Thursday, August 7, 2008

The Road Less Traveled...For Your Honeymoon

The cost of a honeymoon often rivals the cost of a wedding. Audra’s idea of a dream vacation is to be alone on an island in the Caribbean with her special someone. Tropical island destinations provide a perfect honeymoon for many couples, but Audra would be the first to remind us that a honeymoon in a non-traditional location can often be as special as two weeks on a Caribbean island, but less expensive.


1. Dreaming of Aruba or Jamaica, but don’t want your honeymoon budget to become a nightmare? Visiting an island or beach resort close to your home state or country instead of flying half-way around the world will save on travel fares and accommodation prices. Seek out package discounts for combining travel and accommodations well in advance of your wedding and consider traveling during non-peak hours to save even more.


2. Will you live where the wedding will be held or is your new home in another town, city, or country? My daughter and son-in-law married in Pennsylvania but planned to return to his home on an Air Force base in Montana. They considered their need to get to Montana, their love of motorcycles, and a desire to attend the annual Bike Rally in Sturgis, S.D., then chose to spend their honeymoon riding their Harley to Sturgis, camping along the way. They attended Bike Week before riding on to Great Falls. Their unconventional honeymoon not only saved them quite of bit of money, it gave them a chance to fulfill one of their wishes.


3. There’s no written or unwritten law stating a honeymoon must directly follow a wedding. A newly-married couple may delay their honeymoon while waiting for a change in seasons, a special event, more vacation time or a variety of other reasons. While money, or lack there-of, isn’t often cited as a reason, it should be included on that list. Couples needing a bit of time between the wedding and the honeymoon often find they feel as though they've actually taken two honeymoons if they share a night or two in a hotel or bed and breakfast near home right after the wedding and go on their "real" honeymoon a few months after the ceremony.
Planning your honeymoon around your favorite interests will enhance your special time together. Remember that where or when you go on your honeymoon or how much or little it costs isn’t nearly as important as spending time with the person you love.

posted by Susan @ 3:00 AM