Your Honeymoon: Be Wise and It Will Be Enjoyable

Your Honeymoon:  Be Wise and It Will Be Enjoyable
How to have a great time without exhausting yourself or your finances

By Hannah Kiefer

“Let’s go to Europe!”

This is the first thing that comes out of your fiancés mouth when you mention the honeymoon.

Yes, the honeymoon. You’re excited—your fiancé has all these big plans about where you’re going to go and what you’re going to do. You’re going to go backpacking throughout Europe for over a month, or you’re going to spend weeks in India experiencing the culture. Or you’re going to spend two weeks in Paris eating the most exquisite French food, visiting every single museum, and taking beautiful rides down the river. Or you’re going to go to the Canadian Rockies and climb some of their highest mountains. It all sounds great . . .

But you’re kind of dreading it. It sounds rather exhausting, it might—no, wait—will be stressful, and it’s going to be darned expensive. Despite all of your worries, you think to yourself:  it’s the honeymoon, so it’s worth it, right?

No. It’s not.

Just because it’s your honeymoon, it doesn’t mean you have to “go all out.” It doesn’t have to be the honeymoon to end all honeymoons. I mean, heck—you’ll have just gotten married! It’s time to chillax.

Check out these tips to make wise decisions about your honeymoon.

Honeymoon Tips

 

• Plan well ahead. That’s a no-brainer. Remember that some places take reservations up to a year or two in advance! (ie:  national park camping grounds, hotels, lodges, etc.)
• If you’ve traveled very little together, or not at all, talk about it. What kind of traveler are you? What kind of traveler is he? Do you like lazy vacations? Is he a busy body type? Do you get pretty nervous in places you’ve never been before? Does he stay fairly calm and laidback? Sort it all out so you know what kind of trip you want and what to expect.
• Don’t overspend. It’s like everything else that’s cracked up to be so much more than it is. Example:  your prom dress. Remember that thing? Yes, that thing—that “gorgeous, stunning, can’t-live-without-it” dress that you and/or your mother spent over $500 on? And now it sits in a box in the basement. Don’t overspend just ‘cause everyone else is or because you feel it’s what you should do. (Psst! Didn’t you just pay for a wedding?)
• Consider a close location. Prom dress example applies here, too. Just because a lot of couples go to Hawaii for their honeymoon, doesn’t mean you have to. This is not a social contest (and if it is for you, then exit asap). There’s nothing wrong with going to a nice city nearby, a beautiful state park just hours from you, or the beach or lake.
• Consider a “lazy” vacation. Even if you’re a busy body and a fan of trips that involve lots of constant activities, this might not be the best time to visit every city in Italy or climb the highest mountain in New Mexico. You and your new spouse will both be exhausted from your wedding, and, on top of that, you’ll have just started life as a married couple. Better to lessen stress than increase it.  
• Consider waiting for a while. Whether it’s 2 weeks or 3 months, extra time will give you room to breathe after the wedding. Both of you will have time to adjust to your new life together as well (and/or your new jobs, neighborhood, city, apartment, house, etc.).

• Consider an initial, low-budget, relaxing, close-location honeymoon. Then, later, the “real deal.” Example:  a week after your wedding, stay in a moderate hotel near a beach. Relax, sunbathe, swim. Eat a nice dinner together. Then, say, 4 months later, go to Europe. A plan structured like this will give you room to breathe after the big day, get settled into your new life together, and start your marriage on firmer ground. (I mean, heck—think of all those people who did the opposite and had “disaster honeymoons”!)

For some couples, the above simply won’t apply. If you’ve been dating for over ten or fifteen years, and have lived and traveled together, an “all-out” honeymoon right away might make perfect sense for you (and probably doesn’t sound stressful at all).

Either way, remember to be wise and plan ahead, and you’ll have a great time!

Visit us soon for the next honeymoon post—featuring specific vacations from real couples!

Simple Elegance Events and Wedding Designs serving Central Illinois. Want to use this article in your E-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement: Event Planning entrepreneur Hannah Keifer with Simple Elegance Events and Wedding Designs publishes information you can use at http://www.aweddingtodreamof.com/?p=1063