How Much to Spend on a Luxury Honeymoon

In our tougher world, many of us are looking to slash prices where and when we can. Weddings and honeymoons, however, are special times and most of us hope to splurge and enjoy that special time together as much as possible – without spending ages worrying over whether or not the economy is going to ruin the start of our new lives together! So, in lieu of the struggles couples are making to have a genuinely nice and romantic honeymoon, I thought I’d put together a few tips for what to expect to spend on a luxury honeymoon and how to cut corners where it counts a bit less.

1. To go away somewhere that requires flights, you should probably expect to spend £3000-4000 at the very least. This gets more difficult the further you go; long haul flights to places distant from the UK can eat up your budget quicker than you think. You can get a bargain often by booking well in advance of your departure date – last minute discounted flights are very much a thing of the past – or by choosing the off-season when not many people fly. It’s cheaper to book Florida in January than in July. Of course, there are also risks associated with this (often including variable weather), so it remains firmly up to you.
2. Choosing a European getaway can be a way to cut down the price a bit. It’s not nice to start your honeymoon with bargain flights, but the advantage of Europe is that you can go by train or even boat. The Eurostar is a great option for reducing stress and actually enjoying the journey as much as the destination, rather than paying extra for everything from baggage to sitting together! Once you get to Europe, you can choose the high speed trains to get where you’d like to go. You can also take a ferry over to Ireland, or if you’re in the south, from Dover down to Calais.
3. If you do choose to fly in Europe, you can often get fantastic package deals to lovely islands in the Mediterranean from some of the top tour operators. Scott Dunn offers Greek holidays to Mykonos for roughly £2000 a person. There are also some fantastic options for exploring Italy for just a little more. All hotels are excellent standard, and with so much culture around the region you can split your time between relaxing by the beach or pool and exploring the ancient history and little quirks of these locations.
4. Go for less time. Maybe you’re saving up for a big holiday in a couple of years but in the meantime you want to make sure you do get a honeymoon. Go away for a long weekend. Four days is cheaper than fourteen and you will probably find that you can even go for an upgrade. It’s a great way to make those first few days as a married couple really special without breaking the bank.
5. Opt for a honeymoon gift list. If you ask for gifts in advance, and are having a big enough wedding, you’ll probably find that much of your honeymoon gets paid for without doing anything at all. Even if your guests wait until the end, you’ll have plenty of fabulous experiences you probably couldn’t afford before. Good gift list services will give you the money directly if you wish, so you can either apply it towards your balance or towards other fun activities on your honeymoon.
6. Stay in the UK. Yes, this is a viable option and can still make for a fantastic getaway. Explore the wilds of Scotland together, or go ‘glamping’. You might even consider a beach break in Cornwall, though no one can guarantee the weather. Without the hefty expense of flights, you may find that you can afford nicer accommodation anyway, and if two weeks of pure sun and sand aren’t actually that much to your taste, why not spend your romantic time exploring your own backyard?