Hotels.com research* has revealed that minimoons - trips of less than two
weeks - are increasingly replacing traditional fortnight-long honeymoons as
cash-conscious newlyweds keep an eye on their budgets.The Hotels.com poll of ‘Wedding Ideas’ magazine readers found that over
three-quarters (77%) of couples are planning to take a honeymoon lasting
less than two weeks. In fact, 30% are planning to go away for just one week
or under. This group of ‘minimooners’ said budget constraints (74%) and
worries about work commitments (56%) dictated the shorter length of their
holiday.

It is not only the length of stay that is changing; the research found that
couples are flexible about when they leave for their honeymoon. Whilst 57%
of those questioned plan to head off straight after their wedding, over a
quarter (28%) are considering waiting for a few weeks or months after the
wedding before they go away and a further quarter (26%) said they would be
happy to take a short break after the wedding and wait until they have the
money for a longer holiday.

Honeymoon spend reflects this trend, with the majority of those surveyed
(27%) saying they will spend between £500 and £1000 per person on their
honeymoon, while one in five (19%) are planning to spend just £500 per
person or under (£1000 in total). However, some couples will still splash
out - 17% are planning to spend more than £2,000 per person on their
perfect honeymoon.

The research found that while 54% of those questioned plan to go on a long
haul post wedding trip, a growing number are planning to steer away from
the traditional honeymoon beach destinations of Mauritius and the Maldives,
and instead opt for holidays closer to home. While 18% are planning to go
to mid-haul destinations such as Egypt, Turkey or Morocco, a further 19%
will honeymoon in Europe and 9% are planning a UK break.

Beach and city breaks are the most popular honeymoon of choice, with a
quarter of Brits (25%) choosing to combine culture and sunshine over a
classic beach holiday (20%) or an exotic break (17%).

Alison Couper, Communications Director for Hotels.com, said: “A honeymoon
is an important part of getting married and we’re not surprised to see that
people would rather downsize their trip than not go at all. Whether
newlyweds decide to shorten their honeymoon to a ‘minimoon’ or stay the
traditional fortnight but drop a hotel star rating, there are some
fantastic deals to be had. There are savings of up to 50% off in the
current Hotels.com summer sale, so honeymooners should take advantage.”

Rachel Moschke, Editor of Wedding Ideas magazine, said: “Most of us worry
about saving up for our wedding day, but it seems we’re reluctant to give
up the quality time together that a honeymoon offers. A ‘minimoon’ is the
perfect way to start married life, without busting the budget.”
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