Honeymoon: Rest or Rush?

by Carol Penn-Romine

When it comes to making honeymoon plans, some couples try to go as far away as possible and do as much as possible in just a few days’ time.

However, unless you’re a Rockefeller and your daddy agrees to pay for your two-month grand tour of Europe, it’s best not to get too carried away when you start making honeymoon plans. After all, you don’t want to start married life in debt, nor do you want to exhaust yourself completely.

Here are some things to consider as you plan your honeymoon:

Consider sticking close to home. You’ve just been through one of the most stressful times of your life—your engagement—and you need to take it easy.

By the time the ceremony and reception are over, you’ve just spent several hours wearing the most uncomfortable shoes you have ever owned—shoes that should be launched into outer space. You’ve been through a life-changing ceremony and felt all the jitters attendant with such an event. You’ve been hugged and danced with by a large percentage of your family and friends. If you’ve had anything to eat, most likely it was not very nourishing. All this after a night in which you probably got very little sleep—if you slept at all. You and your new spouse want nothing so much as to sneak off and take a nice, long nap.

This is the wrong time to embark on a major trip. Instead, find an enticing spot close by, and promise yourself a “real honeymoon” later, after you are rested and recuperated from the expense and stress of the wedding and settling into a new routine.

When I married, I went through not one, but two of the greatest challenges of my life: Not only did I get married, but I moved from Memphis to Los Angeles—and we did both in less than one week!

When it came to making honeymoon plans, we considered striking out to one of our favorite places—many of which entailed leaving the country.

However, we were restricted by both budget and time, considering our upcoming move. So we opted for a short drive (about three or four hours) from Memphis to Hot Springs, Arkansas, a choice that was perfect for us. We wanted someplace close to home and not too busy. Mainly, we needed the mineral baths and massages, especially after the stressful months of planning the wedding and the move.

No doubt there are quite a few good places within three or four hours of your home that would make pleasant, restful choices after your wedding, so look close to home when you start making your plans.

If you feel you must go somewhere distant, especially to another country, consider spending the first night in a local hotel, and plan to make a late start the next day if possible. You need the luxury of sleeping in and ordering room service. Don’t think you will get restful sleep on the airplane if indeed you get any sleep at all.

Don’t schedule too many activities for your honeymoon. You don’t want to get off on the wrong foot arguing over where to go or how much time to spend there. And you need the luxury of saying, “Let’s skip this and do that,” or “Let’s just take a nap or lie around by the pool today.” Keep it flexible.

If you plan to marry and move some distance away in quick succession like we did, don’t fall under the illusion that you can let the move be your honeymoon, too. Our four-day trip cross-country in a 15-foot moving van with a car hitched to the back and three drugged cats in the cab was not at all restful. We did have fun along the way, but it would have been no honeymoon at all. We’re glad we stole a couple of days just for ourselves. Then later, when we had the money and the time, we gave ourselves a honeymoon on Vancouver Island. And it was worth the wait!

© 2006, The Hungry Passport