Couple saves $1,000 on lavish island honeymoon by using Costco. Here's how they did it.
It's all part of a lesser-known but really cool Costco member perk.
Costco is best known for its warehouse shopping, but members can save on travel as well.
Costco has earned a passionately dedicated following thanks to offering a plethora of quality items at cheaper prices. Legendary cakes, generic products that truly rival their name-brand counterparts, the eternal $1.50 hot dog and soda meal combo…the list goes on and on.
Seemingly anything can be purchased at this magical place without breaking the bank. Even destination honeymoons.
Budget-savvy TikTok creator Avery Perkins recently shared with her thousands of followers how she and her fiancé John Weakley were able to save $1000 on a decadent honeymoon package thanks to Costco Travel.
Actually, make that $1300 with the bonus gift card they received.
Costco Travel is a lesser-known member perk that curates vacation packages at a heavily discounted rate. That includes hotels, cruises, theme parks, rental cars, airfare and more. Basically, it's the same bulk-buying concept as purchasing 50 rolls of toilet paper, only applied to galavanting across the globe.
In an interview with Insider, Perkins shared how she and Weakley had heard of Costco Travel but never actually used it until they began planning their honeymoon trip to island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean. The vacation package they settled on was going to cost them $8,700.
Their pastor, who had just returned from a trip to Italy, recommended they try booking through Costco. There they found a resort package identical to the one they had seen elsewhere for $1000 less.
Shocked, Perkins called the hotel to make sure this was the real deal. It was.
"I called the resort itself and I said, 'Hey, is this legit? Is there some caveat or do I need to listen to some presentation or something to save this money?'" Perkins told Insider. "They're like, 'No, not at all. Actually, we can't beat it. The moment you bring up Costco, we just bow out and say, look, we can't price match it, so just go ahead and book through Costco."
Hence why Perkins posted her TikTok, because people “are not giving Miss Costco Travel the attention she deserves.”
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Of course, this option does come with a few caveats and might not be for everyone.
For starters, Costco Travel doesn’t use low cost-carriers like JetBlue or Spirit, meaning you could possibly get a better deal on a package that does offer flights with those airlines. Similar situation for rental cars—it only books through Alamo, Avis, Budget, and Enterprise—and hotels as well.
Plus, as of right now, Costco Travel only seems to have packages in a handful of states, along with Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Europe, Fiji, Tahiti and maybe a few “additional destinations.” Still lots of options, but not all the options.
Regardless, it’s great to know that at a time when so many of us are having to be very budget-conscious, the excitement of travel doesn’t have to be inaccessible.
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids… 
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie? 
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."