Tahiti honeymoon

For some reason, everyone seems to like Tahiti so we’ll take another look at it. First off, realize that Tahiti also comprises of the surrounding French Polynesian islands. Historically, Tahiti has lured many figures to its secluded paradise, inclduing the crew of the H.M.S Bounty whom mutinied to remain on the island, artist Paul Gaugin who abandoned his family, and actor Marlon Brando who actually bought an island there.

So first thing you notice on your honeymoon is that Tahiti is very French. Residents speak French, restaurants serve French cuisine, resorts incorporate French culture, etc. This uniqueness combined with the native population’s genuine warmth towards vacationers make for a truly romantic honeymoon. A lot of resorts greet guests with a glass of pineapple juice, a fragrant taire/flower garland, and a cool towel. And here’s the best part: guests check in while chilling in the lobby chairs, not standing in line.

The Best Islands in Tahiti?

Here are the good ones you should work in your honeymoon itinerary.

1)Tahiti

2)Moorea

3)Bora Bora

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Tahiti, Bermuda, Aruba, or Costa Rica? The choices are endless and frankly, you can’t spend all day at work looking up photoshopped pictures of resorts and white beaches. Check out Orbitz’s Ideal Beach finder. Select the things that interests you (snorkling, golf, culture, etc.), what kind of resort you want (all-inclusive, honeymoon, adult only, gay resort, etc.), and voila Orbitz will generate a list of good matches. Obviously, you can then book the trip through them and worry that budgeting meeting in the afternoon.

5) Darfur, Sudan

While this is a popular destination for UN relief workers and missionary trips, most honeymoon locations tend to shy away from warlord, HIV, and genocide stricken locations. Rumor has it that the coastline near the Mediterranean is picturesque though, and don’t forget your immunization shots (and personal bodyguards).

4) Scott Research Base, Antarctica

While you can’t exactly go skiing at the South end of the Earth, or spit outside without your lips chaffing off, Antarctica is not as barren as you think. The world’s top researchers devote a good amount of time to love, as 16,500 condoms were recently shipped to a research base where the sun doesn’t shine for half the year. Guess it’s hard to raise kids down there.

3) Pyongyang, North Korea

Unless you are some distant cousin of Kim Jong-Il or a high status diplomat, you’re probably going to run into some trouble obtaining a visa. Besides the omnipresent communist propaganda and the fact that the government shuts down electricity at 10pm to conserve energy (yay for green?), you and your newlywed can stay at the Ryugyong Hotel. While its been in construction since 1987, it was supposed to be the largest hotel in the world all the while fending off the title as “The Worst Building in the History of Mankind”.

2) Atlantis

Assuming you possess some secret map passed down from Plato himself and a crew of adventurous souls, Atlantis tops Pyongyang in terms of The-honeymoon-to-share-with-your-friends-and-family. While it’s existence has been heavily debated for well over two millenniums, you can meanwhile checkout the Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji, where it will be set to open in 2009. At 40 feet underwater with open-windowed suites to the ocean blue and an underwater elevator, it just almost resembles the lost-city.

1) Space

Spending quality time with your new spouse in zero gravity definitely tops the list off. While normally reserved for trained astronauts or famous cremated individuals, the adventurous can now book a trip to the International Space Station and beyond. While there’s a $5 million deposit towards a $35 million or more projected price, the space tourism company Space Adventures offers you a once in a lifetime chance to get the right start to the perfect marriage. You can join the ranks of Google co-founder Sergey Brin in this out of world, and out of pocket, endeavor.

Skimped on the wedding for a world class honeymoon? Check out The Grand Velas’ Over-The-Top Honeymoon Package that will guarantee an experience that you and your loved one will never forget. Just some of the features included are a round trip private jet service, accomodations in the 3,300 square foot Imperial Spa Suite, in-suite snack service such as Crudités and caviar, all-day fishing on a 32 foot yacht, daily golf (I’m assuming the caddy is included as well), a daily massage, and a Maridaje dinner in your private terrace by the head chef. Start draining the 401k, as this 5 night minimum package will set you back $15,453 per night, for a grand total of $77,265.

She won’t be happy when she finds out about the new airline policies.

In the recent wakes of American Airlines charging $15 per checked bag, United Airlines has followed suite and has implemented its own $30 round-trip per bag policy. Pack lightly!

Your romantic get-away shouldn’t force you to foreclose your house or sell off your first born. Here are a few tips to keep your trip on budget without sacrificing a lot.

Book online and with a package

As mentioned in Travelocity vs Travel Agent, online aggregators can be a cheap and effective way to compare airfare/hotel rates. Booking your flight and accommodations together often saves more money that purchasing them separately. Don’t forget about cruise packages too!

Economy seating

While you may be tempted to splurge by reserving those first class seats, going coach can save you some big dough down the line. Flying with discount airlines (which you can easily find using Kayak.com or Travelocity.com) also help lowers the cost.

Keep your wallet at home

Stay in an all-inclusive resort, where everything from accommodations, meals, alcoholic drinks, and some water sports, and even tipping are included in the package price. Sure, they may cost more upfront than a traditional resort but it an ultimately be worth the deal if you explore what is offered (or enjoy your beverages).

Humble accommodations

Skip over the 5-star rated resort and try that bed and breakfast inn out. Sure, the facilities may not be world class but remember, a honeymoon is an opportunity for you to discover your loved one, not to discover what’s so infinite about an infinity pool.

The More You Spend…

Remember that down payment on the house you made with your Visa? Don’t forget that you may have frequent flier points linked to your credit card. While finding a package plan can be cheap, using those mileage points can really cut down your costs (don’t forget they can expire too!).

Just In Case

Remember, not all countries you are visiting on your honeymoon have high “quality of life” standards like water or plumbing. So in the event that you do become seriously sick, travel insurance options like MedJet (www.medjetaassistance.com) or your own health care provider can save you hundreds if you need to be flown out of a remote destination.

Free Money?

Don’t forget, you can always set up a honeymoon registry so your wedding guests can help pitch in for your trip rather than buy another set of dining utensils. TheHoneyFund.com, HoneymoonWishes.com, and even the Marriot Hotels offer easy to use registries.

Ah, the age old question of letting a professional handle your eight days of relaxation or getting hands on and researching the hot spots. First off, there are a few things to consider before even weighing in on which service to use.

1) A honeymoon is not your average family vacation. It’s a chance for you and your partner to discover yourselves for the first time as newlyweds. Seems fairly obvious but it can get overlooked a lot!

2) Honeymoons are usually planned around 4-6 months before a wedding (hopefully! otherwise there will be hell when wedding planning gets in the way).

3) 55% of Modern Bride’s readers travel on a honeymoon package, a third of which stay at all-inclusive resorts.

With that done and said, there are also a few stereotypes that go along with online discount booking services and travel agents. First off, not all travel agents charge ridiculous commissions and they sometimes do provide better package deals than Expedia. Secondly, discount sites are not just for people on a tight budget, just about everyone uses them!

If you are two months away from your wedding, which you are trying to plan yourself, by all means go use a travel agent and save yourself some serious hassle. Travel agents help you out with just about every step of your honeymoon planning process. An excellent one will work with your budget, listen to what you want, provide you with multiple options, provide support and help if plans go awry (flight delayed, etc), and have testimonials or good references. Some agents won’t even charge you (or charge a nominal fee), as they receive commissions from hotels and airlines they refer you to.

However, probably half (well, probably more like a quarter) the fun of a honeymoon is researching all the exciting destinations with your fiancee. I know I get pretty excited just planning a weekend trip, so for those planning and detail enthusiasts, online booking services may be the thing for you.

What service you use can depend on the location of your honeymoon too. A four city hop across Europe can be pretty daunting to plan if you’ve never done it before and a travel agent can be of huge assistance. Likewise, a very competitively priced, all-inclusive package to Aruba simply takes a few clicks on Orbitz to book.

Your personal level of sanity during a crisis and tolerance for mishaps can also be a factor. A lot of posts on forums I’ve read have insisted that couples choose travel agents to avoid dealing with delayed flights, canceled hotel reservations, and other potential honeymoon destroyers out there. Frankly, it can be pretty easy to rebook a room or flight on the fly. Most (and I emphasize most) airline/hotel managers are pretty good about keeping their customers happy, especially if the fault is theirs. It’s important to note for every “disaster” honeymoon out there, there are plenty of excellent ones that were planned without a travel agent. A lot of travel agents play the “what if” card to the worry prone folks out there. That said, bad things do happen and a good travel agent can take care of these unexpected incidents for you. If you are unfazed about getting lost in the Urals on your honeymoon or are a crisis manager by profession, then the assurance that travel agents provide need not concern you.

So all in all, the decision is really up to you! Depending on your destination, timeline, budget constraint, and personal fortitude, your local/national agent or one of the many booking sites out there may be the thing for you. Happy planning!

The WeddingWire Blog has a links to some great travel deals to places like Mexico and the Caribbean. We all know that we can use travel deals these days.

If you’re looking at Costa Rica for your honeymoon, try planning your vacation with Costa Rica Vacation Packages.   Offering packages for the nature lover or the adventure seeker and everything in between, there is sure to be something for everyone.   They offer packages specifically for the honeymooners as well ranging from 7-14 days honeymoons.  A great resource for planning your honeymoon in Costa Rica.

Today an announcement was made by Kayak.com and SideStep.com that they will be joining forces. Each site created to help you find the best deals by searching all the other travel sites should create an interesting competitor to the likes of expedia and orbitz. Personally, I’ve been a huge fan of Kayak since it’s beginning and I’ve seen some great deals from SideStep so for those planning honeymoon travel yourself or need to provide travel for your guests, this partnership could shape up to be a great way to save you money.

Read full announcement here.