Showing posts with label Travel Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel Tips. Show all posts

Friday, October 14, 2016

Destination Wedding Honeymoon



Thinking of combining your wedding with your Honeymoon in a faraway place away from your family and friends? 

More and more couples are doing it. In some cases they make the decision because the partnership is of such long standing that a wedding ceremony among friends, who already regard them as a married couple, seems a little uncomfortable. In other cases the marriage may be a cause of consternation among some members of the family. In the end it just seems less complex to face the family after performing the deed. 

There is often the financial consideration where families may be too large for the couple’s financial resources and it may seem more practicable to do away with the huge reception. And lastly, the couple may be genuinely enthralled to make their new beginning as husband and wife in the most exotic locale they can think of. 

The plan will then be to have at the wedding any children the couple may have, and very close relatives and friends only. 

In discussing the matter of travel and accommodation, ask your travel agent if there are any group discounts, and pass this information on to your guests. It may or may not make a difference to whether they can afford to join you or not. Choose your accommodation with a view to what will suit your guests as well as yourself, unless your heart is set on a particular resort and you prefer to book your guests in a resort close by. 

Lastly, when deciding on a destination wedding honeymoon, is the matter of having your honeymoon become a family and friends reunion. Is being surrounded with all these people for the rest of your honeymoon your idea of a perfect honeymoon? If it is, great! If it’s not, decide how you’re going to detach yourself from your wedding guests after the reception so that they can go their way, while you go yours. 

Ideally, arrive at your destination a day or two before the rest of your guests. This will give you an opportunity to find out how and where your ceremony will take place, and how your reception is to be set up. Meet up with all the people who are part of the planning process and make sure you are happy with everything, or that everything is according to the way you expect it to be. 

If you have a friend or a family member living at the destination you’ve decided on for your wedding/honeymoon location, ask them to direct you to the right service provider. Better still, ask them to contact the providers themselves and ask them for quotes. It is not unusual that quotes for locals could be substantially lower than for tourists. 

Similarly, if any friends or acquaintances, or even friends of friends, have celebrated their wedding in that location, ask for their input. In particular, check to make sure that your wedding ceremony ends up being a legal one. 

As is the case of a normal wedding, destination wedding/honeymoon can be very expensive or less expensive. If money is in short supply, you will find it less costly if you don’t get married on a Saturday, since in most countries this the favourite day for weddings. 

Travelling off season will also cut your cost in terms of travelling costs, as well as accommodation costs. You need to weigh that against what the weather will be like in off-season, and what is offered in season which is not being offered in off season. If you intend to do most of your wedding shopping at your wedding/honeymoon destination refrain from going to bridal stores which are inevitably dearer than the normal stores.

Check out the different ways you can Celebrate your Wedding and how to begin planning your Wedding Day.




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Thursday, September 15, 2016

Floating Honeymoon

If canals are your passion you should head for Amsterdam which has around 80km (50 miles) of canals, as well over 1,250 bridges.

The first pleasure cruise in the history of Amsterdam canals took place in 1621 when Queen Elisabeth Stuart of Bohemia was welcomed into the city. Since then cruises have been taken by Winston Churchill, the Beatles, Nelson Mandela, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, to name a few.

One of the Beatles, John Lennon, went a little bit further. Instead of just a cruise, he and his wife, Yoko Ono, spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam with their ‘Bed-In for Peace’ demonstration in protest of the Vietnam War. The protest lasted for a week and the press from around the world were invited into the couple’s suite to witness their bed-in for twelve hours per day between 9am and 9pm. To encourage the world leaders to think peace rather than war Yoko Ono sent each one of them an acorn - a symbol of peace - in the hope that they would plant them and be reminded that peace could be achieved. From this experience came the classic ‘Give Peace a Chance’ song. 

 For those more interested in discovering what the city of Amsterdam itself has to offer, sailing through the canals rather than sitting in the hotel, is the answer. The canal boat tours allow couples to get off and explore any particular sight they may have decided on, and then get back on and float to the next sight.

One of the major stops is Anne Frank's House, located in the heart of Amsterdam. Visitors come here to see where Anne and her family hid during World War II — and where she wrote her famous diary, ‘The Anne Frank Diary’. The diary itself, together with photographs, official documents, letters, postcards, books and possessions belonging to the Frank family, are on display. 

 Another popular sight is Bloemenmarkt, world's only Floating Flower Market. Its location is the Singel canal which has the distinction of being one of the oldest of Amsterdam's canals, dating back to 1862. The market consists of small shops inside a row of floating barges. In years past, flowers arrived in Amsterdam every day from the countryside by boat.

Since such great artists as Rembrandt and Van Gogh came from Holland, there are museums displaying the works of both, including Rembrandt’s famous and largest painting ‘The Night Watch’ and Vincent van Gogh’s most recognisable painting ‘Sunflowers’. Other artists represented in the various museums include Gaugin, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, and many other, less-recognisable artists.

Based on the book, 'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle'

Find it on Amazon and Smashwords




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Monday, September 12, 2016

Lucky Honeymoon in Russia and Elsewhere

Like Doris Day who sang about her ‘secret love’ no longer being a ‘secret’, thousands of lovers all over the world have done the same. In Huangshan in China couples have attached padlocks to a chain fence around the bridge, and then thrown the key to the abyss below locking their love and luck to Hunagshan Mountain forever. Before doing this, they’ve engraved the padlock with their names, dates and such messages as, ‘You have the key to my heart’.

Other countries where there are bridges where lovers have made their love public and concrete in the same way include Rome Italy, Moscow Russia and Cologne Germany. After inscribing the padlock with a personal message, the lovers attach their padlock to the bridge and throw the key into the river below. Some of these couples return to these cities years later - perhaps on one of their wedding anniversaries - to see how their mature love stacks against the young and new of their honeymoon days.

Then there are those bridges known as meeting places for lovers. Exchange a kiss with your spouse here, make a wish as you do, and folk lore says your wish will come true.

In Moscow Russia, in one of the underground railway stations there’s a statue of a dog which is believed to be lucky. Tourists and locals alike invariably touch the dog’s nose for luck with the result that the nose unlike its body, is shiny and bright.

Based on the book, 'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle'
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Thursday, September 8, 2016

For the Bride's Eyes Only


In the past, lingerie was not something a woman took lightly. And by the time the big day arrived she was very well supplied. Being part of what is called a trousseau, and which had to be sown by hand, putting it together was an ongoing life-long labour of love.

Back in the nineteenth century the brides were advised by the experts that in preparing for their married life they should be aiming for a wardrobe for at least two years in underclothes and one year in dresses.

The underclothing included a dozen chemises trimmed with embroidery or lace, a dozen night dresses, a dozen drawers, a few less petticoats, and one beautifully embroidered special-occasion petticoat. As for the corsets and crinolines, apparently two of each would do.

However, to keep the few highly expensive corsets free from dirt and soil, the wearer was advised to carry at least half a dozen camisoles. Apart from keeping the corsets clean, camisoles were used also to hide corset bones and give a smoother look to the bodice. A bride-to be with time on her hands, would enhance this highly practical item with lace and ribbon trims.

To finish off the trousseau the bride would be required to have half a dozen vests, two dressing gowns, three bed jackets, a dozen pairs of fine-quality Lisle stockings, three pairs of silk stockings and two dozen handkerchiefs.

One fashion expert suggested that if practicable, three dozens of everything would be a good way to start your married life. For the woman who didn’t have to count the cost, twelve dozen of each would be even better.

Included in the trousseau would be the wedding dress itself with all its accessories such as the undergarments, the veil and the jewellery, as well as the going away outfit.

According to gossip, both Eva Longoria, star of ‘Desperate Housewives’ and Katie Holmes, spent a small fortune in pretty lace lingerie sets, glamorous sleepwear, cute bikinis and baby-doll nightwear.

Sending the bride off in style was so important, that when Catherine de' Medici married into the French royal family in 1547, the Pope Clement, her uncle, decided that spending money for all those silks and laces was more important than spending it on the fortification of Florence. In all, Catherine’s trousseau included 3 pounds of gold and 2 pounds of silver which went towards the embroidery of gowns. Her underwear is said to have been made from lace, gold and silver cloth, while the sheets were made from silk.

Today’s woman always complains about the cost of those little numbers that she wears close to her body, that nobody sees and costs the earth. She feels almost guilty buying them. However, if there ever was a time to let yourself go it’s your honeymoon. For if you think those bits and pieces are too expensive for you now, you’ll find them doubly so after you get married. After all, there are much more urgent matters to consider - like electricity bills, rates, etc., So spend. Buy attractive, even if it is expensive.
Extract from 'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle'
Find it on Amazon and Smashwords






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Thursday, September 1, 2016

Honeymoon with a Purpose

Have you considered a honeymoon with a purpose? If you both love the races choose a place which runs races half a dozen times a week and attend as many of them as you can. Set a budget for your betting and stick to it. Losing all your money is not a great start to a marriage.

Then there are those couples who have found enjoyment in the lowly pub crawls, energetic zoo crawls, and culturally uplifting, museum crawls. And did you hear about the dairy farmer who decided to make his honeymoon a time to learn more about his livelihood. In the two weeks that the two of them were on the road, they visited any substantial dairy on the way. Not only did they find this educational, they made some friendship that lasted a lifetime. If you’ve a passion, find a place where it’s happening, and go for it.

You might even time your honeymoon with an event that you’ve always wanted to attend, like an exhibition or a festival of some sorts. Double your own pleasure by sharing this love with your partner.

If one of you is an extremely active person, while the other one gets tired just watching television, choose a place where each of you has something to do. That is, if one of you would like to spend time playing golf, make sure that the place you choose has plenty to offer your partner in terms of sight-seeing or whatever it is she or he is most disposed to doing.

Extract from 'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle'
Find it on Amazon and Smashwords

Got suggestions on other purpose related honeymoons? Share them with the rest of us.


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Monday, August 22, 2016

Natural Aphrodisiac for the Honeymoon Couple


As early as 200 years ago, newly-wed couples would sometimes decide to make their honeymoon a time when they visited some of the grand wonders of the world of which they had only read about. These could be natural wonders or wonders created by the ingenuity of the human mind. One of the great natural wonders which continues to draw people is the Niagara Falls.

At one stage Niagara Falls was nicknamed the 'Honeymoon Capital of the World'. It is suggested that apart from the beautiful sight, the falling waters generate negative ions, which create natural endorphins and serve as an aphrodisiac to make people fall in love.

The waterfalls make up an international border between the United States and Canada and are part of both countries. The United States part of the waterfall is in New York State. The Canadian section is part of Ontario. Falls known as the American Falls are located on the American side, and the falls on the Canadian side are known as Horseshoe Falls.

As early as 1801 Theodosia Burr the daughter of Aaron Burr, later to be the 3rd Vice President of the United States of America, chose the Niagara Falls for her honeymoon. A few years later, Jerome Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, took his bride, Elizabeth Patterson a rich heiress, to the Ontario side of Niagara Falls.

The best known honeymoon, of course, is that taken by Marilyn Monroe in the film, ‘Niagara’. The honeymoon is all about a wife planning with her lover to kill her husband. Nothing turns out as she hopes, but lovers were not deterred by her unfortunate end and continued to visit Niagara on their honeymoon.

The contemporary Niagara Falls includes wedding chapels overlooking the falls as well as hotels that promise vibrating beds and heart-shaped tubs. No longer the popular honeymoon destination that it used to be for almost 200 years, Niagara Falls continues to be one of the great sights to see.

For those who are not into wedding chapels or vibrating beds, there is the possibility of hiking among the natural wonders, visiting some great botanical gardens nearby or checking out the ice wine vineyard. Unlike ordinary wine which is dependent on ripe grapes, ice wine is made out of frozen grapes. Legend has it that ice wine was discovered by a German winemaker who was away from his vineyard when his grapes were ready to be picked. Finding, on his return, vines dangling with frozen grapes, he decided to make the best of a bad situation, and processed them in the normal way. The result was the ice wines which are used as dessert wines.

Representing this style of wines is the Inniskillin Winery, which is within driving distance of Niagara Falls. Perhaps one of the memories of your visit to Niagara Falls could be couple of bottles of ice wine picked up at the Winery.

Extract from
'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle'
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Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Sssizzler of a Honeymoon

If you’re after the most remarkable, you might like to see some of the world’s most famous fountains, for their statutory and their beauty. 

In Rome, one of the most recognizable landmarks is the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was featured in such films as ‘Three Coins in a Fountain’, where three American ladies hoped to find love, 'Roman Holiday' where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck did find love, and 'La Dolce Vita', where statuesque Anita Ekberg took a dip in the waters of the fountain. 

Built in 1762 the baroque fountain stands 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet) wide, and includes huge statues of Neptune, the God of the ocean, being driven in a shell-cart drawn by two sea horses, guided by two Tritons. 

The name Trevi designates the situation of the fountain, being at the intersection of three roads -  tre vie. The ancient legend has it that tourists who want to return to Rome, should toss a coin with their right hand over the left shoulder while standing with their back to the fountain. Despite the fact that the practice is discouraged by the powers that be, there are literally thousands of coins being tossed into the fountain by hopeful lovers and enchanted honeymooners. 

Even if their dreams don’t come true, the coins don’t go to waste as they are later fished out and handed to charities.


Excerpt from 
Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle


Find it on
Amazon and Smashwords





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