7 Ways to Have a Dream Honeymoon on a Tight Budget

Ah, your honeymoon. It’s time to put budget caution aside and think big. Like a dream honeymoon on a private island in the Caribbean, with your own chef and staff to cater to your every whim. Sounds good right? Well, sure, if you’re one of the lucky ones in this economy still earning rock star salaries. But, if you’re an average couple starting your new life together, you may need to scale back a bit.

Now, now, don’t despair. The good news is that you can still have a dream honeymoon and do it on the cheap. Not convinced? Perhaps the following 7 tips for a cheap but dreamy honeymoon will help you:

1. Go on a cruise

Cruises can be a great way to have a romantic honeymoon at a cheaper price. They are all-inclusive, which means you know in advance how much the trip will cost, making it much easier to stay on budget. You have a wide variety of destinations to choose from, including sexy Caribbean spots and laid-back, romantic river cruises. And, if a longer cruise is out of your budget, there are many cheaper 3 and 4 day cruises available that sail to romantic destinations at very reasonable prices.

2. Stay at someone else’s house

This may not sound very appealing, until you realize that home exchanges are a great and cheap way to vacation in some very attractive destinations like Italy, Ireland or Greece. There are several online home exchange networks where you can find people willing to exchange houses with you. It helps, of course, if you also live in a desirable vacation destination.

3. Head for the mountains

A romantic cabin in a mountainous setting can also be an inexpensive but dreamy honeymoon. The good news here is that most people live within a day’s drive of a mountain community where you can rent a cabin for a few days. Walking hand in hand through a peaceful forest during the day, followed by champagne in front of a roaring fire: what could be more romantic?

4. Consider a bed and breakfast

Another romantic option is to stay at a Bed and Breakfast, particularly a historic one. There’s something about a house built in the 1800s, with its dark woods and stained glass windows that raises the level of romance. Keep an eye out for B&Bs that have won “Best in Romance” awards in Bed and Breakfast magazines and guides. You can find cheap and romantic B&Bs all over the world.

5. Consider a cheaper beach setting

Yes, renting an entire island in the Caribbean for yourselves is very attractive. But a 5-night stay on many private islands will cost you more than most people earn in a year. You can have the same million-dollar views for a small fraction of the cost in places as beautiful as Jekyll Island in Georgia, Catalina Island in California, and the Sanibel and Captiva Islands in Florida. No, you will not have the private butler and chef, but you will have romantic and beautiful views.

6. Take your honeymoon during the off-season

Do you think that a honeymoon in Europe is too expensive for you? Then go when it’s cheaper, like the shoulder season in the spring months of April or May, or late September or early October. Even if you have a June wedding, you can still postpone your honeymoon until a cheaper time of year. It won’t make it less romantic.

7. Someone else pay for it

It caught your attention, didn’t it? Of course, it would be nice if someone else paid for it. But maybe his family doesn’t have the money to send them both to some exotic part of the world. Whats Next? Settling on a honeymoon registry, that’s what. It’s like a wedding registry, but instead of asking for household items, it asks for contributions towards your honeymoon. The focus of the gifts is on things and activities that a couple would normally pay for on a honeymoon. It can be something as ordinary (yet generous) as a 3-night stay at a spectacular resort on St. Barts. Or it could be a gondola ride in Venice. Honeymoon registries can even help pay for one or all meals at the couple’s hotel.

The point is that a honeymoon doesn’t have to put you in debt to be special and romantic. The memory of your honeymoon should last a lifetime, not the cost.