Interstellar Travel Could Be Possible Even Without Spaceships, Scientist Says
universetoday.com
universetoday.com
OTOH, if you can use the planet itself as reaction mass, then you can afford a lot more initial mass, but there won't be much of a planet left when you finish braking.
I think you may have meant surface area.
When I read this article I assumed they would be using the space inside the body, like a hollow or honeycomb moon
That's an interesting idea, but it means a significant effort in reshaping the planet. By then, it's definitely a spaceship.