Getting married in 2021?

Right now, you are sat at home with your fiancée, spending more time together then you had planned, gazing lovingly across at each other as you work from home. Opportunities to plan your wedding and honeymoon are usually limited to evenings and weekends, but COVID-19 has given you this extra time together. Unfortunately, high street travel agents are closed, and you might be reluctant to trust your once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon to the internet. Many DIY holiday bookers and those who have booked with Online Travel Agents have been left unable to speak to a person during this crisis and are struggling to rearrange their travel plans or get a refund.

As a homeworking travel agent, I am open for business and can help you plan your 2021 honeymoon. I am available at times to suit my clients with the additional support of a 24/7 duty office and full financial protection. Your honeymoon is in safe hands.

To get you started, here are my tips for planning your honeymoon:

When to go vs where to go

You have decided that you want a Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter wedding and planned your wedding dress, colour theme and booked a venue to suit. Now it’s time to plan your honeymoon; but do you leave straight after the wedding, in which case I can talk you through the best places to go at that time, or do you have an ideal destination in mind, if so it may be best to travel later in the year.

You might choose to have a mini-moon straight after the wedding to enjoy being newly married and your dream honeymoon once you the stress of planning a wedding is over. It’s not uncommon to celebrate 6 months of marriage with your honeymoon. Just be aware that some special honeymoon offers are time limited and need evidence of your marriage certificate. But I can talk you through that.

Stay true to you

If you wouldn’t normally spend your holidays on a beach, you shouldn’t on your honeymoon. I have planned plenty of honeymoons full of adventure; trekking the Inca Trail, cycling through Vietnam or a camping safari in Africa. If you want to experience an overwater bungalow in the Maldives but worry that you would get bored after a few days, why not combine it with a private tour in Sri Lanka. I will always ask what holidays you have done together in the past, so that I can find your perfect match.

If you and your partner have different ideas of the perfect holiday, I will be your honeymoon mediator. My experience means I can find the ideal solution to any combination of ideals; city and beach, snow and sand, culture and adrenaline, spa and sport.

Treat yourself

This is the holiday of a lifetime. No matter your budget, do one thing that you would never usually do. If there is the option for a hot air balloon ride (and you aren’t scared of heights!), do it! Never stayed in a 5* hotel? Book a night or 2 at the end of your trip. Upgrade your room to a seaview, fly business class in one direction. Depending on your trip I will make these suggestions and if you want to surprise your fiancée with one of these upgrades, I am amazing at keeping a secret!

Tell me your budget

It’s a difficult conversation to have, but I know that most couples have a spreadsheet of wedding costs, so tell me what figure you have in the honeymoon column. I will always offer the best advice and make recommendations, but there is nothing worse them me creating your dream honeymoon, you getting excited about it and then me telling you the cost to find out it is twice the budget you have. It’s disheartening for everyone, trust me! I will be able to create a couple of different options for you; one that is on or under budget but with some compromises, and then another with the overwater bungalow or with the best hotel on the island. I will give you all the information so that you can make an informed decision about the cost. And if there is a special offer to be had at another hotel, I'll be sure to tell you.

Ask for the gift of travel

As a couple you possibly already live together, already have frying pans, a vacuum cleaner and crockery. You could go to a department store and set up a gift registry for fancy plates you use once a year and wine glasses that you are too scared to use because they cost so much. Or your guests can give the far more practical gift of travel. Travel Counsellors have the option for you to set up a Honeymoon Registry whereby you provide your guests with a unique reference number to contribute to the cost of your honeymoon, or if you are yet to book your honeymoon their contributions are held for you to use at a later date. I can provide you with guest cards to send with your invitations and thank you cards for the generous contributions.

If you have been inspired for your honeymoon, get in touch so I can make your dream honeymoon come become reality.