Honeymoons - Limited Budget Tips

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1. Set Your Priorities

First decide what your goals are for the trip and exactly what you can and can't live without. Let's say you have $1,000 for the honeymoon. If pampering is first on your list, book a long weekend in the suite of a nearby spa resort. If getting away from it all is most important, use that same amount of money to take a three or four night Bahamas cruise for two.

 

2. Work With A Travel Agent

For one-stop, stress-free trip planning, a travel agent can't be beat. They can save you money with air/hotel or fly/drive/hotel packages (thanks to Cruise Planners/American Express $100 million in sales each year), they have the skinny on last-minute or ongoing sales, and can offer the wisdom gained from travel experience. For savings at sea, call an agency that specializes in booking cruises such as Deborah at Cruise Planners. And be sure to let Deborah know your priorities so she knows exactly what to cut and keep from your itinerary.

 

3. Consider A Honeymoon Registry

Here's how it works: Some travel agencies (including Cruise Planners/American Express on this site) and tour operators offer a registry service by which they collect, track, and apply contributions from your wedding guests toward your honeymoon expenses. Guests can even "sponsor" specific activities such as a sunset cruise, scuba trip, spa treatment, or meal at a romantic restaurant.

 

4. Choose An Off-Season Locale

Assuming your departure date is fixed (i.e., you're taking a honeymoon immediately after your wedding), choose a destination or cruise itinerary whose off- or shoulder-season (the period right before and after high season) coincides with your travel dates for drastic price breaks and less crowds.

Best of all: Off-season is not synonymous with bad weather. For example, many islands in the Caribbean have ideal temperatures year-round, but rates skyrocket from January to April due to high demand from winter-weary East Coast travelers. In other locales, off-season means searing heat or bitter cold, and many hotels and activities may shut down completely until more hospitable weather returns.

 

5. Choose Cheaper Locales

Many variables can make a destination a dynamite deal, including a weak local currency (Mexico and Canada, for instance) or heavy tourist traffic (Jamaica and Puerto Rico). Other surprises such as weather disasters (tsunamis in the Pacific, hurricane damage in the Caribbean, earthquakes in Turkey) cannot be planned in advance but have the same cost-cutting effect.

 

6. Stay Close To Home

In general, the shorter the flight, the cheaper the airfare. This is one reason why West Coasters head south to Mexico and East Coasters go to the Caribbean.

 

7. Book Early

This guarantees that all the inexpensive rooms won't be sold out. On cruises, which announce their itineraries 10 to 14 months in advance, it also means savings of up to 55%. On the flip side, if a ship is under booked, you may snag a last-minute deal up to eight weeks before sailing (although you may have a limited choice of cabins).

 

8. Shop The Sales

According to Consumer Reports Travel Letter, the best (read: cheapest) times to buy airline tickets are October through December and January through March. Stay over at least one Saturday night: Airfares tend to take a dive when business travel is low, i.e., over the weekend. Or book anytime with Deborah's American Express Packages where American Express purchases airfare in bulk and passes the savings on to you.

 

9. Consider Alternative Airports

As in, sacrifice convenience for savings: Try flying in to or out of a large airport at one or both ends of your trip to reduce your airfare.

 

10. Use Your American Express Points to Pay for Honeymoon

If you have an American Express card, call Deborah who can convert those points to cash to pay all or part of your honeymoon travel. If you have frequent flyer points, consider using those now.

 

11. Sleep Cheap, Live Large

Book the cheapest room you can in the swankiest hotel you can afford. Choosing a room that faces the garden or pool instead of the ocean is no big deal if you plan to be on the beach or out of your room enjoying posh amenities most of the time anyway. Light sleepers should choose a garden view -- pool parties or dance bands may keep you up. Save even more if you're willing to stay a block or two from the beach.

 

12. Pool Your Resources

Get intimate with the benefits of all your credit cards, dining cards, and club memberships. For example, your auto insurance or credit card may already cover Collision Damage and Liability on car rentals. You may also be covered for other travel snafus -- or discover optional coverage you'll need to activate before you leave, such as travel insurance, which can protect your trip deposits and reimburse you for pricey medical expenses if something happens on your trip. It's a relatively small price to pay for peace of mind.

 

13. Book Online? The Pitfalls

Sounds attractive as long as you're not picky about where you go or where you stay. Go to priceline.com and remember these two caveats: You can specify the city, area of the city, dates, and level of quality (one to four stars) you desire, but you can not request a specific hotel. Also, if Priceline finds accommodations at your stated offer price, you must accept the reservation. (As in, your credit card will instantly and automatically be charged the full amount for your stay.) Also, if anything goes wrong on travel booked on the internet, the internet does not pick up the phone when you call. You're on your own on the most important travel of your life.

 

14. Call Hotels, Resorts and Tours Directly? Set Aside Plenty of Time & Spreadsheets

Reservationists at a hotel's 800 number, especially at large chains, are not always familiar with the latest promotions and packages offered at a specific location like a travel agent. Also, it is time intensive to call all the vendors you're considering, understand all their packages, which promotions are ongoing vs. one-time, and how booking one piece affects the price of the other pieces. Keep is sane. Keep it simple and call Deborah for no-pressure assistance.

 

15. Consider An All-Inclusive Hotel, Cruise, River Cruise or Tour

The best part about all-inclusives? There are no surprises and no limits: You can live like a king and queen for one flat fee. You can even get married at no cost with a minimum-night or room-level stay at various Caribbean resorts. Most all-inclusive rates include room, all meals, drinks, activities, entertainment, tips, taxes, and many include airport transfers. Ask Deborah lots of questions and make sure most of what's included appeals to you (otherwise, why spend the money?).

 

 

 

Is your budget still coming up short? Don't worry -- book a nice hotel room for your wedding night and start saving for a belated honeymoon blowout on your first anniversary. Call Deborah a year in advance, put down a deposit and make monthly payments. Bon voyage!

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