I Recently Went On My Dream Honeymoon, So Here Are Some Of My Most Useful Tips For Planning Yours

You can plan this trip of a lifetime yourself, and these tips will help.

Let's talk about honeymoons. This once-in-a-lifetime trip should be special (you just got married, after all!), but it doesn't have to break the bank — and planning it doesn't have to be overly stressful. Some people hire a travel agent to help with honeymoon planning, but I decided to plan my honeymoon all by myself. In the process, I learned a whole lot.

Hannah Loewentheil

And since a record number of couples are getting married in 2022, I thought I'd share some tidbits to make your planning process a little bit easier.

Oh and by the way, even if you're not planning a honeymoon, these same tips are totally applicable to any special vacation you're thinking of taking.

1. Talk to your partner early on to set expectations and decide what you're both looking for.

Hannah Loewentheil

I'm not kidding when I tell you that my husband and I started talking about our honeymoon the day after we got engaged (actually, it was before we even got engaged, if I'm being honest). At first, our conversations were aspirational, and we just threw around ideas because we already had a travel bucket list we'd made together, but we quickly got to discussing exactly what each of us wanted for this trip. 

We decided that we wanted to travel somewhere neither of us had been before (Asia), that we wanted to take a significant amount of time off work to make the long-distance traveling worthwhile, and we wanted our honeymoon to include multiple stops. Once we established these expectations, we could go about really planning. 

IMO, it's never too early to start discussing your honeymoon with your partner. Discuss things like your budget, your ideal travel time frame, any particular experiences you're looking for, how far you ideally want to travel, and use these conversations to set the framework. 

2. Consider your interests and go from there.

Hannah Loewentheil

Every couple is different. In fact, you might even have very different travel preferences than your partner does. For example, my husband would be very happy to lay on a beach for two weeks straight, but I tend to seek more activity. That being said, good, authentic food is a top priority for us both. I think the best way to even begin to settle on a honeymoon plan is to be honest about your interests and what kind of a trip you're looking for.

Are you looking for a relaxing tropical beach getaway, a food-filled urban adventure, an outdoorsy experience in the great outdoors, or a spa-filled wellness retreat? Maybe you're both history buffs and want to travel somewhere brimming with culture. Or perhaps you're serious Game of Thrones fans and want to plan a trip around the filming locations. This is your honeymoon, after all. It should be exactly what you want it to be.

3. Consider the time of year you want to travel.

Hannah Loewentheil

Traditionally, people go on a honeymoon immediately following the wedding, but you don't have to follow this time frame. In fact, my husband and I got married in September but waited two months to go on our honeymoon because we wanted to take advantage of Thanksgiving in order to get a few extra days off work. That being said, you might be eager to go on your honeymoon right after the wedding, while you're still riding that high.

In either case, you'll want to take the weather and seasons into consideration. For example, if your wedding is in June but you and your partner are dying to go to Patagonia, you'll probably want to wait to honeymoon in October or November, when the weather is better in the Southern Hemisphere. Or if you're having a winter wedding but your dream honeymoon is a National Parks tour of Grand Teton and Yellowstone, you might want to wait for warmer weather.

4. That being said, don't overlook off-season and shoulder-season opportunities.

Hannah Loewentheil

Of course, you'll want to consider the weather when planning a trip, but you'll also find that the best weather coincides with the high season, aka the most expensive time to travel. If you think August looks like the best time to travel to the Greek Islands, that's because it's peak vacation season and you're going to pay a premium for accommodations and airfare.  

My advice: Stick to shoulder-season travel, or even off-season travel if you're not afraid of some unpredictable weather. If you ditch that August trip to Santorini and travel in early October instead, you'll still get beach weather at a much more affordable price tag. Or if you visit coastal Maine's stunning town of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in mid-September instead of August, you can significantly reduce your spending while still enjoying amazing weather...and maybe even some early fall foliage. 

5. Book things over time rather than all at once to ease the financial burden.

Hannah Loewentheil

Once my husband and I decided on where we wanted to honeymoon, we started the process of booking. But rather than book all at once, we spaced it out over the course of a few months. We stayed at multiple hotels because we traveled around a bit, so I started off by booking the one or two hotels I knew I wanted to stay at (one of which happened to have an awesome early bird booking deal, so keep an eye out for those dollar-saving specials).

The rest (additional hotels, airfare, experiences) I booked over the course of about five months. Spreading out the bookings over time and multiple paychecks made it feel more manageable. I was also able to track airline and hotel prices and then pull the trigger when they were low. That's another reason why it's so helpful to discuss your plans early: You can book things gradually over time without feeling rushed. 

6. Consider a multi-stop honeymoon.

Hannah Loewentheil

Of course, there are some people who might want to take one flight and be done, but if you're open to the idea of more travel, a multi-stop honeymoon can be so much fun. It's a great way to pack a few different settings into a single trip, and I would highly recommend this tactic for your honeymoon if your budget can support it. 

My husband and I ended up going to Japan, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, which was an amazing mix of urban adventures, tropical islands, and remote beaches. The trip checked off all our boxes: great food, culture, gorgeous scenery, outdoor activity, and relaxing beach time.

If you want to take multiple stops, consider which destinations compliment each other and make sense logistically.

Hannah Loewentheil

Taking multiple stops not only helped mix things up for us, but it also strategically broke up the air travel so that we had direct flights only — no layovers.

A good friend of mine is currently planning her honeymoon with stops in Costa Rica and Mexico City for the same blend of nature, beach, and city life. For a domestic idea, how about  a road trip along the Pacific Northwest? You can drive between destinations like Cannon Beach, Portland, Columbia River Gorge, Seattle, and Olympic National Park for an amazing blend of rugged coast, rainforests, wine country, and food-filled city living. 

And of course, you can even experience very different climates and scenery within a single country. For example, within Morocco alone you can visit cities, the coast, the desert, and the mountains. 

7. If you're able to, consider opening a new credit card — one with a points bonus for travel.

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If you're planning a wedding and a honeymoon, it may be the perfect time to open up a new credit card if your finances can support it. But be strategic about it. Pick a card with a great points bonus that you can use toward your trip. The Points Guy has a great explainer that breaks down all the perks of different cards to help you decide. In our case, we opted for the Chase Sapphire Preferred because of its sign-up bonus (lots of points), plus 5x points on all the travel expenses associated with your honeymoon. 

8. Set a budget both for travel costs and things you wish to do once you arrive.

Hannah Loewentheil

Chances are you have some sort of a honeymoon budget. But when you're booking all the big stuff like airfare and hotels, don't forget to save some wiggle room for the expenses you'll need to cover once you're actually on your honeymoon. Maybe there's an experience or two you want to book like a sunset boat ride, a romantic dinner on the beach, a cooking class, a wine tasting excursion, or anything special.

Make sure to budget for these expenses as well as meals, souvenirs, or really anything else you might want to purchase while you're away.

Hannah Loewentheil

True story: My husband and I cooked at home almost every night leading up to our honeymoon to set aside a piece of our budget for sushi in Japan. It was 100% worth saving up for. You don't want to blow your whole budget on hotels and then not be able to enjoy any unique experiences once you get there. 

9. But don't assume that the best experiences must be expensive.

Hannah Loewentheil

Some of my favorite memories from my honeymoon cost close to nothing: getting the best massage of my life for just $7 in Indonesia, slurping down $5 bowls of ramen in Tokyo, trying an ancient Hindu cleansing ritual at Tirta Empul Temple in Bali, releasing baby sea turtles into the Indian Ocean, and drinking a cheap bottle of sake while watching the sun set over Kyoto. So while you might want to save up for one special experience or lavish meal, know that you can experience the best a destination has to offer on any budget. In fact, some are completely free!

10. Don't forget to be realistic about your budget.

Hannah Loewentheil

Everyone has a different budget to work with, and no matter what yours looks like, you can still have an incredible and memorable honeymoon. It's all about picking your destination wisely, prioritizing where and how you spend your money, and being strategic about the time of year you travel. 

I for one tend to prioritize experiences — especially amazing meals — over hotels and lodging. Plus, I know that my travel style includes a lot of moving around and exploring, so I remind myself that I won't be spending that much time in a hotel room. If your perfect honeymoon includes more lounging around or posting up on a beach chair, you might want to spend those extra dollars toward more luxurious accommodations.

11. And also your time frame.

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Because my husband and I planned in advance and saved up every single vacation day we could, we were fortunate to be able to take three weeks off work to travel to Asia. That being said, it's important to be mindful of your time frame. If you only have a week to travel, you probably don't want to spend two full days just getting to your destination. There are so many amazing places you can go, including some that are close to home or on the same continent. For instance, instead of trying to cram in a week-long trip to Bora Bora where flying alone will take close to two days, consider booking an overwater bungalow in Belize for a similar experience that's way more easily accessible.

If you can get away with taking a long honeymoon, it doesn't have to be exorbitantly expensive. Rent an RV and drive across the US — camp out under the stars and wake up in the some of the most scenic spots imaginable. Or if you're traveling abroad for an extended amount of time, think about renting an Airbnb complete with a kitchen so you can make some meals at home.

12. It's your honeymoon, so shout it from the rooftops.

Hannah Loewentheil

OK, maybe don't shout it from the rooftops, but definitely mention it while making your hotel reservations. You never know what kind of perks you might get. We got champagne sent to our room upon check-in, a bathtub filled with flowers, and two amazing hotel upgrades just because we mentioned we were on our honeymoon. So, go ahead and announce that you're newlyweds taking the trip of a lifetime. There's no down side!

Hannah Loewentheil

You might also want to consider destinations where you can stretch your dollar as far as possible. For instance, if you want a coastal honeymoon and are considering the Amalfi Coast, you might want to look into another similarly stunning destination like Ogunquit, Maine, Santa Barbara, Turkey's Bodrum Peninsula, Sayulita, Mexico, or the Algarve in Portugal, which can be more wallet-friendly. Or if you are totally set on the Amalfi Coast, consider visiting in late September or early October, when the crowds and the prices die down. 

13. Consider renting an Airbnb instead of booking a hotel.

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It's your honeymoon, after all, and you might be looking for a hotel room where you don't have to cook or clean or really lift a finger. But other kinds of travelers might love the freedom and the space that come with renting an Airbnb. There are so many unique, romantic, and special home rentals all over the world. 

How does it sound to sleep beneath the stars in a treehouse in Bali, catch the northern lights from the comfort of a glass igloo in Finland, or get off the grid in a tiny, minimalist house surrounded by jungle in Puerto Escondido. Oftentimes home rentals can be a better bang for your buck, and they can be just as special as a luxury hotel.

14. And finally, ask your social media networks for suggestions!

Hannah Loewentheil

I personally love using social media as a tool to help me plan trips, and my honeymoon was no exception. Even if none of my friends had taken the exact same trip, lots of people had helpful tips and suggestions. Whenever I'm booking a trip, I post on Instagram asking for recommendations for that particular destination. Usually this tactic works out great, and I get a ton of responses (even from strangers!) that help me hone in on the details. I've gotten amazing suggestions about bed and breakfasts, unique experiences, unforgettable meals, and general tips and tidbits that make planning a trip so much easier. 

Have you taken an amazing honeymoon? Or are you planning yours now? Tell us where you're going in the comments below, along with any tips that others should know about!