Who doesn’t want the all-out, luxury European honeymoon? I had that! But, if I had to do it over, there’s a few things I would change.
In this post, I’ll share my biggest honeymoon “mistakes” and what I would do differently if I had to do it all over again.
Spoiler alert: I’ll be talking all about the honeymoon in an upcoming post, showcasing photos from our trip and ideas and tips for visiting. If you’re not already a part of TCC Club, subscribe now, so you don’t miss out on upcoming posts and exclusive offers!
Honeymoon Tip #1: Build in Relaxation Time
The first thing I would change about my European honeymoon is consciously setting aside time to relax when planning our trip itinerary.
After the stress of planning and coordinating a wedding, the last thing any couple is going to want is to be rushing around while on their honeymoon. Think about blocking out a chunk of each day or even a few full days for kicking your feet up.
My husband and I are notoriously bad at this! Neither one of us are “beach people”, so naturally our vacations are centered around going to places of cultural and/or historical significance and seeing the sights, rather than just lounging at the beach beach or by a pool.
BUT, let me tell you, when it came to our honeymoon, I wish we built in more time for those types of relaxation activities. Once the wedding was over, I felt like I had just ran a marathon and needed time to recover.
Even if you don’t feel like you need relaxation time, build some in and if you don’t need it, use those gaps in your schedule to enjoy some spontaneous activities.
Honeymoon Tip #2: Keep Destinations to a Minimum
Honeymoon tip #2 of keeping destinations to a minimum goes hand-in-hand with my honeymoon tip #1 of building in relaxation time.
This is another area where my husband and I struggle based on the trips we’ve planned together. With so many AWESOME things to see and limited time, it’s tempting to plan stops in too many different destinations.
I’ve learned from experience that doing this translates into increased travel time (Boo!) and leaves you feeling as though you’ve really seen nothing. Instead, I recommend picking 2-4 different destinations – depending on the time you have available – and seeing those places in full.
Since returning from our honeymoon, my husband and I have discussed booking another trip to go back to these places. These 3 destinations in of themselves would make for a great stand-alone trip.
Honeymoon Tip #3: Shorter Duration
The third and final thing I would change about my European honeymoon is the duration of the trip. Of course a two-week relaxing trip sounded like a great idea when we planned it, but after a little more than a week, both of us were ready to be home and get back to “normal” life.
Yes, really! There is such a thing as too much partying!
Not to mention, we had boxes from the wedding we had yet to unpack, 100+ thank you notes to write, and other tedious chores that desperately needed to be addressed and were put off in the scramble leading up to our wedding.
If I were to do it over again, I would book a European honeymoon for no more than 10 days and use the remainder of my time off to get caught-up and organized around the house.
Parting Words on My European Honeymoon
To summarize, the 3 things I would change about my honeymoon if I were to do it over again are:
- Building in time to relax
- Keeping the number of destinations to a minimum
- Booking a shorter trip
All in all, we had an amazing honeymoon! It was easily the trip of a lifetime and if I might add, SO well-deserved after all the hard-work that went into planning our wedding.
I hope you found these 3 honeymoon-planning tips useful! If you liked this article, please don’t forget to share it with a friend!
Thanks for reading friends! Until next time.