Setting off on your honeymoon should be the least stressful part of getting married, but for some couples it can be the start of a terrible holiday!
After weeks of stressful wedding planning and barely seeing each other, most couples would be glad for the chance to spend a week or two completely alone on their honeymoon, and look forward to getting away from it all. Unfortunately for some, planning the honeymoon can cause just as much stress as the wedding itself, especially if your idea of a holiday is very different from your partner’s.
Here we’ve put together some tips to help you plan a stress free holiday that will make your honeymoon a treasured memory instead of a nightmare!
Plan out your activities
It might sound boring, but knowing what you both like to do on holiday is vital to ensure neither of you gets bored or miserable during your time away. If you’re more of a sun-worshipper while your new hubby prefers to go rock climbing (or vice versa!) then you need to reach some sort of compromise to keep each other happy. Make sure you plan a few days of activities to give each other time to go sightseeing or on adventure tours, and a few days of lazing around the pool with cocktails. You might think you’ll be so wrapped up in each other that you’ll never get bored, but even a week with only each other as company can feel like an eternity!
Research the area well
Again, this might seem like boring advice, but if you don’t know what’s available then you won’t be able to plan ahead. It’s also worth checking the internet for recent reviews and news as well, as you may find someone discussing the noisy construction work or terrible food poisoning they suffered during their stay – there’s nothing romantic about being stuck in the bathroom for a week, and negative reviews can help you avoid wasting money on a shoddy company!
Talk about it
An obvious one, but sometimes one half of a couple will leave it to the other to make all the important decisions, then get upset when it’s not how they expected. Discuss where you’ve been before, and where you would both love to visit next; you want to make your honeymoon the best trip abroad you’ve ever taken, so make sure it’s to somewhere special! Another good idea is to discuss travel arrangements; are either of you scared of flying? A panic attack in the middle of a long-haul flight definitely isn’t the ideal way to kick off the honeymoon, or perhaps your spouse just isn’t happy with being stuck on a plane for hours on end. Either way, knowing your limits and fitting the destination and travel plans around them will save a lot of discomfort and stress.
Get some help
There’s no need to feel like you should be doing all the work, after all, you’ve worked hard enough lately! Although online deals and last minute vacations are popular right now, often they are a recipe for disaster. Try using a reputable travel agent to help you plan out your honeymoon down to the smallest detail; many travel companies offer tailor made holidays and honeymoon packages that take care of all your needs, and take the task of planning everything off your hands.
Take the pressure off
The constant pressure to live up to the “ideal wedding” and “ideal marriage” can be a little overwhelming, and it puts a lot of strain on a relationship when one or both of you feels like you’ve let your partner down in some way. Remember that, while you’re planning the perfect honeymoon, it might not work out that way when the time comes. The best way to deal with this is to simply have fun and make sure you don’t sweat the small stuff – after all, you’ve got each other for support if anything does go wrong!
This article was written by Rhiannon Davies on behalf of luxury holiday provider eShores, a leading provider of tailor made holidays.