no effort expended on your part is next to nil. Not that a perfect (or as close as humanly possible) honeymoon is out of the question but you better start making plans sooner than the day before. It is absolutely amazing how romantic you can be when you don’t have to make a frantic stop at the convenience store around the corner for plastic roses to convince her you didn’t really forget.

The honeymoon is your first, best chance to convince your eternal love that life with you indeed might be all midnight sex on the beach and swooning kisses, even though every sane person knows it won’t be. Here’s a bit of friendly advice for honeymooners.

1. Don’t be an idiot – use a travel agent. Yes, it is possible to spend every waking moment for months prior surfing third party aggregate websites like Travelocity and Priceline for a great deal. The honeymoon is not the time to prove how many pennies you can save on booking fees. Call a travel agent and pay them a few bucks to do the heavy lifting.

2. Share the planning – Though one of you might fall into the planning role more naturally, it’s always a good idea to bring your intended into the discussion because a big game hunt in Kenya might not be exactly what she had in mind. You don’t have to give away all your romantic surprises but high level secrecy in all matters cannot end well.

3. Take it easy at first – Don’t overload the first few days of your honeymoon with an activity packed schedule that would give the president a screaming headache. While it’s perfectly legitimate to incorporate bungee jumping, a hike through the jungle, surf lessons, an in-depth tour of the Smithsonian, skydiving, and introductory jai alai classes over the course of your honeymoon, don’t cram them all into the first morning. That time should be reserved for more carnal pursuits.

4. Plan a budget – Money issues have traditionally been lauded as one of the leading causes of divorce. To insure you don’t feel the urgent need to place a surreptitious call to your favorite domestic issues attorney before the end of the week, discuss in advance where you’ll scrimp and where you’ll splurge.

And, finally, a bonus tip for those among us who could turn coal into diamonds in their rectum. Loosen up, why don’t you? Years from now, you’ll laugh at how she screamed out her ex’s name in the throes of passion. Probably.

The Jetsetter Team

Flickr / kdinuraj

Tags: honeymoon, planning