Planning a wedding can be exciting and stressful at the same time. So many decisions to be made. Then there’s the fun part. Where should we go on our honeymoon?
Your honeymoon is a once in a lifetime event.
Here are some tips to help make the planning and the paying a little easier.
1. Plan ahead
Just like event spaces and venues book up quickly, so do airline seats. As soon as you have your ceremony date confirmed" Find out how many days vacation the two of you have accumulated. Decide how many days you'll need to prep prior to the wedding. Give yourself a day or two after the big day to catch your breath. Then determine how many days you'll have for your honeymoon and make sure to request these days off from work, school, line up necessary child care or any other obligations you may have. Airlines and hotels usually publish pricing and schedules about 300 days in advance. Booking as early as possible will give you the best pricing and choice of availability.
2. Don't Have to Honeymoon Right Away
While it's traditional to honeymoon right after the wedding, there is no rule that says you must do so. In fact many couples prefer to catch their breath after the wedding and reception before traveling together. Still it's important to take action on your honeymoon plans when it comes to scheduling and confirming reservations in advance.
3. Get On the Same Page
Have a heart to heart talk with your fiance about their ideas, dreams and expectations for your honeymoon. Does your future spouse have a bucket list destinations they have always dreamed of visiting? Are the two of you active adventurers or would you prefer to kick back and relax on a beach together? Discuss the good and bad of past vacations that you've taken separately. Set a date night for these important conversations.
4. "Go Big"
Once you're married, "life happens"....and often more quickly than couples realize. When I was planning my wedding I remember trying to juggle finances to pay for the event while trying to set up our home together. We didn't have much money for a honeymoon. One of my elderly aunts who was known for being very frugal gave me some great advice, "Spend money a big honeymoon" She said. "You can cut corners on the reception and no one will notice. The things you need for your home can wait but time waits for no one". She was 100% correct. Experiences and memories together are far more precious than things. We shifted our priorities and took a "big" honeymoon to Hawaii. It's where I found my love of travel and it was also several years before we could afford another big vacation.
5. Set Your Budget?
While I believe a honeymoon is one of those perfect moments for a splurge, I also don't believe couples should start a marriage arguing about money. Often affordability is a matter of priorities when it comes to setting a budget. Money and budget is another important conversation to have during your date night honeymoon conversations.
Rest assured there are wonderful honeymoon destinations for all budgets. At Vacationkids we offer a free payment plan to help make paying for your dream honeymoon a little easier. This is another good reason to plan ahead. It can save you a great deal on credit card interest.
6. Now Get the Most From That Budget
Travel costs are determined by supply and demand. Traveling to your preferred destination during low or shoulder season when prices are lower could save you 30% or more on your travel costs. Traveling during holiday weeks or school holidays could cost you up to 75% more. Traveling to a destinations where the currency conversion buys you more for your money is another way to help extend your travel budget.
7. Set up a honeymoon registry.
If having a big honeymoon experience is a priority for you then ask your friends and family give the gift of travel. This doesn’t mean asking them to pay for the entire trip. They can give money towards the actual trip. Or they can also choose to help pay for an excursion or a cooking class at your destination. Give your friends and family the opportunity to help make your honeymoon special.
8. Don't Crowdsource Your Honeymoon
Imagine while planning your wedding if you put out a survey for your guests asking them things like:
- What day should we get married?
- What type of food should we serve?
- What style dress should I wear?
The result would be a hundreds of conflicting answers. As a result the wedding would not be about you but instead it would be about them. There would be so much confusion that it would be much harder to make the right decisions.
This is why you shouldn't ask for honeymoon advice on social media! This will only lead to stress, confusion and FOMO at a time when you really need focus and efficiency. While folks online mean well they are not professional travel planners. I often see well meaning advice being offered online that can lead to huge and expensive travel hassles and problems. That is not the way you want to remember your honeymoon!
9. Use The Right Name
For security reasons, the names used on your reservations need to match your identification documents exactly to prevent hassles and name change fees. For spouses planning to change your legal names, you will need a copy of your marriage license in order to change your name on your driver's license and passport. Often it will take some time after the official ceremony to obtain your marriage license and get these tasks completed.
If you plan to travel directly after the wedding then brides need to use their maiden name on all of their travel documents. If you plan to honeymoon well after your ceremony and prefer to use your married name then allow at least 6 weeks to update your passport. You can go ahead and confirm reservations using your new name but to travel overseas, you MUST have you new passport in hand on the day of travel.
10. Protect Your Honeymoon Investment
Travel insurance is an important way to protect your honeymoon investment. While it can save you a great deal of money making travel plans far in advance, none of us have a crystal ball when it comes to the future. If you need to cancel your travel plans, you'll want the peace of mind knowing you won't be out of pocket for the cost of your honeymoon. Travel insurance generally runs around 7% of the total cost of your trip. Even more important is medical coverage if you are traveling internationally. Most medical insurance does not cover you when traveling outside of the United States. If you or your spouse needs emergency medical care while on your honeymoon, this could end up costing you far more out of pocket then the cost of your trip.
11. Work With an Experienced Travel Agent.
Did you know... the cost of using the services of an experienced travel agent is already included in the price of your hotel, cruise or tour? Using a travel agent does not cost more, in fact it can save you time, stress and hassles.
Partnering with the right travel agent will make the travel planning process easy and less stressful. Travel agents know how to ask the right questions to create the perfect itinerary even if the two of you couldn't get on the same exact page after your date night. Often a couple will "think" they have the perfect honeymoon spot in mind but after hearing their wishes, likes, dislikes, budget and schedules - an experienced travel agent can often suggest an option that they might have never considered that becomes their perfect match. Ultimately it's up to the couple to decide but it's nice to know all of your options.
Don't let our name Vacationkids fool you. Yes, our speciality is all about family travel but we see honeymoons as perhaps the start of a brand new family one day. We have been doing romantic getaways for couples for more than 20 years....with or without kids. We have a team of agents that work together for you offering you first hand experience from around the world.
We will consult with the two of you help you navigate the many choices and decisions you will have to make in order for your honeymoon to be the perfect blend of both of your personalities. Can’t decide where to go or what to do? Out team of experienced Travel Agents will work with you to create a tailor made honeymoon made especially for the two of you.
