Honeymoon travel

Honeymoons are holidays taken by a newly married couple soon after their wedding. They are a traditional, or at least common (if private) part of wedding celebrations in some cultures.

There is increasing marketing aimed at romantic honeymoon-like holidays: for example "babymoons", the last holiday before the birth of a couple's first child, engagement celebration, and anniversaries.

Prepare
A honeymoon in Western countries typically begins a few days after the wedding ceremony: the couple spends a night or two after the ceremony in their home or in a hotel rather than adding long-distance travel to the end of their day. The trip itself is often a fortnight in length and can, of course, be longer if you like.

Don't think of flying in your marriage dress, unless you can buy first-class tickets (or you have many friends to help you both at the departure airport and at the destination). Reasons are multiple: moving your luggage, waiting in a line to check in and spending several hours squeezed into economy-class cabin are simply impractical in wedding dress. Add carry-on luggage tag to the bride's bouquet to get the full picture.

Popular choices of honeymoons include:
 * Beaches and islands
 * Cruises

When honeymoons began to be popular a century or two ago, they were a tour by the newly married couple of relatives who didn't live near by, often relatives who hadn't been able to come to the ceremony.

This is far less common now, but is one possible model for your honeymoon if you do have close family or friends who were unable to come; especially for international or migrant couples.

There are many dedicated honeymoon packages offered by travel agents, based on a cruise ship, a resort, or a high-end hotels. Typically these include "romantic" extras like massages, spa baths, fine dining, bottles of champagne and better (and more private) rooms. They are usually aimed at a luxury market: if you want a budget honeymoon it's easier to plan it as a holiday for two immediately after your wedding, rather than asking for honeymoon specials.

One advantage though of the honeymoon market is that it caters to the typical needs of couples interested in a romantic holiday. A destination that specialises in honeymoons or couples is less likely to be full of families with young children, or party-happy backpackers, which appeals to many couples wanting a more private, peaceful holiday.

If you're after the usual goals of a honeymoon (lots of time alone together), you'll want to have an unhurried itinerary. Consider just one or two destinations.

People who change their name when they marry, should consistently use the name in their passport or ID card, when they book tickets, especially when flying. The validity of visas and even the ability to board a flight will be compromised by a different name on a ticket to what is in your passport.

Budget
A honeymoon may require careful budgeting: the balance of the trip will usually be due around the same time as the balance of the cost of the wedding itself! It's best to include a honeymoon budget in your wedding budget.

Your honeymoon can cost any amount that you choose to spend on it, of course. (You can even skip it, a travel site won't talk much about that!) Travel agents are encouraged to suggest options that cost about half of your wedding budget, but that's just their guide to the rough amount they can get you to part with, not an iron clad rule.

Some travel agents offer honeymoon registries in which the guests can contribute to the cost of the honeymoon as a wedding gift; you could also arrange this informally by asking for cash gifts from guests who want to contribute to the honeymoon. The acceptability of asking for what is always essentially a cash gift varies between cultures, families and couples.

Destinations

 * Bali, Indonesia
 * Dubai, UAE
 * Beirut, Lebanon (a popular honeymoon destination among Gulf state tourists)
 * Cancun, Mexico
 * Goa, India
 * Hawaii, United States
 * Jeju, South Korea
 * Maldives
 * Niagara Falls, New York/Ontario
 * Paris, France
 * Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
 * Santorini, Greece
 * Venice, Italy