Destination Weddings

You’ve tied the knot and you and your new loved one are eager to flee the adoring/jealous glances of your friends and family and get to some place where you have at least the slightest hope of leaving your hotel room for something other than ice and condoms.

Your honeymoon can be either one of the greatest trips you have ever taken or it could be…well an expensive waste of time.  What you want out of your honeymoon should be a place where all of the hassles of travel are removed and you can devote as much time to your partner as you can while still experiencing a destination that leaves an impression.

This is by far the most popular form of wedding and honeymoon destination.  After all, most of us here in America do not live in paradise, unless paradise is a gray snowy afternoon in Ohio.

Try and think of your marriage as an instrument made out of steel: Unbreakable, strong and long lasting. Most metal objects needs to be forged in extreme heat, and therefore so should your marriage. So a tropical wedding destination could be your ticket to a hot and strong union.

Many of the tops weeding destinations are in the Caribbean. Jamaica, Aruba, Barbados and the Virgin Islands are all popular destinations for newlyweds.  These places are almost sure to provide an adequate to good post-nuptial experience.  Every resort on the island has tailor made excursions and packages for your pleasure.  You will be well taken care of and will probably leave satisfied.

On the other hand, these places have had a virtual monopoly on weddings and honeymoons for some time and their prices reflect that.  The clientele also reflect that.  You are sure to meet other couples in the same situation as you, which might detract the special ness for your special time together.

You might want to consider some alternative tropical destinations.  This includes many countries in South America, such as Venezuela. Venezuela has more than its fair share of beaches and island and almost all of them offer great and significantly cheaper wedding packages than their neighbors to the north.

Backpacking Honeymoon

Not everyone likes the idea of simply sitting on the beach, drinking booze and watching the first days of his or her marriage drift by in a foggy haze.  To each his own I guess.  But there are many folks out there who think of their new status as a married person as the first step in a life long adventure.

For these people I would suggest the backpacking honeymoon.  This could mean hiking, camping or a trip through a foreign land.  What it does mean for sure is that the trip will be cheap and you’ll probably have to be tough as nails to really enjoy it.

The backpacking honeymoon could also set your marriage out in the right direction, or get it started on the worst possible footing.  While you are backpacking there are constant stresses.  You have to catch trains, find cheap accommodations, and share some time with other travelers that you might not have imagined spending time with in the early days of your wedded bliss.  These stresses and strains could strain your relationship with your partner, and therefore you should proceed with extreme caution.

On the other hand, these stresses and strains can show you just how strong your relationship really is and if anything it will make your Union stronger as you work as a team to see a certain part of the world with the person you love the most.

A backpacking honeymoon also has the potential of being an indelible memory.  One major reason people go backpacking is to encounter the world and all of the randomness it has to offer.  Your honeymoon will therefore be completely unique and completely special…nobody will have as similar experience as you.

European Honeymoon

European Honeymoons are some of the most popular honeymoons and wedding destinations for people all around the world.  While Americans may have cooled to the continent as of late, it is still one of the most magical and romantic places to start your new life. 

Obviously France has to be high on people’s lists of places to celebrate their new marriage.  After all, France has rolling hillsides, beautiful coasts and French Cuisine and of course Paris, this city of lights.  In fact, while in Paris you’ll likely see many other couples doing the same thing as you…some Japanese couples even fly all the way there, simply to have their wedding photos taken.

The only problem with France, is that while it has rolling hillsides, beautiful coasts and French Cuisine, it also has attitude and plenty of it.  Don’t expect the French to be glad that you think enough of their land to spend some time there.  Frankly they couldn’t care less, and really why should they?

Italy on the other hand is as hospitable as any place on earth.  With so many historical monuments and a great climate you’ll feel very comfortable there.  The people as well are really great, they are generally friendly and don’t be surprised if they invite you into their home for a night of food and drink that could last into the night.

Iberia is similar to Italy in many respects, but it is a little cheaper, and a lot less crowded.  Spain and Portugal are great places to find that peaceful honeymoon.  You can drive for miles here without seeing another tourist, then all of a sudden, end up in a city where the party never stops.

While there are many other places in Europe to have your European honeymoon, my last tip would be to explore the former Yugoslavia.  While many people have an image of this formerly war-torn country as a dreary place full of landmines and despair, the truth is far from that.  The former Yugoslavia, which includes countries like Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Serbia, is as Mediterranean as you’ll find anywhere. 

The Croatian coast in particular is spectacular.  With beaches nicer than most Italian offerings, you have all the great distractions of a tropical adventure, but without the tin can contrived feeling. And best of all the countries are clean…safe and cheap.  That’s right, many things are about a third of the cost as they would be in western Europe.

My only caution is that you may be putting your marriage to the test because Yugoslavians are absolutely gorgeous people.  They are tall muscular and they really know how to dress.  Just a warning.

Alternative Honeymoon

This type of honeymoon is increasingly popular here in the United States and around the world.  What is an alternative honeymoon you ask, well here’s an example.  A couple friends of mine who were recently married decided to take a trip to the southern US. 

They visited Graceland and Branson Missouri, and a host of small towns.  This doesn’t seen unusual at first, but when you consider that they were born and raised in New York city, don’t listen to country music, and have roots there, it seems quite remarkable that they would make such a trip.  Their explanation was, they wanted something to remember, and all of those places are new and interesting to born and raised city folk.

Traditional Honeymoon

We all know what the traditional Honeymoon is…Niagara Falls.  Sure it’s a little cheesy and cliché but isn’t that the fun of it all.  You can follow in the foot steps of thousands of other couples who have made that leap of faith together while gazing at one of the eight natural wonders of the world.

Plus, there is lots of gambling in Niagara Falls, so if your wedding cost you an arm and a leg you’ll be able to get that money back after only a couple hands of poker or a spin on the roulette wheel.

No Honeymoon

Finally there is the no Honeymoon option.  This basically entails what you will be doing in another country anyway…each other.  Lock the door, buy some champagne and close the blinds because you don’t need Croatia to be exotic, you don’t need the tropics to turn up the heat and you don’t need Spain to be alone.