How to Plan a Round the World Honeymoon Trip

Going on a honeymoon is one of the best parts about getting married. Even though you may have known your fiancé from before, there is something special about going on your first vacation as man and wife. While for most this is ideally a week-long, quiet, intimate affair, for more adventurous couples, what can be a more perfect way to start a new life than by seeing the world. If you and your would-be are avid travelers, consider turning a honeymoon into a round the world trip and here is how you can plan it.

How much time can you afford to spare

Even though the eccentric but much-loved Phileas Fogg travelled the world, won a bet and even found a wife within eighty days, he remains just that, a character in a fantastic novel. In real life if you are planning to go on a round the world trip, you will need  a much longer honeymoon. Instead of starting out from the places you want to see and then calculating how much time you can devote to the trip, a far more practical approach would be to first obtain a rough idea about the number of days you can take off from work and regular schedule and then see fill in the calendar with the places you would like to visit. Keep in mind that long experienced travelers and people whose job it is to visit different parts of the world still can’t claim to have seen it all. Broadly speaking though a round the world trip would at least take six months if you plan to cover all the continents and countries worth visiting. This would also have to include ample cushion time for flight delays, cancellations and other similar exigencies which are bound to crop up anything less than that would mean simply hopping from one place to another leaving you and your brand-new spouse exhausted and irritable – not really an ideal situation for a honeymoon.

The extent of your resources

The most important factor in planning your round the world honeymoon would be the amount of money you can spare – it would not only determine what places you can visit but would also have to be enough for food, lodging, transport and any emergencies even if you don’t planning on doing any shopping. Ideally you should even have a stash for exigencies like loss of passport or misplaced visas which would leave you with the resources to fly back home in case things reach a dead-end. There are many approaches you can take while planning your travel costs – you can set a limit of daily expenses say $400 or $500 which would include accommodation, food, sightseeing, bus, train or flight trips for the whole of that day. Or start from the biggest chunk of expenses like flight tickets, visas and hotel rates and then go down to minor ones like food, sightseeing, nightlife and so on. Then again it is not necessary that you have the entire cost of the trip at your disposal right from the start – if you and your partner are equipped with certain useful skills, and in reasonable good health, you can even work your way through certain places. Still though it is better you set aside enough funds for an exit plan, in case the need arises. Different approaches will have both their plus and minus points and what suits you best will depend on the financial habits and resources of you and your partner.

What places to see

Now that you have a fair idea of how much time and money you can afford for the whole of your round the world trip, you can start choosing the places you would like to visit. Here again instead of ticking away the vacation spots in a haphazard manner, it is best you approach it with a plan. This being a honeymoon, you can opt for a romantic theme and include places famous for their romantic associations like Taj Mahal in India or quiet getaways like the misty hill stations of Sri Lanka or the paradisal beaches of Bora Bora in Tahiti. Alternately you could include those places which cater to your interests – like if you and your partner are history buffs, then set aside more time for places of forts, palaces, ancient civilizations in Rome, Athens, Prague, Jaipur rather than Ibiza and Acapulco. The last two destinations however should figure on your list of must-visit places if both you and your partner love partying and are keen to explore nightlife on various continents. Again a round the world travel plans of adventure sports enthusiasts covering the best destinations for scuba-diving, snorkeling, white-water rafting and skiing on earth would be different from wildlife lovers who would prefer to explore nature reserves, safaris and forest parks. Keeping in mind what conforms to your interests and hobbies will not only ensure that you don’t miss out on the must-visit places but will cut out places of little interest and thus make your itinerary more streamlined and manageable. Ultimately bear in mind that no matter how much time and money you have at your disposal, it is simply not possible to visit every interesting place on the globe.

Take care of the documentation

Paperwork is perhaps the least enjoyable part of planning a vacation and could really turn the mood sour for an impending honeymoon. Unfortunately in the world that we live in, it is absolutely impossible to avoid papers and documents. Once your passport is in order, it is time to get visas for the various countries you wish to visit. This again is a veritable maze because of the complex nature of geo-political and strategic relationships among countries of the world. It may be easier to get visas of some countries than others; many European countries can be visited under the single Schengen visa while UK despite belonging to Europe requires a different visa. For countries on friendly terms with your nation, you may be lucky to get a visa-on-arrival option but if you plan to visit less than friendly countries, you may have to wait a longer while to obtain a visa. If you can afford one, it may be more practical to hire the services of an experienced travel agent who can guide you on visa requirements and waiting periods of different countries. If not, there is no cause to worry, since most visa applications of major nations can be downloaded from the internet these days. Just go through them thoroughly and set aside enough time for processing  of your visa application before you buy flight tickets.

Transport options

Which brings us to the next part of planning a round-the-world honeymoon – how you intend to go from one place to another. There are options galore here – flights, trains, buses, ships or steamers and even backpacking. From one continent to another, you may have to depend on flights unless you have so much time on your hands that you can go on ships and liners. Within a continent though you can take buses, trains and shorter, low-cost flights. What you choose to explore a particular continent or country would also depend on the quality of transport and infrastructure in the area – in Europe and America for instance roads are very good and long distances can be covered overnight while in Asian countries like India, trains remain the most dependable and cost-effective way of traveling large distances. No matter what you decide, keep in mind security factors also since road travel on your own or backpacking should be limited to those countries where law and order is well established; avoid traveling on your own through unsafe areas or where the local population is hostile, no matter how attractive the sight-seeing prospects are.

Food and lodging

In these matters you can hope to have more options at your disposal – you can explore local cuisine but make cleanliness and prevention of contamination a top priority. If you cannot afford bottled water throughout, carry sterilizing tables or other similar small kits. Lodging options can vary from good quality hotels and home-stays to bed and breakfast options as well as hostels for backpackers. The last though would not give you the kind of privacy you might crave for as a honeymooning couple though it may save you some dollars on the way. Here too, keep your security in mind, especially in countries where public safety is a problem;  avoid putting up with people or in places which you know nothing about; preferably look for lodging for which are mentioned in travel brochures and are located in busy areas or for which you have references from friends and fellow travelers.

Pack sensibly

Since you are going on a honeymoon, you may be tempted to pack in a whole lot of fancy lingerie or adult board games and your favorite kinky stuff too. But a round the world trip is a lengthy affair and bear in mind that in many parts of the world, porters are not only expensive but rarely available too. So pack in basics like the required number of pants, tops, jackets, woolens, socks, shoes and underwear. You may take along small luxuries like a hair dryer, a tiny amount of make-up if you are the bride-to-be or even a special dress. However keep space for medications, batteries, chargers, flashlights and other such practical stuff which are the staple of any long vacation. A lot of supplies like toothpaste, lotions and soaps you will be given at hotels and even if you are not, these are easy to buy along the way.

Finally keep in mind that a honeymoon is a time to get to know your spouse well. While a round the world vacation may be OK if you both are travel buffs, it is important not to lose sight of why you have embarked on the journey in the first place – to have a nice, romantic time with one another. If you get too stressed about the places you could not visit, the monuments that were closed for renovation or the parks that were shut for maintenance, you will end up ruining this very special time. So make a plan and be prepared but at the same time, remember to be adaptable and take each day as it comes – the main thing is that you are with the most important person in your life and no on-road hassle is worth spoiling that.