5 Steps to Planning The Perfect Honeymoon

Let’s face it, the honeymoon is just what the doctor ordered after a long process of months and months wedding planning. Long before your wedding, you dream of planning a honeymoon to exotic, faraway destinations like the Maldives, Bali, Bora Bora, and the Amalfi Coast start to swirl in their minds. And, while all of these dreamy destinations sound heavenly, the task of honeymoon planning (on top of wedding planning) can get stressful! But that’s why I’m here to help! I’ve rounded up my top 5 steps to planning the perfect honeymoon (or any romantic getaway with your loved one! Who needs a wedding as an excuse to travel?!), so that you can stop stressing, and start planning the vacation of your dreams.

BTW if you’re still in prime wedding planning mode & wedding dress shopping, shout out to Pronovias US for their beautiful selection! They also have the best wedding dresses for the beach, that you’re probably going to want to end up packing for the honeymoon too!

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 (I have an article on my favorite honeymoon spots in the world here!), travel instagrams, and travel Pinterest accounts for inspiration. 

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.  Sanara gets it.

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.

Of course, this budget can stay flexible, but it’s good to have an idea of what you’re able to spend before you start planning, and you can decide where your priorities lie for the trip. Maybe it’s not within your budget to spend $7,000 on 7 -nights in a 5 star resort on a private island, but you guys can afford stay 3 nights in a 3-star resort, and the rest of your time in the 5-star. Or maybe you can save on the transportation or dinner reservations in order to have more to spend on your honeymoon hotel. I’m a big fan of knowing when to splurge, and when to spend, on any vacation. And, if the price tag on your ideal trip is out of your budget range, you can start brainstorming ways to save money with your partner. Investigate what your frequent-flyer point balance can buy you and research honeymoon registry options like Honeyfund or Zola, which let your guests gift money for your travels.

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 there.

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).

Check out my other blog posts to help with your honeymoon planning!

The best honeymoon resorts

The best overwater bungalows in Bora Bora

What to wear to your bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower and more as the bride to be

How to Choose a Honeymoon Destination

The Best Bride and Bridal Party Kimonos

What to wear to your rehearsal dinner as the bride

The Ultimate Maldives Honeymoon Guide

 

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WRITTEN BY:

Christina is a leading luxury lifestyle and travel blogger with over 2 million readers. Follow her on instagram @jetsetchristina.

  • Biye bazaar
    REPLY

    “If you have enough love for each other, then the place won’t
    matter, just spending time with each other would do. ” but that being said, these places are amazing, hah!

    December 5, 2018
  • hi Christina,
    We nice article about honeymoon planning keep up the good work.
    regards
    Sudhanshu

    February 15, 2019
  • Adrienne Spragg
    REPLY

    Great article! Great advice to include some time for R&R in your schedule. We’ve worked with a lot of couples that want to go-go-go on their honeymoons, and often have to talk them into slowing things down a bit. It’s tempting when you’re visiting a new place to try and pack everything in, but between travel time, unpacking and repacking at hotels, and all of the rest of it, you never want to leave feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation… especially on your honeymoon!

    June 7, 2019

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