how to plan a romantic honeymoon

So you're engaged, and now you're planning a romantic honeymoon to begin your married life together. You may find that planning this trip is very stressful because there are too many choices! Do you want to take a cruise or spend a romantic honeymoon at a beach resort in a tropical paradise?

Where do you want to go? The world offers so many honeymoon destinations: Hawaii. Capri. Costa Rica. Tahiti and Bora Bora. Fiji. The Maldives. Mexico. Jamaica or the Caribbean. Do you want an all inclusive vacation? Do you want a totally flexible package?

This is perhaps the one time in your life when all these choices are not welcome. You're in the midst of countless decisions about your wedding, and you're getting frustrated by them. You are discovering that the two of you may have different decision-making styles, different priorities, even different expectations. You've had to deal with disagreements and conflict around your wedding ... and now you have the trip of a lifetime to plan. Both of you want it to be the most wonderful, romantic honeymoon ever, but you can't agree on anything. What's a happily engaged couple to do?

Here are some tips on how to plan a romantic honeymoon and keep your love intact!

1. Keep it simple. You'll want to avoid frequent packing and unpacking. Who wants the hassles of traveling to a dozen destinations on your honeymoon? This is a time for you to be together and enjoy each other. Talk about this question: What do we like doing for fun? Brainstorm destinations that would be fun to visit. Come up with separate lists, then compare and see what you have in common.

2. Set a budget. If your vacation costs more than you can afford, the expenses will add to your stress, both during the trip and afterwards (when the credit card bills come in). You can have a romantic honeymoon that stays within your budget and enjoy your memories forever (and avoid the debt).

3. Ask for help. Planning any kind of travel can be complex; if it were simple, you wouldn't be reading this blog! A good travel consultant will listen to the dreams you have for your honeymoon, respect your budget, do all the research, and offer you a few choices that you can talk over together. Whatever you may pay as a consulting fee, you will reap many times that investment in mistakes avoided, real value found, and a bottom line that you can afford. And, most of all, you will have a romantic honeymoon that's been planned by an expert so that all you have to do ... is enjoy it!


copyright (c) 2007 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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