HAVE FUN MAKING THE DECISIONS!!!!!

  Consideration 1 - Do you keep it all a secret and surpise her?

This is the first decision you need to make, either on your own or together. Is she the type of woman that would like to be surprised, or is it best that the two of you sit down together and decide where you are going?

The element of the unknown and surprise is always romantic, but will pose problems. If you decide to travel oversees, VISAs and applications will require the bride's signature so she'll inevitably find out that you plan to cross the South African border....

If you stay within the borders of our beautiful country, the element of surprise is ESSENTIAL, and lots of foreigners flock to our shores for amazing honeymoons.

Consideration 2 - Budget

This is a major part of of the honeymoon equation! Your budget will determine and narrow your options down to what is realtistic. So before you or your fiance start dreaming of the beaches in Cancun Mexico , I suggest you decide on what you want to spend first, as the beaches of Bloubergstrand Cape Town might be what you can afford.

Traditionally the groom pays for the honeymoon, but its becoming more common for the wedding expenses to be split between the couple. A honeymoon of about 8 days will start at anywhere from R10 000 up. Remember that the accomodation needs to be nice, as this is where you'll be spending most of your time, and for decent accomodation you need to pay a bit more than the usual vacation at the coast.......

When considering an oversees honeymoon do not forget to take into account the cost of visas, passports(if you don't have one), transfer flights, taxis etc as these can contribute quite a bit. I find it easiest to arrange oversees travel through a reputable travel agent as its sorts out all the fuss.

Conderation 3 - Weather Conditions

Once you've decided on your budget, you need to consider weather! Strange to think of this, but if you are getting married in December in Cape Town because of the really good weather, your options for a honeymoon (depending on what you want to do) will reduce as December in the Northern Hemisphere is COLD! So Europe becomes less of a honeymoon destination and a boat cruise to the Greek islands is not an option since its closed for the winter.

This is not normally taken into account when deciding on a wedding date, but your wedding date has a HUGE influence on your honeymoon plans.

You need to decide whether snuggling up at a Ski resort in Europe is a preference to laying on the Copacabana in Rio.

Consideration 4 - Location, Location, Location!!!

Based on your budget and your idea of what the honeymoon should be, you can narrow down your options to the locations that suit your needs.

For oversees travel, Cancun Mexico, Rio, Tahiti and St Barts are great beach destinations. Whereas, Venice, France, Bavaria and Italy are stunning romatic destinations. You might opt for something more cultural like Spain, the Czech Republic or Turkey, but it all depends on what you enjoy as a couple.

There are always many GREAT local options!

Consideration 5 - What to do? :-)

You need to take into to account that you will have the occational need to go out and see the place you have decided to honeymoon in, so take into account your interests and needs. Opera and museums vs laying in the sun.

You will be spending lots of money on the honeymoon make sure that it will suit your expectations.

07-11-2007 15:39 Published in Ideas and Advice, Keith's Advice

This entry was posted on 07-11-2007 15:39. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. This article was favoured 93 time. You can leave a comment. Tags: Ideas and Advice, Keith's Advice, 5 Things to Consider When Deciding on a Honeymoon Destination, honeymoon, vacation, getaway.
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