10 Ways to Get a Cheaper Honeymoon

After the wedding is over, most couples choose to go on a honeymoon to celebrate their new marriage. Unfortunately, once you’ve covered the wedding costs, there may not be much left over to pay for a nice honeymoon. If you find that your honeymoon funds are going to be on the limited side, you don’t need to ditch your plans altogether. But, you will need to do some serious shopping around to get the most out of your budget and alter some of your original ideas as a result. Here are 10 ways to cut the costs and still have a honeymoon to remember!

1. Use a honeymoon gift registry website. It’s traditional to sign up for a wedding list when you get married, but the usual home goods might be redundant if you’ve already set up your home and don’t need these kind of items. Why not sign up for a honeymoon gift registry instead? This works like a wedding list, but it gives your wedding guests the chance to literally pay for a specific part of your honeymoon, such as a candlelit dinner in a posh restaurant or excursions. If you’ve got enough generous gifts, you might even get a significant proportion of your honeymoon paid for in this way, and it lets your guests make a more personal contribution to the trip.
2. Look for all-inclusive honeymoon packages. If you’re paying for a honeymoon package, you don’t want to be spending even more money on meals and drinks that aren’t included in the basic package. Look for all-inclusive honeymoon packages that include these kind of extras in the package price. For example, Sandals and Almond Resorts offer all-inclusive honeymoon packages to the Caribbean. Remember, these packages won’t include flights, so you’ll need to factor in the cost of air travel.
3. Go on a cruise. Not all cruises are expensive, and many of them are all-inclusive so you’ll only need to pay for the cruise package itself. You can often choose to add romance packages on top of the basic package to make the experience more memorable (think rose petals sprinkled on the bed, breakfast-in-bed and complimentary wine or champagne), but these packages will obviously cost more. Examples of cruise lines that offer honeymoon cruise packages include P & O and Atlas Travel.
4. Take a long weekend trip. You can fit a lot into a long weekend break, especially if you’re on a trip that is predominantly sightseeing. This option is better if you’re not going to be traveling too far from home, because you won’t be wasting time getting to and from your destination.
5. Honeymoon in the United States.. You don’t need to leave the country to have a great honeymoon. There are plenty of honeymoon packages available in the United States. For example, Cove Haven Resorts offers all-inclusive honeymoon vacations in the Pennsylvania mountains, while The Point hotel also offers an all-inclusive package if you’d prefer something more exclusive (there are only 11 rooms in the hotel).
6. Travel out-of-season. If you can travel outside of the peak holiday seasons, you can find significant savings on vacation packages. For example, January and February are typically cheaper months to visit Hawaii, and it still has good weather in these months. Do your homework before you book, because you may find that off-peak in certain exotic destinations means that you’re more likely to encounter monsoons or severe tropical weather. Time your trip right, and you’ll score some big savings.
7. Find flight deals. Most people want to take flights at convenient times, but it can be much cheaper if you’re willing to fly in the middle of the night or some other “inconvenient” time. Check out the online travel agency CheapTickets or look at price-comparison websites such as Cheap Flights and Fare Compare to see how much you can potentially save on flights when you’re actively searching for deals. If you’re looking to book a flight and hotel package, Expedia could uncover some price reductions.
8. Look for hotel bargains. Cheap doesn’t have to mean inferior. Search for hotel deals on Expedia (especially if you need to book flights too), LuxRes (which can lead you to 40% discounts on luxury hotel rooms), Last Minute Travel and Orbitz (which is similar to Expedia).
9. Be flexible. If you’re not tied down to a certain travel date, keeping flexible departure and return dates can help to cut costs. Using the calendar-based fare tool on Expedia can inform you of the cheapest times to travel to and from your chosen destination.
10. Try house swapping. If accommodation is proving too costly, consider swapping homes with another couple for a week or two. You’ll have to pay for your own travel and food, but it can be a cheap way to find somewhere to stay during your honeymoon break. The big downside is that you’ll have to accept another couple staying in your house while you’re away, but if you go through a reputable house exchange company such as Home Exchange, you should be able to rest easily. They charge a membership fee for setting up the exchange.

It’s important to remember that paying more for your honeymoon doesn’t automatically mean that it will be a better experience. One of the main ideas behind going on a honeymoon is to relax after the stresses of planning the wedding and spending some quality time together. Of course, it’s nice to get away from it all somewhere exotic and luxurious but you can just as easily enjoy a great week together without spending a small fortune as long as you’re prepared to shop around for the best deals, think outside of the box, and accept some compromises.

Have you got any extra tips for saving money on your honeymoon?

(photo credit: gaminrey)