A honeymoon is a great excuse to be a little more extravagant. There is no rule about how you honeymoon, and now it appears there are more moons in a honeymoon than any lunar-gazing hare would know what to do with.
The latest trend and adaption of the traditional honeymoon is the mini-moon for those couples short of time or money. Mini-moons are shorter breaks taken immediately after the wedding. It’s also an attractive option for those not wanting to fly long distance and risk suffering jetlag at a particularly tiring time.
A brief break is attractive option
Mini-moons also allow some couples to save up for a longer break at a later date, which comes as no surprise when you consider the average cost of a wedding nowadays is £24,000. This brief break can still be as glamorous or indulgent and the trick is to partner a great location such as Venice or Paris with a shorter travelling time.
Honeymooning with family is becoming big business. Many couples are now getting married later in life and already have children who are very much part of the wedding plans, while others such as second-timers are increasingly choosing to marry abroad with a small wedding party in tow.
Family-moon destinations are about finding upmarket accommodation for the couple, somewhere that has good and safe beaches for the children, family-orientated activities and food that’s value for money.
Combining luxury and adventure
Then there’s the unusual once-in-a lifetime experience such as a round-the-world trip, walking the Great Wall of China, climbing Kilimanjaro, canoeing the Amazon or visiting orangutans in Borneo. Adventure-moon couples combine luxury with exciting adventures, preferring to stay in local boutique accommodation than five-star chain hotels. Some of these couples, in their late 20s and 30s, are well travelled and are keen to avoid the traditional ‘honeymoon’ label.
Chance for a gap year
These days anything goes, particularly as there are many more adventurous destinations on offer that are usually associated with backpackers or gap year students. There has now been a rise in the longer honeymoon or maxi-moons; couples taking six-week sabbaticals or even leave their jobs for a ‘gap year’ to escape the nine-to-five drudgery. This option often appeals to couples getting married later in life or mid-lifers who never did a gap year but now have the money to do it in style.
Finally, there’s the helpful or volunteer-moons for couples who feel they want to give sometime back to the country they are visiting and add a few days of volunteering to their honeymoon by helping with community projects. It gives newlyweds an insight into local life and they learn something more about the country they are visiting. Now that’s a lasting memory to tell your friends and family.