Honeymoon advice from a REAL travel advisor!

Planning a wedding is a huge process with a lot of details and steps to accomplish. It is easy to get wrapped up in planning the wedding and forget about what comes after the wedding...the honeymoon! If you are planning to take a trip for your honeymoon, let the experts help you out! As I have been communicating with our travel adviser to plan our honeymoon, I thought it would be great to share some of her advice with you all! I set up a little Q+A with Humble Travel's, Annie Humble-Gougler, and she was able to offer some great plans for planning your honeymoon. Check it out!

1. When do you recommend couples begin planning their honeymoon?

Couples typically begin planning their honeymoon between 6-12 months before they plan on traveling. It couple be more or less than that but generally speaking that is the average. 

2. What is the biggest mistake couples make when booking their honeymoon?  (i.e. overestimating budget, not checking reviews, booking too late/early, etc)

Some couples that book too late experience disappointment because they don’t get the hotel or room category they really want.  The honeymoon is that trip that all couples really remember and want to be really special because it’s not just another vacation. It is best to start early so that the couple knows how much money they will need to save for the honeymoon, ensure they get the best hotel and room category to meet their needs, and to get the best value. 

3. What are the three of the most popular honeymoon destinations for your clients. 

Our agency books many honeymoons to Mexico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica. These destinations are some of the top ones that offer all-inclusive and for a good price. Couples tend to get the most for their money in these destinations. For some couples that have already been to those areas and want something different we commonly send honeymooners to St Lucia or Costa Rica. Those two destinations are particularly great for those wanting more adventure.

4. Do you recommend all inclusive resorts over pay-as-you-go places? Why or why not?

Both options are great. It just depends upon what the couple is looking for and where they want to go. If a couple is budget conscience and wants to know exactly how much their trip will cost before they go then all-inclusive is definitely the best for them. However, if I have a client that tells me they love to explore and eat at local restaurants I would suggest a European Plan (no food included) hotel option for them. There are some destinations where almost all the hotels are all-inclusive. For example, Dominican Republic is a big all-inclusive destination. If honeymooners wanted to travel there but wanted to dine at local restaurants I would advise that this destination would not be the best option for them. There are many other islands out there that have lots of local dining options. 

5. What are some of the benefits of booking with a travel agency?

There are so many options out there….it’s a big world! By booking with an agency like, Humble Travel, honeymooners can tell us what type of experience they want and we do the work for them. They are already busy enough planning the wedding, so it really helps to have someone else planning the honeymoon. We help match the right destination, hotel, tours, flights, trip protection and more to our client. This is accomplished by collaborating with our clients to find out what they want their honeymoon trip to be like and the pros/cons of their past travel experiences. We have personal relationships with many different hotels and travel suppliers all over the world through our Virtuoso travel network membership. This has helped our clients get room upgrades at select properties or special in-room amenities while traveling. Plus, let’s face it sometimes things go don’t go perfectly. Sometimes the weather acts up or flights get delayed. Another added benefit is that we help our clients through these situations whether they are at the airport needing help or if they need assistance filing a trip protection claim when they get home.

I have some clients that came to me to book their honeymoon and have come back to me repeatedly to book other trips. We had a great relationship throughout the trip planning process and they really opened up to me about the things they loved and the things that could have been better. Their input has been so valuable because I have taken it into consideration when planning their new trips. Now they always come to me to book all their travel because I know what they like when traveling. This industry is truly about relationships.

I highly recommend Humble Travel. I have had a great experience thus far and have had many family members who have used their services as well.

Annie Humble-Gougler
Office Manager and Travel Advisor