Teenager saves money by flying via Berlin instead of taking the train from Sheffield to Essex

1,017 extra miles and a saving of £7.72.

Jordan Cox, 18, is making headlines after claiming to have made a saving of £7.72 on his train journey from Sheffield to Essex - by catching a flight to Berlin.

It did mean he went 1017 miles out of his way but he also got to spend a few hours exploring the city.

Cox, who blogs for moneysavingexpert.com as The Coupon Kid, was planning on travelling to and from Sheffield by train. He managed to get a cheap ticket for his journey to Sheffield but discovered that his return ticket to Essex would cost him £47.

After a bit of investigating, Jordan discovered that flying from West Midlands Airport to Berlin, seven hours spent exploring the city, a plane ticket to Stansted and a bus to Essex would end up costing him less.

So off he went, taking in a free tour of a government building and some lunch by the Brandenburg Gate.

And while, obviously, this kind of detour won’t always be the cheapest option or the most feasible, Jordan said it was a win-win in his situation.

“I know that flying is not very environmentally friendly and I won’t do this every time I travel, however this was the cheapest way for me to get home and I got to enjoy a ‘free’ mini holiday to a city I’ve always always wanted to visit.”

If you want a full breakdown of the trip along with tips for finding cheap flights, visit Jordan’s blog here.