The Stay-At-Home Honeymoon
When planning your honeymoon, a good place to start is your local newspaper. Most newspapers have a calendar or happenings section that list any special events that will be taking place. For those honeymooners on a tight budget, free summer concerts planned by the recreation department are a great idea. If you can afford it, classes (wine tasting, dancing, etc.) are a great way to spend time together while broadening your horizons. Your newspaper may also list lectures, museum exhibits, plays, – all of which might be fun activities for you to share with your new spouse.
Searching online can help you find attraction guides for your area. You may come across “tourist” spots that you’ve never visited before, or perhaps didn’t even know existed. Some good websites for city guides include www.citysearch.com, travel.yahoo.com, and cityguide.aol.com. If you have trouble finding resources online, your local bookstore or library is sure to have some guides to your city. You can also try calling your local tourism department-if there isn’t one for your city, try your state’s department of tourism. The Chamber of Commerce might also be of help. If all else fails, visit some of the local hotels to see if they have brochures for attractions in your area.
Some fun activities that your area might offer include boardwalks, parks, beaches, museums, aquariums, zoos, fairs or carnivals, nature trails, campgrounds, outlet shopping, miniature golf, bowling, trolley or boat tours, amusement or water parks, and historical sites. Depending on the weather, you could spend a whole day at the beach, or indulge your inner child and go sledding. Keep in mind that even if you’re not leaving the area, you still have time off from your job-make the most of it and do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do. It can be fun to revisit places you loved to go as a child. Approach your city as a foreigner might and visit all the cheesy tourist spots-if nothing else, you may get a few good laughs about them. If you’re willing to drive an hour or two, you may have lots of options for activities. You can visit the closest big city for some shopping and fine dining. If you can swing it, spending just one night at a hotel an hour away can be fun, too.
One thing you’ll want to avoid during your honeymoon is cooking. If you’re on a budget, try to prepare and freeze meals ahead of time. If you absolutely must cook, try to make new dishes or have theme meals (Mexican, just appetizers, breakfast for dinner, etc). If money isn’t as much of a concern, try to eat out at several restaurants you’ve never tried before. Or if you feel like staying in, order takeout. Most restaurants (even five-star ones) will let you place an order over the phone and will have your food waiting when you go to pick it up. Throw your diet out the window and enjoy yourself-have croissants for breakfast if you normally only have a small bowl of cereal. Make a picnic lunch to bring to the park, or if you have bad weather, set up a living room picnic. A blanket spread on the floor with some candles nearby can be just as fun as an outdoor picnic. Buy some expensive chocolates to share with your new spouse, and whip up some fun frozen drinks just like you might have at a resort. Party supply stores sell tiny umbrellas to go in your drinks, along with tons of other props for a stay-at-home honeymoon.
Other things to avoid if possible are cleaning and doing other household chores. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t do the dishes or make the bed-but your honeymoon is not the time to do landscaping, clean out the garage, or organize your closets. Keep things fun and simple-housework can always wait a few more days. Try to ignore the phone, as well. The idea of a vacation is to get away from your normal day-to-day life, and that should include any non-emergent telephone calls.
You can do a lot to make your home seem more like a resort than the place you live every other day. Fresh flowers and scented candles will go a long way towards transforming your home. Investing in new bedding can give your bedroom a fresh new look. You can try to mimic what hotels offer-give each other breakfast in bed on trays, put little mints on your pillows, and turn down the comforter to make the bed look more enticing. You can get really creative if you feel like: book a massage with your spouse, get some rose petals to sprinkle on the bed, keep a cooler of snacks and drinks next to the bed (like a minibar), and take long relaxing baths with bath salts or bubbles. You’re limited only by your imagination.
Do whatever you can to change things around. Wear vacation clothes, camp out in the living room (so what if you don’t have a bearskin rug-a sleeping bag works just as well), take pictures and video, buy postcards and souvenirs, or take a cab instead of your own car when going out.
Above all else, remember that the most important part of your honeymoon is spending time with your new spouse. Where you are and what you do doesn’t matter much so long as you’re having fun and enjoying each other’s company. Focus on each other and everything else will take care of itself. Congratulations, newlyweds!
