Planning a honeymoon is one of the most exciting parts of getting married. After months, or sometimes even years, of planning your wedding, this is finally the trip that’s just for the two of you! But, it’s also surprisingly easy to make mistakes.
I’ve planned my own month-long wedding and honeymoon that took us through Alaska, Germany, and South Africa, and since then I’ve helped couples plan honeymoons everywhere from the beaches of Hawaii to the islands of Greece and countless destinations in between.
Along the way, one of the most common thing I’ve witnessed is that most honeymoon problems aren’t caused by “bad luck”. They’re caused by small planning decisions that seem harmless at the time.
The good news is that almost all of them are avoidable! Here are some of the biggest mistakes I see couples make, and how you can avoid them.
1. Waiting Too Long to Start Planning
This is probably the biggest mistake on the list. Many couples assume they’ll start thinking about their honeymoon after the wedding planning is mostly finished. Unfortunately, that’s often when flights are more expensive, all-inclusive resorts are filling up, and the room you really wanted is already gone.
For many popular honeymoon destinations, especially over the holidays or during peak travel seasons, I recommend starting the planning process anywhere from 6 to 12 months before you travel. That gives you the best selection of transportation, accommodations, and activities without feeling rushed.
Even if you aren’t ready to book everything, it’s worth having a plan in place early.
2. Forgetting to Leave Time for the Wedding Itself
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and book the first flight out the morning after your wedding. On paper, it sounds like a great idea. In reality, you’ve probably spent the last several months planning one of the biggest days of your life, celebrated late into the night, and gotten very little sleep.
I know because that’s exactly what my husband and I did.
We stayed up until around 3:00 a.m. celebrating with our wedding guests, then had to be out of our room by 7:00 a.m. so we could make it to brunch and thank everyone for flying all the way to Alaska to celebrate with us. After saying our goodbyes, we still had a three-hour drive to the airport ahead of us, made a stop along the way to return a few wedding accessories to a store, then boarded a nine-hour flight to New York followed by another eight-hour flight to Germany.
When we planned it, it sounded like a fun adventure. When we were living it, it was a lot.
I’m pretty sure my hair was one giant bedhead mess while I was saying goodbye to all of our guests the morning after the wedding, which isn’t exactly how I pictured my final moments as the bride.
If your schedule allows, consider spending a night or two at home or at a nearby hotel before heading off on your honeymoon. It gives you time to catch your breath, unpack a few wedding gifts, and start your trip feeling refreshed instead of running on pure adrenaline.
3. Forgetting That You’ll Be Tired
The wedding itself is exhausting. Even if everything goes perfectly, you’re probably going to be running on very little sleep after celebrating with friends and family.
That’s why I usually recommend avoiding an itinerary that begins with a 14-hour international flight immediately followed by a sunrise hike the next morning.
Give yourselves a chance to recover. Build in some slower days at the beginning of the trip so your honeymoon starts feeling relaxing instead of overwhelming.
4. Choosing a Destination Just Because It’s Popular
Social media has convinced a lot of people that there are only a handful of acceptable honeymoon destinations.
➡️ The Maldives,
➡️ Bora Bora,
➡️ Santorini…
Those places are beautiful, but they aren’t automatically the right fit for every couple. Some couples would be bored after three days on a beach. Others have absolutely no interest in hiking through Patagonia or driving around Iceland.
👉 The best honeymoon is the one that reflects the two of you, not what’s trending online.
5. Underestimating the Budget
It’s easy to focus on the price of flights and hotels while forgetting about everything else. Meals, transportation, tours, travel insurance, gratuity, park entrance fees, souvenirs and all those smaller expenses can add up much faster than people expect.
Having a realistic budget from the beginning helps you make better decisions and prevents unpleasant surprises while you’re traveling.
✨The advice I give to every couple is this: think about what number you’d be comfortable having spent AFTER you get home from your trip. Whatever that number is, subtract between 20-25%. That’s the number you actually have to work with when it comes to booking your honeymoon.
6. Packing Every Minute with Activities
There are some vacations where it’s fun to stay busy from sunrise til dark, but a honeymoon usually isn’t one of them.
Leave room for slow breakfasts, wandering through a town without an agenda, sitting on the beach for an afternoon, or finding a restaurant that wasn’t on your original list.
Those unplanned moments often become the memories you’ll cherish when you get home. Of course, you’ll want to brag a little about your boat ride through Capri or the whale shark you got to see while diving in Bali to your friends and family, but it’s also nice to have some moments just for the two of you.
7. Not Talking About What Each Person Wants
One of the things I’ve noticed after planning dozens of honeymoons is that couples don’t always picture the same vacation.
During our video planning calls, it’s often obvious right away. One person is describing overwater bungalows and quiet beach days, while the other is talking about hiking volcanoes, exploring local markets, or filling every day with activities. You can almost see the other person thinking, “…that’s not what I had in mind.”
And that’s completely normal!
The important thing is having those conversations before you start booking anything. Figure out what matters most to each of you. Maybe one person wants more relaxation while the other wants adventure. Maybe one person has always dreamed of Europe while the other has their heart set on the backcountry of Australia.
The best honeymoons usually include a little compromise. When you understand each other’s priorities from the beginning, it’s much easier to create a trip that you’re both excited about instead of one where someone feels like they just went along for the ride.
8. Skipping Travel Insurance
Nobody wants to think about things going wrong during their honeymoon. But missed flights, medical emergencies, lost luggage, severe weather, and unexpected cancellations happen every day.
After spending thousands of dollars on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, travel insurance is usually one of the smartest purchases you can make.
Hopefully you’ll never need it! But, if you do, you’ll be glad you have it.
9. Assuming You’ll Figure Things Out After You Arrive
Some destinations are perfect for spontaneous travel, while others require reservations weeks or even months in advance.
Popular restaurants, national park permits, romantic sunset cruises, winery tours, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences often sell out long before your trip begins.
If there’s a place or activity that you both would be extremely disappointed that you didn’t get to see or do, then it’s important to do a little planning ahead.
10. Ignoring the Season
A destination can look incredible in photos while being completely different during the time you’re visiting.
➡️ Maybe it’s hurricane season.
➡️ Maybe it’s the rainy season.
➡️ Maybe it’s unbearably hot.
➡️ Or maybe it’s the busiest tourist season of the entire year.
Before choosing a destination, make sure you understand what the weather, crowds, and prices are typically like during your honeymoon dates. Particularly if there’s an activity or specific weather you’re looking for, it’s important to research when the best time to visit your ideal destination is before making any bookings.
11. Forgetting What You Want
I’ve seen couples choose destinations because their parents recommended them, because all of their friends went there, or because they felt like they were “supposed” to have a luxury beach honeymoon.
There are no honeymoon rules!
If your dream honeymoon is a safari in Rwanda, a road trip through the Canadian Rockies, hiking in Nepal, or island hopping in Greece, that’s the right honeymoon for you.
Your trip should reflect your personalities, not someone else’s expectations.
👉 If you’re enjoying this article, check out these 7 Common Honeymoon Myths That Can Lead to Planning Mistakes!
Ready to Start Planning?
Your honeymoon should be one of the best trips you’ll ever take. With a little thoughtful planning, you can avoid the most common mistakes couples make when planning their honeymoon, reduce a lot of unnecessary stress, and spend more time looking forward to the adventure ahead!
If you’d like some help curating a honeymoon that’s designed around your travel style, budget, and interests, I’d love to help. Whether you’re dreaming of relaxing on a tropical beach, exploring Europe together, heading out on safari, or planning an unforgettable adventure somewhere completely different, Concannon Adventure Travel creates custom honeymoon itineraries that are built just for you!
