It
doesn't make much sense to weigh every dollar invested in your wedding if you're
going to spend like a sailor on the honeymoon. But with the wedding-related stress
behind you, it's easy to succumb to the temptation to indulge your every whim,
leaving you and your new spouse with a big fat credit card bill on your homecoming. The
average newly married couple spends $5,111 on their honeymoon trip, according
to a Conde Nast Bridal Infobank survey. Favorite destinations include Hawaii,
the Caribbean and Mexico, with more distant destinations such as Tahiti and Europe
gaining in popularity, says Janet Hyman, regional vice president of Frosch Travel
Duet in Deerfield, Ill. Hyman stresses that it's important
for the couple to really think about what kind of trip they want before planning
it. "Figure out what activities you both enjoy and build
those into the honeymoon," she says. "It's hard to plan a trip with
lots of different types of activities." Like most events
in life, careful planning will help you stretch your dollars to accommodate what
you and your spouse most want to do on your honeymoon while avoiding the extra
charges that can quickly suck up your cash. Start with an idea of how much you
want to spend, because without a budget or some type of spending limit, costs
can escalate quickly. When planning your honeymoon, consider
these cost-saving tips:
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Save on your honeymoon | |
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1.
Book way ahead. The farther you plan in advance, the better deal you'll
get. Whether you purchase an all-in-one resort or cruise package or painstakingly
put the pieces together yourself on the Internet, the earlier you start working,
the better. Booking early means a year or close to it; by
even six months ahead of your trip, most of the deals evaporate. "The travel
landscape has really shifted. A couple of years ago you could get a lot of bargains,
but since last year, things have picked up and the planes and hotels are getting
crowded," says Alan Fields, co-author of "Bridal Bargains." Don't
count on cutting costs by using frequent-flier miles. The frequent-flier market
has gotten so tight, Fields says, that you have to figure on booking a year in
advance to get anything, even an upgrade to first class. "I
know that United, for example, opens their flights for booking at 2 a.m. 330 days
in advance, so if you want a hope of using your miles, especially on a prime destination,
it's not a bad idea to stay up until 2 a.m. to try to book it." | 
