Friday, May 25, 2007

Eight Cheap Honeymoon Ideas for Couples on a Budget

Between paying for the wedding and setting up a new household, many couples find there’s not much money left in their budget for the honeymoon. But who says you have to spend a fortune to enjoy a romantic honeymoon at your dream destination? Here are eight ideas for a more affordable, yet still romantic, honeymoon.

1. Ask for the gift of a honeymoon

You can defray the cost of your honeymoon, or perhaps even cover the cost entirely, by listing it on a honeymoon gift registry. A honeymoon registry works just like a wedding registry, but instead of buying you china your wedding guests buy you a trip to China (or the honeymoon destination of your choice). Yes, your guests could just contribute cash toward your honeymoon, but giving a particular portion of the honeymoon (dinner at a fancy restaurant, or a carriage ride through the historic district of a far-off city, for example) is somehow more meaningful. You’ll find a number of honeymoon registries online by typing into any search engine "honeymoon registry."

2. Exchange homes

If you prefer to mingle with the locals rather than other tourists, look into a home exchange for your honeymoon. In a nutshell, you go stay in someone else’s house while they stay in yours. Sound risky? Maybe—but tens of thousands of people have exchanged homes since the 1950s. For an annual membership fee (usually around $50), home exchange clubs will help you find someone willing to swap homes with you, as well as offering tips to make the exchange go smoothly. According to ExchangeHomes.com, a home exchange can cut your travel costs by as much as half. More importantly, though, you’ll get to live like locals, and perhaps make life-long friends.

3. Rely on the hospitality of others

Hospitality clubs can hook you up with people who are willing to host you in their private homes. The largest such club has more than 23,000 members in 148 countries. Membership is usually free, although you’re asked to provide hospitality to others (on a voluntary basis) in return sometime in the future. In addition to saving you money, it’s a great way to meet locals who can give you an insider’s perspective on your honeymoon destination. Other places you can look for free or reduced-cost accommodations include hostels (they’re not just for the young and single anymore) and monasteries and convents, some of which open their doors to guests for little or no charge.

4. Win a free honeymoon

"Nothing in life is free"—unless you win a free honeymoon vacation in a promotional sweepstakes or contest. Quite a few travel agencies and other companies run contests giving away honeymoon vacations as a way of promoting their services.

The odds of winning a free honeymoon may be remote, but the cost of entering is usually just the time you spend searching the web for “honeymoon contest” and filling out online entry forms.

5. Go camping

Firelight and shooting stars every night . . . breathtaking natural beauty . . . snuggling with your honey in a cocoon of zipped-together sleeping bags . . . . Yes, camping can be romantic, as long you’re well prepared and have the right equipment (warm sleeping bags, a comfortable mattress pad, and a waterproof tent are a must). Plus, it’s pretty cheap--$10 to $20 per night at most locations. It’s even cheaper if you cook your own food. You can mix a few nights of camping with a few nights in hotels to make your honeymoon more affordable. And don’t overlook the rustic (but cheap) cabins available for rent at many state and national parks. Some even offer a honeymoon cabin!

6. Travel in the off season

It may be obvious to seasoned travelers, but those with less experience may not be aware of how affordable it can be to honeymoon in the “off season”—basically, any time other than when most people travel to your destination. Certain destinations’ accommodation and airfare prices may be slashed by 30 percent or more during the off-season compared to the peak travel season.

7. Consider your airline alternatives

When booking airfare online, don’t overlook the discount airlines (Southwest, Song, jetBlue, and so on)—some are not listed on the big travel portal websites, even though they might have a lower fare to your destination. Also be sure to compare rates for alternate airports within a reasonable traveling distance. You might live half an hour from a major airport, but the smaller airport a couple hours away might have substantially lower fares, perhaps saving you hundreds of dollars. Finally, be flexible about your arrival and departure dates; the major travel portals all have options to search for the cheapest flights within a range of dates. Any one of these alternatives could potentially save you hundreds of dollars.

8. Check budget travel newsletters

If you’re not picky about where you honeymoon, you can probably cash in on promotional deals offering deep discounts on airfare and lodging—if you know about them. To stay abreast of the latest offers, sign up with as many free budget travel newsletters as you can.

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Honeymoon Vacation Ideas can be Economical

The purpose of the honeymoon vacation is only minimally to live for a few days like extravagant royalty. The real purpose is for and your loved one to have the most beautiful and memorable experience of your lives. Decide exactly how much you really can afford to spend, and spend it all (but not more). It's always good to be frugal, but don't be stingy! After all, this is your honeymoon.



Honeymoon vacations are even more important than your typical week away from work. Do all the planning in advance - and make contingency plans, as well - to make sure you and your spouse will be totally free from stress for the entire occasion.



A travel agent will have an array of honeymoon vacation packages for destinations all over the world. These include a stay at an all-inclusive resort, a rental vehicle, and a schedule of various activities for your entertainment. Since just about everything is included in the price of the package, you can end up paying less than if you had booked it all separately.



A "prefab" honeymoon vacation package will provide some bang for your buck, but there are also some issues to keep in mind. For one thing, there is only so much that can be done to customize the experience to your preferences - and doing this can add to the price. During certain times of the year, the more traditional honeymoon vacation spots can be teeming with tourists and fellow honeymooners. Ask your travel agent for some statistics to help you book a destination during its off-peak season.


Not many people have the budget to fly around the planet or pay the price of hand-and-foot service at a posh resort. There are many ways to create the romantic ambience and enjoy the perfect honeymoon vacation with even the smallest of budgets. For example, everyone seems to associate honeymoon vacations with travel. It's as if there were no romantic getaways within 1,000 miles of anybody's home. That is obviously crazy, since there are probably couples visiting their own honeymoon vacation spots within a few miles of you right now!



Instead of setting your sights on the ancient monuments of Europe or South America, look first in your own locale. In all likelyhood, you can build the ideal honeymoon vacation package without even leaving your state. It won't include the glamour of flying to an exotic, remote island, but all that money you would have spent on plane tickets and passports can go toward even better things.

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Friday, May 4, 2007

10 Christian Dating Tips for


1. If he tells your that you are hot...
Tell him God made you hot.

2. If he wants to hold your hand...
Give him a Bible.

3. If he tries to get closer...
Tell him the Holy Spirit is wooing him.

4. If he asks to pay for dinner...
Remind him that Jesus also paid a debt He did not owe!

5. If he reaches his arm around you...
Tell him that nobody will ever be as close to you as Jesus is.
(or ask him if you instead could "lay hands" on him in prayer)

6. If he tries to kiss you...
Remind him that a kiss killed your Savior.
(and you're not ready to "speak in tongues")

7. If he asks to come inside...
Ask him if he has asked Jesus to come inside his heart.

8. If he tells you he loves you...
Tell him that Jesus loves him.

9. If he gets angry that you won't put out...
Clarify to him that W.W.J.D. does NOT mean "Who would Jesus Do."

10. After you dump him...
Tell him that Jesus Christ will never leave or forsake him.