How to Plan Your Honeymoon : The ultimate step-by-step guide to planning the honeymoon of your dreams!

We all know the best part of any party is the after party, and weddings are no different! Months and months of wedding planning stress, vendor and travel logistics, absolute constant exhaustion and then… ahhhhh, the honeymoon. For many couples, honeymoons are not only the perfect way to kick off the rest of their lives together, but they’re the perfect excuse to take the romantic trip of a lifetime they’ve always wanted to take together! 

Whether you’re dreaming of a honeymoon to the Amalfi Coast, a Maldives honeymoon, a Bali honeymoon, or a Santorini honeymoon, I’m here to help!

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While all these top honeymoon destinations are downright dreamy, the task of honeymoon planning (on top of wedding planning) can get pretty stressful and downright daunting to take on by yourself – but that’s why I’m here! Here is your step by step guide to planning your honeymoon! 

Research honeymoon destinations & get an idea of what honeymoon destination is right for you!

Every couple is different when it comes to choosing the best honeymoon destination for them. Some couples want to be dropped on a beach in The Maldives for a honeymoon 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, a trip to Bali, or a riverboat through the Amazon. And some couples imagine themselves roaming around Europe, with gelatos in hand and seeing absolutely everything there is to see. 

In terms of researching the best honeymoon destinations for you and your fiance, I recommend checking out some of the best travel blogs out there (I have an article that’s a good place to start on my favorite honeymoon spots in the world here!), the best travel instagrams you follow, and travel Pinterest accounts as well for inspiration, and then start to make a list with your fiance of all of both of your top honeymoon destinations. Keep in mind the timing of your trip, and the weather (and holidays) in that destination at the time of the year!

Figure out your honeymoon budget

Now that you have your dream destinations, it’s important to know what’s realistic for your honeymoon budget.. and what honeymoon destinations make sense for your ideal budget. You want your honeymoon to be stress-free, and that means coming up with a budget, and sticking within it, so you won’t have to worry about money the whole time you’re on vacation!  I have a big 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. This will help give some clarity into what a honeymoon actually costs.

As far as planning your honeymoon budget – 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 create 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 $8,000 on 7 nights in a 5 star resort on a private island, but you guys can afford stay a few nights in a 3-star resort, and the rest of your time at the 5-star. Or maybe you don’t care as much about the accommodations, and want to spend more on food. Or, the opposite and you’d like to 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, invest in a great travel credit card to start racking up points, and consider honeymoon registry options like Honeyfund or Zola, which let your guests gift money for your travels.

Post to social media & crowd-source your friends for honeymoon recommendations!

Once you’ve conquered the challenge of picking your honeymoon destination, post a status about planning your itinerary on Facebook, and do a callout for recommendations among your friends. Not only is it awesome to share the honeymoon excitement with your loved ones, but you’ll likely gain some insider advice on where to eat, stay, and play from friends who have been where you’re going! 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!

Also, if you don’t feel like posting to your whole network, join the JSC Jetsetters secret facebook group! We’re always chatting travel (and life) recs, and the group is a great place to source awesome honeymoon recommendations. 

Make a list of all the recs you get (I like doing this in google sheets) and research each one, taking notes on it in the doc as you go. 

Consider a personalized honeymoon consultation with Jetset Christina

While it can be fun to dream up your trip and hunt Pinterest for travel inspiration, the reality is that creating a full honeymoon itinerary is a ton of hard work. The best thing you can do to save your sanity is don’t sweat the details – and consult an expert instead! When your mind is already filled to the brim with wedding planning logistics, planning a honeymoon can be the last thing you have time for.

After getting reached out to by so many lost guys and girls hoping to plan the honeymoon of their fiancé’s dreams, I started offering honeymoon consultations and custom itinerary planning! (You can read more about both here)  It’s been such a fun extension of the blog, and I love creating personalized honeymoon itineraries for you all!! For more info on rates or to book a custom consultation, contact [email protected]

Plan The Perfect Itinerary (for you and your fiancé!)

If you’re choosing to do the planning yourselves, keep in mind that when planning a perfect honeymoon itinerary, you 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 totally not the point of a honeymoon! Be sure to take time for each other, and schedule some resort days to soak up some R&R&R (rest, romance, and relaxation).

PS – have more questions on honeymoons? Join the JETSETTERS secret facebook group to get & give travel recs to our Jetset Christina community and connect with other #JSCJetsetters!

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

The top honeymoon destinations for 2020 and 2021

The Best Luxury Honeymoon Resorts in the World

All-white outfits for bride-to-be’s for every wedding-related event

The best bridesmaid gifts

Where to Honeymoon in the Caribbean

The best etsy products for a wedding

The Ultimate Honeymoon Packing Guide

How to have the best time on your honeymoon

Personalized honeymoon planning by Jetset Christina

The Ultimate Maldives Honeymoon Guide

The Ultimate Guide to Santorini

How to choose a honeymoon for your budget : What a honeymoon actually costs

Things to do as soon as you get engaged to start wedding planning

What to wear to your rehearsal dinner as the bride

What to pack for a honeymoon in the Maldives