6 Options for Romantic & Cheap Honeymoon Destinations

You don’t have to be an adventurous traveler who gets away somewhere new every single year to plan a non-traditional honeymoon trip. Sure, a honeymoon in Italy or Hawaii might be the kind of thing little girls dream about when they think about the honeymoon they’ll take one day, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize that when a destination is incredibly popular as a honeymoon spot then it’s more likely to be a costlier vacation. So if you’re traveling on a budget, you may need to look elsewhere on the globe.

Does taking a budget honeymoon mean you’re stuck spending your first days as a married couple in Kansas City or Cleveland? Absolutely not. There are all kinds of locations around the world that are plenty romantic but won’t break the bank – and what’s more, they’ll set you apart from all your other newly married friends because they’re atypical honeymoon destinations.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of cheap honeymoon destinations, but this list should get you brainstorming other places you could go for your honeymoon that are the ideal combination of having a romantic atmosphere and being budget-friendly.

Cheap Honeymoon in Mexico

Although a honeymoon trip to Mexico is by no means off the radar when it comes to romantic vacations, trips to Mexico are a super bargain in recent years. After the swine flu scare and some other bad press, Mexico has been practically begging travelers to return, with exceptional prices on everything from flights to hotels to all-inclusive resorts. There are still certain times of the year when Mexico trips are more expensive than others, but those trips are still likely to be cheaper than some other popular beach destinations you could choose. And if you travel in the off-season, you can save even more.

Cheap Honeymoon in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is everywhere and nowhere all at once. You can pretend you’re in New York one minute and Paris the next, all while having world-class restaurants, famous over-the-top shows, and luxury spas within easy reach. A trip to Vegas is all about excess, and there’s no better excuse to indulge than your honeymoon. Airfare to Las Vegas is almost always on sale, and it’s especially cheap if you book a combo deal with a hotel. Now, a Las Vegas trip isn’t going to offer you the kind of alone time that a private cabana on a Bora Bora beach might, but in a city that promotes anonymity you can rest assured you’ll probably go pretty much unnoticed.

Cheap Honeymoon in Buenos Aires

Want a European honeymoon but you can’t quite afford the trip to the continent? Try a different continent with a European flair. Argentina might not seem like it would be the ideal European vacation, but there are those who argue that its capital city of Buenos Aires is even more European than some cities in Europe. There’s a decidedly Latin flavor to this city, however, so you’ll have the experience of Euro-chic cafes and architecture combined with tango bars and those famous Argentinian steaks as big as you can handle them – all at a fraction of the cost of an actual European trip.

Cheap Honeymoon in Florida

For Americans, Florida represents one of the best options when it comes to beach-centric honeymoon trips. There’s no passport required, it’s a popular enough vacation spot year-round that there are lots of choices when it comes to flights in and out, and there’s so much coastline that you’re likely to be able to find a beach that’s a little less crowded than the most famous beaches in the state. You may not be able to find a bargain on a honeymoon trip to Miami Beach, but steer clear of the most popular beach towns and you’ll have more luck sniffing out deals for a honeymoon in Florida.

Cheap Honeymoon in Toronto

What Toronto lacks in small-town charm (it’s the biggest city in Canada, after all) it more than makes up for in international style. A honeymoon trip to Toronto will make you feel like you’ve taken a multi-country trip – and not in that surreal way a trip to Vegas will, either. This is a city with vibrant Chinese, Italian, Indian, Korean, and Greek neighborhoods (among others), giving you lots of delicious options for authentic ethnic meals – and what’s more, if you’re taking a summertime trip you can even take advantage of the fact that Toronto is on the shore of Lake Ontario and enjoy some time on a Canadian beach. Toronto is a famously expensive city to live in, but for travelers who learn the tricks for finding cheap honeymoon airfare it can be a great deal.

Cheap Honeymoon in Croatia

Sometimes nothing but a honeymoon in Europe will do – but if you’re on a strict budget you’ll no doubt be balking at the cost of a trip to Paris or Venice, and with good reason. While those cities are fantastic honeymoon destinations, they’re also fantastically expensive. For a cheaper alternative, we recommend Croatia. It’s no longer “undiscovered” Europe, but it’s still a cheaper European vacation than neighboring countries. And one look at Croatia on a map will tell you that it’s got way more than its fair share of coastline. It’s exquisitely beautiful coastline, at that, combined with what seem like a zillion little islands and a fine collection of Roman ruins to boot.

photo by jared