If you are looking to get married soon we want to share with you how to have a beautiful honeymoon on a budget. Our honeymoon is one of the most amazing experiences we will have in life, and after a stressful lead up to the wedding it is the ideal way to begin married life with the person we love. Today we want to take a look at celebrating a honeymoon on a budget, as after spending a ton on the wedding, it can leave us with little to spend on our holiday.
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Here are our top tips for helping you plan the ideal honeymoon on a budget.
- What are you excited about?
Before you look to book a fancy hotel for your honeymoon, consider what your priorities are for the trip. You might be able to save some pennies by choosing a different type of accommodation or by not flying to your honeymoon. Think about what your biggest priorities are such as the hotel itself, the beaches, the cities or the natural landscape. A lot of the time you can find a place that fits your needs without breaking the bank.
- Use a Travel Agent
One of the best things you can do when booking a honeymoon without overspending is to go through an agent. Although you can often find good deals yourself, it is usually much more cost effective to book through a travel agent as you can get a package that involves flights, transport, and accommodation all in one. You’ll spend less and you’ll have much less stress when heading out to your destination!
- Consider Terrestrial
If you are on a super tight budget and you don’t have enough to spend on flights, consider staying on home turf and going for a road trip. A road trip can actually be the best kind of holiday because you have the freedom of going anywhere and staying anywhere throughout the week. Sometimes the best honeymoon destinations can be at home! You can find hidden gems in your country that you’ve never seen before and enjoy quiet pub dinners and sunset walks.
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AsadPhotography / Pixabay
Go During the Off-season
If you have your heart set on a location such as Santorini, perhaps the best thing to do is choose a date during the off-season. Off-season everything will be much more affordable and you’ll also be able to enjoy a much less crowded destination. Most warm places will still have lovely weather during this time and it will be a great way to spend your honeymoon with the person you love.
- Choose Underrated Locations
We all know about the big contenders for a honeymoon such as France, Italy, Mexico, and Spain… but what about other destinations? If you are struggling in terms of money but still want to experience the most wonderful honeymoon, there are many countries that are much cheaper but offer a great experience. Countries such as Croatia and Montenegro offer some amazing beaches, landscapes and cities to explore and cost a lot less than their more popular cousins.
- Drive
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If you live in the UK and you are looking to spend your honeymoon in Europe, you can save a lot of money by driving instead of going by plane. Countries such as France and Germany are very easy to get to and you can make your road trip into part of the honeymoon by visiting a few different places along the way.
- Book early
Before you have even planned your full wedding, you want to book the honeymoon and make sure it is ready. The earlier you book a holiday the cheaper it will be, because often companies will put prices up as the time grows near. By booking well in-advance you will not only get a better deal but you will be able to have some peace of mind on the day.
- Use a smaller airport
Did you know that often the big airports cost more than smaller or independent ones? If you are looking to get a bargain on your flights it is worth shopping around to see if any other airports will offer you the same flight for a cheaper price. As well as this, you might find going with a smaller airline company is a better option for you. Compare prices and don’t simply accept the first deal you come across.
- Take a boat
Boats and ferries can be an easy way to get to many destinations around the world and they can be an effective way to save money. Although traveling by boat is often more time consuming than a plane, it can be an enjoyable experience for a day or two and will add a new dimension to your honeymoon experience.
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- Cash in Frequent Flier Miles
If you have any frequent flier miles to your name, now is the best time to use them. Check your loyalty schemes and make sure you have plenty of time to cash in your miles before the time limit and ensure that you check your credit card loyalty schemes to see if you can claim any money off hotels and other services while you are away.
- House sit
One great way to save money on your honeymoon is to volunteer to house sit for someone who lives in your target destination. There are lots of house sitting and dog sitting services out there that will allow you to spend the week in a lovely house and enjoy your honeymoon without having to spend a whole lot of money on an expensive hotel.
- All-inclusive
As we mentioned earlier with the travel agent, one way to save money on a trip is to try and get yourself a package deal that covers many of the different parts of the stay. You can also take this a step further and grab yourself an all-inclusive holiday that will allow you to enjoy food and drink included in your holiday and it ensures that you have unlimited everything on your stay.
- Stay in a B and B
As well as hotels, another idea for a honeymoon on a budget is consider a B and B. These are often much cheaper than a hotel and the atmosphere can be a lot more cozy. Because Bed and Breakfasts usually only have a few rooms, you’ll be pretty much alone for the time you stay there and the place will feel more homely.
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coffeeandmilkphoto / Pixabay
Cook
We know that one of the greatest joys of being on holiday is not needing to cook, but eating out every single night of the stay can cost a lot of money. If you are looking to reduce your costs while away think about cooking some of the nights you are away. You can use this as a chance to be romantic and set up a cozy night in for you and your new partner, and often this can be much more romantic than going out to a restaurant and then having to worry about getting back to the home.
- Call direct
If you are looking to enjoy a honeymoon on a budget then book a cottage or a villa for your honeymoon directly for exclusive deals or promotions. You may initially see the listing on a site such as Holiday Lettings, but to save money you should try calling the owners directly. When an owner puts their accommodation up on a site such as Holiday Lettings they will charge more to cover the cost of advertising. This means you could end up over paying.
- Book last minute
Contrary to the point we made earlier, you can also stand to save a lot of money if you are brave enough to book last minute. Last minute holidays with a few days’ notice are much cheaper than normal because hotels and other companies want to fill as many spaces as possible. This means big discounts and you may stand to get a holiday for nearly half the price.
- Book the Cheapest Room
Let’s face it, the room is not the most important part of your honeymoon and often you’ll be out by the pool or exploring during your time away anyway. By booking the cheapest room in a nice hotel, you will save some money but also still benefit from the facilities in the hotel. It’s a win win!
- Say HONEYMOON
Honestly, one of the best ways for you to get special treatments and free stuff while you are on holiday is to tell everyone who you meet that it is your honeymoon. Honeymooners will often be able to get discounts or complementary gifts from airports and hotels so you could stand to earn a lot from saying that it is your special time!
Booking the perfect honeymoon can be a stressful process but it is also one of the best things you will do in the run up to your wedding. If you are looking to save some money on your honeymoon or you know you won’t be able to afford much of one yet, consider these tips. You could also enjoy your honeymoon on a budget for the weekend and save for a real honeymoon later on!
Read more wedding articles at ClichéMag.com
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