By Danielle Robinson
CTW Features
Honeymoons aren’t what they used to be.
While couples are still renting out 5-star suites and taking long, romantic strolls on the beach, travel experts have noticed that many couples desire something different from their post-wedding wanderings – something beyond the traditional.
It’s called experiential travel, says Howard Green, co-founder and CEO of Chicago-based honeymoon travel agency MoonRings. “It’s travel that relates to the ability to incorporate unique and memorable experiences. As opposed to going to some all-inclusive resort, these are the types of trips that revolve around personal interests,” he says. “This has been around for a long time, but it seems to have worked its way into the honeymoon market.”
It’s about taking experience to the next level by immersing yourself, Green explains. “If you really like food, you’ll focus a little more on your passion, taking cooking classes in Tuscany, or going on a truffle hunt,” he says. “In a place like Thailand, you can go on an elephant safari in the jungle, and actually spend a day with a trainer learning how to train elephants.”
Perhaps it’s this same focus on experience that has led to the explosion of honeymoon registries, where couples can build their registries around these types of experiences.
“Instead of buying a set of salt and pepper shakers, they may be buying a dinner for two on the beach, a horseback riding excursion or snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef,” Green explains. According to TheKnot.com market research, these registries grew by 50 percent in 2009.
“We've had members register for bungee jumping in New Zealand, a personal walking tour of the Great Wall of China, a GPS for a backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail, a private candlelit dinner on a beach in Zanzibar, skydiving in Brazil, front-row tickets to the Opera in Vienna and a Green Bay Packers football game,” says Brandon Warner, president and co-founder of honeymoon registry Web site Traveler’s Joy. “Couples are looking beyond housewares and to new activities and experiences they can enjoy together and remember for the rest of their lives together.”
Both Green and Warner attribute this shift in attitudes to steady increase in wedding age. Many couples are marrying later in life, meaning they likely have to merge two full sets of home belongings, which leaves little room for yet another set of dishes.
But at any age, it seems, the honeymoon has taken on a new shape. For couples who wish to live life to the fullest, experiential travel will make their honeymoon even sweeter.
Copyright © CTW Features