Perhaps you’ve been so focused on the mechanics of your big day that you forgot about that one final detail — the honeymoon. Maybe, you just realized you could fit a newlywed trip into your budget. Some of you might have decided that you do, indeed, need a vacation after the wedding chaos.
No matter the reason, you’re planning your honeymoon at the last minute. Fortunately, it’s possible to book a trip that will give you all the relaxing, romantic vibes you need without breaking the bank. Here’s our eight-step guide to doing so.
1. Figure Out Transportation First
Some planners will be lucky enough to live within driving distance of a honeymoon-ready destination. If so, transportation doesn’t have to be a huge consideration — book a hotel, pack, hop in the car and go.
However, most honeymooners will have to find a flight to where they want to go, and last-minute tickets can be pricey. Use a flight aggregator website like Skyscanner, where you can plug in your home airport and specify your intended destination to find the cheapest flights. To that end, if you’re unsure where you want to go, you can use Skyscanner to search for “everywhere” as your destination to see what your most cost-effective options are.
2. Don’t Get Married to Specific Dates
You’re in a marriage state-of-mind, but, to plan a last-minute trip, you have to be open to travelling on different days to find the best deals. For instance, flying on Friday and Sunday tends to be more expensive, since everyone wants to either leave work and go, then get home and start the week seamlessly. If you’re willing to fly in the middle of the week, though, you can get a much better deal — and you’ll only have to get through a few days of work before fully resetting on the weekend.
3. Use the 14-Day Rule
Two weeks before a cruise sets sail or a hotel welcomes guests or a plane takes off, they take drastic measures to reach full occupancy — they lower prices. If you’re two weeks away from your intended honeymoon dates, now’s the time to look for flights, hotels or cruise berths. You could also find a discounted travel package that includes your transportation and accommodation.
4. Pay Attention to Travel Site Emails
In the past, you’ve probably used a travel site, such as Orbitz or Expedia, to help you book your discounted travel and hotel. These companies send out regular emails to flaunt their best upcoming deals. As you start planning your last-minute honeymoon, pay attention to these messages. This option will be especially fun for the spontaneous brides and grooms out there – a website could help choose your first destination as husband and wife.
5. Use Apps to Help You Plan
Your honeymoon won’t just involve selecting a flight and hotel. Before your last-minute departure, you should have an idea of all the fun things you can do — and the great things you can eat — once you reach your destination. Travel apps, such as Yelp and TripAdvisor, will show you the top activities, restaurants, tours and more. Then, you can use apps, including Google Translate, to help you communicate in a new country or OpenTable to help you book romantic meals each night.
6. Enlist Help
Last-minute trip planning can be stressful, and you’re probably already swamped with the final details of your wedding. So, consider finding the right travel agent who can help you. This option doesn’t have to incur a significant expense, nor will your helper choose an exorbitantly expensive trip for you and your new spouse. Instead, they will work to put together a package that suits your budget and travel window.
Plus, they have connections — a travel agent picking up the phone and calling hotels for you will have more weight than you trying on your own. You might even get special treatment upon your arrival, which is what we all want on our honeymoons.
7. Always Do Your Research
If a travel deal appears too good to be true, then it probably is. Before booking any last-minute trip package, be sure to use the user-review apps mentioned above and see what others have experienced on their getaways. In some cases, they’ll have had wonderful trips, which can give you the confidence you need to book. However, you might find that your destination isn’t all it’s cracked up to be — and you’ll save a lot of money determining that now.
8. Don’t Be Afraid of the Waitlist
You’ve booked your flight and hotel, but you can’t seem to get into any of the activities you want to do on your honeymoon. Don’t fret — ask the people in charge to put you on a waitlist. You might not be able to do everything you want to do, but you’re likely to find that restaurants, spas and other places will be willing to work with you to make your honeymoon memorable.
Get Married and Go
Your honeymoon is the relaxing reward for months spent planning and preparing for your walk down the aisle. In other words, you’ve earned this – even if you’re putting it together last-minute, don’t skimp on your first vacation as newlyweds. Book it, get going and enjoy every moment.
Kacey Bradley is the blogger behind The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she has written for sites like U.S. News, SUCCESS, Ruffled, and more!
Follow Kacey on Twitter and subscribe to her blog to keep up with her travels and inspiring posts!
