Honeymoon Planning 101

Product pricing and earnings updated August 27, 2007

When planning your wedding, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the details--and the need to please many people at once. By comparison, planning the honeymoon should be fun, exciting, and completely self-indulgent! It is a vacation you well deserve after a year of wedding planning.

No matter where you decide to go, make sure you book your reservations at least six months in advance and up to 12 months in advance for popular or trendy destinations, especially during peak seasons such as summer or holidays.

First, agree on a budget. In my experience, it's important to do this BEFORE you start looking at vacation packages. Don't go into debt to finance the honeymoon. The fact is that you'll find it hard to be content with a two or three-star hotel after you've been drooling over the photos of the luxury resort you cannot afford. So it's best to know your budget before you start and to focus exclusively on hotels in your price range. No idea what costs are? Check out great romantic vacation packages available from Expedia

When budgeting, don't forget to plan for airport transfers, tips, meals, souvenirs and other miscellaneous expenses. The average honeymoon costs between $2,000 and $5,000 with many couples spending upwards of $10,000 for a luxury trip. But you shouldn't feel bad if you choose to spend less. After all, you have a lifetime to travel with your new spouse. Next, sit down together to discuss what type of honeymoon experience you each want. Did you picture a week of pampering at a luxury hotel? Or is low-key snoozing in the sand at a sunny beach more your style? Hiking and kayaking in an exotic location? Exploring the rainforest? Going on an African safari? Or would you prefer a tour of European museums and historic sites?

Honeymooners rate Hawaii as the number one destination for honeymoons followed by Mexico, Jamaica, Tahiti, Italy, and the Caribbean. Try to consider your state of mind and level of exhaustion immediately after the wedding. All couples are ecstatic, but some feel emotionally and physically drained after going through such a life-changing event. Check out our Top 10 honeymoon destinations

Before planning your honeymoon, remember that you'll want to set aside time in your schedule to enjoy each other and take a much needed break. Start researching destinations and ask your recently married friends about their own honeymoon trips. Many states and countries have official websites where browsers can request brochures and maps. You may find that you and your fiancé have different visions of the perfect honeymoon, but this is one of your first opportunities as a couple to compromise. For example, if he wants time to relax on the beach but she wants to see Paris, a reasonable compromise might be to visit Paris and then spend a few days on the beach in Nice on the French Riviera. If you have your heart set on a romantic open air bungalow-style hotel in Tahiti but your fiancé would rather use that money for a down payment on a house, consider the Anse Chastanet Resort in St. Lucia. It's one of the top 25 hotels in the Caribbean according to Travel and Leisure, but it's a steal compared to an expensive flight to Tahiti.

Check out some of our favorite beaches, weekend getaways, or top honeymoon destinations to get ideas for your own trip! After a busy year of wedding planning and parties, the last thing either of you need is a complicated honeymoon filled with late nights, lots of travel, or too many activities. Why not try a cruise or an all-inclusive resort where you can pick and choose what you want to do with little necessary in the way of organization? Just show up and everything is there for you with a cruise or all-inclusive resort. Almost everything is included in the price and it requires very little brainpower on your part!