Honeymoon Planning

This is a scheduled post because my husband and I we will be on a flight to the Gold Coast of Australia for our honeymoon! So, I thought it fitting to write about planning the honeymoon!

I know that not everyone is like me and loved every part of planning. For some of you, the honeymoon is the only part of planning you’ll find exciting. Here are some tips for making your first vacation as husband and wife a walk on the beach.

Tip One:

Figure out what your spouse expects from vacation.

I know for a fact that my husband and I have different vacation styles. He loves to stay-cation. If given the choice, his vacations would consist of playing video games, not changing out of lounge clothes for a week, that sort of thing. I, on the other hand, love adventure. I like to travel and explore places I have never been. On vacations, I especially love doing the things I can't do at home.

Because we both have different ideas as to what constitutes a real vacation when planning we have to compromise and allow time to do what the other would like. We planned a 10-hour Great Barrier Reef excursion, and the following day, we allowed for time to sleep in and recover.

Compromise is not conceding; it's giving your partner the chance to enjoy their vacation as well.

Tip Two:

Be realistic, only plan what you can afford.

Yes! Your honeymoon is the vacation you'll remember for the rest of your life, but if you are unrealistic about the amount of money you can afford to spend, it might just be the only vacation you'll ever take.

Budget out the trip, everything from the obvious expenses like flights and housing, to the minuscule costs like food, international driver's license, etc. By all means splurge a bit, but you don’t want to put yourselves in the hole at the very beginning of your lives together.

Tip Three:

Plan ahead.

Do your credit cards work internationally? Did you tell your bank where you were going and for how long? Will you have to pay an arm and a leg for cell phone use? These are questions that should be asked far in advance and taken care of well before the leave date.

For Australia, my husband and I needed passports, travel visas, international driver's licenses, to notifiy of our banks, and to gather information from our cell phone provider about foreign travel service.

You should also consider researching activities to do before leaving. Pick more than you'll be able to do and choose when you get there according to how you're feeling. Just because you planned it, doesn't mean you have to do it. If you're exhausted one of the days, that's fine! Take some time to recover or choose a more low-key activity from the list you made before you left.

Tip Four:

Make a packing list.

I am a worrier by nature and making lists calms my nerves.

Chances are you are planning on leaving your honeymoon right after, or close to the closing of your wedding. Not only should you have your bags packed in advance but you should also prepare a packing list to ensure that everything you need to have a fun tip is in your luggage. There's nothing worse than showing up to the hotel and opening up your suitcase to find that your medication is missing!

I will never forget the story my parents told me about being so rushed to get to the airport to leave for Italy the day after their wedding that they forgot their maps, translation books and already converted Italian cash in their hotel room the night before. Their honeymoon was prior to the age of cell phones where all of this information would be accessible from our pocket. Could you imagine going to Italy now and not having your cell phone?

Tip Five:

Give yourself some breathing time after the wedding.

My husband and I waited a week to leave after our wedding to go on the honeymoon. The gap was not only to give our jobs time between the wedding and the honeymoon, but to provide us with time to breathe after the celebration.

We wanted to be able to pack leisurely after the reception and think through everything we needed before shipping out to a different country. It takes some of the pressure off you and your spouse right after the wedding.

Tip Six:

Plan some downtime.

Whether its downtime working on your tan at the pool or snuggling with your new significant other in the honeymoon suite, let yourself relax.

You don't have to be running around every second. By all means, explore your new surroundings, but if that means exhausting yourself with too many activities and ruining the vacation for both of you, stop to smell the fresh air and relax.

Tip Seven:

Remember that you’re on vacation.

Similar to the last tip, don't try to pack so much in that you or your partner feel stressed to get it all in. Vacations are about relaxation and getting away from your day-to-day routine, have fun, leave the stress at home and let the holiday take you where it wants when it wants it.

A more critical sub-tip is to leave work at work. No one wants to go on a vacation that they have spent time and money planning to have their partner then spend the whole time on their phone or answering emails. The entire point of a honeymoon is to spend time with your spouse, not your office.

Tip Eight:

Enjoy yourselves.

This tip may go without saying but use this trip as an opportunity to let loose and get to know one another. Savor the moment and make it a trip to remember for the rest of your lives.

With Love,

Macy