If you’re one of the many couples who have had to postpone your wedding due to the coronavirus outbreak this year, you might be thinking about saving up a little more and re-booking your honeymoon. Robbie Fowle, from travel money provider H&T, shares the destinations that are set to be hot with honeymooners next summer, along with a few tips for making your money go further while you’re there.
While delaying your wedding for a whole year might seem like a big disappointment, don’t despair: there are plenty of advantages to postponing your nuptials. For one thing, waiting another 12 months to get hitched gives you more time to top up your savings — and that means you can upgrade your honeymoon to make your trip even more luxurious. Plus, there’s a chance that the financial markets around the world will have regained a bit of stability by next summer, meaning your money should go further abroad.
In this article, I’ll share four incredible honeymoon destinations, along with some tips for saving and converting your travel money, so you can be sure that your holiday of a lifetime is worth the wait.
Corsica, France
France and Italy are both famously romantic holiday destinations, with food, weather, and culture to die for. So how about a honeymoon that combines the best of both worlds? The enchanting French island of Corsica is located just north of Sardinia, meaning it benefits from a unique mixture of both French and Italian cultures in a balmy Mediterranean climate. The landscape is mountainous and dramatic, with postcard-perfect beaches and stunning blue waters, and the island is at its best in summer. So, if your ideal holiday involves lazing around the pool or at the beach, exploring charming coastal towns, and eating lots of seafood, then Corsica could be the destination for you.
Maldives
If you’re looking for a honeymoon that will really impress on Instagram, head to the Maldives. With perfect turquoise waters, pure white sands, endless sun, and plenty of five-star resorts where you can really get away from it all, the Maldives really is the ultimate long-haul destination. Many honeymooners choose to make the most of the secluded location by going for a private waterfront villa out on the water — many even come with their own pool and even their own butler. So, if being waited on hand and foot is your idea of the perfect holiday, this is the place for you.
Napa Valley, California
California is full of fantastic honeymoon destinations, but one region which has become especially popular in recent years is the Napa Valley, better known as ‘wine country’ in the States. Loved by celebrities, this idyllic county is a vino lover’s paradise, with sun-drenched vineyards and rolling hills to rival any of the historic wine regions in Southern France or Italy, but with a much more relaxed atmosphere. In addition to all the wine you can drink, there’s also a huge choice of luxurious resorts and ranches, great restaurants, and plenty of California sunshine — what more could you want?
Costa Rica
If you and your fiancé prefer high-octane thrills to lazing around on the beach, then Costa Rica could be the honeymoon destination for you. This Central American country is a tropical adventure lover’s playground, with plenty of exciting activities to keep adrenaline junkies happy, including zip-lining, white-water rafting, canoeing through the rainforest, and hiking across stunning volcanic scenery. If you do decide to explore Costa Rica’s rainforests, you could even consider staying overnight in a canopy level treehouse, where you can get up close and personal with the wildlife before dozing off under the stars.
3 tips for saving and making your money go further
Build up your travel money over time
Waiting until the week or so before you travel will leave you at the mercy of the exchange rate at that time. The best way to get a good deal is to exchange a small chunk of your overall cash budget every week for a couple of months in the run-up to your trip. This way, you’ll be covered if the rate suddenly nosedives right before you travel. Given the unstable world we’re living in at the moment, exchange rates are likely to be quite volatile for some time, so this is likely to be the safest way to get your currency for your holiday.
Set out a plan
If you were all set to marry this summer, then you’ve probably already got plenty of experience when it comes to saving up for a wedding. But it’s worth saying it again: the key to successful saving is working out a budget and sticking to it. So, sit down with your fiancé and work out how much you can afford to put away each month. Money-saving apps that round up your change as you shop and transfer it to a savings account each month can also offer a great way to save over time.
Find ways to make money on the side
We’re all spending a lot more time indoors at the moment, so why not make the most of it? There are plenty of ways to make money online these days, so consider topping up your savings by starting a side hustle. If you’re a crafty person, you could try selling your creations on sites like Etsy. Or, you could use your extra free time to kill two birds with one stone by having a good declutter and selling your old clothes, tech and jewellery online. Just bear in mind that you’ll need to tell the taxman about any earnings over £1000.
If you’ve had your honeymoon dreams dashed by the pandemic, then it’s certainly worth considering whether you could use the extra time to increase your budget and upgrade your trip. All of the destinations I’ve shared here are sure to make for the holiday of a lifetime, so just take your pick, and start saving!
