Honeymoons on a Budget
If you can’t afford some lush overseas holiday to an exotic location, or a first class berth on an ocean liner – relax, there are still plenty of options available to you. Remember, places don’t create romance – people do.
The purpose of a Honeymoon is not necessarily to spend as much money as possible and keep up with the Joneses – it should really be about spending quality time together in your new role as husband and wife.
When planning a Honeymoon (whether it be one on a budget or not), the questions you need to ask yourself are:
- What do you enjoy doing?
- What have you always dreamed of doing?
- What places have you always wanted to visit – but have never had the time, or your new partner never had the time to visit?
- Are there places close to home that you’ve always said you would like to visit, but again never had the time?
Work out what you really want to do, and where you really want to go and balance out a budget to accommodate all.
Here’s some examples:
If you love dining out, you may decide to spend less on your accommodation, freeing up money to visit classy restaurants and dine on sumptuous food.
You may value tours and sightseeing higher than ‘prepared’ food, and so take a cut lunch and snacks with you when you leave your accommodation each day, to keep costs down.
A particular place you’ve always wanted to visit may have a guest house that charges ridiculously high fees for accommodation, but there are camping facilities or a hotel nearby that offer exactly the same experiences (the location and sights), at a fraction of the cost.
One couple I know, who lead very busy lives – and who don’t have budgetry restraints (he successfully franchised his business years ago, and she inherited a profitable cafe) – stayed at home for their Honeymoon. During that time they packed a picnic lunch and took the ferry across to another part of town and relaxed on a rug for most of the day. Other days they visited the beach (a short distance from their house) and he taught her how to surf ski. The rest of their time was spent in bed… watching DVD’s to their heart’s content – alternating genres! (he’s a mad fan of foreign films and she loves action adventure). They asked the nearby cafe/restaurant (not hers) to deliver meals. And that’s how they lived for the two weeks of their break… perfectly happy, relaxed and in their “own time-zone” – and they would never have wanted it any other way.
As the saying goes – to each their own. Just know you don’t have to spend a fortune to have the perfect honeymoon.
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