For many couples, a honeymoon isn’t just a trip to take with their partner. It’s a chance to relax after planning a wedding, and a chance to have fun with the person you love.
However, honeymoons, like weddings, don’t just happen. You’ll need to plan out what you want to do on your honeymoon. You’ll also want to get the most value for your dollar, especially since you’re probably already trying to pay off your wedding.
How to Plan a Honeymoon
Plan in Advance
A honeymoon is, at its core, a vacation, and for the most part you should treat it as such. That means planning in advance as much as possible, preferably 8 to 12 months. The sooner you start planning for your honeymoon, the less you’ll have to deal with last-minute obstacles and events being booked up.
Planning your honeymoon in advance will also give you room to figure out how much you’ll want to spend on the trip. One of the best ways to do this is to create a vacation budget. You can list out all the potential expenses, including hotels, plane tickets and activities to get a sense of how much money you’ll want to save for the trip.
It's also worth pointing out that the earlier you start planning, the more time you have to figure out how to afford a vacation like the one you're planning. You can look through your budget to find extra money you can save for your honeymoon, sign up for a rewards credit card you can use exclusively for honeymoon expenses and even take out a personal line of credit.
Create your honeymoon budget today
Plan Your Honeymoon with Your Partner
This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people come up with their ultimate honeymoon plans only to realize that their partner has an entirely different idea of what a honeymoon should look like. Your ultimate honeymoon should be a vacation that both of you will love.
You can start discussing your honeymoon goals by talking with your partner about what you’d like to do on a honeymoon and listen to your partner’s goals. From there, you can start talking about:
- The length of your honeymoon
- Your ideal honeymoon budget
- What experiences you want to have
- Favorite activities
While you’re creating your honeymoon planning checklist, you’ll want to record it somewhere. A notepad is always a good standby, but you could also record your plans in your smartphone’s note pad or in Google docs.
Indulge Your Interests
More than any other vacation, a honeymoon should be a celebration of both you and your partner. That means you should get to do the things you like to do.
While this doesn’t mean you should ignore your partner’s wants, it does mean you should consider what’s important to you on a vacation. Do you like to hang around the beach all day and have a relaxed dinner, or do you like a day filled with a lot of activities? Do you like being adventurous and exploring, or are you happier mingling with the crowd in a well-established location?
Of course, you should also focus on the interests both you and your partner share. The odds are pretty good you and your partner share a few interests, so make sure your trip incorporates them.
Travel During the Off Season
One of the best ways to stretch your travel dollar is to go on your honeymoon during the off season. You’ll have a better chance of getting a discount at a hotel or an event, and you also won’t have to deal with as many people.
If you can’t book your honeymoon during the off-season, you may also want to look at the “shoulder season,” also known as the very beginning and very end of the high season. You’ll be more likely to get a discount, while still being able to take advantage of everything the high season has to offer.
Book Activities Over Time
Once you know where you’d like to stay and what activities you’d like to do, it’s time to start booking them. Instead of booking them all at once and maxing out your credit card, though, book them gradually. This will prevent the costs from mounting up and lessen the credit card debt you have to carry.
Booking your honeymoon activities gradually also gives you the opportunity to track prices and book your activities when the cost drops. The best part is that the earlier you make your plans, the more time you’ll have to monitor your prices and the better chance you’ll have to get a good deal.
Questions about how to fund your honeymoon? Ask us!
Let People Know You’re on Your Honeymoon
Finally, let companies know you’re on your honeymoon. While you’re not guaranteed to get special treatment, many places do have some extra perks they give to newlyweds, including
- upgraded hotel rooms
- a bottle of champagne
- a complimentary service, like a couple’s massage
Some places might even offer honeymoon packages that let you bundle several activities together for a discounted cost. While you’ll want to make sure these activities are things you and your partner want to do, this can be an excellent way to save money.
Have a Fantastic Honeymoon With Help from First Alliance Credit Union
A honeymoon can create memories for you and your partner that will last a lifetime, but it has to be planned. For the most part, you should treat it like a vacation, including starting early and making a budget for your honeymoon. However, you should also make sure your honeymoon focuses on the experiences both you and your partner will love, and you can save money by booking events over time instead of all at once.
You can also make sure your honeymoon is successful by becoming a member of First Alliance Credit Union. You can save money for your honeymoon in a traditional savings account or money market account, use our online banking platform and mobile app to keep track of how much money you’ve saved for your trip and even take out a personal line of credit to help fund your honeymoon.
