Bogleheads.org

by **mathwhiz** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:37 pm

[original title - Is $10k too much to spend on a honeymoon? edited by admin alex to keep thread on topic for this forum]

We can do it financially the question is should we? We think it might be cool to go to Bora Bora and Moorea and stay in one of those over water bungalows as a once in a lifetime splurge sort of thing.

But is it really worth it? I've read a lot of reviews online saying it's a rip-off. My thinking is we could probably spend half that at a beautiful five star resort somewhere in the Caribbean and have just as great a time. But maybe not as great a "wow" factor.

by **Toons** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:44 pm

hmm,,let me think 10k sounds like a couple of Roth IRA contributions to me

Spend half the 10k and fund one Roth,,,,, :sharebeer

by **fishnskiguy** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:56 pm

mathwhiz wrote:We can do it financially the question is should we? We think it might be cool to go to Bora Bora and Moorea and stay in one of those over water bungalows as a once in a lifetime splurge sort of thing.

But is it really worth it? I've read a lot of reviews online saying it's a rip-off. My thinking is we could probably spend half that at a beautiful five star resort somewhere in the Caribbean and have just as great a time. But maybe not as great a "wow" factor.

Since our "honeymoon" consisted of two nights at home prior to taking my ship on a 65 day patrol, I'd have to say YES. Studies show that the longer and more extravagant the honeymoon, the shorter the marriage.

Chris

by **Boglenaut** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:58 pm

We spent $510 for a week in Hawaii. I finally had a reason to use airline miles and hotel points.

by RF » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:01 am

mathwhiz wrote:We can do it financially the question is should we? We think it might be cool to go to Bora Bora and Moorea and stay in one of those over water bungalows as a once in a lifetime splurge sort of thing.

But is it really worth it? I've read a lot of reviews online saying it's a rip-off. My thinking is we could probably spend half that at a beautiful five star resort somewhere in the Caribbean and have just as great a time. But maybe not as great a "wow" factor.

It depends how much money you have. If you are less than 30 and have net
Worth more than a mIllion, go ahead and spend it. Even Suze Orman
will approve it

by **tyrion** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:02 am

mathwhiz wrote:We can do it financially the question is should we? We think it might be cool to go to Bora Bora and Moorea and stay in one of those over water bungalows as a once in a lifetime splurge sort of thing.

But is it really worth it? I've read a lot of reviews online saying it's a rip-off. My thinking is we could probably spend half that at a beautiful five star resort somewhere in the Caribbean and have just as great a time. But maybe not as great a "wow" factor.

Well, you need to spend your money on something. 10k seems like a lot, but we spent 8k for 2 weeks in Ireland for our honeymoon and it was worth it.

It all depends on where it lands in the grand scheme of things. If you fund retirement accounts to the max and can still afford the trip, go for it. If it means curtailing saving, then maybe it's not worth the splurge.

Definitely one of those personal questions. You only have one honeymoon (I hope!!!)

by **KyleAAA** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:02 am

I was going to say it's far too little, but I guess I'm in the minority.

There are over-water bungalows in the Caribbean.

by **Toons** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:04 am

My turn,,we left City Hall where we got married, went home,played scrabble,,,,,ate dinner I went to bed at 6:30 so I could get up and go to work at 2 in the morning.
We finally got around to our "honeymoon" ten years later when we went on a a 3 day cruise(1,000bucks) :happy

by **alvinsch** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:07 am

We got married in 1984 and we went to Tahiti for our honeymoon and despite being really expensive (more like $5-6K back then), it was the most memorable trip we ever took (2 weeks spent on Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, and Raiatea), Nepal trekking was number 2. However, I'm not sure I'd spend the extra money on the over water bungalows instead of just beachfront or garden. The overwater ones are the least private, (or just do it on one of the islands) JMHO. Bora Bora and Moorea are definitelty the best islands if you only do two.

While it's not very boglelike, and contrary to my spendthrift ways, I've never regreted it for a minute. But just make sure your spouse understands this is a once in a lifetime event (OK, maybe twice at most as we've been thinking about returning for our thirtieth).

Enjoy!

by **awval999** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:27 am

This thread is very disturbing.

No, it's not too much. Then again, I'd rather have a $500 wedding and a $10K honeymoon then vice-versa.

by **jimmit** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:30 am

Yes, $10K is too much in my opinion. We spent about $2K for a week in Puerto Rico and it was amazing! We found a house to rent for about $300 for the week. Plane tickets to the caribbean are cheap. We ate from street side vendors, did a little grocery shopping. The place we stayed wasn't on the beach, but it was close enough that we had a view of the beach from our room and it was a very short walk. There are also lots of cheap things to do. The place we stayed gave us access to bikes, snorkeling equipment, beach gear, etc. We went to the rain forest, the bio-luminescent bay, the fort in old San Juan, the Arecibo Observatory that was in James Bond, a few old style towns that had cool things going on. We did rent a car too. I'd say plane+car+lodging was around $1300-1400. If you are smart about where you go and look for deals you should be able to go for much less than $10K. Then maybe you could get more trips in the future with the money you'll save.

by **mhc** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:30 am

I spent my honeymoon in French Polynesia. We visited several islands. On one of the islands, we had a deep over water bungalow.

http://tetiarebeachresort.com/

This was the most amazing hotel I have ever been to. It was well worth it. I doubt I will ever stay in such a nice hotel again. We had a great time. Go for it.

by **xerty24** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:38 am

Plan the honeymoon first. With whatevers left of the budget, throw a decent wedding party

.

by **sscritic** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:43 am

How much did the ring cost? Which raises the question, should ring and honeymoon costs be positively correlated or negatively correlated? Does a $10,000 ring deserve a $10,000 honeymoon, or is it the total should be $12,000, so a $10,000 ring gets a $2,000 honeymoon and vice-versa? I never could remember.

by **hq38sq43** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:06 am

mathwhiz wrote:We can do it financially the question is should we? We think it might be cool to go to Bora Bora and Moorea and stay in one of those over water bungalows as a once in a lifetime splurge sort of thing.

But is it really worth it? I've read a lot of reviews online saying it's a rip-off. My thinking is we could probably spend half that at a beautiful five star resort somewhere in the Caribbean and have just as great a time. But maybe not as great a "wow" factor.

Very personal decision and very dependent on circumstances. My wife and I could barely afford a long week end honeymoon in Williamsburg (after in-laws protected their daughter by having my car repaired). Then back home for her to continue college and me to begin law school (nights). Our two kids and granddaughter will join us for celebration of our 50th anniversary in Hawaii later this year. Marriages of many relatives and friends who splurged on wedding and honeymoon have in some cases lasted only a few months. Go with what seems most important at the time.

Congratulations and good luck.

by **TheEternalVortex** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:07 am

We spent $6k for two weeks (went to New England). I think it was definitely worth it. I could see spending $10k for overseas travel.

by **yobria** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:57 am

For that money I'd go somewhere with culture. I wouldn't pay much to sit on the beach.

by **madbrain** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:11 am

I can't comment on the price of that Caribbean vacation as I haven't been there.
As far as the cost of your honeymoon, it really depends on your income and savings.

My bf and I can almost never spend less than $10k for a 2 week vacation abroad. Our last trip - 17 days in Asia cost $13k, including about $5k for the 7 flights we took.
We did stay in 5 star hotels the whole time. We could have managed in $10k, but probably not much less.

by **nisiprius** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:07 am

You should be discussing this with your sweetie, not with an Internet forum! This is your own decision. Nobody but you can make it. Nobody can make the judgement for you. Use your money your way, that's what it's for. For us, it hasn't been the splurges that do the damage. The splurges and the big-ticket items get accurately figured in the mental accounting. It's the steady seeping of monthly expenses. It's not the honeymoon that does it, it's opting for the high-tier cable package.

It's not a question of spending too much, it's a question of whether you think you'll get $10,000 of value for $10,000. Hint: do not ask a travel agent for a suggested guideline on how many months' salary to spend on a honeymoon!

To me, the essential ingredients in a honeymoon are not that different from any other vacation you will take in your life. It's a little bubble of time and space where you and your lover can be together, free from all the little tugs and pulls and distractions of daily life. You do have to spend money because you want someone else to do the cooking and the dishes (assuming that in regular life you don't already have stahhf to do that for you!)

The key word is "carefree." What can you do to make your honeymoon feel as carefree as possible?

Since you are asking whether $10K is too much, that makes me think you think it might be. That suggests that you think it's a lot. That brings up these considerations. First, is it so much that you not feel carefree because you will be feeling the constant nagging anxiety that you're spending too much money? Second, there is an element of risk in any vacation, and if you spend an amount that's so high that you're thinking of it as "once-in-a-lifetime" and it doesn't come up to your high standards for a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience you might find it hard to just shake it off.

And be sure that you're not spending so much on the basic accommodations that you don't have plenty left for impulse spending. While you're on your honeymoon want to be able to snap your fingers and buy everything you want without doing mental calculations on whether those parasailing lessons are going to put you over budget.

My wife and I had a dud honeymoon. Due to various plans that fell through, we spent it in sort of dormitory at a university marine oceanography lab: no privacy, no A/C, only one big fan in the hallway that unfairly ventilated some rooms more than others depending on which way it was pointed, and during the night people would sneak into the hallway and turn it around to face their way. I don't recall whether we ever managed to have sex or not. (The fact that I don't recall tells you everything, doesn't it?) However, the marriage survived and we made it for it on later vacations, even though they weren't called "honeymoons." I'm not quite sure there's a moral there, except not to pin too much on any one experience.

by **Mortgasm** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:21 am

You've asked this question on a internet forum of smart people who are generally thrifty - but can be miserly at the extremes. We are not going to be a balanced cross-section of opinion. Go ask the same question on the Lonely Planet forums and you'll get very different answers.

Here is a post that might be more helpful: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1758691

My advice? A honeymoon is not a vacation. It's a celebration of your marriage. You need to do something that's memorable.

by **The Wizard** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:27 am

$10K sounds a bit much for a week, plus I've never liked the "once in a lifetime" concept.
I've been to several different Caribbean islands 3 times or more and enjoy going back to them each year or so.
I think it would be better to "invest" your honeymoon experience in something that might be a continuing lifestyle experience. Determine, for instance, if scuba diving has any appeal to you...

by **mw1739** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:46 am

My honeymoon was about $12k two years ago. We stayed a 5-star Caribbean resort for a week. This has now spoiled us for all future vacations.

I say go for it, assuming you can pay cash and have healthy savings and retirement accounts.

P.S. Bora Bora/Tahiti/Fiji etc. will likely be our next extravagent vacation.

by BL » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:51 am

If you have to ask!

If you are asking about value, a travel site would be a better place to ask. Even so, it would depend on both your interests and experiences and, possibly, age, aside from your finances. It sounds to me like a lot of travel time to get to an unknown place. If you are in good financial condition and both really want to do this for yourselves and not to impress others, maybe it will create a wonderful memory.

by **NoVa Lurker** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:05 am

Agree with nisiprius and mortgasm.

Of course, you asked the question. Everybody is giving you their honest responses. For most people on this forum, they'd probably rather not blow $10k on a week that consists of long flights + sitting on a beach, no matter how great the beach is.

But it is really up to you and your significant other, and it depends on your personal financial circumstances. I have never been to any South Pacific islands, and I think it sounds awesome, even if it might not be "worth it."

My wife and I did a "pre-honeymoon." A few months before we got married, we both switched jobs and moved cross-country together, and we took seven weeks off in between jobs. We planned an elaborate trip, staying in 27 different places over 45 nights. We spent about half of the time in nice "First World" places, mostly in Australia and Asia, and about half of the time bouncing around beaches and cultural sites in Southeast Asia. Honestly, it was the greatest time of our lives. It cost us about $15,000 plus the lost income of not working those weeks, and it was an absolute bargain.

by **3CT_Paddler** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:11 am

Interesting thread and stories. We spent less than half of that total on a Caribbean honeymoon, but it was still very nice with a private cottage overlooking the ocean.

fishnskiguy wrote: Studies show that the longer and more extravagant the honeymoon, the shorter the marriage.

Chris

I have never heard that, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was true. Care to share a link?

by **willwheels** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:26 am

I agree with the many who said it's a very personal decision. My wife and I had a fairly frugal wedding and honeymoon (but it was memorable and definitely the right decision for us) but we do want to take a nicer trip for our anniversary now that we're more financially stable. We also considered Tahiti and I talked to people who've taken similar trips: they loved the overwater bungalows but I don't think anyone I know stayed in them every night, so perhaps you could just stay in them for two or three nights and find something more economical the rest of the trip. That's what I would do.

Have a great trip and congratulations on your wedding.

by **southerndoc** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:30 am

It really depends on your financial situation. If you have only $10k in the bank, you can still do it financially, but you shouldn't. If, however, you have $250k in the bank, then I'd say go for it.

by **The Wizard** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:42 am

If it was me, I'd fly to Jamaica for $500 each and stay a week at Hedo for $1500 each, $4000 total.
Even less some times of the year...

by **Ruprecht** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:43 am

We spent two weeks in French Polynesia. Three days in a very expensive over-the-water bungalow here and loved it: http://www.letahaa.com/ Check your bill when leaving - front desk clerk added a false charge onto it which he planned to pocket. We got the money back. Would go back again, but will check our bill closely there and anywhere else we might go.

Spent a few days at a much cheaper place on Raitaea. http://www.sunset-raiatea.pf/en/index.html Not fancy by any stretch, but clean and used the savings to pay for snorkeling expeditions, etc.

Best part of our trip was not an over-the-water bungalow -- spent one week at a place where we felt like we had the entire small island (motu) to ourselves. Snorkeled every day from our front porch, basically. Watched whales breaching from our private beach. The place is: http://villacorallina.com/ Was the best part of the trip, loved every second of it, but it was not an over the water bungalow, did not have 24/7 services, water was not terribly tasty, there were mosquitoes, and we didn't really have the entire island to ourselves although it definitely felt like we did. Wouldn't want to mislead, so all the negatives have just been listed. But if you're even slightly outdoorsy, you may wind up enjoying it as much as we did. If we ever get to go back we'll probably do 2 weeks again, and do something different for one week, but one of the two weeks will be back at http://villacorallina.com/

If you divide up your trip into more and less expensive parts, I would strongly recommend doing the cheaper stuff first. When you first get there, jet lag is going to be a problem -- first few days are going to be less fun. Might as well let that be the time at the cheaper places. That's what we did.

We never went to Bora Bora. I hear it's swell and all, but a lot more expensive and more crowded. We were very pleased with our choices.

Also, we went at the end of winter, I guess (early September). Perhaps we would not have enjoyed the outdoorsy part as much in summer due to mosquitoes, or maybe it wouldn't have mattered - dunno.

Also, we had a very frugal wedding, and the honeymoon did not immediately follow the wedding. I think it's a much better idea to separate the two by at least a month or more -- that way, you only deal with one stress at a time. Planning a big trip like this does involve some stress, believe it or not.

And if you can't spend two weeks there, I'd recommend not going.

okay last comment: we cooked our own food almost the whole time we were there. Saved a gigantic amount of money that way. If you choose to eat out the whole time you're there, you will go very far over your estimated budget.

by **Sulvar** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:44 am

I don't think it is too much. My wife and I spent more than that going on an African Safari for our honeymoon. It was the most expensive vacation we have ever taken, but we love to travel and feel that it was worth every penny we spent. Our thoughts were that we would rather have a less expensive wedding and a more expensive honeymoon.

by **Grt2bOutdoors** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:50 am

mathwhiz wrote:We can do it financially the question is should we? We think it might be cool to go to Bora Bora and Moorea and stay in one of those over water bungalows as a once in a lifetime splurge sort of thing.

But is it really worth it? I've read a lot of reviews online saying it's a rip-off. My thinking is we could probably spend half that at a beautiful five star resort somewhere in the Caribbean and have just as great a time. But maybe not as great a "wow" factor.

You only live once! If you can do it financially, there is no reason not to do it. Don't listen to this nonsense about spending X more dollars = a divorce, it might for a penny-pincher, ultra-cheap person who'd rather count his millions, disturbing to read some of these comments. My neighbor went to Tahiti for 3 weeks, he couldn't stop smiling the whole year - go for it!!! Don't let these party-poopers negatively sway your view of "we think it might be cool".

by **wriggly** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:56 am

We spent a few days of our honeymoon on Moorea. But our honeymoon was actually a 5 week round-the-world trip. If you have the time, I would definitely suggest 3 days on Easter Island, and hey, if you're flying that far, it's not much further to New Zealand and Australia.

by **eaglesfan** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:57 am

Our honeymoon- ~$5,500 (18 months ago) for 11 days in Rome and Positano, Italy. I would have loved to go to Bora Bora, or one of those islands and had the over water experience, but I figured I would let the wife pick our honeymoon destination since I had pretty much decided all the vacations before we were married. We usually look for deals, and don't stay in extravagant hotels, but I was/am willing to spend a lot more to try out french polynesia just once, as I think it is truly different then the carribean/hawaii. It looks like paradise IMHO. However, I don't regret our decision at all... Positano was awesome!!!

A friends honeymoon- Basically did what you are asking. They make the same amount we do (~200K/yr), but live in NYC, go all out on vacations, dinners, etc (basically the opposite financial view we have). They said that while it was nice, they wouldn't go again, as they didn't think it was "worth" it, which was kind of surprising. They were surprised by how much it cost there just to eat a small lunch. Again, these are people who don't have a problem spending a lot of money and not worrying about savings at all.

On a side note, they were in the process of divorce before they hit the one year anniversary.

So like others have said, if you have a lot of money in the bank and can still save a good amount even with a $10K honeymoon, I would personally go there because its something I would like to do once (and what better time then your honeymoon). But if you will be looking at the decision as some kind of "value" decision, it probably isn't worth it. If it will be a little struggle to pay the $10K, spend half of that and go all out in the Riviera Maya, or Maui, or Aruba (all places I have been, and all have been "worth" it).

by **yoyo2** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 11:41 am

Why is that people are assuming it is one week for 10K? I will hesitate to say a week is worth it especially if you are starting from east coast. You will be travelling 15 hrs one way from east coast. I also did some researching on Moorea/BoraBora and I think those who think it as a rip off because they fail to register that FP is so super expensive. I hope OP's 10K is all inclusive. In FP even a ride from airport to your hotel could cost lots of money.

I am all set to take my family of 4 to Moorea/BoraBora for 11 days this summer on a 12K budget ( I hope ). That is through early planning via credit card deals and the budget includes 4.4K in meals and 2.1K in OWB upgrades(Hilton). It is tons of money to spend considering my total wedding spend 18 years ago was $1200 (Wife would rather have the down payment for a house than getting an engagement ring so saved lot of money there. BTW, it included $800 for a week in Disney). I think it is worth it but my wife and kids are not too sure. I did warn them not to expect fancy meals and we might bring some breakfast cereals to cut down on the meal cost.

by **i<3Investing** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:31 pm

I think it all depends. If you can't afford to max out your retirement accounts then 10k is too high. If you're maxing out your retirement accounts, and want to spend a little extra on a honeymoon, that's fine imo.

I wouldn't even go into the whole saving vs. spending issue. My fiancee and I are going to spend around $4,500 on a honeymoon this May. We both max out our 401k and RothIRA and save some more on the side. If we use some of that savings towards traveling I'm fine with that. I like to travel, and she does too, so we figure we'd like to get out and see the world while we can (Dual income no kids makes travelling easier).

What I wouldn't do is drop 10k on a "once in a lifetime trip". I've gone to China, Scandinavia, Europe, each for less than 5k (for 2 of us). I would try to split this trip into two trips for 5k each at that point to maximize the joy.

by **chaz** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:34 pm

Spend it in the US to help our economy.

by **Curlyq** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:47 pm

I've spent some time on Moorea. Do you speak French? It's helpful there. The islands are pretty cool, but you can enjoy a similar location by vacationing much closer, such as Hawaii or the Carib. islands.

by **Jay69** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:07 pm

Any reason why not to?

If not, go for it.

by **SheebaElwood** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:15 pm

Mathwhiz,

Are you the guy who was dating the med student who had a lot of loans?

EDIT: Yes. Is this the lucky gal?
I'm dating a med school student and she's deeply in debt
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=40779&p=520923#p520923

Tell us about the finances of the fiancee, b/c I know this was a concern for you.
Or was it the girl who owned an upside down house in the next town or something?
And you wanted to know if she should default? Is that you?

by **tomas123** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:33 pm

So many people on this board seem unhealthily obsessed with saving money, or should I say money in general.

It's impossible to answer your question. As with all money, you want to use it in a way that gives you most value, and no one here can say if a $10k honeymoon, $5k honeymoon + $5k vacation at another time, $3k honeymoon + $3k vacation at another time + $2k vacation at yet another time+ $2k gorgeous TV, having a cheap honeymoon and saving the rest, or some other combo, will give you most value...

by **The Wizard** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:47 pm

tomas123 wrote:So many people on this board seem unhealthily obsessed with saving money...

Are you SURE you know what you're talking about here???

by **PaddyMac** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:50 pm

Impossible to say without seeing your overall financial picture. Also, what does your future wife think?

I will say that starting off a marriage without a firm financial base is the problem, not how much to spend on your wedding and honeymoon. There is plenty of research to suggests that money is the number one issue that couples fight about. And if research is to be believed, women worry more money that men do. So don't sacrifice future peace of mind for a week or two on a beach.

(Disclosure: We didn't have a honeymoon, as we eloped for a day and had to go to work the following day. The whole wedding cost us the price of our rings and a new outfit. We didn't have a lot of money back then so we did what felt right, and never regretted it for a minute. We've had many wonderful vacations since then, and plan something nice for our 25th next year.)

by **travellight** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:54 pm

If you do decide to go, I think the advice by Ruprecht sounds excellent. 10K should cover all costs including food which can be very expensive there. A cup of coffee in Papeete in 1984 was $4.

I would also agree that if you have the money to spare in spades, go for it. I would prioritize in this manner: honeymoon>>>>>> wedding >>>>>>>>>>ring.

My wedding budget was $2500 and ring budget was $125, and I am the female.

by **MathWizard** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:56 pm

I can't directly answer your question, as that depends too much on you and your fiancee.
I can only tell you what I did, and why.

I certainly did not spend that amount on our honeymoon, because we did not have the
money, as I was in graduate school at the time.
We spent 2 nights in a hotel. (Honestly, we didn't spend much time out of the hotel.)
We went out for dinner and dancing each night. Total cost was $300 thirty years ago.

I promised my wife Paris for the 25th, she chose California redwoods instead.

We did Rome/Florence/Amalfi Coast 2 years ago (about $6-7K due to cheap
airline tickets then). It was wonderful, and she is ready for more of Europe now.
We are planning something for our 30th this year.

If you are improving your income, and saving so that you have (passive) income growth,
then each year you can do something better.

If we had done Rome for our honeymoon, then had little to no vacations thereafter, I
think we would have been miserable. We like that our life together is getting better
every year.

Maybe I'm a romantic, but the highlight of our marriage was not the wedding or
honeymoon, it was sharing time together with the person that I loved.

Money for me is freedom. Freedom to do what we want, and to go where we want.
Until we have enough that neither of us has to ever work again if we don't want to, we don't
have that freedom, and hence we don't have enough money.

by **HomerJ** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:58 pm

How much money do you have? Pretty important question before any of us can really answer you.

Have you ever flown that far before? 15 hour flights are NOT fun... If you just want a beach, I'd think Caribbean is a better deal and just as pretty.

by **HomerJ** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:00 pm

MathWizard wrote:If we had done Rome for our honeymoon, then had little to no vacations thereafter, I
think we would have been miserable. We like that our life together is getting better
every year.

This is a good point... Is this vacation so expensive that you won't be able to do any other vacations even close it for a few years? Might be better to spend that money on 3-4 "nice" vacations over the next 2 years instead of big vacation.

Especially if you're just starting out.

by **tomas123** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:04 pm

The Wizard wrote:
tomas123 wrote:So many people on this board seem unhealthily obsessed with saving money...

Are you SURE you know what you're talking about here???

Yes.

by **The Wizard** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:05 pm

rrosenkoetter wrote:
MathWizard wrote:If we had done Rome for our honeymoon, then had little to no vacations thereafter, I
think we would have been miserable. We like that our life together is getting better
every year.

This is a good point... Is this vacation so expensive that you won't be able to do any other vacations even close it for a few years? Might be better to spend that money on 3-4 "nice" vacations over the next 2 years instead of big vacation.

Especially if you're just starting out.

This was one of my themes as well, but it depends a lot on where you are in life.
If you'll be needing to spend $$$ to buy a house and raise a family, you might not have a lot of spare change over the next decade...

by **FabLab** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:18 pm

mathwhiz

Only the two of you can determine what's appropriate in your particular situation.

Have fun, no matter what you end up doing

by **tomas123** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:26 pm

The Wizard wrote:
tomas123 wrote:So many people on this board seem unhealthily obsessed with saving money...

Are you SURE you know what you're talking about here???

I think you misunderstood me. I was referring to some of the answers you received, not your posts.

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