How to plan vacation for 2 with less than $1000

 

Almost a year ago, Husband and I said "I do" and sailed away on a perfect honeymoon. Although I had been on a cruise once before, it was Joel's first time. He was immediately hooked! We agreed before ever getting off the ship that if we didn't have a baby by our 1 year anniversary, we would find a way to go again. With the year we've had consisting of a car accident, a flooded ceiling and my shoulder surgery it seemed as though another cruise would be impossible.

We considered not going and saving our money but also knowing that we hope to have babies in the near future, we realized this could be our last chance for a while. We were right on the fence when all of my deal-watching fell into place! We leave next week to do a repeat honeymoon! Here's how:

$260- Round trip Airfare for 2

$30-60 Bag charges

$80 Shuttle

$370 Cruise Fare

$100 Prepaid Gratuities (one less thing to worry with there)

Still all less than $900!

Regardless of your budget (whether it be $1000 or $5000), I wanted to give a few tips to planning your getaway for 2 without breaking the bank!

1. Set a Goal

Our goal was to go on a cruise for our anniversary! Keep this general, but have an idea in mind and a time frame in mind. This will help you envision your trip and work for your trip... which brings us to number 2.

2. Set Aside

Whether it's an extra income or a routine sacrifice, designating money is the way to go! With us, I started selling Mary Kay in June. Every time I had to spend an evening away or a few hours gone on the weekend, we envisioned ourselves on the open sea. It would have been nice to spend that money on clothes or extra date nights but we had a goal and we made the sacrifices to set that apart. 

3. Be Flexible

This is not to contradict number 1. Notice I said in there "general." Keep the time, length, and specifics flexible! We would have preferred to go at the time of our anniversary (October 26th) but it was cheaper to go at the end of September. We would have loved to gone on a 7-night instead of a 4-night but it would have cost and extra $400 we didn't have. Staying flexible lets you get the best deal!

4. Go ALL INclusive.

Whether it's a cruise or a resort or even Disney's all-in-one, get it all together up front! We LOVE cruising, specifically with Royal Caribbean, but if you're not up for the seas still keep the bulk of the price all in one payment. We love paying up front, walking on the ship, and knowing we have no stress when it comes time to eat. There are no menu prices telling us to get chicken instead of steak and to make it even better they'll bring both if you like!

5. Don't use Google Flights.

Or any other search out there (Expedia, Travelocity, Orbit). Most of the time they don't have access to the cheapest companies. Three of the best I've found include:

Frontier (what we're using this time)

Allegiant

Southwest

All of these you have to go to their personal websites to find flights! They run specials and have certain deals for different days of the week.

6.WATCH like your vacation depends on it!

Because it does! I started watching back in April. I can't tell you how many flights, cruises, and shuttles I've looked up. I've watched the prices rise and fall, made charts, managed schedules, and finally caught the right week! This way when you see your deal you can book it with certainty that you are getting the best price possible! RC ran a Labor Day sale and 2 days later Frontier had a 13% off Autumn special. I had calculated numbers enough to know that this was good as it could get!