A Honeymoon To Remember
PLAN EARLY AND PLAN TOGETHER
After more than 40 plus years of marriage and many years in the travel industry, the best advice I can give the groom is too include the bride in the honeymoon plans. It is important to work with a travel professional to help you stay with-in budget but still provide you with great travel advice.
USE A TRAVEL SPECIALIST
The expertise of a travel agent will be invaluable to provide the information so you will have a honeymoon that you will cherish. Travel agents have contacts with tour companies and cruise lines that exceed those that you can access as an individual. The use of a travel agency will almost always save you money!
SET A BUDGET
This is something you will be hearing a lot about. Starting with a tentative budget is a good first step. I usually have the bride and groom come up with the three top honeymoon destinations. Then we go over the prices for the three options. Once you have the quotes then we can determine how close we are to your budget. Again, a travel specialist will help you have a wonderful honeymoon on what you can afford. I suggest you plan on having the honeymoon all paid for way before the wedding, every wedding has some unexpected expenses as the day approaches. Knowing the honeymoon is taken care and it won’t be competing with those last-minute wedding expenses.
MATCHING YOUR WEDDING PLANS
It is very important to plan a honeymoon that will fit and not compete with the wedding. The wedding is for you and your quests; the honeymoon is just for the two of you. That may be obvious, but it is something that needs to be addressed. If you are having a really large wedding with lots of out of town guests you may want to delay leaving on your honeymoon for a day or two. If your wedding is small and a major airport is very convenient to your wedding and reception then leaving out first thing the next day may be the best option. The time you leave is an important part of your plan and should be discussed between the two of you.
WHAT ABOUT A NAME CHANGE?
Even though the bride may be changing her last name her travel arrangement must be done in her maiden name. If your honeymoon is a long enough time after the wedding to change her government issued identification then use the new name. This may sound trivial, but with the current security expectations at the airports you will want your travel documents to match government issued identification.
PLAN ON RELAXING
I tell my cruise and vacation clients this: Make up your mind that when you go to the airport that you both make a conscious effort to relax. Everything at home will be there when you get back! I have traveled a lot and most people, including honeymooners, take half the vacation to relax. I have had lots of clients return and thank me for that tip. Sometimes, taking a break between the wedding and your honeymoon trip is a good plan for relaxing, most people are exhausted after their big day.
BE FLEXIBLE
This is a very important thing to practice both for your wedding and honeymoon. I had two of my daughters get married in a five-month time period. Sometimes weddings can bring to the surface some problems that usually go unnoticed. Time has a way of changing the perspective; memories will be wonderful even with a few bumps in the road. As far as your honeymoon goes, leave it all behind and go and have a wonderful time!
DON’T OVER PLAN
This is one of my 12 Top Travel Tips and it is so important on your honeymoon. I still think you should have an itinerary, know what top things you want to see and do on your vacation but you do not to have every minute planned. Sometimes, going with the flow for the day or just doing nothing can be wonderful experience.