Whether you’re looking for laidback luxury or dreaming of adventure, founder of Patchwork Present, Olivia Knight shares 10 new travel trends for 2015 and a few great tips to help you honeymoon in style, whatever your budget!
Tailor-made trip to the Maldives
Looking for a slice of paradise but don’t want to spend the whole time on the beach? Why not combine pure relaxation in the Maldives with a short hop over to Sri Lanka to explore tea plantations, visit temples and go elephant trekking? Luxury travel company blacktomato.com can plan every detail of your tailor-made trip. So all you need to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the journey.
Island-hopping in Greece
The best way to discover the unspoilt beauty of the Greek islands is to travel by boat, get around on a moped and live like a local in one of the many amazing houses available to rent on airbnb.co.uk. Highlights? The beaches of Santorini, the traditional and picturesque village of Oia and the Spita retreat. Hanging on the cliff 150 meters above the sea, this secluded and stylish ‘cave house’ has amazing views and a private outdoor whirlpool. Just add Ouzo!
Road trip on Route 66
Many couples are realising that their honeymoon is the chance to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you’re looking for an epic adventure, get behind the wheel and follow the famous Route 66 from Chicago to LA. Hire classic American convertible cards from blacktopcandys.com who will also be able to help you plan your road trip. Just don’t forget to pack your sunnies, a headscarf and plenty of blankets for driving after dark.
Cycling in Provence
Whether it’s hipsters, the Tour de France or Boris bikes that are to blame, cycling holidays are now officially cool, so it’s no surprise that we’re seeing trend-setting couples planning their honeymoons on two wheels. What could be more romantic than riding through the French countryside together, stopping for picnics under poplar trees, skinny dipping in crystal clear lakes and wine tasting in local vineyards. See mrandmrssmith.com for places to stay along the way.
A blind honeymoon
If you’re an adventurous couple, why not take the hassle out of planning your honeymoon by letting someone else do it for you? Give blindhoneymoon.com your budget, dates, a continent you’d love to explore and a few basic details about yourselves and they’ll organise a surprise honeymoon for you to discover on the day of departure. Bonkers but brilliant!
Eco retreat in Borneo
Sitting together in a tree house with a few monkeys for company is a world away from the intensity of your wedding day and a brilliant chance to see things from a new perspective. This may not be for everyone but eco honeymoons are a growing trend and are a great chance to get away from it all and experience a way of living in harmony with nature. At the Borneo Nature Lodge you get to see wildlife quite literally on your doorstep and at the same time support essential conservation work, making it a real do good, feel good honeymoon.
Tokyo high life
The best way to enjoy the dizzy heights of this incredible city is just to get drunk on love and sake and embrace all the crazy clichés. Stay in the famous and luxury Park Hyatt, eat dinner from a vending machine, hang out in Harajuku, sing karaoke duets, party all night in Golden Gai and eat sushi for breakfast in Tsukiji. Turns out that watching the sunrise over a fish market at 4.30am is surprisingly romantic, and raw tuna is a brilliant hangover cure!
Adventure in Iceland
Want to avoid the comedown after the wedding? Hold on to that ‘top of the world’ feeling and head to spectacular Iceland for your honeymoon. The Ion Hotel is renowned for its Scandinavian-chic interior style and amazing views of the Thingvellir National Park. This hotel provides the perfect base for glacier hiking, diving, horse riding and whale-watching as well as watching the famous geysers erupting. After a day exploring, relax in the country’s natural outdoor thermal pools and enjoy cocktails in the Northern Lights bar with the Aurora Borealis dazzling above you.
Backpacking around Cuba
If you want to really feel the faded glamour of 1950s Havana, spend your first night in Cuba at the Hotel Nacional then avoid all hotels for the rest of your trip. Offering clean rooms, simple food and stories of revolution, hardship and hope, you’ll get a more interesting and intimate experience staying with families who run Casa Particulars across the Island. There’s no need to book in advance – just grab your Lonely Planet and go.
Campervan around New Zealand
If you’re lucky enough to get the time off work, take a few weeks to travel around New Zealand in a vintage VW from classic-campers.com. What could be more romantic? Imagine the perfect escape, just the two of you, pitching wherever you fancy, cooking BBQs on the beach and drinking cold white wine as you watch the sun set over the sea and rise over the mountains.
