How much are you planning to spend on your honeymoon?

[karasue91]

FI and I had originally thought $3000 would be enough for the honeymoon we want to take. We didn''t want to spend a ton of money, and since we just moved to Calgary we thought a 2 week road trip would be really nice and wouldn''t break the bank. We will drive a couple of hours at most each day to various parts of BC, making our way to Whistler, Vancouver, Victoria, and all the beautiful regions they have in between Calgary and Vancouver.

We started looking at stuff and realized that $5000 was a more realistic budget. But now I''m looking at hotels and adding up the costs, and unless we want to camp out every night, it looks like $5000 isn''t going to cut it either!!

So, I was just wondering how much people are budgeting to spend on their honeymoon? And where are you going? And also how does that compare with how much you have budgeted for your wedding?

Thanks for your input!!

 

[Cleopatra]

We've budgeted right about $6,000 for everything including flights. We are really looking for an all-inclusive resort, so i think we'll manage with our budget.

ETA - don't know exactly where we're headed just yet - but our travel agent has started sending us lots of great options!

 

[sap483]

We''re cashing in frequent flyer miles and frequent guest points for our honeymoon. I have been travelling a ton for work for the last 3.5 years, so it''s finally going to pay off! Anyway, we are going to Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea for about 3 weeks. I know the food there is pretty expensive, so we''re budgeting about 2-3k in food and other expenses. However if we had to pay for our flight (appx $1800 pp) and hotel (avg $600/night- the ones in Tahiti are a about $250 a night, $350 a night in Moorea and a whopping $1200 a night in Bora Bora) we definitely could not afford to go there. With that being said French Polynesia is definitely a more expensive option. FI and I went to Egypt for a wedding a few years ago and spent under 5k for flights both to and from Egypt and within Egypt, really nice accomodations at two different Four Seasons for 12 nights, luxury transportation within Egypt, food, drinks, gifts we purchased, excursions we took, and the wedding gift we brought. So I don''t think 5k would be an unrealistic budget at all.

 

[swingirl]

That''s about $350 a day. That would be a pretty fancy road trip! Are you planning on staying at really nice hotels and eating expensive dinners every night?

 

[espressa]

We''re budgeting around $9,000, but hoping we can do it for less than that. That cost also does not include airfare (we''re getting married in Italy and our honeymoon will be in Italy and France - our plane tickets are being paid for by my mother). That''s factoring in food, hotels, activities, trains/cars and shopping (I''ve already warned him to plan on me spending at least a thousand for shopping there - it will be my first time to Europe and I love to shop!). We''ll probably be in Europe for close to 4 weeks.

We''re flying into Rome, spending a few days there, going to the town that FI''s grandmother grew up in, then heading to Perugia to get settled into the castle. We leave a week later for the honeymoon, and we''re trying to figure out exactly where we''re going after that. We''ll probably head down to Naples, see Pompeii, the Amalfi coast, then back up to Venice, and go to Milan to take one of the high-speed trains to Paris, where we''ll spend about a week until we fly home.

We were hoping to go to Greece as well but I don''t think we''ll have enough time, unless we cut out all of southern Italy. We would also need to fly to Greece, then fly from Greece to Paris, and I really don''t want to fly any more than we have to. We''ve looked into the ferries from Italy to Greece but it would take close to a day each way, then we would have to take trains, so it isn''t very feasible.

FI would rather go to Greece than France (he''s already been to Paris), but Paris was the one place I knew I wanted to go for sure. He''s been tempting me though that if we go to Greece instead for the honeymoon, we can take a trip to France in the next few years since it will be easier to get to than Greece. But I worry that we''ll end up having children before we can go, and then we''ll never make it there, and I''ll always regret it. So it will probably end up being Italy and France after all.

 

[Pandora II]

We''re budgeting around $5k for our honeymoon. It should come in at a lot less as we are going to Sri Lanka and it is pretty cheap over there. However, we are intending to stay at slightly nicer hotels etc than we normally would.

This isn''t including the amount I''m planning on spending on rocks while I''m out there though!

 

[tberube]

I picked $3,000 to $5,000 because we're going to Italy on our 1st Anniversary, as our honeymoon. Although I'm not sure exactly how much it will cost, we will have the whole year to save. On second thought...maybe I should have voted $5,000 to $7,000 because I'm always over-budget... heh.

 

[CrookedRock]

I said $10,000+. We are going to do 3 weeks in Africa which will be quite expensive, but we aren''t having a wedding so it all works out in the end.

 

[mimzy]

we''ve budgeted 4k for a week long trip to belize (including flights and everything). we wont'' be staying at the nicest places most likely, but i think it will still be an amazing vacation!

 

[cdt1101]

I voted $5,000-7,000. We are going to Italy for 2 weeks. We just finished booking the flights, hotel and car (for Tuscany region) and it comes to about $5,500. So I have a REALLY good feeling we''ll be over the $7,000 (w/ food and shopping), but we''ll see.

 

[anchor31]

We''re looking to spend less than 3k for a honeymoon to Mexico (flying from Canada). We''re having a 750$ local mini-moon right after the wedding because I can''t take much time off.

 

[karasue91]

Thanks everyone!! So it sounds like we are about average in terms of honeymoon budgets.

Swinggirl, well we have to figure in the cost of gas, which is very expensive in Canada, even more so than in the States, and since we will be driving through mountains we will be eating up a lot of gas. And whenever I start looking up hotels in the places we are going, I can''t seem to get one that looks decent for under $300/night! We will be camping out some and I don''t mind staying in less-than-luxurious hotel for a night or two, especially if we are in a place where we will be out of the room a lot. But it just seems so ridiculous!!

It sounds like everyone is going on such nice trips!! That''s one thing I''ll truely miss about living in the States....cheap flights and reasonable vacation packages.

 

[anchor31]

Date: 2/21/2008 2:02:18 PM
Author: karasue91
Thanks everyone!! So it sounds like we are about average in terms of honeymoon budgets.

Swinggirl, well we have to figure in the cost of gas, which is very expensive in Canada, even more so than in the States, and since we will be driving through mountains we will be eating up a lot of gas. And whenever I start looking up hotels in the places we are going, I can''t seem to get one that looks decent for under $300/night! We will be camping out some and I don''t mind staying in less-than-luxurious hotel for a night or two, especially if we are in a place where we will be out of the room a lot. But it just seems so ridiculous!!

It sounds like everyone is going on such nice trips!! That''s one thing I''ll truely miss about living in the States....cheap flights and reasonable vacation packages.

I know!!! I just looked at packages for Mexico, and I''m starting to wonder if we''ll make it for our budget. I love Canada, but the only thing I hate is how expensive traveling is!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I think you can have a fantastic trip at any price, but for us our honeymoon was more important than the wedding. We budgeted over $10k for our trip to Hawaii, but I think we came in under. It''s just a matter of where you want the money to go.

 

[bee*]

We''ve budgeted anything up to €7500 so it''s just about $10000. We''re going to Costa Rica for around three weeks and then NY for a week. We''d much rather spend money on the honeymoon rather than the wedding.

 

[Sabine]

We budgeted $4,000 for the honeymoon, and we''re staying at an All-Inclusive resort in the Domincan Republic. It looks like we''ll be coming in slightly under budget even with all the day-trips we''ll book once we''re there.

 

[Stephanie]

I have no say in the hm, but I know that FI will keep it under 5K. From what I understand, we might be traveling up to Whistler to go skiing. So who knows. With the USD being down so much, it might be worth staying in the country for a while.

 

[October2008bride]

Hey Karasue! I have done a similar road trip - FI and I flew to Vancouver (we are in TO), and then drove a huge circle through BC as far as Lake Louise in Alberta and back. It was honestly one of our best trips together. It was so beautiful!!!!

We didn''t stay in fancy places - a lot of the towns we stopped in don''t really have fancy hotels, so we did hotel/motel type things.

We camped one night but I was so scared of bears that I hardly slept!! That was when we stopped the night before we went white water rafting. It was hilarious. I was in a total panic!!!

Either way, you will have a phenomenal honeymoon!! It really is so beautiful and I''m sure you will love it!!

 

[karasue91]

Date: 2/21/2008 5:23:37 PM
Author: October2008bride
Hey Karasue! I have done a similar road trip - FI and I flew to Vancouver (we are in TO), and then drove a huge circle through BC as far as Lake Louise in Alberta and back. It was honestly one of our best trips together. It was so beautiful!!!!

We didn''t stay in fancy places - a lot of the towns we stopped in don''t really have fancy hotels, so we did hotel/motel type things.

We camped one night but I was so scared of bears that I hardly slept!! That was when we stopped the night before we went white water rafting. It was hilarious. I was in a total panic!!!

Either way, you will have a phenomenal honeymoon!! It really is so beautiful and I''m sure you will love it!!

October, that''s awesome!! Yeah, that''s basically what we are thinking that most of those gorgeous places we stop at will be tiny towns with just a little motel in it. Which I''m fine with, it''s just that looking at place in Lake Louise and Banff look like they are going to be pricey! I can''t find a decently priced, decently nice hotel for anything reasonable at all. And I''m scared of what we will find in Vancouver and Victoria. Although FI says you can camp in Victoria, which I am much more willing to do than out in the middle of Banff. I don''t know why they aren''t scared of bears, I''m scared to death. I just need to convince FI that we can afford to stay at a decent hotel as long as we are staying in little motels and/or camping most of the time. I also wanted to stay at a nice place our first night out (not our wedding night but the night after, we aren''t leaving for our trip till the day after the wedding)

We are planning to go white water rafting too, I''m excited!! And we are definitely stopping at some hot springs. I actually told FI that I would leave him in charge of the honeymoon, so I should probably just cross my fingers. He''s cheap by nature and he talks a big game but when it comes right down to it, he will lay down the cash for nice stuff

Do you have any recommendations? Is there anywhere you would say we should definitely stop? There was a thread started on the Hangout board but it was more about Jasper than the Banff to Vancouver area. Any suggestions you have would be awesome!!!

 

[zoebartlett]

We''ve bugeted $3000 but it could go up or down, depending. I can''t imagine that we''ll spend that much but I''m glad we have it just in case we need it. We changed our destination because it was just going to be too expensive, and we wanted to still have something in savings after we returned from our honeymoon. We''re driving from our wedding to QC and from reviews I''ve read, it looks like we''re staying at a nice hotel in the older part of the city. I think the most expensive thing will be the meals. Other than that, we''ll be paying for gas and things we want to do while sightseeing but that''s about it. We don''t have any spa days or anything like that planned.

 

[zoebartlett]

oops, double post.

 

[sera]

I voted $1k-3k. We are planning a 7(or so)-day cruise to Mexico (from Los Angels or San Diego).

Though... I happened to see a 2 week Panama Canal cruise which would be from LA to FL... I shouldn''t have looked at the cruises... that one is twice as much (though is twice as long).

 

[shimmer]

Blah! I just wrote a two page essay and it got deleted! I''ll rewrite it later

 

[karasue91]

Date: 2/22/2008 12:33:51 PM
Author: shimmer
Blah! I just wrote a two page essay and it got deleted! I''ll rewrite it later

same thing just happened to me trying to reply on another thread. must have been a PS blip. annoying!

 

[LegacyGirl]

We''re hoping for the 3-5k range.

 

[Mara]

we spent about $4000 on the trip itself (7 days in tahiti) and then another $1500 in incidentals and food while there. overall it was more pricey than we''d expected while booking/planning at the time....but while on the trip you don''t really care because its so fun and it''s your honeymoon. so make sure to budget extra for ''while on the trip'' stuff you might not expect.

 

[TravelingGal]

If we had gone on one, I would have had no issues with spending 7-10K on a far out honeymoon. But alas, we were tied down here and couldn''t leave. Now it''s hard for me to justify spending that amount on a trip. We did in fact go on a "honeymoon" a year later to Maui for 5 nights, but that only cost me $629 for the trip...hehehe.

 

[October2008bride]

Date: 2/21/2008 5:56:30 PM
Author: karasue91

October, that''s awesome!! Yeah, that''s basically what we are thinking that most of those gorgeous places we stop at will be tiny towns with just a little motel in it. Which I''m fine with, it''s just that looking at place in Lake Louise and Banff look like they are going to be pricey! I can''t find a decently priced, decently nice hotel for anything reasonable at all. And I''m scared of what we will find in Vancouver and Victoria. Although FI says you can camp in Victoria, which I am much more willing to do than out in the middle of Banff. I don''t know why they aren''t scared of bears, I''m scared to death. I just need to convince FI that we can afford to stay at a decent hotel as long as we are staying in little motels and/or camping most of the time. I also wanted to stay at a nice place our first night out (not our wedding night but the night after, we aren''t leaving for our trip till the day after the wedding)

We are planning to go white water rafting too, I''m excited!! And we are definitely stopping at some hot springs. I actually told FI that I would leave him in charge of the honeymoon, so I should probably just cross my fingers. He''s cheap by nature and he talks a big game but when it comes right down to it, he will lay down the cash for nice stuff

Do you have any recommendations? Is there anywhere you would say we should definitely stop? There was a thread started on the Hangout board but it was more about Jasper than the Banff to Vancouver area. Any suggestions you have would be awesome!!!

Sure!!

The place we went white water rafting was Lytton, BC. It is a strange, small town, but the rafting company was great and I was a total worry wart! One young girl went overboard, and the ''rescue'' was unreal - EXTREMELY fast and safe. I think she was in the water for all of 30 seconds. I was really impressed. We camped there (that is where I was in a panic!) and I wouldn''t recommend it - we stayed right next to the train tracks! It was hilarious, but not restful! There are motels in the town - its an early start for the rafting so I would recommend staying there.

We also went to the Ainsworth Hot Springs - it was pretty neat! That was my first time at a hot spring. The drive there is also really beautiful. There is a ''resort'' at Ainsworth, but we stayed RIGHT across the street here http://ainsworthsprings.com/ Across the road from the springs is a little ice cream parlour thingy, and this ''apartment'' is attached to it and it is beautiful. It is fully furnished, with towels etc even. The deck out back overlooks the lake and has a bbq etc. It was super reasonable and romantic.

We were also a big fan of the drive through Banff National Park - its sad to see the places where fires hit though.

Really, we mostly loved the drive!! You go past some gorgeous lakes, curvy roads, wildlife and just amazing, calm scenery. You will love it!!

Anyways if you need more help let me know!

 

[karasue91]

October, thank you so much for posting back. Ainsworth was one of the places I told FI I would like to stop for the hot springs!!! And that apartment would be so perfect for us, we might even want to stay for a couple days since it is right by Kootenay Lake and looks like there would be some other stuff for us to do too. And $100 CAD per night!!! That''s so awesome, thank you so much!!!!!

I''m definitely looking forward to the drive. FI was visiting me last weekend and I made him take me to Banff for dinner. I love mountains so much, and I''ve heard so much about how absolutely beautiful BC is, I''m so pumped.

 

[Dutchgirlll]

We are spending more on our HM than on our wedding. So far I really don''t even know how much it will be in total

.

This is what we have planned:

We booked a round the world ticket for out DW in Bali.
-We''ll be flying from Amsterdam to Bali, stay there for 11 days, have our wedding and hang out with our friends/family for another couple of days.
-From Bali we''ll fly to Hong Kong for 5 days. We''ll go to Macau from here as well.
-Than we''ll fly to Phuket, Thailand and stay there for 7 days beach fun.
-From Phuket we''ll fly to SOuth Korea and do a backpack trip around the country for 11 days (maybe hit North Korea too

)
-From South Korea we''ll fly to Vegas, were we''re planning a second wedding for friends/family there. We''ll be staying in Vegas for 7 days befor we''ll fly back to Amsterdam.

In total we''ll be away for somewhat more than 5 weeks.

We''ve done trips like this befor, and I needed our honeymoon to be even better than those trips, I think we came pretty close..

Costs made so far:

Air fare: 4400 euro
Hotel Bali (wedding hotel): 1800 euro
Extra hotel nights Bali (different hotel): 200 euro
Hotel Macau: 100 euro
Hotel Thailand: 800 euro
HOtel Vegas (Mandalay Bay): $800 (wedding venue)
Hotel Treasure Island: $1000

So we still have to plan for our hotels in Hong Kong and South Korea. Total this far... over $12k

And for you Karasue, we''ve done that same trip (we went from Seattle to Vancouver, to Calgary, down to Yellowstone and back to Seattle) 2 years ago. It was a great trip, we had so much fun. We stayed a lot in motels, a lot of small towns with not a lot of options. I totally recommend driving down to Seattle as well, it''s only a 2 hour drive from Vancouver and I totally loved it.
I don''t know when you''re going but we visited all the parks in august, and we had bad weather in Banff and Jasper. At 1 point it actually snowed about 6 inches in one night

(we came out our bungalow in the morning and we shocked). Besides those parks it was great weather, but you might wanna think about packing some warm winter clothing (gloves etc). We knew it could be cold, but never thought of bringing gloves and scarfs, when we went up a glacier we couldn''t stay up for more than 10 minutes because of the cold wind and rain.

If you have the time (and it''s the season) try whale watching in Vancouver/Seattle (we tried, late in the season, so no whales

) but still a beautiful trip! Have fun planning!