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Excited about planning your honeymoon travel? Have a great time with these simple tips for honeymoon trips!
Honeymoon_Travels
By Anne John
The countdown has begun and days are flying past in a blur of shopping for your bridal trousseau, pampering at the beauty salon, drawing up never-ending lists for everything from food to guests and sending out a whole bunch of wedding invitations. There are decisions to be made and time is running out. Amidst all this hullaballoo, you also need to plan your honeymoon. Should you opt for a romantic getaway to the hills or a fun holiday at a coastal destination? 3 days, 5 days, 1 week? Package tours or exploring by yourself? A rustic break or sophisticated elegance? Decisions, decisions!
My husband and I are based out of Chennai and we picked Kulu Manali for our honeymoon. It was beautiful and we had a lot of fun doing a whole bunch of things such as paragliding, skiing and rolling in the snow. But in hindsight, travelling from Chennai to Kulu Manali is not a joke. I used to think that going to “typical” honeymoon spots such as Ooty and Kodaikanal was boring – since most people from Tamilnadu would have visited these places umpteen times. But by the time we completed our journey changing planes, trains and taxis we were totally exhausted. Try to pick a location which is closer and easily accessible. You will already be exhausted with the wedding prep and celebrations. You deserve a break. Honeymoon is supposed to be a memorable event when you can spend quality time with your better half. Don’t wear yourself out with all the travelling.
Since we had to go to Kulu Manali via Delhi, and since I had never been to Delhi before, I was seized by this grand idea of visiting Delhi and Agra too for good measure – after all what could be more romantic than going to the Taj Mahal on your honeymoon right? The Taj Mahal was breathtaking yes, but our itinerary was so jam-packed that we were absolutely tired! Remember that you are not going on a sight-seeing trip. You are on a honeymoon – you need to discover more about your spouse not the city! Chart out a leisurely schedule with plenty of free time and just relax.
While group escorted tours are no doubt convenient they are also not really conducive to honeymooners! Once on a group tour to Goa, we were invariably delayed due to a straggling newly-wed couple. Honeymooners are usually in their own sweet world and it only makes the rest of us cynics on the bus roll our eyes and mutter “Hurry up already!” From the couples’ perspective too, group tours hardly provide the privacy and the flexibility of being on your own.
Also no joint tours with friends please! When we were planning for our honeymoon, a friend of ours who was also getting married around the same time suggested that we club our trips together. In the Indian arranged marriage scenario, this means that not only are you with a spouse whom you are just getting to know better but are also stuck with his/her friend and spouse. Please do yourself a favour and turn down such suggestions. A honeymoon trip is not the time to go gallivanting with friends – there will be ample time for that!
While a group escorted trip might not be a good idea, straying off by yourself to desolate areas is not either. It is indeed dreamy to hold hands and stare up at the stars imagining you both to be the only people in the world but watch out for troublemakers. Honeymooners who wander off by themselves to isolated places are easy prey to harassers – and you don’t want your honeymoon to turn into a nightmare. Further always look up the hotel you plan to book and do a reference check to ensure that it is a decent one. Now is not the time to penny pinch – better to be safe than to be sorry.
Lastly remember that your honeymoon is special. Resist the urge to stay connected 24*7 to the world. While it is important to let people back home know that you both are safe, you don’t need to keep answering calls from each and everyone – and trust me there will be people calling you; some to pull pranks and some to satisfy their curiosity. You don’t have to answer unimportant calls and also try to minimize time spent online – Facebooking and Tweeting can wait.
A honeymoon is your first small step into matrimonial life; one in which even tiny details will be cherished for a long time. Plan it well, keep it simple and enjoy!
*Photo credit: yoga-photowork (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)
Anne John loves to play with words and calls herself a reader, writer, explorer & dreamer. She has a wide range of interests and has recently jumped onto the Mommy Vlogger bandwagon! read more...
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