EXPLORING abroad can broaden everything from your cultural understanding to your food palette.
One woman’s travels have also helped her save up to $40,000 on minor cosmetic procedures.
Bryn Elise Wright, 29, started looking abroad for cheaper treatments after her hairdresser in Idaho quoted her $4,500 for hair extensions.
She soon discovered that the same treatment would only put her out $500 if she got it done in Istanbul, Turkey.
In disbelief at the more-than-affordable price, Bryn began researching cosmetic practices in other countries.
She chipped a tooth while traveling in Bali and had the treatment for $70, a procedure that she estimates would’ve cost her up to $700 in the U.S.
Bryn saved herself money by getting a $140 Botox treatment in Istanbul instead of spending $800 at home.
She also had laser hair removal in Paris, costing just $400 instead of the $2,000 price in the U.S.
Bryn estimates she has saved $40,000 in the last three years by going abroad for her healthcare.
She broke down that she had saved $10,000 on both her hair and her dentist work, and another $20,000 on a hospital stay for a flu bug in Thailand.
Bryn, an Amazon reseller, from Colorado, has been traveling on and off for the last three years with her boyfriend, Cody Jorgenson, 36.
She used to schedule any healthcare she needed during trips home to the USA, but now often chooses her next travel destinations based on places where she can get cheap treatments instead.
“I thought I was going to make a point of getting things done abroad,” Bryn said.
She described the prices at home as “astronomical” and explained that she was still able to “live it up” while undergoing her procedures abroad.
“I found a guy on Instagram that looked amazing, I reached out to him and he said he’d do it for $500,” she said, referring to her initial hair appointment.
“I thought there was a miscommunication at first. We worked it into our travel plans,” Bryn explained.
“It went wonderfully, I was blown away,” she said.
Bryn’s dental treatments included a new crown and deep cleaning in Turkey at the cost of just $240, a procedure that would have set her back $1,800 in the U.S.
When she and Cody fell ill in Thailand they spent 24 hours in a hospital for just $120 each.
Bryn said she wouldn’t even have gone to the hospital if she’d been in America as the bill would have likely cost anywhere between $10,000 to $20,000.
Her Botox in Istanbul saved $786 and she described the experience as “awesome and professional.”
Bryn has since been back to Istanbul to get her hair done three times and wants to continue traveling and trying out cheap beauty treatments.
“Let me be the guinea pig, I spend months doing the research,” she said.
