Tulum Mexican Riviera
What are the best honeymoon spot for young couples on a post-wedding budget?
What are the most popular honeymoon travel spots? Islands are great, because couples will likely benefit from year-round beautiful weather as well the opportunity to engage in lots of beach activities. (Of course, they can keep things quiet if they prefer.) Depending on where a couple lives, it’s easy for them to choose an island that may be fairly close to home and cut down on the travel costs. For example, west coast brides will love Cabo San Lucas– especially the easy two-hour flight. New York brides can visit St Tomas and just as quickly hop over to St. John (USVIs) for a few days. John’s note: As part of the US Virgin Islands, St. John does not require a passport for travel from the US mainland.
What is the most romantic place in the world? Italy & Spain. My two favorite cities are Florence and Barcelona. I prefer to stay away from some of the more obvious choices such as Paris or Rome because they quickly turn into tourist spots. I love to travel and enjoy a city with the locals, and both of these European cities allows you to do just that, while still allowing a couple to enjoy the shopping, great food and amazing architecture in these gorgeous countries.
Name three places on your bucket list. Morocco – I am so inspired by other cultures of people of color, so I am anxious to experience the food, shopping and architecture that is valued by the people from this region of the world.
Fiji – I love warm weather and beaches, and I have wanted to experience this destination for years now. Although a small population resides on the islands, there are still a significant number of Fijians living there, and I hope that they have done a good job of protecting their culture, as this would allow me to educate myself about it.
Capri – I am so in love with Italy and intend to purchase a second home there, but I have never visited Capri. It is widely known for wealth and romance–two of my favorite topics.
What’s the best honeymoon spot for couples on a budget? An all-inclusive, like Sandals allows for you to budget properly, as you will know all costs ahead of time. For those on the East Coast, the Caribbean has inexpensive flights and plenty of all-inclusive.
Cruises are another relaxing choice. There are a host of cruise line sizes, shapes and destinations to suite everyone. They can be great because once your on board you can be a busy or not as you would like to be. Depending on where a couple lives, it’s easy for them to choose a sailing port that may be fairly close to home and cut down on the travel costs. For example, west coast brides will love San Diego. New York brides can just as quickly hop over to the City) for the city to depart. Spend a couple days before or after the cruise to make it extra special.
John’s note: Some folks are prone to seasickness. Do not make your first cruise your Honeymoon. Be sure you both enjoy being on the water and have some previous experience. Wearing a Transderm Scop patch until you adjust being at sea can be a great help. However you must consult with your doctor beforehand.
What’s was your most memorable trip-of-a-lifetime? Why was it so special? Napa California. We arrived in San Francisco, rented a car, and had nothing planned other than the day we would arrive at a B&B. We had the time of our lives traveling around California, and have never been so free and unplanned in our travel since.
Do you like destination weddings? Destination weddings are increasingly popular as you have a number of controlled variables. They are usually smaller in number of guests, and you have a jump-start on the honeymoon. They are particularly attractive to those having a second marriage. Keys to picking the right place: make sure it is somewhere with a lot of direct flights, that has meaning to the couple, and is someplace that you think others would enjoy traveling to.
What are the best honeymoon spots for couples on a budget? In addition to being the Celebrations.com travel expert, I have been a romance travel specialist for many years now, and I have come to absolutely love the Riviera Maya, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica for their tropical beauty, sexiness, friendliness, and range of experiences. John mentioned all-inclusive, and the Riviera Maya is the best of the best when it comes to variety, quality and range of all-inclusive. There are tiny ones in Tulum (heading photo) with maybe only 10 rooms, and huge ones with 20 swimming pools, and everything in between.
If you want to go a little further south, Costa Rica is just gorgeous, and it can be very reasonably priced. There are all-inclusive in the tourist hot spots like Tamarindo, and tiny family-owned hotels in a lot of the smaller beach towns.
And finally, Puerto Rico—it has that Latin/Caribbean flair, with sexy clubs and amazing food and beautiful beaches…but you don’t need a passport! I love that.
What are some travel adventures that bring couples closer together?
Nothing too physically rigorous, I would say. Road tripping can be great, as it gives you so much time to talk and enjoy each other’s company as you explore new territory. Just don’t put too many strict timelines on anything! If you love food, “tasting trails” are fun, whether you’re hunting out wineries, cider mills, cheese makers, or chocolate.
Or rent a small cabin in the snow, ideally with a Jacuzzi. Ski or trek around in the daytime, enjoy a cozy dinner and shared bottle of wine, and I promise you, by 9pm, you’ll be saying, “Let’s go to bed… but not to sleep.”
I hope my extensive travel experience as a photographer working with such publications as National Geographic helps your honeymoon be extra special. Feel free to get in touch if you have any specific questions. Stay tuned, as I will follow up with more travel tips to make your honeymoon spectacular.
