotel, etc).
Take those numbers with a grain of salt because when it includes things like premium cabin flights or even staying at the Park Hyatt, these are not things I would be choosing IF I had to pay cash. But they are included because they give you an idea of what travel hacking looks like in action because they are the prices that people are paying.
Each category/section lists a total spend and then further is broken down as applicable ie what points/miles were used and how much actual cash I spent. There is also information about where the savings came from: First from the points/miles used plus savings beyond the cash value of the flights/hotels ie what an upgrade is worth or if I was able to use a credit card benefit to recoup costs.
Check out linked posts if you’re wanting more detailed information.
FLIGHTS
Total Spend: 12,500 Miles & $189.18 / / CASH VALUE: $751.66
Flight #1: Icelandair Econ: $127 spend. Savings from advanced seat assignment fee waived.
Flying within Iceland is so expensive as this was the price for a 35 minute flight!
Flight #2/3: KEF-FRA / FRA-CDG (LH Econ): 12.50 AC miles + $62.18 spend. / CASH VALUE: $751.66 /Savings: 2K points (really only used 10.5K Chase UR points used with 20% transfer bonus/$22 preferred seat fees waived)
I was already in Europe as I had two comped cruises back to back and had decided to take a last minute trip to Iceland before the Olympics (and yes I am ABSOLUTELY aware of how outrageous I sound sometimes).
Savings were significant as flights into CDG were pretty expensive obviously with the Olympics going on. If I had had to pay cash, it was highly unlikely that I would have gone due to how expensive! Note: I only accounted for the tickets from Iceland to France as part of this trip.
HOTELS
Total Spend: 189,500 WoH points + 3x Category 1-4 WoH Free Night Awards (FNA) + 1X WoH Club Access Award + $191.52 (Housekeeping + Bell tips) / CASH VALUE: $13,180.99/
Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme
Spend: 90K points +$100.80/€100 (Housekeeping and Bell tips) / CASH PRICE: $5,760.5
Curious what my stay was like? Read about it and the Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme – here
Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile
Spend: 90K points + 3x Category 1-4 WOH Free Night Awards (FNA) + 1X Club Access Award + $80.64/€80 (Housekeeping tip) / CASH PRICE: $6,999.44 / Additional Savings:Upgrades to Montmartre View Deluxe Club room $378.68 /Eiffel Tower View Deluxe Club room $423 (also included in other sections for savings: Lounge access: F&B + Complimentary breakfast)
To see more of those incredible Paris views from my hotel room and the Regency club and what my stay was like, read this review on the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile here
Hyatt House Paris CDG Airport
Spend: 9.5K points + $10.08/€10 (Housekeeping tip) / / CASH PRICE: $421 / Additional savings from upgrade room type $23
I opted to move hotels AGAIN (for the third time!) at the end of my trip to save points (9.5K vs 18K to stay another night at the HR Étoile) and my sanity (early morning flight from CDG)
FOOD
Spend: $200.04 Savings of $491.85 on meals + drinks from HR Étoile's Regency lounge access (daily breakfast, drinks during the day and canape hours in the evening: conservatively counted as $25/meal when utilized including if a friend joined me) & meals + drinks from airport lounge access (elite status perk even when flying economy!)
Note: savings numbers do not include meals/drinks paid for by friends to celebrate my birthday which was not insignificant!
Another reason why costs were so low in this category is that Paris2024 allowed spectators to bring in food vs having to pay astronomical sporting event prices so I would pack food from the grocery store or get some ready made items to go. I was also able to bring in and refill a reusable water bottle!
A sampling of what I ate during my Paris trip. As you can see from these pics how spending so little didn’t mean that I didn’t eat well (and often)
As always, a fair bit of my food costs are for ice cream and at Paris2024, I became obsessed with the bars shown in the top left: it’s a creamsicle but passion fruit flavored / Top center: from one of the Lafayette Galleria food shops / Top right: A Gelato (and sorbert) flower cone w/macaron @ Amorino Vavin Paris
I am a big proponent of seeking out specialties of the place that you are visiting. Middle center: hot chocolate (@ Lindt) / Middle right: profiterole and peach melba @ Bouillon Chartier Paris (after a meal featuring a terrine and duck Confit) / Bottom left: rotisserie chicken w/potato gratin / Bottom center: creme brulee
Bottom right wasn’t in Paris but at the Frankfurt airport in the Lufthansa lounge: I am all about the runway views and was pleasantly surprised by the offerings in this lounge (esp the nonalcoholic wines and desserts!) I wasn’t willing to spend over $800 to fly directly to CDG, so it was great to be able to spend a layover away from the chaos of the airport plus not having to pay for drinks and food! Plus it worked out as I kept my large (carryon) bag at the hotel in Frankfurt and could book the least expensive Icelandair flights
TRANSPORTATION
Spend: $138.97 Savings not calculated*see below
Whilst Paris did increase the mass transit rates during the games, I purchased two multi-day passes that allowed me to travel on all lines (includes metro, RER, bus, tram, airport) for a set price. A seven day pass was $78.28/€72 and the 3 day pass was $46.24/€42 vs €4 Olympic price per one way within Paris (and €11.80 RER to/from CDG). With all the Olympic venues spread out over Paris (plus it being as hot as Hades so I didn’t walk as much as I normally would + perhaps this is my “new normal” with a knee that needs to be babied), I would take 4-8 rides daily and got significant value from my pass. *Since I didn’t track all of the rides I actually took, I don’t have a true savings number.
ACTIVITIES
Paris2024 Events Total
Costs were so low here as Paris2024 actively kept ticket prices and fees reasonable plus I was able to take advantage of a number of free events. It also helps that I have visited Paris multiple times and didn’t feel compelled to revisit any museums or attractions during this time (but I might have missed a big opportunity since I heard later that they were fairly empty!).
Oops – Here’s What My True Total Spend on Paris2024 Tickets + Events Was
Ha! I didn’t feel like recreating that spreadsheet but my true total for my Paris2024 tickets was actually $733.80 or $70.87 more – this includes the fees I paid when I bought and sold tickets (ie for a better seat at Athletics, keeping only one of the tickets for Beach Volleyball and Tennis) plus buying souvenir paper tickets
Spend: $736.40
Here’s my full recap of all the Paris2024 sporting events I went to including how I was able to get the tickets and cost breakdown
Paris2024 Free Activities and Events
One of my favorite part of Paris2024 was that there were so many free things happening around the city that I didn’t have to be at a paid sporting event every day – honestly some of these were as memorable and fun as the events I attended!
There are many reasons why this Olympics was so special but Champions Parade @ Champion’s Park for me embodied the spirit behind (and thinking behind) Paris2024 (first photo on left)
First you have how Paris incorporated the city as part of the Games and using the monuments to be part of the action. Champions Park will be located in Trocadéro Gardens, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower (bottom right)
Then of course, there are the Olympic athletes. What an incredible experience for the winners after years of hard work and dedication paying off to be able to participate in a Champion’s Parade: where they are cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd and end up posing for photos with their medals (with the Eiffel Tower serving as the background!). Being able to take some time to really celebrate whilst still in Paris and at the Games.
And not to be forgotten, the spectators. This was a completely free event (with the capacity control being the limiting factor) but you could come cheer on/offer congratulations to some of Paris2024’s biggest stars! Oh and as a bonus, many of them would hi-five and/or take selfies with the crowd as they walked down the catwalk!
Here’s all of the free events and activities that I was able to do during Paris2024
Panthéon: $0
My friend that got the free Women’s soccer ticket for me was also able to snag free entry tickets here! So much of my fond Paris2024 tickets are with her <3
Highlights: Foucault’s pendulum and the crypt of the Panthéon, the last resting place of the great personalities honored by the nation including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Joséphine Baker and Marie Curie amongst others.
In life, nothing is to be feared, everything is to be understood. Marie Curie
MISCELLANEOUS
$102.72 Spend Mainly Paris2024 merch – magnets for myself, friends + family along with re-usable bags and I got myself a refillable water bottle.
HELPFUL HINTS
Loyalty pays: learning about then maximizing Hyatt’s loyalty program: World of Hyatt (WoH) was vital in how my trip went as I was able to use Free Night and Club Awards earned via WoH Brand Explorer Award and Milestone Awards.
My original plan was to stay only 2-4 nights in Paris especially as I used up quite a few points on my stay at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme but WoH made it possible to spend twelve days including unexpectedly celebrating my actual birthday in the City of Lights!
Facebook Groups: Even in 2024, I haven’t found a better replacement that allows you to readily access a lot of information especially changes that don’t show up on official sites (ie what was allowed in or not) along with the ability (and desire) to connect – both online and IRL. (Maybe Reddit but there is too much filtering through negativity and nonsense on there for me personally)
I am in a number of female travel groups and they had so much helpful and up to date info, the most useful tips and also were a source of free tickets! My friend was the one that scored the gratis women’s football ticket through another Olympics FB group (along with our free Parthenon tickets!)
SUMMARY
It seems unbelievable that I could decide, then book flights and accommodations for the OLYMPICS in PARIS, France a week and a half before flying into CDG and having the type of trip that I did. Oh and for an amount of money that some people were paying just to fly from the US to Paris.
Want to learn more about how to travel for cheaper, better and/or more often?: Intro to Travel Hacking and my 8 Top Tips For Travel Hacking
But that’s the beauty and power of travel hacking….are you starting to believe me now?
About Author
Rosemary is a travel hacker, points nerd, money maximizer, and female solo traveler who’s explored 70+ countries without a trust fund, sugar daddy, or sponsored content. Every mile, upgrade, and trip is completely self-funded using a mix of points, miles, and cash or earned with elite status.Through firsthand experience and plenty of trial and error, she teaches everyday travelers the art of travel hacking ie how they too can travel for cheaper, better, and more often (and she provides receipts along with a mildly concerning amount of spreadsheets)
While Rosemary doesn’t take herself too seriously, she does take award travel, making her money work harder (and searching for the best ice cream) seriously – and shares it all here because she believes that seeing the world or living your most beautiful life shouldn’t be reserved for the rich, the retired, or content creators with brand deals.
When not traveling, she is based in Denver, Colorado and loves to share the amazing things you can do, see, and experience (many of which are free!) in the Centennial state (which she feels absolutely blessed to be able to call home)
Have you been to any other Olympics? I am trying to plan for LA and wondering if this would be doable for those games?
Hi! These were my first games and unfortunately think that LA will be considerably pricier than Paris for a few reasons. Hotel award availability didn’t open up until a couple weeks before the game so demand was less than anticipated and I don’t think that we can count on that for LA so that would eliminate the savings on accommodations. Tickets are the other big item and I hope that LA implements something like Paris did, if they don’t – then expect prices to be exorbitant especially for re-sale tickets.
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Are you planning on attending the winter Olympics? I want to but can’t figure out where to stay and hoped you had some answers.
HI Jan! Unfortunately these games are out of the realm of possibility for me so I haven’t looked at tickets or hotels. There are a couple of Hyatts in Milan that might be possibilities – with Hyatt having a published award chart, the number of points is typically lower than Marriott or Hilton. But I have no idea about the mountain venues – wish I could offer more insight! Let me know what you end up booking and which events you will be attending – I am definitely jealous =)