Need warm weather ASAP, but don't know what countries are open? For our honeymoon, Trey and I headed down to Turks and Caicos! You may be wondering, where in the heck is that? You can find Turks in the Caribbean to the east of Cuba and to the north of the Dominican Republic. It was such a good time, but did take some extra work on our end to get there. Since it is a weird time to be traveling... I wanted to give you insight on how we got to Turks and what we had to do to get in the country!
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Alright, so the first thing you're gonna wanna do is check the Turks and Caicos website to make sure they are still open to tourists. This is the site I used! It's important to do this because countries have been changing their status left and right. Our original plan was to go to Tahiti, but about two weeks before our trip, they closed their borders and we weren't aware of this for a few days.

Once that's done, it's time to find a great flight! I use the Hopper app to snag a good deal and then go to the airline with the deal, to book directly with them. Lately, I've only been booking flights directly with the airline to ensure I have valid insurance and a company to hold responsible in case something goes sour.

​We flew with United down there and they were very helpful with the covid process, but honestly their seats are not comfy. On a one hour flight you might not notice but the four hour one had our butts hurting! American Airlines though has decent prices for flights in May for $464, so I'd try those. Our flights turned out being $445 each with insurance and then we checked one shared bag for $30.

After you have your flight booked, you'll want to research your options for covid testing. Turks and Caicos requires a PCR test done five days or less prior to your arrival. Antigen tests are not being accepted at this time by Turks. So, let's say you're flying out on a Monday, then you will want to schedule your test for the Thursday before. 

Now, a few days after we booked our flight with United they sent us an email about testing options. I was so relieved by this because I was having trouble finding a PCR testing site that would guarantee the result turnover time. We got our tests done at a CVS in the drive thru. They hand you the kit and you perform the test yourself in your car! It was pretty straightforward and went rather quick, which was nice.

The best part was that we could schedule our time slots online. It looks like you have to book each appointment separately, even if theres two people needing a test. I feel like they'd let you drive up in the same car too, if you book two time slots back to back though. Together, our tests cost $278. A little pricey, but I figured testing cost into our budget and we were able to save in some other areas!
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TIP: Once its been a few days in Turks, you will want to schedule your second covid test. (If you are returning to the United States) The good news is the US is accepting multiple testing options. We opted for the antigen test and it was $50 each. I was so happy! When we checked in, our hotel had told us about testing options and we ended up walking to a nearby hotel. We went to Seven Stars for our test :)

When your trip is five days away, you are now able to apply for entry to Turks and Caicos online. This process is done through TCI Assured. You will need a few things before you sit down and do this application however. Before starting, you must have a document of your negative covid test and know if your insurance covers covid expenses abroad.

I recommend doing this form in one sitting as well. I let mine sit a day or two and then I couldn't refresh certain questions, so make sure you're ready! To submit your test result, you will need an online copy. There are a list of items too that must be on your document, so try to find a copy with things like the test type and name of testing center. Your application will list out the items you must have on your covid result document.

Want to see more photos of our Turks trip? Head to my Instagram and follow for all my favorite travel pics :)
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I thought my insurance might cover the expenses, based on the overview of my benefits. Although it didn't and the TCI staff let me know within 20 minutes of submitting my application! That being said, it's possible to buy coverage for the time frame of your trip with TCI Safe. 

​Surprisingly, it was rather affordable. I imagined $200 or so each, but it turned out being around $78 per person. After I bought the insurance, I plugged the plan information into my application and it was accepted the next morning! WOO.
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When they send you your TCI Assured certificate, you'll want to print out a few copies. Do this with your covid results as well. With United, they had a spot online where we could upload our documents a few days before the flight. This made checking in easy because they didn't need to see our paper copy results!

The paper copies will be important though when you land in Turks. As you walk into customs, they want to see a health form you were given on the plane, your covid results, and your TCI Assured certificate. We had no issues and I was so relieved! 
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YAY, you're ready to hit Turks and Caicos! It will be a blast, you won't believe it. Traveling abroad takes a little extra time right now, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. The paperwork is 1000x worth it for this crazy blue water folks. Obviously I have a thousand more things to share with you about this trip, so keep your eyes peeled this spring!

I hope y'all have the best Easter. Thank you for reading, I love making content for you guys!! Tell me below what else you'd love to know about Turks :) Also, if you're ready to start planning your trip, you can read my Greatest Tips for Traveling on a Budget post and sketch out some finance goals for your Turks trip!

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Dang, I wasn't sure this day would come. In October, Trey and I got married in Virginia Beach. We were set on doing a honeymoon abroad, so we decided to hold off until a country we'd love to see, opened up! This is how we fell into the idea of visiting Tahiti. Well that and the fact that I found some pretty sweet flights! That being said, let's talk about how I scored them and tips for planning the best honeymoon in Tahiti.

There was a few countries we'd been looking into and flights to Tahiti were the most reasonable! About a year ago, my friend Brittanie told me about the app Hopper and I died when I started using it. It's so convenient to check flight deals on your phone! Once I nailed down a good week for us to go, I switched over to Expedia.

I wanted to use Expedia because with the pandemic I wanted to be sure I could add insurance. However, as I spent an hour double checking the details, I got to the cart and wasn't able to add any! This freaked me out a little. I'm sure they have a good policy- but I decided to book directly with the airline who offered the flights.

I decided to hop on United to book my flights instead. I chose to do this because I knew booking directly would allow me to hold them accountable if something happened. I've had good experiences with Expedia in the past, but I did not want to risk using a third party provider without having insurance! You may be thinking, okay but what about their deals? A common misconception is that when using Expedia or Hotels.com you will always save money vs. booking directly with an airline.

Thinking about the traveling I've done this last year, the airline has always had the same price as the third party providers. Now, I'm sure they have some good deals at some point, but with covid, I would book directly to avoid losing money. Our tickets for Trey and I together cost $2,007 with trip insurance included, that was $136. While checking out, most airlines I've used will ask if you'd like to add trip insurance. Since these tickets were a big expense and we could still get sick before we go, it was best to get it!

*TIP: After some digging, I found that the cheapest way to get to French Polynesia was to fly into Papeete, Tahiti (Faa'a International Airport). This research was done during winter, specifically January, so prices could change depending on season.

I used to be a big believer that vacation packages were a joke and on some websites they are! Recently, I discovered when I book flights directly with the airline, adding your hotel stay could save you $20-$50. When I checked my Hotels.com app and compared the price to adding my stay on the airline site, the airline was cheaper!

I've almost never seen cheaper prices than Hotels.com. It was insane. So thankful I learned that! It's bizarre too because Hotels.com is the provider United uses to give these deals. It's most likely because you spent 'this amount' on flights and then you qualify for better deals.

When I was checking out on United, it asked if I wanted to add a stay or car to my trip. This is where I found my hotel deal! However, I didn't plan to find that and my card limit was set to $2,500. Therefore, I went ahead and checked out with my flights, but I learned you can still snag these deals a few days after your purchase! So, I would stay on top of that in order to save a little money.

*TIP: To maximize your budget, I would for sure create an account with the airline you want to use. Majority of the time, there are free programs who just let you compile miles without paying a dime for a subscription! With United, I joined their free Mileage Plus program in order to score miles for the flights I booked and whatever hotel I choose to.

Since Trey and I just finished school, while raising a little one year old, we are ready to relax lol. Therefore, we can see ourselves lounging around and reading the majority of the time. Considering that, a room with a good view and a nice beach area will be important.

I decided to find us a hotel on Tahiti, but we also considered staying on Mo'orea (neighboring island). Tahiti is a part of French Polynesia, a cluster of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. On a map, it's close to Hawaii and New Zealand! You've probably heard of Bora Bora too, which is a part of French Polynesia as well. I chose Tahiti because there is a better variety of hotels and they aren't far from the airport! However, Mo'orea looks super cool still, so we plan to take a ferry there for a day. It takes less than an hour by boat and they have quite a few daily time slots!

Normally, I'd pick the cheapest room, but since it's our honeymoon I thought we could spend a little extra. My best tip for that is find a pretty high rated hotel, but not outrageously cool. This way, you can score an ocean view room at an affordable price! The hotel I've been looking at is Manava Suite Resort Tahiti. Their cheapest room runs for $213 and this includes free cancellation.

*TIP: When putting together your budget, I would try to consider adding a cushion to qualify for free cancellation. It was about $20-$40 more a night at this hotel, but it will be worth it since either of us could get sick before the trip. Also, be extra careful using third party travel websites to book hotels, especially if you haven't used it before. Most of the time, if the deal looks insane, it's because it's non-refundable. Check the fine print before booking your accommodation!

The room we chose cost $279 a night. It's considered their 'Lagoon Studio' and has a great view of the water! Now guys, when you're booking your stay, create an account with Hotels.com. They have awesome awesome deals and it's totally free to sign up. I've been with them for years and their 'secret prices' are what allow me to travel so much!

Because I signed into my Hotels.com account, I got a 10% discount on our stay. Take a minute to sign up and save $127, like we did! Along with that, we were given drink credits for our stay too. I mean, who doesn't want those?!

Since we'll be in Tahiti for a while, I don't think it'll be necessary to rent a car for the whole trip. I know once Trey and I get there, we're probably gonna wanna lay on the beach for days before we want to get up and go somewhere. That being said, my plan is to rent a car for two or three days.

This way, we can make a list of where we want to drive and just do it one of those days. I like this idea because we won't feel bad about not using the car everyday! When I rent a car, I almost always use Enterprise. 

They're straight up with their young renter fee and they let me use a debit card to pay. It's a great company to use if you don't have a credit card too! Lastly, I would try to look up promo codes for them before checking out and sifting through the deals they have on their website. I've had a lot of luck in the past finding Enterprise promo codes on RetailMeNot.com!

Another reason to add a rental car to your trip would be if you have a late departure flight. Usually hotels want you out around 11, so you could just throw your luggage in your car for the rest of the day instead of asking the hotel to keep it. Hotels can be great for holding your stuff for a few hours, but a full day can be a lot, so putting it in your car is a good alternative.

If you are looking to rough up on the language of whatever country you go to, that's great! If you don't see yourself getting a lot of studying in, I would make sure the country you want to visit has English as one of their top languages (If that's your main language!). In Tahiti, English is one of their main languages. This was perfect, because I might only learn a few French words by then lol!

French Polynesia opened their doors to tourists again this past summer. That being said, we have to be tested for covid no more than three days before departure and have a negative result. Once we get to Tahiti, we will need to self-test again at our hotel after being there for four days. Hopefully when we get back, I can tell y'all the details.

Alright homies, that's what I got! If you're planning a trip to Tahiti, what are you curious about? Tell me below because I am so excited to continue planning this trip! Also, if you've already been, what are your FAV places?

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