5 STEPS TO PLANNING THE PERFECT HONEYMOON

1.Research honeymoon destinations

Every couple is different. Some couples want to be dropped on a beach in The Maldives and not have to move for 7 days. Other couples are looking for a more adventurous honeymoon, filled with hiking, waterfall chasing, or skiing the Swiss Alps. Some couples are looking to cross something off their bucket list – like a safari in Africa, or a riverboat through the Amazon. And some couples imagine themselves roaming around Europe, with gelatos in hand and seeing everything there is to see.  I recommend checking out your favorite travel blogs.

2. Consider using a travel agent that caters to your honeymoon needs (and budget!)

While it can be fun to dream up your trip and scour Pinterest for travel inspiration, the reality is that creating a full travel itinerary is a ton of hard work (and logistics!). My #1 tip for planning a honeymoon or any trip is don’t sweat the details – consult the experts! When your mind is already filled to the brim with wedding planning logistics, planning the honeymoon can be the last thing on your mind. If you’re overwhelmed with honeymoon research and want someone to take your and your fiance’s travel tastes, budget, etc and create a custom honeymoon itinerary, check out my honeymoon consulting and itinerary options here.

If you’d rather go with a full travel agent who will book everything for you and take care of every last detail, check out the boutique travel agency Sanara Travels because their small team offers an unbeatable combination of personalized attention and fair prices, and saves you endless research and planning time. The agency was started by a bride-to-be who was fed up with the entire honeymoon planning process, and realized the need for more millennial-focused travel agencies to help with the hassle that is vacation planning. 

3. Figure out a honeymoon budget

Now that you have your dream destinations, it’s important to know what’s realistic for your budget.. and what honeymoon destinations make sense for your budget. You want your honeymoon to be stress-free, and that means coming up with a budget, and staying within it, so you don’t worry about money the whole time you’re on vacation.  I have a blog post that breaks down all of the most popular honeymoon destinations by budget and how much each honeymoon destination actually costs : Choosing Your Honeymoon By Budget: What you can expect to spend on your honeymoon.

As far as planning what your budget looks like – I like to first figure out how much time I have for the vacation, then research flights for that time of year to get an idea of how much it would cost to get to each destination, then I pull out an excel sheet and, for each destination, type in all of the days of the trip, and how much I would want to allot for food, drinks, flights & transportation, any activities I’d imagine doing, and hotel costs.

4. Post to social media & crowd-source your friends for recommendations!

Once you’ve conquered the challenge of picking your honeymoon spot, post a status on Facebook, source recommendations from your friends. You’ll likely get some insider advice from friends who have been where you’re planning on honeymooning! And you’ll be able to avoid any rookie mistakes when it comes to what you should and shouldn’t do when you get.

5. Plan The Perfect Itinerary (for you!)

When planning a perfect honeymoon itinerary, make sure you get enough quiet time for yourselves apart from the days allotted for the sightseeing, tours, and hectic activities. Many couples will get so excited to finally get to go on their dream trip together, that they try to cover too many things in a limited amount of time, which can be exhausting, and not the point of a honeymoon! Take time for each other, and make sure to schedule some resort days to soak up some R&R&R (rest, romance, and relaxation).