Honeymoons too often take a backseat to the arrangements and plans of the actual wedding, but you owe it to yourself to give honeymoon planning greater and more careful attention. After all, while the wedding is mainly for your family and friends, the once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon that follows is a private getaway for you and your new spouse to celebrate your marriage. Though you may spend a portion of your vacation relaxing and reflecting on this major life change, the honeymoon is most of all an opportunity to enjoy being a newlywed, spending quality time with your new spouse, and experiencing a romantic and exciting getaway.
Honeymooners have endless options. Following months of wedding planning, couples often retreat to a luxurious resort that caters to their every need, while others trek to an adventurous escape from their day-to-day lives. Whether it is a beach vacation or a safari, the honeymoon should reflect your joint personality and wishes.
Keep in mind that perfect honeymoons don’t just happen, and planning requires thoughtfulness, patience, careful attention to details, and a lot of decision-making along the way. Working with the right travel concierge that specializes in romance travel can streamline the process, insure no details are overlooked, and increase your value and experience dramatically.
Before you contact a romance travel specialist, there are a few things you need to consider. Thinking about these key items will help the travel concierge make thoughtful and appropriate recommendations for creating your ideal honeymoon. You may not know the exact answers before contacting your romance travel specialist, but just thinking about them will get you ahead of the planning process. Here are 5 key questions you should ask yourself:
1. What is your priority for this experience? Think about choosing up to 3 of the following: romance, quiet, activity, adventure, food / wine, culture, tropical beach, or exploring cities. Of course you could have completely different ideas! Remember this is your honeymoon and your future memories!
2. Do you have a specific destination in mind or are you looking for someone to help decide? If you do have a destination in mind, what attracts you to that particular destination?
3. What are your preferred travel dates or window of time? Not everyone travels immediately after the wedding. I have worked with school teachers that postpone honeymoons until summer break, tax preparation personnel that plan around tax deadlines, and couples that have a specific destination but need to wait until that destination is “in season”.
4. How long do you want to be gone? This can make a big difference on your destination options. For example, you won’t be visiting the south pacific nor doing an African Safari if you can only be gone 5 days.
5. What is your budget for your honeymoon? While you may not know what “things cost” (I hear this all of the time), you certainly know what you can and / or will spend. A budget isn’t an exact dollar amount but a range. Knowing your budget range upfront can help set realistic expectations and eliminate a great deal of frustration during the planning process. This is usually the hardest part for most couples. A way to make this easier is to consider the following sample ranges: Less than $5,000, $5,000-$7,500, $7,500-$10,000, $10,000-$13,000, and over $13,000.
Once you have thought about these key elements, the real fun begins!! Then we move on to the types of honeymoons: all-inclusive resorts, multi-destination honeymoons, or cruises are just a few of the options! I’m often asked about the most popular honeymoon trends or destinations. Some couples want to be on the cutting edge and stay away from “what everyone else does” and some couples want to do what is “in the moment”. Which kind of couple are you?
Remember, your honeymoon is all about you! You will be starting your life together and creating your very first “married” memories!
Happy travels.
Kelley
During my visit last week, I stayed at Sandals Whitehouse on the South Coast. This resort features 2 ½ miles of beautiful white sandy beach. The resort is beautifully landscaped; the food and service were excellent. It is a somewhat quiet resort, but that does not equal boring; there are plenty of activities available for you at the resort as well as off resort excursions as well.
TSA screening uses the 3-1-1 rule for liquids, fluids, and gels to be carried on to an airplane. In a nutshell – that is no container larger than 3 oz., in a 1 quart zip lock baggie, and 1 per person. Technically the allowable size is 3.4 oz., but 3 oz. is much easier to remember when it comes time to pack! Always remember to remove your zip lock baggie from your carry-on (unless you are qualified for TSA Pre-Check) and place it in one of the bins for security screening. Each time security has to search a carry-on bag it slows down the line. If you have any doubt about something being considered a liquid, fluid, or gel it is safest to put it in your checked bag. You should also declare larger liquids. Medications, baby formula and food, and breast milk are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. You must declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint. Please remember and be patient as officers may need to open these items to conduct additional screening. Remember, the 3-1-1 rule only applies to liquids, fluids, and gels; it does not apply to pills or powders.
For general security information, screening processes, and information about carry-on items, please check the TSA website at 
remember to confirm your airline allowances prior to travel so you don’t have any surprises at the airport upon departure or return! With the exception of Southwest Airlines, all airlines now charge for checked baggage when purchasing the least expensive (and in some cases any!) tickets. There are also weight and size requirements for your checked bags. Each airline will have their specifics, but a good rule of thumb is no heavier than 50 pounds, and no bigger than 62 linear inches. These requirements will vary among airlines, please check! As a note, the international carries have very different standards for their flights that originate in countries outside of the United States. If you are uncertain of the requirements, please check with them so you don’t find yourself re-packing in the midst of a very busy airport in another country.
Our Grayline “Hop on Hop Off Bus” tickets provided a great deal for the 3 day all attractions unlimited pass. The package includes some additional extras like a ferry tour and some museum tickets. I have used this tour previously and think it is the best value for money. We saved a fortune in cab fares by riding the Hop on Hop Off to our favorite spots. Some of the attractions include The grament district, Financial District, Central Park, Soho, Greenwich village and many more.
What do you do if your flight is delayed or cancelled? There are some steps you can proactively take to stay informed and alleviate some of the stress associated with disrupted travel.
