How to Have An Epic Honeymoon....Without Making Your Wallet Cry

I had always seen my honeymoon as one of the best things about getting married. Maybe it was because I had more housewares than I could shake my fist at, or because I had already bought my own home, or I had lived with D for so long already that I didn't feel a traditional registry would fit my style. Along those same lines, I knew I wanted to make our honeymoon one of the most memorable experiences in our lives, and that meant going all out.

Source: Love this Pic

I have always wanted to travel the world, see new things, experience new cultures, meet new people, and expand my mind through culture and food. Prior to getting engaged, I had decided that I was finally going to set a goal to take the trip I had been dreaming of for so long.

I missed out on the fun of studying abroad (why I didn't go, I have no idea-it's still a decision I regret), and I didn't take the customary gap year to travel the continents. My parents had taken me on cruises, and I had explored bits of North and Central America, but I wanted more. I blame Pinterest completely for the epicness level of travel I was planning for our trip, but I also don't think I could plan without it. Pinterest is my thought collector-and you can find all of the super cool things to do through your pins too!

Our trip started out as a trip around Europe. Our plans then took us to being in Genoa, Italy and realizing we could take an overnight "mini cruise" (ok, it was a nicer ferry-but seriously.) to Barcelona, Spain. From there, we may have spiraled slightly out of control, and we found ourselves booking a 10 night cruise from Barcelona to Casablanca, Morocco to three Canary Islands, back up to Madeira, Spain, and ending in Barcelona yet again. Needless to say, that once the excitement wore off, I found myself in a panic (not quite cold sweats level), thinking about how we were going to somehow make it from Denver to our epic cruise (without knowing how long our trip was going to be before or after the cruise).

Source: Endless Trek

From that point on, I kept flip flopping from wanting to quit my job and travel for the rest of my life to planning out every detail, and coming home to decompress (usually more of the quitting, and less of the coming home if I'm being honest). Anywho, as I was exploring and trying to tie down our plans, the frugal woman in me (which is most of me) realized that if Groupon (and the million other discount sites) existed for the United States, there must be something for the other places we were going to be traveling. That's when I started looking (foolishly, because we already had all of our itinerary sorted through and booked) at Groupon Getaways.

Let me tell you....if I had the chance to do it all again, I would almost positively go this route. One with airfare included. Just take a look....the Getaways are always changing, so you're bound to find a trip you've been dreaming about, and you just can't beat these prices! I'll let you in on a secret, we lucked out and found our airfare from Denver to Dublin for about $770/person (which is cheap for this flight, trust me), so being able to spend $800 per person for airfare and 7 nights staying in a 5-star CASTLE with rental car is a ridiculously good deal. If you don't want to travel to a million different places like we did, but you want something unique-Groupon's got you covered.

One disclaimer though-ALWAYS read the fine print BEFORE you buy the Groupon-some of them are only good leaving from certain airports, or only on certain days-just make sure the Groupon fits you and your plans before you impulse buy your honeymoon.

Some other examples of Groupon Getaways

Obviously, you may have something completely different in mind for your honeymoon, but give Groupon a shot-and check back frequently as the deals they offer change regularly. You too can have an epic honeymoon to make all of your friends jealous....and you don't even have to tell them how much you spent!

Don't just take my word about Groupon though: My Groupon Honeymoon - The Week.com Article

Here's the link to the Groupon site to check out your options: www.groupon.com/getaways

Other great sites to check out for great travel deals:
Package or Tour Deals:
www.LivingSocial.com --not as user friendly as Groupon, but still a great place to find awesome package deals.


Hotels/Lodging (as a side note-ALWAYS check TripAdvisor before booking any lodging): 
www.airbnb.com -- people rent out a room in their home (or their entire home/apt) all around the world, and you benefit! Live the local life in an intimate location!

www.booking.com -- it takes a little getting used to searching/understanding, but you can find some really great places and deals

www.budgetplaces.com -- easy to use website, offering up some great lodging options.


Airfare only:
www.Adioso.com -- Super awesome site that allows you flexible searching if you want it, but also regular searching if you don't.

www.Momondo.com -- This site is great, and is how we booked our flights, it helps you see when prices will be cheaper and they rate each airfare with a smiley face to let you know how close to ideal each flight is.


Do you have any experience using any of these sites? I'd love to hear about it!

As always, best of luck blushing brides!