Ratgeber
How long should a honeymoon last?
For long-haul destinations such as Bali or the Maldives, Honeymoon recommends around ten to fourteen days, and for Europe five to seven. Do not count the outward and return journeys as days of rest, or a short trip quickly feels rushed. Leave entitlement and jet lag matter too.
Von Honeymoon, Stand
Schritt für Schritt
- Add up the available leave days of both partners, including a buffer after your return.
- Roughly work out the journey time per direction and deduct it from the total time.
- Decide whether one place or several stops are planned.
- Plan at least one free day at home after the return journey.
- Match travel window and duration against the budget.
- Weigh one long main trip against a short mini-moon.
Checkliste
- Leave days of both partners clarified
- Journey time per direction known
- Buffer day after return planned
- Decision made on one place or several stops
- Number of nights per stop set
- Budget per night roughly calculated
- Option of a mini-moon plus a later main trip checked
Honeymoons usually last between one and two weeks. For long-haul destinations, around ten to fourteen days make sense, while for destinations in Europe five to seven are often enough. What matters is how many days you really enjoy on site, not how many are on the calendar.
How many days does a successful honeymoon need?
A rule of thumb helps: after deducting the outward and return journeys, you should have at least five to seven days left at your destination. With shorter stays, you hardly get to rest. The wedding itself was usually tiring, and recovery needs its time. The number of nights should suit your pace, not the catalogue. A couple who like to wake up slowly and have a late breakfast calculate differently from one who wants to see something new every day.
For destinations in Europe such as Santorini, five to seven nights are enough. For a long-haul trip, allow at least ten nights, so that the long journey is worthwhile.
Be honest with yourselves too: after months of wedding planning, the energy for a full programme is often missing. Rather allow for more rest days than you think at the start.
How strongly do flight time and jet lag count?
From Switzerland, you fly to the Maldives in around ten to twelve hours, and to Bali usually longer, depending on the connection. Then there is the time difference. The first one to two days are often tired days.
So do not plan any big excursions at the start. If you try to fit a dive, a sightseeing tour and dinner into the day of arrival, you start exhausted. Better is a quiet first evening and a spa appointment on the second day.
The return journey also needs time. A free day after landing, before work starts again, helps noticeably. This buffer costs you little and protects against a bumpy start to everyday life. After long return flights with a connection especially, it pays off.
One place or several stops?
Two stops can fit together very well, for example Bali with culture inland and then a few days on the beach. Every change costs time, though, through transfer, packing and checking in.
Allow half a day per change. With ten nights, two stops are often the maximum. If you only want rest, you are better off staying in one place and treating yourselves to variety through excursions there. An honest look at your travel pace helps: if you like to pack every day, you plan differently from a couple who settle in on an island.
On round trips especially, it is worth making the last stop a place to rest. That way the trip ends on the beach rather than in the suitcase.
Do not forget leave entitlement and everyday life
Many couples do not have several weeks free after the wedding. Count how many days both of you can take together. Also check whether leave remains after the trip for moving, name change or visits to authorities.
A mini-moon of three to five days straight after the wedding and a big trip for your first wedding anniversary is a tried and tested solution. That spreads costs and leave days over two points in time.
Also check with your employers. Some offer a few paid days off for the wedding, others do not. You should clarify that before booking, not after.
Two trips instead of one long one
Splitting can take off the pressure. The first trip straight after the wedding serves rest, the second the big discovery. Each can stand on its own and does not need to have the same destination.
The advantage: you do not have to pay for everything at once and can put the second trip in a cheaper season. The disadvantage: you need time for planning twice. If you choose the destination for your wedding anniversary, you can also use a better season.
Decide this together before you book. If you both have the same idea, planning becomes much easier.
How long suits which destination?
Maldives: seven to ten nights are enough here if you only want to recover. More time is worthwhile if you dive or combine two islands.
Bali: ten to fourteen nights fit well, because culture, nature and beach offer plenty of choice. Santorini: five to seven nights are usually enough, as the island is manageable and the journey short.
Depending on season and category, the duration has a clear effect on the total cost. Have variants with different numbers of nights shown side by side. A second calculation shows whether extra nights are worthwhile: often the tenth night costs clearly less in proportion than the first, because flight and transfer are already paid.
