how to honeymoon

When I found out that Meghan, of We Ski Slow, and her husband were going to honeymoon in New Zealand I went nuts...such a dream it is for Tommy and I to travel there!!  Here are some tips from Meghan involving honeymooning.  I thought it terribly appropriate for Meghan's advice today - as Tommy and I are now officially "honeymooning" in San Francisco!  Finally - some rest and relaxation with my sweetie.

This is the easiest and some may say the best part of wedding planning.   The only thing that is crucial is that you go as soon as possible.  We went right after our brunch the day after the wedding.  You will be exhausted and ready to be with your shiny, new spouse.  Alone.  As in without members of your family or any friends.  I have heard of people successfully honeymooning with others but to me that just sounds like a vacation.  You only get one honeymoon (this is not strictly true- we have been on three, the secret is to call all solo vacations honeymoons.  It works for us.) 

Ok with that being said, where do you go on your honeymoon?  Truth is, it does not matter.  Is Tahiti not in the budget, repeat after me, it does not matter.  You will be happy to relax and spend time with your shiny, new spouse.  We went to a cabin in the mountains for 3 days and we did nothing.  It was perfect.  This cost nothing. If time is of the essence and you are strapped for cash, ask around. You may know someone with a little cabin. We packed some food and movies and our hiking shoes.

I am happy that we delayed our "real" honeymoon for a few months becuase it gave my crazy planning side a chance to not go cold turkey after the wedding and gave me something to look forward to (I have heard a few folks talk about the let-down after the wedding).

Ok so what next?  Sit down with your partner and figure out what is feasible.  Plan accordingly.  How long do you have?  Where have you always wanted to go?   What cash is available?  You have associated wedding planning this is similar but without seating charts.

For us it meant brainstorming.  We threw around ideas over several months until we found something mutually fantastic.  We knew that we wanted to go somewhere far away.  We knew we wanted to be active, maybe camp some, eat good food, see ridiculous scenery and generally have an adventure.  We chose New Zealand for our delayed honeymoon.   We had two weeks and some money to burn.  After doing some reading of guidebooks, travel magazines and online sources it seemed that the only way to see New Zealand was from a campervan.  The trip grew from there.

You may think that spending your honeymoon in campervan sounds the farthest thing from romantic (let's face it, at some points it was!), so plan something a bit more cushy.  Or beachy or whatever.  The point is that you do something that you are generally thrilled about.

We knew that we wanted it to be "special" so we planned a few greatest hits in there.  I found an eco-resort that could only be reached by water or foot, we took a glacier helicopter tour, we kayaked with seals, we jumped off a bridge.   But much of the trip was the little moments like when we stopped the van to consult a map and saw a sheep giving birth or finding the world's best meat pie or drinking wine in the campervan after parking for the night watching the sun set.  

If planning a honeymoon is the last thing that you feel like doing you can go to an all-inclusive, becuase this is what they are made for.  No decisions need to be made.  Pay the money and you are done.  Show up, eat, drink and be merry. 

Or pick a town a few hours drive away, find lodging, a few interesting restaurants and chill. 

Or look for a State or National Park near you, throw the tent and cooler in the car and go. 

Always wanted to river raft? Book a trip.  The kind where they feed you gourmet snacks.