The more you do your honeymoon homework, the more romantic – and the more fun – your honeymoon will be.

Here are a few things to do to make your honeymoon turn out as you dreamed it.
Remember, everybody loves a lover. Tell everyone all along the way – your travel agent, airline personnel onboard and on the ground, hotel front desks, etc, etc, that you are on your honeymoon, and keep on telling them as your trip progresses. You will be surprised at the number of smiles and perks that this can bring you.

• Don’t leave anything to chance
• Be as specific as you can when booking your trip
• Outline your needs and interests to the Travel Agent
• Specify what size bed you want. King? Queen?
• Ask for the airline seats, cruise ship cabins and/or type of room you want
• Learn how you will be getting to your hotel from the airline or cruise terminal
• Specify the time of day you would like to leave
• Get information on what there is to see and do in your destination before you go
• Call local Tourist Boards for brochures and information on the most romantic restaurants, the most exciting things to see and do, etc.
• Use these to make a theoretical plan for one or two days
• A typical plan might include
• Leisurely breakfast in bed
• Morning tour to see Mayan pyramids
• Picnic on the beach
• Windsurfing lesson at the hotel
• Late afternoon nap
• Dinner at a restaurant that serves under the stars at the water’s edge
• Check with friends and family about most romantic restaurants, things to see and do
• Find out how far away your hotel is from downtown. Read about your destination in a guidebook
• You’ll end up having a gorgeous sun rise breakfast at one of the island’s prettiest hotels, finding the perfect hideaway beach, starting off with just the right store on your shopping spree; dining in the most beautiful restaurants and dancing in a place with a knockout view!

Room entry check list

Don’t unpack when you enter. Check to see that everything you want is there. Don’t leave anything to chance. Ask the bellboy to wait as you check. If the room is not to your liking, go downstairs, explain that you’re on your honeymoon, and change it.

What to look for:

• Is the bed the size you want?
• Is the bathroom clean?
• Do you have a view of the ocean?
• Do you have a “Do Not Disturb sign?
• Does the TV work?
• Do the faucets drip?
• Do the lights work?
• Is there a TV remote?
• How does the in-room safe work?

If everything is OK, move in and call housekeeping and ask for anything you might need

• Extra towels
• Extra pillows
• Hair Dryer
• Iron

General honeymoon travel tips

• Put name and address inside your bags as well as outside
• Carry bathing suit, cosmetics, and other basic essentials on board
• Check camera batteries and get new ones before departing on your trip
• Take plenty of film
• Check what documents you will need to leave and enter your home country
• Obtain an international drivers’ license. It is available through your local AAA
• If you plan to make major purchases, check the price at home first
• Know the ‘plans’:
• Continental includes continental breakfast (coffee and rolls)
• American includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Modified American includes breakfast, and lunch or dinner
• Take books or reading material
• Take all medicines and toiletries you will need for the trip. Do not rely on finding them easily in a foreign country
• Put cash and valuables in hotel Safety Deposit boxes
• Don’t forget a calculator if you’re going outside your home country
• Reconfirm all return flights
• Pack an extra bag to carry purchases

How to choose a tour

If you have decided to take a tour for your honeymoon, here are a few things to do

• Decide on your destination: The Caribbean? Europe? Asia?
• Decide on your budget
• Consult a Travel Agent
• Tours to most destinations come in Deluxe, First Class and Budget categories. The hotel is usually what dictates the category
• Calculate cost/day
• Deduct two travel days, then divide by the remaining number of days on the ground by the price minus the airfare if airfare is included
• Read the text to determine what meals and sightseeing trips are included
• You pay extra for ‘optionals’ and those meals not included
• Make sure that free time is included
• Find out where the hotel is located
• If it is far away from town, you will have to budget for extra taxi fares
• Read brochures to ensure that “transfers” (Transportation to and from the airport to the hotel) are included
• Make sure that your tour returns to the point of origin
• Consider whether or not you have to fly to the point of origin from your home town
• These additional airfares can add a lot to the cost of your tour
• Consider signing on for only part of a tour. Your Travel Agent can help here

Being a good consumer ensures happy honeymoons!