20.1 Introduction
Honeymoon planning needs to begin early.This is not because you will get the best deals when you book early. It’s not even because you’ll get any deals by booking early. It is because planning the honeymoon takes a lot more work than most people think, and if you leave it too late, you will lose your mind and have nightmares about plane ticket prices.
In this module, you will learn about finding great honeymoon deals. You will also learn about great up and coming destinations as well as firmly established favourites. You will also learn about the essentials for booking travel as well as the importance of pre-booking certain activities. But if you take anything away from this module, it should be how to help couples book their dream holiday!
FACT
The average spend on a honeymoon is £3,111
Source: hitched.co.uk20.2 Finding the Best Deal
Finding the best travel deal is both an art form and a science.Some people are naturals. Some flounder.
This is a skill that is useful for you to have as a wedding planner. However, it often requires that you enjoy doing it.
Finding the best deal is all about who you know, where you look, how flexible you are and how fast you can move.
To find the best deals, you need to be exhaustive in your searching. Don’t go to Kayak.com and call it good. Believe it or not, everyone offers different prices for travel. These prices will often vary significantly! Make sure that you are looking at several different search engines as well as airline websites when you are searching for airfare. Why? Because airlines have realised that they are losing money and have adjusted their prices and offer special deals for people who book directly.
For example, the British Airways last minute deals are only available on BA’s website. But, they offer excellent deals if you’re flexible on dates and destinations.
When you’re booking holidays for other people, it is best to work as close to the service providers as possible. Try to avoid those third party deals that are crazy cheap, but force you to go through three suppliers before you reach the airline. You need to be flexible for the couple’s sake and it needs to be as easy as possible for the couple to make it to their destination with as few hiccups as possible.
20.3 Location, Location, Location
Finding honeymoon destinations is the fun part of the booking experience.Who doesn’t want to drool over photographs of Tahiti?
To book the perfect location, ask the couple for a list of places they’d like to go and see what you can find from there. If they can’t agree on anything, you might use your knowledge to find a compromise. She wants a beach holiday but he wants culture? Check out destinations that offer both like Spain, Italy or Egypt.
Hot Destinations
Every Briton dreams of that week that they can relax and have fun on the beach.
Here are some of the hottest beach destinations for all budgets: Budget:
- Corfu
- Playa del Carmen
- Canary Islands
- Antalya
- Bodrum
- Black Sea
Mid-range:
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Jamaica
- Balearic Islands
- Philippines
- Oman
Luxe:
- Tahiti
- Hawaii
- Capri
- California
- Seychelles
- Maldives
Cool Destinations
If an all-inclusive beach resort isn’t the couple’s thing, or they just want a balance, here is a list of places that they can get away from the weather of old Blighty, but still have plenty to do indoors.
Budget:
- Turkey
- Egypt
- Portugal
- Mexico
- Italy
Mid-range:
- Iceland
- Cuba
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Colombia
- Israel
- France
- Sri Lanka
Luxe:
- Myanmar
- Botswana
- Australia
- New Zealand
- South Africa
20.4 Choosing the Perfect Honeymoon and Booking It
In the wedding industry, you will run into two things.Conveyor-belt-honeymoons and couples who want to book the exact honeymoon their friends had. There is nothing inherently wrong with either of these things. But there are things that you can do to encourage your clients to create a honeymoon that is as unique as they are.
Many people fall into the honeymoon trap because they think that a honeymoon must be a certain way. They don’t ever think about what the honeymoon can do for them. Part of your job will be to encourage the couple to choose a honeymoon that will make them happy, even if other people turn up their nose up at it.
Encourage the couple to be open minded about their destination.
A honeymoon is not a 7 night all-inclusive getaway to Benidorm – unless that is what makes them happy! Encourage them to follow up the best day of their lives with a week or two that is filled with experiences that will bolster that day.
Encouraging your couple to use their imaginations will help you to be able to book their perfect honeymoon for them.
Also, if the couple is having disagreements about the type of honeymoon they want to have, encourage them to have a dynamic holiday that offers two contrasting experiences. This is a good way to compromise, and it is these honeymoons that are often the most memorable!
Once you have your destination, it is time to start booking.
The key to booking a honeymoon for someone else is to make it as inclusive as possible. This means that you want to book flights with baggage. You want to book hotels that are easy to find and can accommodate them for the whole trip. You may even want to book a car if they want to drive. At the very least, you will want to book airport transfers on all sides. The emotional hangover that happens to couples post-wedding means that you want to make it as easy for them to hit the road as possible.
Once things are booked, ideally in advance, you want to create an itinerary. You don’t need to plan out the couple’s day. But it is good to create a book filled with confirmation numbers, printouts and trip itineraries so that they know exactly when each important activity is happening.
20.5 Pre-Booking Activities
You may be pre-booking activities for some couples.This is fun, but don’t get carried away! It is easy to book a couple solid from morning to night. If they want to keep busy, let them figure that out when they get there. All you need to do is book the essentials.
If there is a restaurant that is impossible to get into, make reservations in advance for the couple. This will be a special touch for them and ensure that they have a wonderful experience.
If there are big excursions that they really want to happen, you can book these in advance too.
Some couples may ask you to book spa sessions or spa days. However, these can be booked later in the planning process because they are luxury items and less likely to sell out.
Remember to take anything you booked for the couple and add it to their travel itinerary! Then they know when, where and what time things are happening!
20.6 The Buddy Moon
The Buddy Moon is a new trend in honeymooning.You book a Buddy Moon when a couple goes on their honeymoon for a few days or a week and is then joined by some friends for a bigger, friend holiday.
These honeymoons are gaining popularity in America, and you may encounter them as a wedding planner. In these cases, you will either be booking the extra travel yourself or you just need to provide the details of the couple’s travels to the friends so that they can book a similar trip.
20.7 Top Tips for Smooth Travel
Airports are generally where humanity is at its worst.People are tired, stressed, anxious and excited. It usually results in at least one exasperated sigh. But your clients don’t need this on their honeymoon. They’re already tired enough the way it is. Follow these tips to make sure the honeymoon gets off on the right foot:
Travel Insurance
Buy travel insurance, even if you don’t believe in it. This holiday is not about you, it is about your client. You want to protect them as best you can from negative experiences. Travel insurance is the best way to do this. It will help them in the event of cancelled flights, bad weather, illness and lost luggage.
Passports and Visas
Make sure that both of your clients have a valid passport before they go overseas. Depending on the country, their passport will need to be valid for at least three months after they arrive in order to enter the country. While this isn’t a problem in the EU, if they are leaving Europe, they will need to double-check their passport.
You also want to make sure that you follow visa laws. For example, Britons can buy a Turkish visa at the airport for around 20 pounds. The same is true for Egypt. But going further afield to countries in South America, Africa or Asia? You might need a visa. Read up on these countries’ requirements in advance and get the visa applications sent away in plenty of time.
Also, make sure that you book travel in the bride’s maiden name. If the honeymoon happens right after the wedding, she probably won’t have had time to get a new passport. Make sure you know what name she will be travelling under to ensure an easy time at the airport.
Vaccinations
Depending on their destination, the couple will need to visit their GP to get certain vaccinations. This is a good thing to do when travelling to Africa, Asia or South America. To learn more about what vaccinations are required for which country, contact the NHS.
These jabs are usually available for free on the NHS:- Cholera
- Typhoid
- Hepatitis A
- Booster shots
You may also want to encourage the couple to pick up malaria pills and other essentials for travelling to high risk areas.
