Spend Less... Have More Fun
The photos, the ‘alone’ time, good food and drink are things that are important to solidifying the marriage, and starting off that marital bliss in the right way.
Honeymoons have been a mainstay of weddings since the olden days.
Below are some great ideas for taking a honeymoon on a budget.
After spending a fortune on the wedding, having enough left over for a decent honeymoon can be challenging. Especially if your paying for all of it yourselves.
Six Ways to Stay within Budget
1 – Honeymoon Registry
First and foremost is a Honeymoon Registry. When you register at any store registry for gifts for the wedding, state in the registry that you would like help with your trip, instead of gifts. Make sure you indicate on the registry that the honeymoon is your gift of choice. Letting the bridal party and family know will generally get the message to the other guests and friends. For tips on making your register user friendly see, Honeymoon Registry Tips.
2 – Stay Close to Home
You can actually find some amazing places within your state or even sometimes, your town. Yes, the Caribbean or Hawaii sound incredible, but promise to take a second honeymoon later on, when financial strains are not an issue. The main thing is that you will be together, be off work, and can enjoy each other no matter where you go. Many places have resorts and Bed & Breakfasts that are incredibly romantic, quite and a bargain.
Check with the Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers Guide, which tells you price, location, and most have photos of rooms and grounds to further insure your stay will be awesome. They even have listings of unique hotels and Country Inn’s in the area of your choice. Most have seasonal deals and specials.
3 – Look for Deals
Resorts and specialty hotels are always offering deals, especially for honeymoon couples, and can be found through a travel agent or online. Hotwire or Priceline can and do offer really great deals on 4 and 5 star hotels, and resorts. Check with them regularly, and if you’re not in a rush to leave immediately after your wedding, and are flexible, you can sometimes go places for next to nothing. Some of these resorts and hotels offer discounts on airfare, rooms, food and sightseeing tours.
Most hotels and resorts offer honeymoon packages, so when you check with some of these places, be sure to mention this.
4 – Travel Off-Season
If you are determined to travel to a far away, exotic place, plan everything in advance, and go during their ‘off-season’ time. This will save literally hundreds of dollars in airfare and rooms. This is the time to enlist a travel agent. The agent has contacts in most destinations and has the best available ‘sale’ and deal schedules possible.
Think about going to a specific ‘discounted’ venue such as “Sandals” or “Club Med” as these types of vacations are labeled ‘all inclusive’ meaning that your airfare, food, and rooms are all included in one price. This can save you a ton of cash because food and drink can become pretty expensive, and to have these items already paid for can eliminate any financial strains or stress, and allow you to really relax and enjoy each other.
The prices are generally highly discounted during their off season, but still hold all of the charm. These resorts are in some of the most exotic and beautiful places on earth, so checking with them is a must for a tropical honeymoon.
5 – Consider a Cruise?
Cruises are sometimes the most affordable trips, especially to honeymooners. Cruise lines such as Carnival, Princess and Norwegian offer many special cruises and also offer ‘honeymoon’ packages at big discounts. These packages generally charge you for a small cabin, but give you a suite, and if you are travelling off season, you can sometimes go for half price and sometimes even cheaper. Of course the price depends on the length of time you are with them, and the destination.
Cruise lines go to all of the tropical and interesting places such as Greece, Alaska, the Bahamas’, the Caribbean, and many other spectacular places. The only drawback is that you will be among crowds, but if you have a suite, you will tend to stay in the privacy of your room more.
Again, a travel agent can find the best deals on cruises and they don’t charge you a thing.
6 – Consider a Camping Trip
You can find the most beautiful places to camp, and during off seasons, away from other campers and people. Some campsites have beautiful outdoor sites near waterfalls, streams and lakes. Some outdoor resorts even have cabins for very reasonable prices, and savings well worth a fancy hotel cost.
Camping can also be done on the beach, for a romantic beach honeymoon. Most beaches in California and the east coast offer beachfront camping, as well as many exotic places in Mexico.
Keep your honeymoon in mind when you’re planning the wedding. Check regularly with travel agents and websites to see if you can get that special deal, way ahead of time. Sometimes, last-minute deals occur as well. Someone who had a trip planned cannot go for unforeseen reasons and sell their tickets very inexpensive. Check with Craigslist regularly to see if your destination of choice or a place you would consider going can be purchased at a big discount.
After all, it is the romance of being together as a married couple that really matters, and it shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg to have a great honeymoon!
Ally is part of the team that manages Best Credit Cards, a free low interest rate credit cards and no annual fee credit cards comparison service in Australia. Before joining BCC, she was a Media Planner with McCann Worldgroup Philippines, Inc., with award-winning executions, including the Levi’s 501 “Live Unbuttoned” global campaign.
Photo Credits
Sean Savage via Flickr
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