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Once you're over with your wedding celebrations, the next big & exciting thing to look forward to is your first official vacay with your hubby, i.e. your honeymoon. It's the best way to unwind after days of non-stop dancing, endless wedding rituals, never-ending plannings & preparations. However, amidst all that goes into planning the wedding, right from preparing the guest list, sending out invites & favors to booking the venue and buying your bridal lehenga & jewellery, a lot of couples often forget paying enough attention to their honeymoon planning. And it's only once they're done and dusted that they realize they could've planned it more efficiently.

Which is why it's imperative to take your honeymoon planning seriously right from the day your wedding date is fixed. While packing your stuff right and getting all the honeymoon essentials on time is important, it isn't the only thing that can help you make your honeymoon a perfect getaway. So, to ensure you and your partner get to have a vacation of your lifetime, we've listed some crazy & basic mistakes to avoid while planning your honeymoon. Read them carefully and know what all needs to be avoided! 

Silly Mistakes to Avoid While Planning your Honeymoon

1. Packing your luggage at the last moment

Wrapping up your honeymoon packing at the last minute may end up leaving you in a panic-stricken moment and even miss out on a lot of important things. Which is why it is always better to make a quick checklist of all the honeymoon essentials, clothes & other necessities beforehand, just how you do it while packing your wedding trousseau. Also, don't forget to ask a friend or family member to take responsibility of your honeymoon suitcase and get it loaded in your vidaai car on the day of the wedding, along with other suitcases.

2. Planning your honeymoon getaway immediately after the wedding

Leaving for your honeymoon vacation right after the wedding isn't really a great plan. After days of constant celebrations and back-to-back wedding rituals, it might get too tiring for the two of you to straightaway plan a vacation. So, if you don't really wish to spend your vacations sleeping all day all night in your resort and spoil all the fun, it is always sensible to take at least 3-4 days of rest and then plan for your honeymoon. Rather, indulge into some post-wedding pampering rituals and gear up for the honeymoon.

3. Not doing your homework right

Don't want your honeymoon stay experience to turn out to be a nightmare for you? Make it a point that you do enough research before booking for your accommodation & stay. Don't just religiously abide by what others recommend you and take customer reviews into consideration while checking various travel websites. Also, don't forget to chalk out a fixed budget for your hotel bookings and then make the necessary decisions. Also, here's a list of honeymoon destinations according to seasons, just in case you needed!

4. Not making a separate & defined budget for honeymoon & travel

One of the most common mistakes couples make while planning their honeymoon is not having a separate & defined budget. This further leads them going overboard with their expenses & falling prey to debts. Hence, it is always advisable to set your limits straight and decide on a budget already. Know how much needs to be spent on stay, travel, adventure activities, shopping, and other unavoidable things and then make a full-fledged budget.

5. Having too many activities planned in your itinerary

We understand how excited you are for your first ever official vacation as a newlywed and wish to plan as many adventure activities as you can, to make the most of your honeymoon. But since honeymoon is not all about keeping on the go and instead the best time to loosen up a bit post the hectic celebrations, try to create a balance between the two. Also, make the most of this opportunity to know your partner better and build a great foundation for your relationship.

6. Overpacking

Another common mistake to avoid while planning your honeymoon is overpacking. Girls will always be girls and go on stuffing their bags with more and more clothes, makeup, toiletries and what not! But that doesn't really help because every airline has its own baggage allowances. Which means overpacking will only lead you to adverse situations. So, plan and pack wisely!

7. Missing out on 'in-country travel' arrangements

In case you are planning for an international honeymoon vacay, make sure you have already made arrangements & bookings for your domestic travel within the country. Most couples often miss out on these bookings in the first place and end up panicking later. To avoid such a situation, it is always safer to make the necessary arrangements beforehand. Research what all modes of transportation are available and book according to your requirements. 

8. Not booking beforehand!

Why book for your flight tickets & stay at the last minute when you can very well do it once your wedding date has been finalized? Pre-booking not only helps you save a lot of money but also rids you from facing any sort of last minute panic. Especially if you're planning your wedding around the peak wedding season, travel & stay expenses are gonna be sky-rocketing. So, plan and make all the necessary bookings on time.

9. Not taking weather into consideration

What if you end up packing more and more of short dresses, rompers & bikinis in your honeymoon suitcase and later realize that the weather of the destination you're planning to visit is considerably chilly and cold? This might just spoil your honeymoon vacay. So, don't forget to check the weather of the country you're planning to drop in and pack your bags accordingly.

10. Planning all by yourself

Since this vacation is meant for you and your partner, it should involve the two of you equally giving inputs and planning as a whole. Discuss and round onto a destination that fascinates both of you. Make lists of activities that you want to do and he wants to do and then make a balance between the two. This way there won't be any clashes and you'll be able to understand each others' likings & preferences better.

11. Not keeping extra expenses in mind

Your expenses don't always work out within the budget that you have curated, especially when you're planning to go abroad for your honeymoon. Hence, it is advised to keep some amount of money aside for the unforeseen expenses that might occur during your vacation.

Take note of these and make sure you're not committing any!

Anupriya Khanna

Author, WeddingBazaar

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