Honeymoon Planning: 7 Tips to Create the Perfect Getaway

It’s been a year, amirite? Wedding planning has dragged on forever (thanks 2020!) and a honeymoon vacation seemed near impossible. But no more! With restrictions being lifted and some semblance of normalcy returning, maybe it’s time to take a break from the wedding planning and focus on a fun task— the honeymoon! Whether it’s a tropical, relaxing vacay, or adventure hiking through Europe, we’ve got all the honeymoon planning tips to get you started

1. Start Planning Early

Generally, we recommend you start planning your honeymoon 6-8 months ahead. But a good rule of thumb? Start the discussion even EARLIER than that! Especially if you are heading abroad or during a peak travel time.

It’s a good idea to begin soft planning your honeymoon from the start, aligning on ideal travel times, location, and style for your dream vacay. It also allows you to book earlier, snagging the best deals on travel and offering the option to pay in installments to lessen the load on your bank account.

The biggest benefit to planning your honeymoon early? It‘s one less major detail you have to worry about when wedding planning is in full swing, and it gives you a fun end goal to focus on when wedding stress seems overwhelming.

2. Set a Budget

Plan where the money for your honeymoon will be coming from. Often we see couples include their honeymoon funds in with their total wedding budget. This means when an unexpected expense pops up the first response is to pull those funds from your honeymoon.

Our thoughts? Don’t do that! We recommend pulling the funds for your honeymoon completely out of your wedding budget and setting them aside. This is your investment for forever memories, and a chance to relax and focus on each other in this new stage of life. On average, couples are spending around $5,000 for their honeymoon (rightfully so! It’s not just any regular vacation!), but this number could fluctuate depending on where you go and how long you stay.

3. Utilize a Travel Agent

In our experience, utilizing a travel planner for your honeymoon is invaluable. Even consider the current state of affairs— with weddings and honeymoons postponed and canceled due to the quarantine, many couples are left scrambling to recoup and reschedule what they can to still have their dream experience. Your travel planner is there to step in and protect your investment and allow you that chance to remove the stress of rescheduling.

SEE MORE: Why You Need a Travel Agent to Help Plan Your Honeymoon

4. Don’t Leave Right Away

I know, I know! You’ve had a year of intense wedding planning and the most perfect dream day ever. Who wouldn’t want to leave immediately following the reception for their honeymoon?! Instead, we recommend to take at least a day or two between your wedding and jetting off for vacay.

One benefit of postponing your departure is the flexibility to host a morning-after brunch with your loved ones. This option will give you plenty of time to sleep in and one last chance to get together with out-of-town friends and family. While planning a post-wedding brunch does mean more on your to-do list, it can be super casual if you’d like and is something your wedding planner can assist in coordinating ‍♀️

5. Download All Your Photos Before You Leave

I currently have 5,842 photos on my phone. (don’t judge me here!) To make room for all the new photos you are going to take on your honeymoon, be sure to download them all to your computer before you leave. Doing this also safeguards your photos in case you lose your phone while on your trip.

6. Call Your Cell Phone Provider to Get International Service

In order to use your phone in a foreign country, you’ll need to notify your cell phone provider prior to leaving. They will let you know the costs to use your phone and the steps to take to activate your service once you arrive at your destination.

7. Plan for Jet Lag

When planning your honeymoon itinerary don’t forget about jet lag and the time change. Kadyn (our Lovely graphic designer) went to Italy for her honeymoon and ended up arriving in Rome at 7 am. Thankfully, her travel agent took this into account and didn’t plan any tours or events for the first day. So after a crazy busy wedding weekend and a 13-hr overnight flight, they were able to relax, take a nap, and explore a bit on their own without any pressure to be somewhere.