Looking for ideas...

kipper88

So our wedding is in September 2015, which I think rules anything in the Caribbean out (hurricane season.)  Anyone have any other recommendations?  Ideally we'd like to stay under 1500 per person, and we'd like to travel outside the US.  Can this be done?  I'd love a beach too.

jenna8984

Do not let hurricane season scare you off. It's very unlikely that one would hit and be large enough to affect your trip. I just went to Jamaica in September and it was perfect weather the entire week. You should also buy trip insurance regardless of where you go, but that would also cover it if you needed to cancel or postpone.

Under $1500 with flights will limit you from a lot of islands but you can do DR or Cancun.

Maggie0829

So you have a $3000 budget.  Does this include everything (travel, lodging, rental car if needed, food, etc)?  If so I think an AI is the best bet. Trip Advisor is a great source to get real reviews and see pictures taken by actual guests, instead of those pro photos that the resort has posted on their websites.

And I agree with PP.  Don't let hurricane season detract you from travelling around that time. Purchase trip insurance as a precaution but the likelihood of a hurricane hitting the same time as your trip is slim.

SBmini

Where are you traveling from? Are you looking for a relaxing beach vacation? I would also look into Cancun and the Atlantic side of Costa Rica. 

kipper88

We'd be traveling out of Madison or Milwaukee (Wisconsin) - but could stretch it to Chicago if there's a big price difference. 

$3000 budget just for travel and hotel. 

amelisha

Just a word of warning on cancellation insurance: it doesn't typically cover "change of mind." It will cover you if there is an official travel warning or your flight is cancelled, but if it looks gross and rainy and you don't want to go, that is not something that traditionally gets covered. You have to check individual policies, obviously, as I know it's possible to buy some which include change of mind, but it is pretty rare that a standard cancellation insurance package will cover bad weather (unless, as I say, there is a legit hurricane and all travel has been suspended.)

As far as recommendations, how long do you have? From Wisconsin you probably don't want to go much further than the Caribbean unless you've got more like two weeks, otherwise you'll be eating up a lot of that with travel time. Like, Spain or Portugal are gorgeous in September but it's going to be more like a ten hour flight and so it would be kind of silly to do that if you only have a week.

kipper88

I only have a week.

RosieC18

Yeah, the Caribbean during the off season is actually great and very reasonably priced. Look at some islands you're interested in and when they last actually had a hurricane - they're not actually that common in a lot of places. I'm a big fan of the BVI, myself. Check out Tortola or Virgin Gorda. There are tons of cool things to do and many more islands are close enough for a day trip.

I also liked Antigua, Costa Rica but it was very Americanized and surf-oriented.

kipper88

I was looking at St. Thomas a little, but I don't know if that's practical with our budget.

CJandRyan

Have you looked into cruises? I've cruised with Norwegian cruise line in the past and I loved it! Prices are very reasonable and so much is included in your fare. Depending on your destination you may be able to visit a few different places. I went to the Bahamas and we stopped on three different islands, a couple we explored the towns and on another we laid on the beach all day! It's also nice to be able to eat on the boat if you don't want to spend the extra money on meals out. 

kipper88

Unfortunatey FI is completely against cruises.  Don't ask me why. 

Jeannine12

Aruba is not in the hurricane belt.  So they have very good weather and it is beautiful.  Also Costa Rica I hear is amazing!