Tips for Saving Money on Your Honeymoon from The World's Greatest Honeymoons

• Planning •

• • Money-Savers

Packing Tips

• Money-Saving Tips •

For Honeymooners

• General • Transportation • Accommodations • Dining •


	General Money Savers

Off-Peak Destinations. It's usually less expensive to honeymoon during a destination's "low" season, since many hotels drop prices to avoid empty rooms—and many destinations are wonderful in their off season. »»More about the best months to travel

Go All-Inclusive. All-inclusive resorts can save money—but know exactly what is included before you go. Every year honeymooners are unpleasantly surprised to learn that their nightly bottle of champagne (or that marvelous couples spa massage, or the dreamy catamaran cruise, or some other delicious goodie) wasn’t part of the "all-inclusive" price. Do your homework. »»More about couples-only, all-inclusive destinations

Take a Shorter Honeymoon. Instead of a two-week extravaganza that you really can't afford, go for a week (and take a second week close to home later in the year).

Delay your Honeymoon. Is the time of year you're getting married the high season at your dream destination? Work around this by taking a long weekend honeymoon right after the wedding, and the big trip later in the year when prices go way down.

Smart Negotiating. When negotiating for airfare, car rentals, and hotel rooms, ask the sales rep for the lowest available rate. There’s an even chance that they'll find you one.

Earn Something Back. When charging travel, hotel, and auto rentals, put them on a charge card that earns cash back, airline miles, or some other rebate.

Honeymoon Registries. Allow your family, friends, and other loved ones to purchase parts of your honeymoon as a wedding gift. »»More about honeymoon registries

Let the World Know. Show off your newlywed status when checking in for a flight or hotel room, chatting with the maitre d' at a restaurant, or signing up for a tour or activity. Since people are generally kind, and since everybody loves a lover, you're sure to be gifted here and there with upgrades, flowers, a bottle of champagne, or a special treat.


	Transportation Money Savers

These days there seems to be little anyone can do to save money on flights, but these tried-but-true tips still work...sometimes.

Off-Peak Flight Days. Consider flying to your honeymoon destination on an off-peak day, usually Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Use Frequent Flyer Miles. Have you been saving them up? Now's the time to use them!

Website Price Checks & Fare Alerts. Don't stick with one website—you’ll be surprised at the differences you'll find. And the earlier you start planning, the longer you have to land a bargain rate. Travelocity, Orbitz, and CheapTickets are longtime favorites. Newer sites, like Farecast and Farecompare, offer new-technology extras to help find the lowest prices to a particular destination. Yapta lets you tag and track already-purchased flights, alerting you when prices drop so that you can apply for a refund.

Airline Sites. Often the best deal you can find is an airline's own site. It makes sense, because airlines must pay commission to brokers like Orbitz and all the others.

Website Cautions: Be very careful when booking through a website, making sure that you haven't inadvertently checked boxes (or that they haven't been pre-checked by the site) with add-on charges for services you don't want. For instance, is there a checkmark for travel insurance? If you don't want a service, save your money! Opt out by unchecking the box.

Travel Agents. More and more people prefer to do their own looking and booking. But don't dismiss travel agents out of hand; a good agent can still save you money.

Bid on a Fare. Put in a low bid for an online vacation or cruise auction. You just might win!

Cruise Aggregators. If you’re heart’s set on a cruise, try a reputable cruise aggregator. Here's how they typically work:

You set up a free online account and then select the ship, sail date, passengers, and the number and type of cabins you want.

The aggregator sends out your requirements to more than 100 travel agents specializing in cruises.

The travel agents compete for your business, sending you quotes for the trip you outlined.

You are never under any obligation to accept a quote, and travel agents are never given your contact info.

Best times to book flights: Most airlines lower their rates on Fridays. Competitors try to one-up them, lowering their own rates by 5:00 p.m. Saturday. Phone reservationists get those changes immediately, but the new prices don't reach the airline's website until around midnight. So...when making a phone reservation with an airline, do it after 5 p.m. on Saturday. If opting to reserve on the airline's website, Sunday after midnight is best.

Take a Road Trip. Driving through beautiful countryside is an adventure, and a lot cheaper—with far fewer hassles—than flying. You can also save money by packing a cooler, stopping somewhere beautiful for a picnic lunch, and staying in inexpensive motels and campgrounds. »»Check out WGH's road trips

Reserve Fuel-Conscious Autos. Don't waste money on gas. If the auto company offers to bump you up, they may want to stick you with a gas hog - beware!


	Accommodations Money Savers

Room with a View. If you're trying to save money, don't insist on a room with a fabulous view—they almost always cost more than rooms with lesser (but usually quite nice) views. In Hawaii an ocean view will usually set you back considerably more than a garden & flowers view.

Consider a Mid-Level Hotel. Lodgings at the top of the heap get well-heeled clients often traveling on expense accounts, and many hotels in that range tend to charge guests for every single thing. With mid-level hotels it's a different story: they get repeat clients through giving value (i.e., they tend to include things like wireless Internet, breakfast, etc.). Consider chains like Sheraton's Four Points, Holiday Inn Express, Marriott's Courtyard, and the Hampton Inn; most locations are stylish and well-run.

Don't Pay the "Rack" Rate. Try never to pay the full or rack price for a hotel room—the price you see when you check a hotel's website. Search for Internet specials or other promotions the hotel may be running, and don't overlook online hotel discounters.

Avoid Chain 800 Numbers. If you're booking into a chain hotel, call the specific hotel rather than the 800 number. You'll often come away with a lower rate, because individual hotels run specials of their own.

Ask for the Lowest Rate. When you call to book reservations, never fail to ask for the "lowest rate available."

Use Membership Discounts. You can often save money if you're a member of certain organizations. For instance, if you show a membership card from the American Automobile Association when registering, you'll automatically obtain discounts of 10% at most lodgings nationwide.

Beware of Room Service. (See "Dining Bargains," below).

Don't Use Hotel Valet Parking. If you can, take advantage of commercial parking lots near your hotel. They are bound to be much cheaper than the outrageous prices most hotels charge these days for parking.


	Dining Money Savers

Beware of Room Service. After adding in the rip-off delivery charge and the hugely rip-off service charge and whatever other fees the hotel can think of, that $30 breakfast for two ends up being $50. Don't waste your money. Make coffee in your room (the hotel does provide an in-room coffee maker, right?) and eat breakfast out. Even better, make afternoon purchases of yogurt and fruit or whatever appeals to you as breakfast, consuming it in your room the next morning. And if you call for food delivery at lunch or dinner from a nearby restaurant, you need only tip the delivery person.

Lunch vs. Dinner. Savvy honeymooners on a budget often eat lunch rather than dinner at upscale restaurants and hotels. Lunch menus offer many of the same dishes as dinner, with the same portion sizes, but at substantially reduced prices.

Gather a Picnic. Head to a farmer's market or a grocer and pick up local cheeses, fruits, wine, fresh-baked bread, and whatever other goodies strike your fancy. Find a riverside or a park or anywhere with a good view, and...Bon Appétit!

All written material ©WGH