TikToker says seven-day trip to famously-beautiful US state was more expensive than entire cost of an 11 night jaunt to Italy

A TikToker who recently went to Maine - famous for its rocky beaches and the stunning views found inside Acadia National Park - claimed her seven-day trip there was more expensive than an 11-day trip to Italy with everything included.

She and her husband spent a grand total of $7,730.09 on their Maine vacation, which included lodging, food and drinks, flights, a rental car, activities and shopping. 

In a video she posted to TikTok, she explained a little more than $5,500 came out of the couple's pocket, while the other roughly $2,200 in expenses were covered by previously accumulated credit card points.

In a subsequent video, she claimed she and her husband's 11-day trip to Italy last year - with stops in Rome, Sicily, Venice and Florence - was the same or less expensive than her domestic getaway.

The same is true, she said, for the 10-day trip she took in 2022 to Paris, Amsterdam and Belgium.

'We stayed in nice hotels,' she said of her European jaunts. 'Lodging alone there is 50 percent less than any big cities in the US.'

She said lodging was the most expensive part of her Maine trip, coming out to a total of $2,828.80 - or roughly 36 percent of the entire cost.

She split her time between the cities of Portland, Lincolnville and Southwest Harbor, and stayed in three hotels.

She glossed over her stay at Portland but went into depth about her time at 'The Inn at Ocean's Edge' in Lincolnville. 

The property offers spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean both from its swanky rooms and from its pool area.

This four-star hotel was $554 a night.

She then stayed at Lindenwood Inn Bed and Breakfast, which is near Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, for a little under $500 a night. 

Her lodging choices triggered some viewers to disagree with the TikToker's whole premise that a trip to Maine was definitely more expensive than an even longer trip to Italy.

A user going by the name 'Auntie Abby' claimed to be a local and commented under the cost-breakdown video that this couple could have saved quite a bit just by picking cheaper hotels.

'Hi, Mainer here! So glad you had a good time. Appreciate the transparency of $ here - but working in hospitality in a tourist town, these are luxury choices. Lots of options to enjoy here a lower cost,' she commented.

Another viewer wrote: 'That’s way too much to spend for lodging in Maine. So many affordable, cute choices available.'

There are, in fact, cheaper hotels in the Lincolnville area specifically. Some are nearly half the price she and her husband ultimately spent.

But they're not four-star properties, and most of them aren't directly on the water. 

In both of her videos, the woman said she is neither a 'budget' nor 'luxury traveler.'

But she also said she wanted to 'splurge' on lodging.

'We didn't want to hold back,' she said in her first video as she panned around the luxurious pool patio, complete with lie-flat chairs and a hot tub. 'We wanted to stay in nice places.'

Once she got through with the hotel cost breakdown, she moved onto food - her next most expensive category, coming in at $1,926.61.

Despite insisting she didn't eat 'anything overly fancy' - as she pans over her husband's full lobster - the couple's food costs were more than what they paid for first class flights ($1,124.71) and their rental car ($930.07).

In her follow-up video, this TikTok creator said that even though international flights are usually what scare people off from traveling abroad, you can make up for it with how much cheaper food is in Europe.

Plus, you don't have to tip.

'Food is way less, lodging's less, drinks are less,' she said. 'Just not tipping alone is saving you 20 percent there. It's wild.'

Many viewers agreed with her Maine cost assessment, especially considering she decided to travel during peak season.

Nonetheless, she said she enjoyed her trip and said 'it was worth it.'