You’ve spent months planning your wedding, but what you’re most looking forward to is the honeymoon: a chance to get away and relax with the one you love. But your honeymoon requires planning too! Take these steps to help you plan your ideal honeymoon!
Let your imagination run wild.
Sit down with your fiancé and think of all the places you would both like to go for your honeymoon. Talk about what kind of environment you want for your trip—fun and activity-filled or relaxing and intimate. Don’t hold back on ideas! Suggest every place you can think of and create a list of possibilities. You’ll have to make more rational decisions later, but the first step is just to brainstorm and have fun with it!
Determine your priorities.
Ask yourself some questions about what you want from your honeymoon and what you envision for the trip. What do you need to enjoy your honeymoon? What will make it memorable for you? Imagine creating a scrapbook for your trip: What activities and sights would you like to fill the pages?
Crunch the numbers.
Once you’ve determined what you and your fiancé want out of your honeymoon, figure out your budget and other details, like how much time both of you can take off from work. If you need a little help with reaching your financial goal, consider setting up a honeymoon fund and asking guests to contribute instead of purchasing wedding gifts. And be sure to take advantage of any airline miles or hotel points that can help reduce costs!
Take time to reevaluate.
Go back to your list of vacation spots and look at the options with your budget and timeframe in mind. Which idea works best for your situation? Cross off any options that don’t meet your vision of your honeymoon or that don’t work with your budget. This may mean saying goodbye to some dreams, but there are always anniversary trips to plan in the future!
Choose the top contenders.
Pick two or three possible destinations that you and your fiancé think you’d love and begin gathering information. Check out reviews online and on social media, talk to friends who are frequent travelers, and make a list of hotels, restaurants, and activities that others recommend.
Consider asking for help.
Planning a trip can be a challenge, especially if it’s not something you do often. Knowing how much time you and your fiancé can actually devote to planning your honeymoon can save you a lot of stress in the long run. You can work with a travel agent to make sure everything is booked and to put your mind at ease about your honeymoon and make planning a little more fun.
Make your decision and book.
Choose from your top potential honeymoon destinations and pick a place you and your fiancé are both excited about. Whether with a travel agent or on your own, book all your flights and hotels for your trip. Plan to have everything booked at least three months before your departure, both to help secure the best prices and to ease the stress of planning.
Now, all that’s left to do is enjoy your wedding and make sure you have everything you need for your trip! If you’re traveling out of the country, make sure your passport is up to date and talk to your doctor about any immunizations you may need. Whether you’re traveling to the beach, a foreign city, or going for a cozy retreat in the mountains, be sure to relax and have fun!