How To Plan Your Honeymoon
With Valentine’s day right around the corner, it might be the perfect time to sit down and start planning your honeymoon. I was fortunate enough to have a top notch honeymoon in Orlando and Mexico and so glad I did as it’s almost impossible to get to anywhere exotic with 2 little ones.
Here’s my top tips!
Work together like a team
When planning your wedding, you may have a divide and conquer system going, the honeymoon however is something that you should probably do together. Make a list of what you envision your honeymoon being, do you want a totally relaxing holiday? or do you want to go and explore? or do you want a mixture of both?
Discuss all of these things before deciding on a destination.
Research research research
It’s fair to say that this is potentially the most expensive/luxurious holiday you will go on so make sure you do your research. Research everything from different destinations, accommodations, travel, cuisine in the area, have a look through trip advisor and write down some restaurant recommendations, scourge Instagram and Pinterest they really are amazing for inspiration. You could even create a mood board if you wanted to! It’s also good to get an understanding of your preferred destination requires you to get vaccinations.
Decide on a budget
Do yourself a favour and open up an excel sheet, use it to add up the costs of potential trips that you’re interested in. For example if you’re looking a honeymoon the other side of the world, how much will flights cost, what about hotels and transport when you get there, you’ll also need to factor in visas and travel insurance, food everyday that you’re there, some new outfits to bring with you, drinks, any activities that you’re doing. It can get expensive very quickly and the best way to avoid stress and not have to worry about money on the honeymoon is to set a budget and stick to it.
Travel agent
Decide whether or not you want to use a travel agency. They can be super helpful and you can score some seriously amazing deals but don’t forget that they take a cut so it might suit you better to plan everything yourself if you’ve a head for bargains! There are lots of amazing travel agencies here in Ireland so don’t be afraid to call them and ask for a quote or for some advice!
Determine the length of the trip
Before you start trying to figure out your budget or even looking at destinations, you might want to consider the length of the trip. How much time can you get off work? You’ll also need to factor in travelling days. Once you know how long you’d like the honeymoon to be you can then look at 10 day/14 day/21 day packages and go from there! But there’s no point in planning everything to discover you can’t get the time off work.
Decide on the destination
Once you’ve decided on the length of your trip, you can start looking for specific destinations. Watch vlogs of that country or area, usually that can give you a better idea of the reality of the region than a trip adviser review. Ask your friends and family for recommendations and start to build your itinerary.
Do what feels right for you
While typically when people mention honeymoons your mind immediately goes to a sunny beach somewhere far far away, that might not actually be your dream holiday, you might feel like going to Iceland or heading off to Japan! Whatever feels right for you and your partner, go with that and don’t mind anyone else!
Planning your honeymoon can be a super exciting time but can also be quite stressful but remember excel sheets are your best friend and don’t forget to ask for help!
