The honeymoon is one of the most amazing experiences anyone can have in life and it’s the culmination of one of the most emotional and gratifying experiences anyone can ever enjoy.
All of the stress and heartache that goes into a wedding can make for an extremely difficult period for both individuals and couples, and the honeymoon is the absolute best way to properly reconnect with your partner after spending a lot of time focused on making sure the wedding goes smoothly.
It’s a time of indulgence, romantically and emotionally where you can fully unwind and enjoy your first days as a newly married couple and is the best way for any marriage to start.
However there can be a lot of confusion around how long a honeymoon should be, and it can be difficult to get a concrete answer on this.
It’s not really surprising either, given that there are many variables to what makes a great honeymoon and not all of them are tied to the amount of time it lasts.
The preferences of the couple, as well as finances and other factors, can play a role in the ideal honeymoon period, and balancing all these different concerns according to your own needs is the best way to make sure you have a great trip.
There are averages and popular choices for lengths for those who need some inspiration, and in this guide, we’re going to look at how long the average honeymoon lasts as well as what the perfect length for you might be when considering all the various factors affecting your decision.
The Average Honeymoon Length
While there are outliers and extreme cases at both ends of the spectrum, the most common length for a honeymoon is 7 days, as around 85 percent of newlywed couples book trips for 7 day’s.
Another popular choice is 9 days which is a little more indulgent without becoming too much of an investment of time and money and in 2021 7 – 9 days of honeymooning have been most popular.
It’s particularly common for couples to add more time to their honeymoon the further away from home they are traveling, and those who stay local tend to have shorter trips, potentially for financial or work-related reasons.
Planning
It’s best to plan your honeymoon while you’re planning the wedding and take advantage of all the organising you’re already doing by combining these arrangements and ensuring that they don’t overlap each other.
Organising a wedding is very complex and requires a lot of time, and while it may seem overwhelming or inconvenient to book your honeymoon while all this is going on, it’s far better to get it sorted out ahead of time to allow you to properly enjoy the honeymoon once the stress of the wedding itself has passed.
Having something to look forward to after the wedding can also help deal with the emotional and romantic stress a wedding can put on a relationship and the individuals within it, so make sure to plan in advance and to discuss honeymoon plans openly and with consideration.
Traditionally honeymoons were paid for by the groom and his family, however in the modern world, this is rare, and it’s far more common for couples to pay for their honeymoon out of their own pocket.
Some couples don’t even do a ‘couples’ honeymoon anymore and instead invite friends for a group holiday, while some skip the honeymoon entirely!
For those who find the honeymoon too much of a financial burden, or for those who can’t fit in a traditional honeymoon, there are other options such as ‘mini-moons’, which are shorter breaks that last 2 to 3 days and can give you your partner some time to celebrate together without taking on such a large financial burden or fitting it into your busy lives more easily.
Another option is to delay the honeymoon period until the wedding is complete and give yourself time to organize and pay for a longer, more indulgent honeymoon in the future.
Some prefer 10 or 14-day honeymoons and while these trips can provide a truly relaxing and refreshing experience for maximum relaxation, these are considered quite long honeymoons and can be difficult to justify financially.
The Perfect Length
The most common honeymoon is 7 to 9 days and this is considered a great middle-ground in terms of cost and the amazing experience you can have.
Ultimately however the perfect honeymoon length is one that suits the needs of your relationship, whether it be two weeks of lounging on a Hawaiian beach or 7 days camping out at the lakes.
The truth is a honeymoon is supposed to enrich your relationship and help to foster the new chapter of your life and relationship in a blissful and romantic experience.
Instead of focusing on what everyone else is doing for their honeymoon, work on finding out what you and your partner both want and try to find a trip that delivers an experience you’ll both enjoy and which will be memorable for you both.
Even if you’re not a fan of the idea or don’t have the money for an extravagant honeymoon, the important idea behind this concept is to make time for your partner and prioritize your relationship as a married couple to reconnect after the difficult strain that a wedding can put on all relationships.
Even if you have a long weekend at a local spa, taking some time to destress and treat yourselves after this process is something that all couples should take advantage of.