6 Smart Ways to Save on Your Budget Honeymoon

After you factor in the printed invitations, the plated meals and the pretty peonies you just have to have, your wedding budget is likely getting higher and higher than you’d ever imagined. And you’re supposed to plan a 10-day European vacation with the leftover budget? (Again, what leftover budget?)

The answer to your troubles doesn’t have to be “skip the honeymoon,” you just have to be a little creative with your post-wedding travel plans.

The whole point of a honeymoon is to get away with your new spouse, and you know that you don’t need a swanky hotel or first class airfare to enjoy each others’ company. Consider planning an affordable road trip or backpacking excursion instead of a more conventional honeymoon.

Be open! If you know you’d like to hit the road (or skies) right after the wedding, research destinations or cruise and travel packages who are in the middle of their off-season when you say “I do.” You’ll likely save a mint on transportation and lodging costs if you’re willing to go against the grain.

If travel is more of a priority for you than, say, a roasting pan, you can opt to create a honeymoon registry through a service like Honeyfund or Wanderable. Instead of traditional wedding gifts, your guests can contribute towards your travel expenses, or buy experiences and meals for your trip. Or consider Zola, an online regsitry that will let you split your wish list between both traditional gift items and honeymoon expenses, all on one registry.

If you have frequent flier miles or reward points on a credit card, your honeymoon is as good an option as any to cash them in. Even if you don’t have enough rewards to totally cover the cost of, say, airfare, you might be able to cash them in to seriously reduce the cost.

Honeymoons are for relaxing. While it might feel like you need to take this opportunity to splurge on the multi-destination sightseeing vacation of your dreams, you might find that what you really want is just a quiet and short respite away from home. Stick to this “3-4” plan: Reduce your trip to just 3 or 4 days, and visit someplace that doesn’t take more than 3 or 4 hours to get there. Make reservations for just 3 or 4 “must sees” or “must eats” and let the rest of the trip happen spontaneously.

There’s no rule that says you have to leave for your honeymoon the Monday after the wedding. If you decide to plan your big trip for a month or more after the wedding, you can still call it a “honeymoon” (and you should–you could get some complimentary champagne out of the deal).

Do you have any advice for planning a honeymoon on a budget? Any out-of-the-way destinations you’d reccommend?