Buddymoon is the New Honeymoon
29 May 2014
- A fifth of people have now honeymooned with friends
- Over half of people would share honeymoon to cut costs
- Dubai the top destination for a buddymoon
Newly-married couples are shunning the traditional romantic honeymoon by inviting along friends according to foreign exchange specialist Travelex.
It comes as research reveals that one in five couples have already shared their honeymoon with more than just their spouse.
With UK honeymoons on average now topping £3,5001, results from Travelex showed that almost half would consider buddymooning if it saved them money as newly-married couples struggle to reduce the huge costs accumulated by getting married.
Fifty per cent of people would go on a buddymoon if it meant saving up to 25% off of the price of their honeymoon – whilst another 40% of people would be swayed by a 50% saving. Five percent of people would only share their romantic holiday if it saved them up to 75% of their honeymoon cost, the Travelex research has shown.
Almost half of people would consider inviting people to their honeymoon if it meant they could go to a more expensive destination, whereas a fun-loving third of Brits would invite friends along to make their honeymoon more enjoyable. Almost two thirds of newlyweds would even let the family tag along on the honeymoon in a bid to spend more time with them.
Elvin Eldić, from Travelex, comments: “With young couples feeling the growing financial squeeze of tying-the-knot, it’s unsurprising that many are bucking traditional honeymoon trends in order to reign in the cost of getting married - it makes perfect sense to continue the celebrations with loved ones, while sharing the costs. In recent months the Pound has improved significantly against most popular currencies. Those couples looking to save even more should consider destinations where they can make the most of the great value of the Pound to stretch their budgets further versus a year ago. For example, couples heading to Turkey can now pocket an extra 355 Lira (£104) on every £500 exchanged.”
Most popular destination for buddymooners
- Dubai
- Thailand
- France
- South Africa
- Turkey
Buddymooners heading to any of the above destinations will be getting considerably more value for money compared to this time last year. Those exchanging £500 will now receive an extra 311 Emirati Dirham (£52); 4,567 Thai Baht (£88); €33 (£28) and 1,432 South African Rand (£88) versus May 2013.
Mr & Mrs Smith, who specialise in honeymoon bookings, comment on the trend: “We’ve seen increasing popularity for couples sharing honeymoons. Once they’ve paid for individual flights, buddymoon groups can take advantage of group discounts, sharing villas and collaborating on costs throughout their holiday – often meaning they can afford to do more inspiring activities, or upgrade their experience.”
Savvy Brits who want to lock in current exchange rates should consider a prepaid card such as the Travelex Cash Passport. The card is chip and PIN protected, meaning Brits can keep their currency secure in the lead up to and during their holiday.
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ABOUT TRAVELEX:
Travelex is the world's largest foreign exchange specialist with almost 1,500 stores and 1,250 ATMs across 27 countries, at key airport, seaport, rail and tourist locations. Over 40% of travellers - 1.7 billion passengers a year - pass through airports where Travelex operates including the major gateways at Amsterdam, Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Sydney & Tokyo. Every hour, Travelex provides foreign currency to more than 2,000 customers.
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ABOUT Mr and Mrs Smith:
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For more information, please contact:
Polly Goddard - M&C Saatchi PR
polly.goddard@mcsaatchi.com / 0207 544 3623