So you’re getting ready for your wedding- planning every detail down to the color of the bows on the back of your chairs, when suddenly it hits you. “Wait, do I have to pay for my Honeymoon too…?” For people with philanthropic families, this might not even be an issue- but for the rest of us, we are on our own. How do you balance a once-in-a-lifetime vacation with the costs of the biggest day of your life? No need to get frantic, you can have your wedding cake and eat it to. Let’s take a look at 5 tips to plan a honeymoon without breaking the bank!
!. What are your Honey Moon needs?
Are there any key components to your dream honeymoon you can’t live without? Is it that trip to Hawaii or some tropical adventure you’ve been looking forward to? The best way to begin planning is to create a checklist of your honeymoon deal-breakers. Some examples could be: a dream location, desired length of time away from home, events you can’t miss, amazing dining or luxurious accommodations. Consider what you want to dedicate the majority of your budget to. Ask yourself “what is the purpose of my honeymoon?” There’s no wrong answer here- for my husband and I, we simply wanted a lot of time alone together- and maybe sneak in some good food and a little exploring. Our perfect match ended up being a 4 day cruise to Mexico which made it easy to shut ourselves in our room and not have to spend a lot of time traveling to different locations or to get food ;) What you decide to do will depend on what ranks first on your list, from there the real budgeting can begin!
2. Prepare early and do your research!
If you have enough time, the deals you can catch are near-limitless! There are so many resources out there that make it easy to plan your honeymoon. We recommend using apps like “Hopper” and Kayak to find the cheapest flights. Both of these are massive search engines that take the work out of finding the cheapest fares.
Sign up for those mailing lists! You know those annoying sites that use pop-up prompts to get you to sign up for their newsletters? Do it. Do it for all of them. Some of the best deals on trips we’ve found have been from signing ourselves up for these- just be sure to use a separate email to avoid spamming up your personal account. Don’t stop there! For those Instagram-savvy brides and grooms, look for accounts that shout out travel deals every now and then. We personally follow a lovely account called @FlightsFromHome. She’s a travel agent that will post amazingly cheap round-tip international and statewide flight deals out of SLC. Awesome for people who are open to exploring any good deal out there!
3. Use reward points when you can!
If you haven’t already , keep an eye on those reward points that may already be piling up on your credit cards! You may just discover a gold mine! There are some incredible perks you can be eligible for just by purchasing typical household items. The standard rewards credit cards offer airline miles, hotels points, new member bonus points and some even VIP access to elusive airport lobbies. Since weddings incur a lot of costs, now is also the perfect time to start accumulating those points too- just make sure you have a plan to pay them off soon!
Be sure to read the “ small print” as those limitations and exclusions could put a damper on some of the amazing bonuses you thought you were getting. For those first time credit card applicants it may seem a daunting task of picking a rewards program with so many options available. Trust me- by putting in a bit of time to read reviews, benefits and taking time in the application process it will eliminate later frustration.
How do I know this? In our first steps to planning our honeymoon my husband and I took on the ultimate endeavor and that was to find the best credit card available! We found in the end that there wasn’t any all-time winner, since many vary in reward programs. So our advice to you - pick the card that offers the most benefits centered around what you generally use the most. Although credit cards can be tricky when redeeming points, it’s a great reward system for those purchases you already make.
4. Find cool travel programs!
There’s are no rules saying you have to purchase all of your honeymoon now! When there is so much to purchase and your scrambling to put everything together, sometimes it’s nice to hand over the reins. Companies like “ EF Ultimate Break” take it one step further and will work out monthly payments with you to help save towards your dream honeymoon. Their hand-picked packages include beautiful accommodations, meals, flights, transportation, tour guides and many attractions. Those that are looking to eliminate the headache of piecing together the perfect honeymoon, be on the lookout for similar companies.
5. Embrace Staying Local (But don’t tell people about it;) )
At the end of the day sometimes it’s nice to save all those dollars and find a cozy place away from home. International flights and busy site seeing isn’t everybody’s idea of a stress-free honeymoon . Is it crazy to just want a simple laid- back night to yourselves? Absolutely not! Staying local doesn’t have to mean staying home. It could be a fun opportunity to check out a nice Airbnb . You can even cut out a few more expenses if you choose an accommodation with a kitchen . Enjoying a few indoor nights, home cooked meals and possibly checking out the nearest hot springs is the perfect simple escape. Just DO NOT TELL ANYONE. Last thing you want is to bump into family or end up on a business call because you are technically “in town”. It also keeps it romantic- personal experience ;)
So that’s our list! Hope you found some of this helpful! If you did, be sure to sign up for our newsletter below!
