By Jonathan Dioniso | November 2008
Finally, the time to relax, the time to leave behind all the stressful parts of planning the wedding — the honeymoon. And to make sure your honeymoon is truly relaxing and exciting as you want it to be, plan it well and early.
Planning
To start off, decide on the type of honeymoon you want, would you be staying in a beach resort, embarking on a cruise, going hiking? Are you staying in the country or going abroad?
Once you’ve decided on your honeymoon “theme”, settle on your budget and list down all possible expenses. Musts on this list are your travel expenses (i.e. plane tickets), accommodations, meals, tour fees, and money for souvenirs and emergencies.
Then, start canvassing possible honeymoon destinations. If you are working and may not have enough spare time, work with a travel agency or agent. Your agent could then scout for the best possible deals in your chosen destination. You could also ask for help from friends and relatives who travel frequently.
It would be advisable to schedule your honeymoon on your destination’s off-season. Some couples do not automatically go on honeymoon after the wedding due to work. Scheduling the honeymoon could save you a lot of money when the rates go down. Besides, off season would also mean lesser crowds and you may just have that romantic beach all to yourselves.
Make sure to check the weather on your scheduled honeymoon. Going to an exotic beach resort during the rainy season is certainly not fun. If in doubt, ask your travel agent.
In scouting for destinations, you may come upon all-inclusive packages. If the deal sounds good, take it! All-inclusive packages mean you only plunk down one flat fee and the place takes care of all the other nitty-gritty of your trip such as your accommodations, meals, tours, activities, airport transfers, etc.
You’ve got the place, the time and the money – book early! Book your tickets and accommodations early and ask if your chosen airline, resort or hotel has discounts for early birds.
Gather as much information about your chosen destination or tour. Arm yourself with brochures and guidebooks and take note of special landmarks to visit, exotic food to sample or exciting activities to try when you’re there!
What to Take
Clueless on what to pack for your honeymoon? Here are some honeymoon essentials:
For the two of you:
- Tickets
- Passports/visas
- Credit cards/traveler’s cheques
- Reservation forms
- Insurance forms
- A list of phone numbers of your family and friends
- Medicine (in their original container, or properly labeled)
- Prescription from your doctor
- Locks and ID tags
- Camera
- Film/tape (bring extra)
- Extra batteries for camera or video camera
- Insect repellant
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- First-Aid kit (with band-aids, small container of alcohol, cotton buds, antacids, antihistamines, medicine for diarrhea/constipation, Bonamine, sanitary napkins)
- Guidebook/brochures (especially if you’re going abroad)
- Adapter
Bathroom Essentials:
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Comb/brush
- Hair gel/spray
- Nail clippers/nail file
- Shaving cream
- Razor/razor blades
* Note: Hotels and resorts usually provide shampoo, conditioner, soap, shower caps, lotion, slippers and fresh towels.
For Her:
- Jeans/slacks
- Little Black Dress
- Cardigan
- T-shirts and shorts
- Swimsuits
- A pair of walking shoes (flip-flops or sneakers)
- A pair of nice evening shoes
- Evening purse
- Underwear, socks and accessories (leave your heirloom diamond stud earrings behind)
For Him:
- Jeans
- Chinos/khaki pants
- Light jacket
- T-shirts and shorts
- Polo/Button-down shirts
- Swimming trunks
- A pair of walking shoes/sandals
- Underwear and socks
And although you may want to be incommunicado to the rest of the world on your honeymoon, it may not hurt to leave a copy of your itinerary and numbers where you could be contacted to your best pal. Just make sure to sternly remind them to disturb you only when absolutely necessary!
Happy honeymoon!
