How To Plan Your Dream Honeymoon, On A Budget

Time-saving tips to make planning your Boston wedding celebrations a breeze.

 Presented by TransAction Corporate Shuttles

How To Plan Your Dream Honeymoon, On A Budget

This article is part two of a series on planning your dream honeymoon. Part one described how to best collaborate on the planning process to choose a honeymoon that you will both enjoy. This article will help you plan the best honeymoon possible within your budget.

At Savvy Bride Boston, we enjoy providing the resources, information and tips that save you time and money as well as reduce the stress that can be associated with planning events around your wedding. fWe love doing the research for you, from engagement parties, to photo ops, to budgeting for everything you want for your wedding—including the honeymoon.

Start with the Basics

Before making any arrangements, the first step is to sit down as a couple and decide on a budget that is realistic and that you can agree on. Decide which aspects of your honeymoon are non-negotiable and which factors are flexible. Being honest with each other from the start, will make the planning process smoother and can help prevent disagreements along the way.


It’s important to be up-front and realistic about what you are comfortable spending on the honeymoon. However, compromising on your budget doesn’t mean you need to compromise on what you want for your honeymoon. You can still have your dream honeymoon, even while working within a budget.


Determine what parts of your honeymoon are the most important to you. If you want to stay in a luxury hotel, get pampered by room service, and enjoy spa treatments, then choosing a destination closer to home can help you save on transportation costs. If your dream is to travel to a new and exotic place, then opting to stay in a smaller hotel or bed and breakfast can increase your budget for flights and local excursions.


How much you spend on your honeymoon depends on your budget and on the experience you want as a couple. There are always ways to balance costs and cut back in areas that aren’t as important to you to make room for the things that you really want to experience.

Book Early

Don’t let procrastination be the reason why you can’t miss out on your dream honeymoon. Make time during the wedding planning process to plan for your honeymoon. Working out the details of your trip can be an enjoyable experience, but before diving into the specifics of what you’ll do day-to-day, you need to first solidify your travel plans.


Last minute deals on flights and hotels are rare, especially if you’re traveling during the busy season such as summer or around holidays. Start looking for good deals on flights and accommodations 6-9 months in advance to give yourself more options to choose from. Popular destinations will sell out sooner, so the earlier you look, the better chance you will have to get your first pick at the best price. If you wait too long to plan your honeymoon you could be forced to pay higher fares or settle for less desirable lodging.


If you are traveling away from Boston for your honeymoon, transportation and accommodations could be one of your largest honeymoon expenses. It’s best to make these decisions first to give yourself an idea of how much of your budget will be allocated to those two things and how much you will have left to spend on everything else. Once you’ve locked down those details, you can start planning the fun parts.


Also, consider the timing of your honeymoon and decide together if you prefer to wait to take the trip as opposed to leaving directly after the wedding. The more flexible you are with your desired dates, the more likely you are to find better deals.


Another thing to consider when planning your honeymoon is to travel on off-peak days to save money on plane tickets. Flights that leave on Tuesdays or Wednesdays tend to be cheaper than flights on other days of the week.

Choose an Inexpensive Destination

You can cut costs by choosing a place that is easy to get to and affordable. Flights can add a considerable amount to your honeymoon budget, so you can save by choosing a location that is accessible by car or train.


The time of year when you are traveling is also a factor that can help determine which destinations are within your budget. Be sure to research the climates and seasons for where you are looking to visit. Planning a trip to Mexico in the middle of the summer will be cheaper when searching for flights and hotels, that’s because it’s the middle of their rainy season. Planning your honeymoon during off-peak seasons is often less costly, but also could mean risking the quality of the experience in other ways.


Luckily, as a Boston local, there are beautiful honeymoon destinations right in your own backyard. Staying close to home is a perfect way to stretch your budget . Places like Nantucket, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard or The Berkshires (which we covered in part one of this series) offer an enjoyable experience as well as the convenience of not needing to travel very far.

Have a Romantic Staycation in Boston

Staying in the Boston area will save you money and can allow you to see a side of the city that you may have overlooked in your everyday life. As a local, it’s easy to take for granted Boston’s historic cobblestone streets, architecture, waterways and the wide array of delicious menus found at some of the best restaurants in the country.


Taking a swan boat ride at the Boston Public Garden, ice skating at the Charles Hotel, or having a fine dining experience at Top of The Hub are just a few ways to reignite your love for your city and explore it together through new eyes.

Subscribe to Deals and Flight Alerts

If you know where you want to go early enough, use that to your advantage by watching the price of different trips to get the best deal.


Use an app like 
Hopper or Skyscanner to watch rates for flights you’re interested in. Hopper will tell you if the price of a flight is predicted to go up or down and when you should book your flight to get the best price.

If you are tracking prices, having multiple options for places and dates will give you the best chance of landing on a good deal.


It can be exciting to think that a price will go down in the future, but if you see something within your budget, that you are comfortable with, go ahead and book it. You don't want to miss out on a good deal because you are waiting for something better to come along.

Consider a Honeymoon Registry

Not everyone wants another set of flatware or fine china they might never use. That’s why a lot of couples are breaking the tradition of registering for household items, and opting for a registry that allows guests to help fund their honeymoon.


A registry lets you accept wedding gifts in the form of experiences or financial contributions to your honeymoon. Create different packages and price points that guests can choose from that will deduct from the cost of your honeymoon. You can also include other things related to your honeymoon. For example, one option could be to upgrade your flight to first class, or to pay for an activity like a snorkel lesson or historical tour.


Registering for different activities that you want to do on the trip is also a fun way to get guests involved and help them feel like they are contributing to something that will go to good use.


You don’t have to be tech-savvy to create a honeymoon registry. As a result of this growing trend, dozens of honeymoon registry sites are popping up to help couples seamlessly set up their registries.


One of the more popular wedding website and registry builders, Zola, now offers honeymoon registries. Include on your invitation that instead of gifts, guests can visit this website and make a contribution. Other popular honeymoon registry sites include HoneyfundBlueprint Registry and Honeymoon Wishes.

Plan “Mini-Moons” Throughout the Year

Your honeymoon doesn’t need to conform to what is considered “traditional.” Instead of one big trip, some couples are booking a few different mini vacations or “mini-moons” throughout their first year as newlyweds.


Enjoy a 3-day weekend getaway to local spots within a two-hour drive of Boston, or break your honeymoon up into quarterly jaunts or staycations that are pre-scheduled or themed.


Scheduling multiple trips throughout the year is also a great way to choose different activities that cater to each of you. Taking turns planning each adventure will also let you explore each other's interests more intimately and guarantee that you’re each doing things you enjoy while still spending time together.

Work with a Travel Agent

Working with a travel agent or guide can feel like an added up-front expense, but it can help you save more in the long run. An expert is going to know all of the secrets of the best times to book, the best places to stay within your budget, and can offer insider perks that you wouldn’t know about otherwise.


You will also save a lot of time by not having to plan the trip yourself. Depending on the situation, your time may be more valuable to you than the amount of money you are spending. If you choose to go with a travel agent, you may find someone who can eliminate the difficulties of travel planning.

Ask About Honeymoon Discounts or Packages

If you don’t choose to work with an agent, there are still ways to get special perks just by asking or letting people know it’s a special occasion. Accommodations may not advertise newlywed or honeymoon discounts online, but emailing them ahead of time or talking to a hotel representative on the phone may reveal better options.


Even if you’ve already booked your stay, reach out to the hotel concierge and let them know that you’ll be celebrating your honeymoon. It’s likely that they will want to go above and beyond to make sure that your experience is as memorable as possible. Even little things like leaving a complimentary bottle of champagne or dessert in your room can make your stay more memorable.


There is no harm in asking and if you are lucky enough to get any perks, treat them as extra little surprises along the way, you’ll enjoy your honeymoon no matter what.

Final Thoughts

When planning your honeymoon, make sure you are realistic about how much you want to spend and how that relates to the kind of experience you want to have. If you have a limited budget, use the tips in this article to find ways to cut costs and make the trip memorable without putting undue stress on your finances.


It’s always helpful to be flexible, especially when you’re on a budget. Have a few options in mind and do your research ahead of time. It's likely that you’ll find some honeymoon options that are more affordable than others, and you will be able to weigh which parts of the experience are the most important.


Your honeymoon is the start of your life as a couple and should be a time for you to relax and unwind after your wedding, and most of all, enjoy each other's company before returning to everyday life as newlyweds.


Working together to decide on where you want to go, what you want to do and how much you are comfortable spending on your honeymoon will bring you that much closer together and help ensure you have an experience that you’ll remember for a lifetime.

Congratulations and all the best from your friends here at TransAction Corporate Shuttles.

We’d be thrilled to help you with any transportation needs for your wedding or any of your other wedding-related events.


Just give us a call and don’t forget to use your coupon to save 20%!

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As a Savvy Bride, when you book your wedding transportation with us, we'll give you a 20% discount on transportation for bachelor/bachelorette parties, bridal party spa days, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, wedding after-parties or any of the other wedding-related events you are planning.

Save your guests and bridal party the hassle of figuring out the logistics of getting to and from your wedding events. We specialize in wedding transportation and it's a great way to create even more memories of being together during all of your celebrations.

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