Honeymoon themes
Here you'll find honeymoon
ideas for any destination. We supply the theme, you supply the specifics. Links to descriptive pages are highlighted in red boldface.
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International Balloon
Fiesta
(Courtesy of the New Mexico Department of Tourism.
Photograph by Dan Monaghan) |
What if a few thousand
people got together to throw a party for your honeymoon? From music to
food to stories to art, plan your honeymoon around a festival and you'll
never lack for something to do. We profile ten festivals that you might
consider for your honeymoon, from the International Storytelling
Festival to the World Buskers Festival to the World Worm Charming
Championship (okay, that last one is not honeymoon worthy, but we
couldn't resist).
Firelight and shooting
stars every night . . . breathtaking natural beauty . . . snuggling with
your honey in a cocoon of zipped-together sleeping bags . . . . If you
prefer natural beauty to the creature comforts of civilization, or if
you are short on cash, we've got suggestions for making your camping
honeymoon comfortable and romantic—plus six possible destinations,
including Virgin Islands
National Park,
Yellowstone National Park, and the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Do you prefer to mingle
with the locals rather than other tourists when you travel? Then look
into a home exchange for your honeymoon—stay for free in someone else's
house while they stay in yours.
Who ever said you had to
go somewhere for your honeymoon? After all, the ultimate
destination of any honeymoon is the heart of your new love, and if home
is where the heart is, why can't you honeymoon at home? If you can't go
away for your honeymoon because of a lack of time or money, there's
plenty you can do to create a romantic place for yourselves right at
home. Prepare to sleep in, have breakfast in bed, and gaze lovingly into
each other’s eyes—totally unencumbered by the stress of traveling.
If you like puzzles,
mysteries, orienteering, and tromping happily through the countryside,
letterboxing may be the perfect way to turn your honeymoon (or part of
it) into a gentle adventure.
"Nothing in life is
free"—unless you win a free honeymoon vacation in a promotional
sweepstakes or contest. A surprising number of travel agencies and other
companies run contests giving away honeymoon vacations as a way of
promoting their services. We list some of the honeymoon giveaways we
found, and offer tips for finding more.
"The Grand Canyon retraces
two billion years of the earth's history. The Galapagos Islands inspired
Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution. Moenjodaro tells the story of
an ancient civilization, Völklingen Ironworks the one of
industrialization. The Island of Gorée is a reminder of slavery, the
Citadel of Haiti a symbol of liberty, built by slaves who had gained
their freedom." That's how the United Nations Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization introduces its World Heritage list. What do
all these places have in common? They've been judged by UNESCO's World
Heritage Committee to be of such "outstanding universal value" that they
deserve to be protected and preserved as part of the rich heritage of
humankind.
Honeymoon for Charity
Book your honeymoon through
the I Do Foundation and 5 percent of the profits will be donated to the
charity of your choice; use the foundation's wedding registry, and up to
8 percent of the profits go to charity: "It is our vision that, in time,
charitable giving will become an integral part of the culture of
weddings and other life events. By incorporating a charitable focus into
life celebrations, we help families establish a pattern of giving that
will last a lifetime." Find the foundation at
http://www.idofoundation.org/.
Boat and Breakfast Honeymoon
You've heard of bed and
breakfasts, right? Put one on a houseboat or a yacht and it's a "boat
and breakfast," where every room has a great view of the water. Explore
the possibilities at about.com's
Boat and Breakfast page.
Ecotourism Honeymoon
Ecotourism is booming—name
the wildlife, and there's sure to be someone who will help you encounter
it. You can swim with dolphins, chase rare birds, take a photo safari on
the Serengeti, or share a treehouse with monkeys. If you both love the
natural world, start exploring the possibilities on our
ecotourism or
birding pages.
Hospitality Club Honeymoon
Save money with free
accommodations by staying with people who live in your honeymoon
destination—or just hook up with locals who are happy to be your guide
for a day. Who knows, you just might make some new friends on your
honeymoon! Hospitality clubs hook up travelers with locals (and vice
versa); start at these sites:
Friendship Force; Global
Freeloaders; Hospitality
Club; Welcome Traveller
Hospitality Club.
Literary Honeymoon
Travel in the footsteps of
Jane Austen, Ernest Hemmingway, Jack London, Flannery O'Connor, Chaucer,
and other literary greats. Yes, there are actually companies that
specialize in such tours, but you can plan your own starting at the
Literary Traveler
website.
Cultural Immersion Honeymoon
Immerse yourself in the
ancient traditions of Australian aborigines. Hear the greatest musicians
of Europe in some of the continent's most fantastic settings. Tour "off
the beaten path" France—the way the French see it. Literally hundreds of
tour companies offer cultural immersion experiences around the world;
start browsing at ShawGuides.
Genealogy Honeymoon
Can't decide where to go?
Think about following your family roots to your destination. Did your
grandparents or great-grandparents come from Africa? Ireland? Poland?
China? Track down your family history and plan your honeymoon in the
footsteps of your ancestors. Start at the
Genealogy Home Page, which
lists a wealth of online resources.
Helping Hands Honeymoon
Celebrate your marriage by offering a helping hand
to a worthy cause. Work on an archaeological dig, survey rare plant life
in the high desert, help promote a public health program in a rural
African village, restore and rebuild a Mongolian Buddhist monastery . .
. what better way to start a marriage than by sharing the life-changing
gift of service? Survey the possibilities at the Google directory
Volunteer Travel page.
Historic Honeymoon
Plan a honeymoon itinerary
that takes you not only to faraway places, but faraway times as well.
Travel the Underground Railroad . . . follow in the footsteps of the
Shakers, one of the most influential religious movements of
post-Revolutionary War America . . . lose yourselves in the frontier
history of historic Ashland, Oregon . . . . Those historic itineraries
and thousands of other possibilities can be found at the
National Register of Historic Landmarks.
Surprise Honeymoon
Surprise your sweetie—and
potentially snag a great deal—by booking your travel at the last minute.
"Last minute" travel doesn't have to be booked literally at the last
minute; often you can find great deals for a few months out. When we
checked, for instance, go-today.com
was offering airfare from New York to London plus six nights at Cordova
House Hotel starting at $1,400 for two (taxes and surcharges included).
Site59.com offers last-minute weekend getaways, and even has a page
dedicated to
romantic travel.
Renaissance Faire Honeymoon
Jugglers, musicians,
jesters, and knights in shining armor . . . plays and performers . . .
colorful banners . . . the sound of bells and lutes and Elizabethan
English . . . the smell of cooking food and ale . . . . It's all part of
the magic of a Renaissance Faire, and with fairs running virtually all
year long somewhere in North America, it's easy to step back in time
five hundred years for at least a few days of your honeymoon. The
Renaissance Faire Homepage offers
a thorough introduction to "Ren Faires," plus it lists hundreds of fairs
by date.
Chocolate Lovers' Honeymoon
Mmm, chocolate—the food of
love. Why not plan your honeymoon around it? InTrend Travel offers
seven-day Chocolate Lovers Paradise
Tours of Belgium, chocolate capital of the world. Imagine—seven days
of being pampered by the world's best chocolatiers in beautiful medieval
cities. On the other hand, if seven days of chocolate sounds like six
days too many, then search the web for "chocolate tours" to find plenty
of one-day factory and walking tours.
Have ideas for honeymoon
themes to add to
this list? Drop
us a line.
Last updated:
November 20, 2008
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