LOCATION ADVANTAGE
At ages 19 and 20, Deidre Salisbury and her then-boyfriend were deeply in love and living just two hours from Las Vegas. “We didn’t have very much money then, and because we were young we decided to tell no one and go to Las Vegas” to get married, says Salisbury.
“We couldn’t do too much there because of money and our ages.”
On their 10th wedding anniversary, the couple decided to take the honeymoon they never had. Stationed in Germany at the time, they decided to make the three-hour drive to Poland where they could live large on a budget.
“We stayed at a castle with fine dining. Every meal was served in a dome and with wine. We had private horse carriage rides and spa treatments. We stayed there for $400 with all meals included,” says Salisbury. “I will never forget our little vacation/honeymoon.”
Military couples often take advantage of the unique locations where they might be stationed. Some couples plan belated honeymoons around port calls ( Jennifer Pierce and her husband honeymooned during a port visit to Scotland), 72-hour leave passes (Juliana Malis met her husband in Zanzibar for a belated honeymoon!) and unique duty stations (Amy Fink and her husband chose New Orleans because of its proximity to his duty station).
Taking advantage of geography can be a big money-saver, because it reduces time and cost required for travel. To save even more, look for off-season rates or consider vacationing during the week instead of on the weekend. And stay close to home so you can take shorter, two to three-night trips with little travel time.
