Honeymoon in Paradise

Paradise.  For some, the word conjures up images of white sand beaches, clear blue water and little fruity drinks.  Not me. 

For me, terms like ‘white sand beaches and clear blue water’ sounds a little like the beginning of a worn out slogan, the tropical vacation version of ‘order now, operators are standing by’.  It may be that I’m jaded by the over-the-top advertising or maybe I just imagine a white sand beach with 5000 overweight pasty Americans overrunning it.  Whatever the case, I don’t want the same old thing.

My paradise is different.  Since it’s a Honeymoon paradise, the most important element of course, is my significant other.  For me, that’s all the people I really need.  I want to spend time with my new bride, and share some experiences that are really different.  We have beaches and fruity drinks in California, and picking from the top 10 vacations menu seemed like a sure-fire route to sameness.  I recoil at sameness and thought I could do better for our honeymoon.

I thought about it.  I looked on the web.  I talked to people.  I had always liked the green feeling of the Pacific Northwest, but the idea of a Honeymoon to Seattle didn’t really captivate me.  I had loved learning to ski in Utah when I was young, and have always gravitated towards mountains, but my new bride loves the water (though not necessarily the beaches in the worn out brochure).  The elements I wanted to include in our vacation seemed to be accumulating and I didn’t have a plan yet. 

When I added something seemingly obscure to my wish list, the solution actually became easier.  We had been to Alaska in 2001 on a bicycle ride to raise money for AIDS research and had experienced, albeit at a distance, the Matanuska glacier.  We were intrigued by the idea of a glacier in person – climbing it, touching it, experiencing a frozen goliath that seemed ancient.  We had an agenda though, and we moved on.  The great Matanuska and the idea of a glacier experience was mostly forgotten.  Until now.

Glaciers actually brought it together.  The mountains, the water, fewer people, open, unspoiled nature and someplace we’d never been were the core pieces.  When I added glaciers, something new popped up – Iceland.  We wanted something different and exciting and we were going to get it.  Yes, it is more than slightly north of the equator, with not so much of the fruity drinks. 

There was to be one other benefit for me, too.  Among the elements of an Icelandic adventure, I could squeeze in the guilty pleasure of a tour in a Super Jeep, or in American terms, a monster truck.  If I offered my new bride a long weekend trip or short vacation stateside that centered around giant SUVs and off-road touring, there would have to be some reciprocal girly trip in recent context to pull that off, or maybe some jewelry.  In Iceland, I figured we could do several things and when I brought up the Super Jeeps, she’d probably dig it.  …I still stacked the deck by setting up a horseback riding day in advance.

How did it go?

The trip was a hit!  From the moment that the crisp, clean air greeted us in Keflavik, we were in another world.  We had trailside meals on a quiet mountainside, bathed in hot springs and heated lagoons (we had warmth and a beach, just not in the common way!) and rode Icelandic horses.  We spent a little time in Reykjavik too, enjoying the nightlife a bit, but the time we spent outside was the best part of the experience.  The trip was otherworldly and left us wanting to return.  Fortunately, anniversaries provide a great reason to go back!

If you are thinking about taking a vacation on the road less traveled, consider taking an Iceland tour. Glacier tours are the most accessible; there are lots of others as well.
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Wedding Gift Ideas to Delight the Happy Couple

You have been invited to a wedding and don’t know what to give the happy couple. Of course you can always buy something from their registry and have it wrapped at the store. This is the simplest solution and will certainly be appreciated; after all, most couples would not buy their registry items for themselves, and use this list as a special ‘wish list’ for things they would love to have. It also guarantees you will get them something they really want and which will reflect their personal tastes.

For other ideas to get you started if you would like to be a little creative, consider the following 8 tips:

1. A luxurious gift basket is always appreciated. Fill it with decadent chocolates or imported foods; some of the more obscure or unusual bridal registry items, or linens and towels for the couple. Just be sure not to include anything perishable if the couple will be taking a honeymoon – no one wants to come back to spoiled fruit or flowers!

2. Monogrammed towels or robes are a luxury item many people – especially young couples just starting out – would not think to buy for themselves. If you are ordering towels, be sure they co-ordinate with the planned décor, or stick with classics like white or cream.

3. Give the gift of a day or weekend of indulgence with a gift certificate. A spa or romantic getaway for two is just what they will love after weeks or months of busy planning and trying to please everyone around them, especially if they are not taking a honeymoon. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness in helping them have some alone time to remember why they are doing all this!

4. If the couple are going on a honeymoon, call their destination and inquire as to any special trips or treatments you could pre-purchase for them. For example, maybe you could buy them a couples massage, a champagne dinner for two on the beach, or a special trip arranged just for the two of them. You can include a nice note in an envelope to give at the wedding – just be sure you let their destination hotel know who the gift-giver was, because they likely will not you’re your wedding envelope until they return.

5. Alternatively, purchase some traveler’s checks for couples embarking on a honeymoon. Weddings and honeymoons can be expensive, and a little extra spending money just for special things while they are away will be greatly appreciated. They can use them for anything they want, and will love your thoughtfulness.

6. Give the couple the gift of a little romantic adventure some time in the future, with a gift certificate for a balloon ride, or perhaps a helicopter tour of your city or the local beach or mountains…something unusual that they may not have thought to do themselves.

7. Make a gift of matching his and hers items and tailor it to the couple. The possibilities are endless; golf items for golf-lovers, his-and-hers cosmetics or toiletries; scarves or jewelry…

8. Give a personal gift that showcases the history of the bride- and groom-to-be. For example, compile a collection of photos of the two of them and have them framed, or if they met at a local landmark or event, get them tickets and souvenirs from that special time (for example, if they met at a baseball game, get them tickets to an upcoming game and matching baseball jerseys).

These are just a few ideas to get you started. The best thing to keep in mind is to consider the personalities of the couple you are buying for, rather than what you yourself might like. Happy hunting!

For even more tips on wedding planning that the bride might enjoy as well, check out the Wedding Planning Guides - full of money-saving tips every bride needs to know – found at Wedding-Planning-Makes-Perfect.com!

This article is written by Shauna Arthurs, author and founder of Wedding-Planning-Makes-Perfect.com.
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Ideas For a Cheap Honeymoon

Apparently everyone weds and desires to have the best honeymoons ever no matter their financial aptitudes and this can happen. Even as money is the ticket to a luxurious experience people who do not have much should plan a cheap honeymoon that is within their financial limits. See, the guests offer all sorts of gifts including money but those who do not have a strong financial base realize that weddings and honeymoons happen once and life continues as usual.

As a result they may want to save up a share of everything since weddings do sweep many bank accounts. Planning an inexpensive honeymoon means looking for alternatives to the elements that otherwise inflate the budget in a way not desired. Couples at all times know of their financial situation before tying the knot and it is still the ideal time to start organizing the honeymoon.

In fact the easiest and the most traditional method that could potentially raise money for a couples honeymoon is signing up a registry and select all the custom gifts that should make up a wish list. The guests that purchase those gifts stand for the cost of honeymoon and the couples can save up the money they intended to use for that.

Be careful when selecting those registries because the owners still want a share of the proceeds and no one would like that to be too much if the point is a cheap honeymoon. The other point that may make this possible is checking on budget and by a simple research online it is easy to find tips on how to spend while saving such as travel plan worksheets.

This should help because when booking for the flights, cruises, hotels and other fun ideas for honeymoon the pricing of each is considered and in the end a cheaper deal is intended. Needless to mention, travel by air may be luxurious but not always cheap in comparison to a cruise by ship to the Caribbean or wherever else. Additionally it is easy to capture the beauty of places at the sea using binoculars, cameras and other latest photographing devices.

Another advantage with the cruises is the fact that the couple can choose to spend more days in the water or touring the mainland depending on the selected destination such as the aforementioned. Cruises are some of the best cheap honeymoon ideas that can bring down the transport costs and still enable the couples to get to the same destinations as those that prefer travel by air.

Trace cruises that are exclusively for the lovebirds and their packages too specially for the upcoming summer 2010 weddings and honeymoons. Always make sure to find cheap deals for hotels, airlines, and cruises from the incoming brands in the travel industry that are willing to offer incomparable services at best pricing.

It could even be cheaper to take off to some place in Europe or wherever by flight and spend just two fun days in a new continent and country instead of spending a whole month near. Moreover the couples should also try to fix weddings and honeymoons during the seasons of the year when they can really enjoy.

Grab more ideas, tips and information for a cheap honeymoon
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