HONEYMOON: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

For months you've been planning your wedding, now it's finally time for your long-awaited honeymoon trip! Whether in the United States, or elsewhere in the world, it also requires advance planning, but a rewarding feeling. Here's everything you need to know before starting to organize your honeymoon.

Beach, mountain, summer, winter…There are so many options for destinations around the world, isn't it? How to choose the best for you as a couple? How to start planning such a special trip?

WHAT IS THE HONEY MOON AND HOW DID IT RISE?

Traditions spread around the world were responsible for bringing the name honeymoon, the practice we know today. In fact, we don't know for sure which of them was the main origin, but something very curious and remarkable is that, in all of them, honey is somehow present to celebrate the life of the newlyweds.

HONEYMOON: A SECULAR CUSTOM

“In Ireland, newlyweds used to drink a low-alcohol drink called mead – or mead – basically made up of fermented honey and water. The potion should be consumed for a month or a moon.” – Super Interesting Magazine. Therefore, they believed that by performing this ritual they would receive the blessing of the gods who provided fertility to conceive children.

Already in Babylon, the custom said that the father of the bride should present the groom with honey beer that should be consumed for 30 days after the wedding to bring luck and fertility. In Rome, Italy, the mother of the bride would bring a pot of honey every day for a month after the wedding to leave in the couple's room, as it signified fertility and was also used as an invigorating tonic.

Over the years the Vatican and Catholic beliefs have also accepted the custom as they consider honey as a food that gets sweeter and sweeter over the years, just as a wedding should be.

THE HONEYMOON AS WE KNOW TODAY

At first, it was only in the 19th century, in England, that the honeymoon began to be practiced in the way we know it today. Newlyweds traveled to get to know each other better and to visit distant relatives who were unable to attend the wedding ceremony.

TYPES OF HONEYMOON

EARLY MOON

We know that organizing a wedding is not an easy task, and the rush of planning can bring great stress to the couple and even cause fights in the relationship.

The Early Moon is a trip that precedes the wedding and the official honeymoon. The idea is for the couple to disconnect from problems, contracts, decisions and relax for a few days, taking the opportunity to do many activities together and reinforce the real reason why they are making the decision to get married.

MINIMOON

Scarce time is not synonymous with canceling the honeymoon. Minimoon is a short honeymoon, made in a few days (sometimes just a weekend) for those who can't be away for a long time from their commitments.

Maybe enjoy a spa in the middle of nature, go to a place closer to home or even to cities that you can enjoy a lot, even with a tight schedule.

MAXIMOON

Maximoon is the perfect option for couples who like to travel, venture out or enjoy the slow travel style. It's a kind of honeymoon that can last for weeks, months, or even the entire year! Yes, we know couples who decided to take a year to travel around the world after their wedding, right?

BUDDYMOON

Buddy in English means friend. When we put the friend + the honeymoon together, we arrive at the concept of the buddymoon, which is nothing more than a trip not only as a couple, but with close friends of the couple.

This is the perfect option for couples who have traveled a lot together and would like to have a fun experience with friends. In the same way, you can even extend the destination wedding and go straight from the wedding to enjoy the city/country where the wedding took place.

FAMILYMOON

Those who want to spend pleasant moments with their family should consider Familymoon. This type of honeymoon involves not only the bride and groom but their family members as well. In short, the idea is to escape the routine and enjoy many family activities celebrating the wedding even more.

HONEYTEERING

What if you could use your honeymoon time to volunteer? Honeyteering or voluntary honeymoon, consists of carrying out a collaborative trip to participate in actions to help others or social causes.
There are numerous places that accept volunteering for a specific period, from national projects such as Salva Vidas in the north of the country, to projects involving animals, such as The Sloth Institute in Costa Rica.

GLAMPING

“The word glamping comes from the combination of glamor and camping. That is: camping with glamor or luxury camping.” – Trivago. It is certainly a great option for adventurous couples who love to camp but do not give up the sophistication that a honeymoon deserves.

HONEYMOON ORGANIZATION STEP BY STEP

You've decided to plan your honeymoon on your own, so where do you start? Our first important tip is: be organized! You will be dealing with a series of documents (some even international) and putting together a trip that holds many expectations. So, set aside some free time to define pending matters together, do everything calmly, in advance and enjoy every moment of this phase.

Some say that the best part of a trip is precisely this PREPARATION that precedes the actual trip. So don't stress, enjoy, this moment is yours too! To make your organization even easier, below we provide you with a honeymoon organization checklist.

CHOOSING THE PERFECT HONEYMOON DESTINATION

This is the first decision you need to make: “where are we going”? Amid so many beautiful places in our country and around the world, you need to choose the one (or those) that have everything to do with you.

Step 1: Choose a destination that pleases you as a couple

Love the calm of the countryside? Don't give up a trendy beach? Love cosmopolitan cities? Do you like adventures? Do you prefer cold or hot destinations? Do you want to rest or walk a lot? What is your profile as a couple? Once this is defined, you will be able to eliminate a lot of destinations that don't fit your personality; this kind of “sorting” greatly facilitates the choice of the ideal destination.

Step 2: Set a budget

Get together and put on paper the total budget you have for this trip. That way, after setting this value, research and make a list (it's always good to have more than one option for the next step) with which destinations fit within that budget.

Step 3: Check the weather

You've come to a consensus on the style of honeymoon you plan to have and how much you want to spend. First of all, you need to cross-reference information related to the destination's climate. It may seem silly, but this step is crucial in organizing the honeymoon, see? Inform yourself if the days you have off to travel are in line with the favorable climate of the city/country you wish to spend your honeymoon (we talk a little more about this below).

Step 4: Read real experiences

Finally, you arrived at 1 or 2 destinations that fit the profile, budget and climate you dreamed of. First, before hitting the hammer, our tip is: read reports from people who have already made this trip. Today the internet is full (thankfully) of real traveler experiences. You can find everything from hotel reviews to full travel vlogs. A good tool for this is Tripadvisor, which gathers travelers' opinions about destinations, hotels, restaurants, tours… it's very complete! All this in order to avoid any kind of discontent during the honeymoon; something like “not quite what I imagined”.

IMPORTANT – Do not travel before reading this tip!

Attention brides who changed their name after their wedding. Beforehand, when you go to buy the ticket, you will probably still have your maiden name, so the passport should also have your maiden name, ok? It is also important to take your marriage certificate with you if you need to prove your current marital status.

If your trip takes place weeks after the civil marriage, and you have time to issue a new passport with your married name, then your ticket can have your name updated. The rule is: the ticket must be issued with the same name as the passport you are going to use.

Another tip that can be a lifesaver at the time of trouble is: have a copy of all your documents. Here's a printed copy, on the cell phone…We have one inside our email. In case you lose or have your documents stolen / misplaced, you will have this copy available to help you.

Stay tuned, in the next blog I will talk a little about the best destinations for your dream honeymoon!