So, you’re nervous and excited about your sweet days with your beloved? Happens with most of us. Calm down. It’s going to turn out super smooth.
Ideally, you should begin planning your honeymoon at least 8-12 months prior to the wedding. The wedding planning and arrangements will drain you quite a lot. It won’t leave any time to rest and plan your honeymoon with a fresh mind.
So, it’s best you plan it before you plan the wedding. In this guide, we’ll be sharing how you can plan a honeymoon that syncs with your imagination and dreams. Let’s get started!
How to plan your honeymoon?
Your honeymoon planning begins with a notebook and a pen. Quite literally. Discuss what you want to do with your partner and shortlist the top three things each of you wants to try with another.
Apart from that, figure out how long you want your honeymoon to last. Determine if you want it in a crowded, hustling, and bustling place, or do you want to spend time with one another in a secluded area?
Overall, you should have three metrics before getting down to in-person or internet research. These include:
- Duration of your stay
- Your budget
- Type of honeymoon you desire
If you’re not familiar with the types of honeymoons that exist, we recommend browsing this list of thetop 10 types of honeymoons.
Once you have these details, it’s time to begin the real planning.
Stage 1: Shortlist Best Honeymoon Destinations
If you’re aiming to experience the best possible honeymoon, we recommend browsing thetop honeymoon destinations of 2023. Some of the best destinations shortlisted by honeymoon experts include:
- Saint Lucia
- Bahamas
- Maldives
- Jamaica
- Bora Bora
- Hawaii
- Bermuda
Technically, these are the best honeymoon destinations of all time. But they’ve made it to 2023’s best honeymoon places as well, thanks to the scenic beauty as well as newer luxury resorts. The best part? These still fall under affordable premium honeymoon places for most couples.
To experience the best, pickany on the list.
But if you have specifics planned, you’ll have to dive into deeper research. Find out if the places you shortlist offer the activities you wish to engage in. Research a bit on the culture and vibe there.
Browse the list of hotels that fall within your budget and check out their reputation. Ideally, you should have at least 2-3 honeymoon destinations and 2-3 hotels/resorts shortlisted (for each destination) in the first stage of planning. The first stage of planning lasts 1-2 months, i.e., 6-8 months before your wedding.
Stage 2: Review Choices & Reevaluate
Stage two of honeymoon planning lasts the longest. It may stretch over 3-4 months. During this time, we encourage you to get to the roots of all your shortlisted options.
Here are a few things you should do:
- Check out the traffic received by your shortlisted destination in each season.
- Browse all possible activities in the resort you’re interested in, as well as the place you’ll be visiting.
- Browse travel blogs and reviews to understand how difficult it is to get the hang of that place.
- Browse customer reviews of the hotel you might book.
- Estimate any additional costs in case of a mishap or emergency.
- Estimate airfare, transportation costs, and food costs
- Estimate the safety offered by the place. You might want to check the crime rate and weather forecast.
- Determine if you wish to attend any festivals happening at the place, during your honeymoon.
Using this information, further evaluate your choice. Determine if you want to visit the place in the busiest season or quietest seasons. And so on.
There’s a high chance you might find yourself back to point zero when you find out your desired honeymoon destination or place of stay is too expensive or fully booked. Relax and start over with a fresh mind. Remember, you do not want to rush this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Stage 3: Make your Bookings
It’s best to wrap up stage two as soon as you can. But if you can’t wind it up quickly, ensure that you finalize your choice at least two months before your wedding.
Beyond this, it will be difficult to make any bookings of your choice. There’s a high chance, you’ll have to make compromises.
If you manage to book 6-8 months in advance, you might receive early bird and other additional discounts. Plus, you’ll get exactly what you planned for. You’ll even leave some time for the resort to make arrangements for you and transform your honeymoon dreams into reality.
Final Thoughts
Summing up, planning your honeymoon is one of the most stressful events of your wedding journey. But if you lead it systematically, you might as well receive the complete worth of your efforts.
