Honeymoons are like the ultimate holiday. It’s your one chance to spend time with your perfect person in a perfect location.
It’s why so many couples spend far more on their honeymoons than they do their regular holidays.
That means you need to get this right and make it the honeymoon of a lifetime. And you’d be surprised by how easy it is to get things wrong; far too many couples rush their honeymoon preparations or forget some of the key ingredients.
With this in mind, we’d like to help you organise the best possible honeymoon for you and your loved one. The best news? We’ll help you save money while finding the best possible location and take much of the stress associated with honeymoon planning off your shoulders.
Without further ado, here are 10 brilliant honeymoon planning tips for newlyweds.
It might be tempting to leave your honeymoon preparations and booking until the last minute in the hope you’ll grab a great deal, but that could be a very bad idea indeed.
What if, in doing that, you end up with a useless choice of destinations and no real saving?
The great thing about honeymoons is that, providing you approach the right hotels and airlines, you should be able to bag a great trip, no matter your budget. Also, the sooner you start planning, the more likely you’ll be able to include everything you want to do.
Alongside the usual holiday checklist, you’ll want to add some extra spice for your honeymoon.
Promise each other that you’ll work in one or two surprises while you’re there. This could be a trip somewhere, experience or secret restaurant booking, but whatever it is, make sure it’s special enough to help you make great memories while honeymooning.
Some people neglect this step in the belief that they’ll be charged through the nose for mentioning the ‘H’ word. Often, the opposite is true.
By calling your hotel ahead of time to say you’re heading there on honeymoon, they may well do one or two things to make your stay extra special and without any additional cost to you.
It’s also worth asking if they can offer any honeymoon special deals or packages. As the old adage goes, if you don’t ask you’ll never know!
No one says you have to have your honeymoon immediately after the wedding. In fact, it’s common for couples not to do that, and to wait instead.
The reasons for not taking your honeymoon straight away can be numerous, from a lack of time to, more commonly, insufficient funds.
If you can’t afford or give time to the perfect honeymoon just yet, don’t despair - wait until you can. The best thing about this tactic is that it’ll be even more enjoyable and needed when the time comes!
Working to a budget for your honeymoon might not sound particularly romantic, but it’s the best way to ensure costs don’t spiral out of control.
With that in mind, set yourselves a budget, but don’t make it too strict. Splash out a bit without putting yourself into debt, and try to spend money on the stuff that you deem to be a treat.
Travel agents can save you a huge amount of time organising and planning your honeymoon, so don’t be afraid to use them.
Some people think that as soon as travel agents hear the ‘m’ word, they see pound signs flying across their vision. And, while this might be the case for some unscrupulous agents, it certainly isn’t for those that are reputable.
Go and have a chat with a few to get an idea of prices and the ways in which they approach honeymoons. These guys know their stuff and might be able to find you the perfect destination that you’d probably never have considered yourselves.
Everyone seems to be going to Mauritius, don’t they? So, why shouldn’t you do the same?
Unless that’s really what you want to do, don’t feel like you have to copy other people’s honeymoon ideas, or jump on the current bandwagon / trend. Your honeymoon is your honeymoon, no one else’s.
For instance, you might fancy a minimoon rather than an expensive far-flung holiday, and that’s absolutely fine.
Do what you want to do, and don’t be swayed by other people’s opinions about what you should be doing for your honeymoon. This holiday is about as personal as it gets.
Nobody wants a honeymoon that ends in disaster because one member of the happy couple feels somehow shortchanged by the experience.
This is why it’s so important to plan the entire honeymoon together. Apart from the little surprises we mentioned earlier, this should be a joint effort.
That means researching flights together, looking for hotels and making sure you’re both happy with the budget and outcome.
It might feel like a bit of a chore at times, but if the going gets tough, just remind yourselves what this is all about.
If you’re totally stuck for ideas, have a chat with your mates and see what they think would work. Granted, we said this was your honeymoon earlier, but a little bit of outside inspiration can go a long way.
You can do the same with social media. Searching a few honeymoon-related hashtags on Instagram and Twitter might reveal locations and adventurous ideas that you simply wouldn’t have thought of yourselves.
This last tip is a simple one and applies to pretty much everyone taking a honeymoon.
If you want to get the best prices, always head out off-season. This is when the kids are at school and most holiday companies slash their prices.
The result? The exact same experience for a fraction of the cost!
See? Honeymoon planning should be fun for both of you, and if you follow our tips above, you’ll create something that will leave memories that last a lifetime.
Enjoy your honeymoon planning - it’ll be the best holiday you ever have, we promise!
