I’ve been planning a lot of honeymoons lately. It’s so fun. My favorite part is that everyone is so unique in their desires. There’s really no one-size-fits-all honeymoon. Some people want adventure. Some people want to relax on a beach. Some people want to eat the best food in the world. Some people want all the culture.
Here are a few strategies I recommend to get your honeymoon planning started.
Hire a travel planner/designer/agent.
Why?
You need help!
Wedding planning takes a lot of energy and effort. Don’t add stress on top of it by trying to organize your honeymoon without help. Travel planners take away the headache, the choice paralysis, the timeline stress, and so much more!
They have TOOLS!
Trust me, I am a travel agent now. And I was doing this even before I had extra tools. We have access to accommodations behind the scenes. We have relationships with hotels. We know the ins and outs. We know what good prices look like. We know the areas you should stay in. We have the skills to narrow down hundreds (or thousands) of places to stay based on what YOU want.
Most Travel Agents are FREE
While I sometimes charge a planning fee, I typically don’t for honeymoons. Most travel agencies plan honeymoons for free. If you let travel agents book the trip for you (with your credit cards of course), the accommodations pay commissions to the agents. Agents are counting on the fact that you’ll likely be staying in reasonably nice hotels for your honeymoon.
There’s really no reason you shouldn’t have help planning your honeymoon. And if you don’t know a travel agent that can help you, well you’re reading a blog in the right place. Shoot me a message and let’s get started.
How to choose a destination that suits you?
This one can be a little tough. I’d start with picking you and your partner’s most desired activity for post wedding fun (except the obvious, which can be done anywhere). Is it food? Is it relaxation? Is it adventure? Is it some combo of things?
Once you decide on your hierarchy of desires, then you can tell your designer OR start researching places that might tick those boxes.
Consider your limits!
Do you only have one week? Do you have a limited budget? Do you hate long haul flights? Does weather impact your mood? Are you sensitive to elevation?
There are so many factors that go into a honeymoon. It’s really a puzzle to connect all these pieces to a destination that fits most of your desires and limits.
Choose the thing you’re afraid you’ll never do!
This is one I love to see. People decide that for their honeymoon, they’ll pick that bucket list thing they’ve wanted to do but never made the time or effort for. Seeing the Great Barrier Reef! Golfing at the best courses in the world in New Zealand. Galapagos Islands. Machu Picchu. Amazon Rainforest. Great Pyramids of Egypt. Great Wall of China. Antarctica cruise. See lemurs in Madagascar. Elephants in Thailand. Safari in Africa. Scuba dive or snorkel in Belize or Fiji or Tahiti. Visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the city of love. Train traveling through Europe. There are so many wonderful things this earth has to offer! Why not try to check a box on your honeymoon?
If you don’t want something touristy or too traveled, I am your best asset as a travel designer. I am pretty much obsessed with the lesser traveled places. I love the classics of course, but I have a special place for those places that don’t get a lot of tourism. They’re usually more affordable too. Maybe you want a romantic place in Europe, but Paris feels a bit too touristy and bustly. There are many options. I love Porto, Portugal. Ljubljana, Slovenia. Lake Como, Italy. Budva, Montenegro. Or several other places in France: Marseilles, Tours, Cannes, etc.
Keep it Simple
One thing I try to help do as a travel planner is to manage expectations. Sometimes, as humans (and especially my husband) we try to do TOO much! And your honeymoon is not the time to be rushing around, moving hotels every 2 nights. Give yourself some real time in a place. 3 nights minimum! Unless your stopping for a night in transit to give yourself a rest, which I do recommend.
Keeping it simple doesn’t just mean making sure you have a 3 night minimum in a location. It means not packing your whole day to the brim every day with activities. My favorite thing to apply is a choice of daily activities based on “energetic” and “chill” vibes.
You NEVER know what you’re going to feel like while you’re traveling. Planes (pressuring cabins) do a number on your internal system. Time differences mess with your circadian rhythms and your hunger cycles. You just endured wedding planning AND a wedding which is generally exhausting. The food is different, and you may be sensitive to it. All of these things mess with your hormones and thus your mood, AND your body. You may think you’ll have normal amounts of energy, but you likely won’t! So it’s always good to have options to give your body rest. That doesn’t mean counting out a whole day to sleep. It does mean opting for a slower day. Maybe heading out for a nice breakfast and a stroll before heading back to nap and recuperate before an evening show or a boat ride. Maybe you sleep in, eat breakfast at the hotel, and then head out to a museum for a few hours. This, in lieu of a packed day from 7AM to 10PM with tours and unchangeable things.
I’m not saying you can’t do a whole packed day, but be careful not to make it every day!
Obviously, there is a lot more to planning the perfect honeymoon. It’s truly unique for each couple. But my best advice is hiring (me) a travel planner, narrow down your destination by desires and boundaries, and keep it simple!
Ready to start your next trip? Email me at goawayalexblog@gmail.com and tell me your travel wishes!
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