I’ve always been someone who has wanted to travel…on someone else’s dime hahah Now as an adult I realize I have to pay for it and I’m not going Boujee because mommas got bills lol
A couple years ago when Michael and I were only dating for a couple months we said eff it and planned the most luxe vacay to st Lucia! We did excursions everyday, 2 helicopter rides, and any extra thing they offered! It was amazing but that cost a pretty penny!! We are now way more money conscious but you only live once so we took the trip!!
As my 25th birthday was approaching I really just wanted to do something outrageously over the top!! What’s more extra than all inclusive vacay to a gorgeous island?!?! So I went hunting for a steal!!
My go tos for planning an inclusive trip are www.CheapCarribean.com and www.AllInclusiveOutlet.com ! They offer the best deals! I’ve had plenty of friends and family book for the sites with no problem!
So I started looking for the week before, week of and week after my birthday for any location but specifically all inclusive. I had talked to someone early that month about St Maarten and how I’d love to go someday!! So I checked and to my surprise the week of my birthday was the cheapest week!! Holy Hannah Me Oh My!!!
Now that I’m a budget conscious woman, I knew that I wasn’t going to pay more than $1000 total for everything. That seemed like a reasonable amount for 5 days 4 nights at an all inclusive.
I should also say, pick a budget and stick to it. If you’re not willing to go over X value don’t. Make sure you put in that budget how much you’re willing to pay for excursions, tipping, and any transportation you’d need. So my $1000 was everything included. You can specify your exact budget on both websites and they will help you. Just be flexible on flights and you’re good to go!!
Back to the planning! The week of my birthday was $880 a person which isn’t bad at all!! I reached out to some friends and the only person available was my best friend from high school!! Cool she was in and we were ready to book!!
BIG TIP: BUY THE TRAVEL INSURANCE EVEN IF YOU ARE CERTAIN YOU ARE GOING DON’T BE LIKE ME IN THIS CASE
I did not buy the travel insurance upfront nor did I buy it 24 hours later. Silly mistake. So I used a third party travelers insurance which cost $110 total for the two of us bringing our total to $935. Uber’s were $12 since Michael picked us up! And transportation on the island was $8 each. We tipped the bartenders who took really good care of us and that brought us to $1000 each right on budget.
That $1000 included airfare (philly to Atlanta then Atlanta to st Maarten), 5 days 4 nights all inclusive, Uber’s, taxis, travel insurance, and tipping. That’s an insane deal.
Things to remember when planning the vacation:
- Be flexible on dates. Sometimes a few days before or after your desired dates is cheaper.
- Be patient with flights. It can totally suck to have so many layovers and stops but if it’s cheaper it may be worth it to not break the bank.
- Stick to your budget.
- Buy travelers insurance when it is offered upfront.
- Keep location fluid and know it’s vacay either way and you’re going to enjoy it!!
- Write an itinerary of generally what you’d like to do to keep all parties informed.
- Relax and get ready to sip mojitos on a beach.
Up next will be how I packed!! Stay tuned for that!!
Xoxo, Z
