Honeymoon Trips
If you think getting there
is half the fun, look into these creative honeymoon trips.
Leave the big cruise lines behind, and you
might find yourself enjoying a sunset along the Maine coast
from the deck of an historic windjammer instead.
(Photo: Fred LeBlanc, Maine Windjammer Association) |
If you're among the one in
ten couples who choose a cruise for their honeymoon, break away from the
crowd for a more creative honeymoon cruise: How about cruising on a
small yacht, where you're the only passengers? Or on an
historic
windjammer, complete with sails, rigging, and sumptuous meals cooked
over a wood stove? Or on your own rented houseboat, where you're the
captain and crew? And how about heading somewhere other than the
Caribbean for your cruise—like Belize, for instance, or the rugged coast
of Maine, or the Galapagos Islands? Intrigued?
Read on!
Imagine a honeymoon cruise
made for two—one in which you and your spouse are the captain and "first
mate" on your very own houseboat rental. Dance under the stars on deck
if you like, or cozy up in your private cabin. Make your own gourmet
meals together on board, or make your way to an out-of-the-way waterside
restaurant in a cute little village.
Fill your honeymoon photo album with pictures
of yourselves in front of the oddest sights the American landscape has
to offer: Wigwam motels, giant talking cow statues, two-story outhouses,
modern-day pyramids and the like. It’s a road-trip honeymoon accompanied
by The New Roadside America, your guide to America’s offbeat, corny, and
sometimes downright weird roadside attractions.
|
Sail into the sunset on a steamboat
honeymoon. |
Calliope music, paddlewheel spray,
billows of white steam, jazz under the stars, scrumptious Southern
cuisine—these are the sensations of a steamboat honeymoon, traveling
down America’s most famous waterways and back to a simpler, more elegant
time.
Imagine being rocked to sleep to the
sound of wind in the rigging and water lapping against the hull . . .
or helping the crew unfurl the main sail on a historic windjammer,
before sitting down to a delicious meal cooked over a wood stove fire.
That's what you'll get on a windjammer honeymoon cruise.
Around the World Honeymoon Trips
Circle the globe for your honeymoon! More folks
have done that—by air, boat, and foot—than you'd think. For just one
example, check out
The Honeymoon, a
web site documenting one couple's three-year honeymoon around the world.
One place to start planning such a trip is Circle The
Planet.
Great American Road Trip Honeymoon
It's the classic budget
honeymoon: hop in the car and hit the open road with a little cash and a
big spirit of adventure. Jamie Jensen, author of Road Trip USA,
has just the website to whet your appetite. At
roadtripusa.com, he profiles
eleven classic road trips: the West Coast from Olympic National Park to
the Mexican border; Highway 93 from the Canadian Rockies to the Sonora
Desert; U.S. 83 ("the Road to Nowhere") from Manitoba to Texas; the
Great River Road (see below); the Appalachian Trail (by car); an East
Coast route from Atlantic City to Key West that runs within earshot of
the ocean; U.S. 2 from Seattle to Maine's Acadia National Park ("the
most stunning and unforgettable, not to mention longest, of all the
great transcontinental road trips," according to Jensen); the Oregon
Trail from Cape Cod to Oregon; little-known U.S. 50 from San Francisco
to Washington, D.C.; U.S. 80 from San Diego to Savannah, Georgia; and
the Mother of All Roads, Route 66.
Horseback Honeymoon
The days of traveling by
horse may be over, but the romantic allure of horseback riding isn't.
Fortunately, it's still possible to hit the open trail on horseback.
Go horsepack camping in the mountains, stay at one of dozens of dude
ranches, participate in a cattle drive, or even join a wagon train.
American Byways Honeymoon
For more great American
road trips, head to the American Byways website at the U.S. Department
of Transportation. There you'll find 96 roads, ranging in length from
the 4.5-mile Las Vegas Strip to the 8,834-mile Alaska Marine Highway,
that have been designated National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads.
Roads with these designations are singled out for their "outstanding
archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic
value," according to the American Byways
website. "All-American Roads have one-of-a-kind features so
exceptional that they qualify as a destination 'unto themselves' . . .
National Scenic Byways have one or more intrinsically valuable qualities
and are more regionally significant." Be sure to check the website's
Romantic Escapes
page.
Great River Road Honeymoon
Follow the Mississippi
River through the heart of America, tracing its historic and musical
landscape, on the Great River Road (which is really a series of highways
that follow the river). Start in Minnesota's Itasca State Park, where
you can easily walk across the headwaters. On your way south, visit the
homes of personalities as varied as Charles Lindbergh, Mark Twain,
Elvis, and Laura Ingalls Wilder; sample the cultural spectrum from Saint
Paul's "A Prairie Home Companion" to New Orleans' legendary jazz clubs;
and take in the river's scenic beauty in dozens of parks and wildlife
refuges. Find an interactive map of the Great River Road, including
things to see and do along the way, at the
Mississippi River Parkway
Commission homepage.
Czech Greenways Honeymoon
Walk, bike, or drive from
Vienna to Prague along a 250-mile long belt of 100-year-old greenways.
"Travelers can walk or bike between historic towns and villages, visit
romantic castles, medieval churches and monasteries, discover old Jewish
sites and savor some of the most picturesque countryside in Europe,"
according to Friends of
Czech Greenways.
Railroad Honeymoon Trips
If you're interested in
seeing the world, but hate the thought of all that time behind the
wheel, there's no more comfortable mode of overland travel than rail.
Amtrak or other national rail companies will take you almost anywhere
you want to go, but scores of small companies run vintage railroads that
take travelers on a journey into the past. You'll find a list of
possibilities on our
train travel page.
Lewis & Clark Historic Trail Honeymoon
Follow in the footsteps of
Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their Corps
of Discovery as they traveled 3,700 miles to explore the American West:
see Montana's White Cliffs, South Dakota's Spirit Mound, and the
Idaho wilderness much as they did. The
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail begins near Wood River,
Illinois, and passes through portions of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa,
Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and
Washington. Those looking for a shorter trip should focus on the intact
portions of the trail, much of which follows the Missouri and Columbia
Rivers. Find out more at the
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail website.
Rail Trails Honeymoon
All over the country, old rail lines
are being paved over to make long, level bike trails that pass through
some of the most scenic landscapes in America—landscapes often hidden
from roadways. One of America's more popular rail trails is the
Blufflands trail system located in the limestone bluff country of
southeastern Minnesota. The Root River trail segment runs 42 miles along
an abandoned rail bed that follows the scenic Root River, crossing it
dozens of times on small wood bridges. The trail passes through
farmland, soaring bluffs, and picturesque small towns—including
Lanesboro, the geographic and cultural center of the trail system.
Lanesboro caters to trail riders with many restaurants, antique shops,
bed and breakfast inns, and a professional theater. The 16-mile
Harmony-Preston segment of the trail system takes riders to Harmony and
one of Minnesota's largest Amish communities. Visitors can browse shops
specializing in Amish goods or take a guided tour visiting Amish homes,
farms, and businesses. Niagara Cave, one of the largest caves in the
Midwest, is also located in Harmony and open to tours—it even has a
wedding chapel. Find more information at
http://www.lanesboro.com/ and
http://www.harmony.mn.us/.
Hiking Honeymoon
"Life is a journey," the
old cliché goes, and being married is about sharing that journey
together. There's something to be said for starting that shared journey
together with a real journey, done the old-fashioned way—on foot. The
National Park Service has officially designated some 23
National Scenic and
Historic Trails. Trail lengths vary from Hawaii's 175-mile Ala
Kahakai National Historic Trail to the 4,000-mile North Country Scenic
Trail. Many trails, such as the Appalachian and Continental Divide
trails, traverse the nation's most scenic routes. Others, such as the
Pony Express and Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trails, follow
the footsteps of American pioneers. If you are looking for hiking trails
outside the U.S., check out The
Trail Database.
RV Honeymoon Trips
If you want to do a road
trip, but don't want to deal with the cramped quarters of a car,
camping, or staying in a different hotel every night, then consider
renting an RV. You can rent a decent RV for $1,000-$2,000 a week—not
too bad if you consider the cost of six nights in motels. Get started at
the Beginner's Guide to RVing.
Have ideas for honeymoon trips to add to this list?
Drop us a line.
Last updated:
February 09, 2010 |
