During the planning process not only do you need to decide on a venue, caterer, DJ, etc., but you also need to think about planning your honeymoon. So we asked Linda Dancer with Honeymoons, Inc. to give us some helpful honeymoon planning tips. As a romance travel designer, Linda said so many couples that reach out to her have no clue where they want to go for their honeymoon, many will only say a tropical destination – but they really have no idea what that means for their honeymoon experience – other than white sand and blue ocean. So, listed below are some of the tips she uses to try to help them pick the perfect destination and other helpful information to make their first trip together as Mr. and Mrs. a success full of memories to last a lifetime.
- I ask lots of questions – by the time the couple reaches out to me, they have done some research on the internet, talked to some of their friends and family and looked at some destination magazines for inspiration.
- Questions include – do you have passports or are you intending on getting passports? If clients cannot for some reason get a valid USA Passport, then we have to focus on domestic destinations such as Hawaii that would not require a valid passport.
- Are there destinations that either of you have traveled to before that you do not want to consider for your honeymoon? (such as trips with someone from a previous relationship?) When are you planning to travel? Not all clients travel immediately after their wedding for various reasons, so knowing planned travel dates are important to avoid rainy season and so forth.
- How many days are you planning to be gone? Travel time to/from some destinations must be included in the process of making the final decision. This will determine how many days you can actually stay in the destination before you have to depart to return home.
- What budget range are you comfortable with? Many clients hesitate to give a target budget range they would like to stay within, but to avoid disappointment in finding the perfect location only to find out it is twice the budget you wanted to spend, I try to have clients at least think about a target budget- I am very good at finding the best value experiences for my clients but I try to have them take a realistic approach to what their options are within their target budget range.
- What are your interests? Usually one is very active the other wants to just lay on the beach all day, so I try to consider these different vacation ideas and find resorts and destinations that allow both to relax and enjoy themselves. Many clients will say I just want to relax and do nothing while on vacation, but by asking questions during the process I learn that yes, they want to relax a lot while on vacation, but they also want to visit a safe destination that allows them to leave their resort and go shopping or explore the culture.
- Do you need to include travel insurance? Yes, many couples assume that nothing will happen to interfere with the plans they have made for their honeymoon but I try to encourage them to include the insurance because life has a way of throwing curve balls that you just can’t plan for and whether the insurance plan guarantees the refund back in the form of vouchers or credit back to their original form of payment, having some sort of travel insurance protection is a wise investment.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is ! the internet is good for research but for this once in a life time trip, don’t leave the details to chance, we have been to all the resorts, know the resort management teams to request our clients be well cared for upon their arrival to the resort, we are there for you even after you depart through email, skype, WhatsApp and other means of communication. It is just not worth it to book on some generic online website without anyone in your corner – just because you found a cheaper price online, it is probably not the best value and often will wind up costing you more money in the long run.
- Not all travel agents are the same just like in any other profession , so when you are looking for someone to assist you confirm your honeymoon plans work with a romance travel specialist – check out their former client reviews, are they really romance travel specialist – or are they just looking to make a quick sale and have no clue on what is the best options to consider for your romantic vacation. For those of us that have dedicated our career to the romance travel market we have lots of client reviews, memberships to various organizations that focus on romance travel.
- Congratulations on finally picking the perfect location for your honeymoon – now the task of packing is the next challenge – keep in mind the weight limit for most airlines these days is 50 pounds – the perfect clothes for your destination are important – but also remember necessities such as sunblock , after sun aloe gel, bug spray, toothbrush, paste, dental floss, your favorite haircare products , brush and appliances you need to do your hair, cellphone chargers, a wattage adapter so that you can plug your normal chargers and hair care appliances in which normally have 110 watts, not all resorts in the Caribbean, Europe and other popular destinations have these watts in their outlets so it is a great idea to always carry a foreign wattage adapter in your bag. Money for tipping – even though many clients will book their stay at an all-inclusive resort, it is always still nice to tip the luggage porters at the airport, shuttle drivers, massage therapists at the spa – and anyone you feel adds to your vacation experience.
If you still have questions about planning your honeymoon, destination wedding or any other trip you are taking, email Linda at [email protected]or phone 931-337-0770 and she will be happy to help you!
