96 May 2015 www.womanthismonth.com LIFESTYLE | travel Romantic Hideaways We all want the perfect start to our happily-ever-after story. Ankita Mamgain shares some ideas on how to make the most of your well-deserved honeymoon. If you ask me what the best part about my wedding was, I’d say it was the honeymoon. Finally after months of running around, meticulous planning, the exhausting ceremony, loud relatives and constant smiling for the camera, came this ultimate reward. Luckily, my fiancé was just as excited about the holiday as myself and we got the trip planning out of the way well before we got started on the wedding, which in retrospect I think was a brilliant idea. Budget is obviously the starting point; once you agree upon a figure or even a bracket, set your priorities, as to what’s more important; the location, hotels, activities, shopping or is it “all of the above”. Although this will be your first holiday together as ‘Mr & Mrs’, drop the pressure you’ve built around making it ‘perfect’. Remember to just relax and savour each moment for no matter where you are with your partner, it’ll be the best time ever! MORE FOR LESS Don’t let financial woes get in the way of your dream honeymoon. Those who are on a tight budget and want to get the most out of their buck need not despair. There’s a plethora of options for you; however intensive research and timely reservations are your best allies in this situation. You can choose a destination that’s not so far from the Kingdom or has frequent flights, such as Oman, Morrocco, India, Southeast Asian countries or even European countries like Greece, Cyprus or Turkey, so you save money on the flight tickets. Read up lots of travel blogs in order to find the most cost-efficient way to stay in a particular location. You can find excellent home-stays and sometimes big hotel chains may be running enticing offers for newlyweds. Talk to the locals to get a more realistic picture in terms of places to visit and costs of sight-seeing, instead of going to guides and travel agents who charge a lot more. Instead of having all three meals at a fancy restaurant, maybe grab something from a takeaway or the supermarket during the day when you are out and about and treat yourselves to a nice dinner at a restaurant. Maybe, just by some judicious planning, you can visit an exotic locale that’s considered expensive and that you’ve always wanted to see. Oman Morocco
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