Honeymoon Mistakes EVERY Couple Makes (Travel Expert Reveals All)

Planning your honeymoon? This episode is a must listen!

We’re joined by honeymoon expert Alex Collins from Travel Counsellors to break down everything you need to know before booking your dream trip. From choosing the right destination and managing your budget to avoiding common mistakes couples make, this episode is packed with honest, practical advice.

We also dive into whether the Maldives is actually worth it, how to balance relaxation vs adventure, and why using a travel expert could save you time, money, and stress.

If you’re getting married or planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip, this episode will help you do it right.

Hit play now 🎧

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of Totally Absolutely Engaged.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Hello, and today we welcome Alex Collins from Travel Counsellors. And they are a travel agency established in 1994, pioneering home-based travel selling with over 2,000 independent travel agents.

SPEAKER_03 0:22

Which I'm guessing you're one of them.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

In 2024, they actually hit their biggest milestone yet by achieving a£1 billion in sales during the previous 12 months. I know, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

And they basically offer bespoke itineraries, offering expert knowledge, designing the journey, reflecting their couples. Yep. So let's get into it then, really. What's your experience and what sort of drew you to honeymoons, especially?

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Um, I love travel. Uh I mean who doesn't? It's it's one of those, and it was one of those things. It's like I've wanted to do this for years. Um I've always loved planning my own holidays, and it's like I'd plan them even if I wasn't going on them. So I thought, well, why not do it and get paid? Um and then again, it's like honeymoons are the best form of travel. It's that one time where you you can really kind of blow the budget out of the water, it's it's so special, and everyone's in such a good mood, and you get to look at such incredible destinations, and it's so much fun, and everyone's just so lovely. It's just a nice warm bubble. Um, so yeah, it's just a lovely.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

So is booking a honeymoon different to booking a holiday?

SPEAKER_02 1:28

I mean, not really. Um it's just um people are more likely to spend a little bit more than they they would normally, but not always. Um, but again, it's I I like being part of that special journey that they're on, that they're getting married, they're starting this life together, and it's or some of my brides and grooms have got kids already, but it's all part of that, and you go through, and it's I just love being part of that. But the same you get the same service whether you are booking your regular holiday or whether you're booking a honeymoon.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

It's yeah, do you find that there's more pressure on it though?

SPEAKER_02 2:08

No, because not not for me, because no matter what you reason you're booking for, I just want you to have a great time. I want you to be going on your best holiday. Um, so whether that's your honeymoon or that's your holiday, when it's a honeymoon, I'll try and throw in a few little extras and things like that just to level it up a little bit, but you will always just get the same the same service because it's just what I do.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

So, do you find there's a divide in people wanting relaxing holidays and then people wanting adventures on their honeymoon? Is it is it the time that they think, oh actually, yeah, let's be adventurous. Okay, crazy.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Yeah, it's it's it's the time that they get to tick off that bucket list. Yeah, it's it's kind of like there's a they've always like, oh well, there's always so much else to do in life. It's like, oh well, there's these bills to pay or there's this day. But when you're getting married, it's kind of like the gloves come off, and it's kind of like, no, I can justify it. I can justify that rail trip through Japan, or I can justify that safari. It's um, and especially for like my younger brides and grooms who've not had children yet, it's like they want to do this stuff and get it ticked off before they then go down the traditional kind of 2.4 kits and everything else.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

It's yeah, not traveling as much with kids, I think. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

So they do want to do something that they've always wanted to do.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Yeah, so what's the process then? So they would find you.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

Yeah, um, I I go to wedding fairs or just through my social media and things like that. So there's lots of different ways that that people can come across me. Um, I then have a chat with them. So it's kind of like for me, I want to know more about them. It's like, yes, they can come to me and go, I want to go to Thailand for two weeks. Can you book it? Yeah, of course I can. But for me, I want to know more about them and what they want out of their honeymoon. What is the vibe they're trying to get? I mean, a lot of times I will get someone who come to me and say, I want to go to the Maldives, which they do because it's traditional. It's what you see on Instagram, it's those overwater villas. But it's like, well, okay, why do you want to go to the Maldives? Do you want to go because, yes, I've always wanted to go? Or is it because I want that style of hotel? I want the white sands, I want that luxury. Well, we can go somewhere else as well, then it doesn't have to be there. So it's getting to understand what it is, how they like to travel, why they like to travel, what they like to do. Are they city people? Are they beach people? Are they both? Do they want to so do they want to just sit around and do nothing? Do they need somewhere to walk to at night? Uh is an all-inclusive their idea of hell. It's so it's like getting to understand all that so that when I go back to them with some options, I'm not giving them something that they're automatically going to go, no, that's not me. Um, and again, finding out kind of like more like some weird ideal little asyncesies that people have as well. Um, I do know someone who will not stay somewhere if they've got a rectangular pool. Right. Because she thinks it's really weird people just sitting opposite each other looking. That is the oddest thing I think about it. Absolutely insane, but that's she won't do it. Like it's got a nice free-form structure, she's absolutely fine. But no rectangle, but no, no, no, just playing rectangle, she hates it. Yeah, she hates it. And obviously, we have people that don't like to fly on specific airlines and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

So, do you try and give them sort of three, four different it depends um on what they want and where they're going.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

If they come to me and they've got an actual destination, um I'm working one on one at the moment for people who they want to go to Italy.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

Um, they want to go to Tuscany. So I'll there's only so many variations I can do on that, really, to start with for kind of the building blocks. So there I'll maybe do three or four. Um, or it could be actually they you've got more of a vibe. So it's kind of like we want luxury, we want beach, we want to go somewhere we've not been before, we want to do twin centre, and it's like, well, okay, in which case you might get six or seven ideas. It might be like throw in Thailand, throw in Africa, throw in the Caribbean. So, because they just don't know. But if I know what kind of hotel styles they like, and I know how far they're willing to travel, what sort of transfer times they're willing to do, then everything I give them is something that could work.

SPEAKER_03 6:12

Right.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

And in some cases, it can be better to just rule stuff out. It's like, well, yeah, no, I've looked at that, and yeah, no, that's definitely not gonna be for us. It's whereas before they thought it could it could have actually been top of their list.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Um people tend to change their minds a lot after chatting with you.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Um in the first instance, they'll become up unless they've got somewhere it's like like you you might get a Disney bride, in which case she's going to Disney. Yeah, and you're never gonna change her mind. Um, but yeah, it can be kind of like, well, yeah, it's like we're thinking, we're thinking we want to go on a safari. Right, fine, okay. So they're thinking they're gonna go to the Masai Mara or the Serengeti or something like that. But when you've spoken to them and it's actually what they want to do, unless they want to go and see the big five, it might be, well, actually, it's like my favourite and I thought actually the elephant, isn't it? In which case, have you thought about Thailand as well? Because we could send you to Elephant Hills and you could do that experience, or it could be like, no, we just want to go and stay in nature. Well, it's like, well, have you ever thought about Sri Lanka? Because it's like you've got um areas there where you go and stay with the Jaguars and things like that. So it's just more of that. I I I I am planned for like the next year where I want to go. Um, so it's just giving them a few more options that fit in with what they think they want, so that they so that they can re reaffirm with themselves, yes, no, that is definitely what I want to do. Yeah. Um, and again, sometimes their budget won't always go for the dream.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Um because travel is expensive, especially at the moment. So it's a case of kind of like, well, okay, how can I get them as close to that dream as possible within that, within that budget?

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Is there a minimum budget you'd say to have? No, because it depends on what you want.

SPEAKER_02 7:59

Yeah. Um it's like if you're going at the Maldives and you want five star, don't come and talk to me if you've not got 20 grand. It's it's oh god, yeah. It's not happening. Yeah. You want an overwater villa for a wedding. If you want if you want an overwater villa um in a five-star resort, all inclusive, seaplanes, all the rest of it, it you're not, you don't come to me and say I've got five grand. Because it's I I can't do it. No, no. Um it's just can't perform miracles.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

It's not a miracle working. Yeah, okay. Yeah. But it's kind of like if you've got some flexibility to it, and it's like, well, okay, it's like you've got seven grand and you want that bit of the Maldives, it's like, well, okay, how how do we make that work? It's like, well, okay, for maybe a week of it, you'll stay in a garden villa. We'll do two resorts, we'll do a slightly lower end one, and then we'll do the five-star. And it might only be two nights that you get in that mega, mega luxury suite, but you've still got it, you still get the pictures, you still get the Instagram, and there so there are ways of making it work, and it's it's understanding that with them and making sure their expectations match their budget, but also that they're getting what they want.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Right. Because I was gonna ask, like, what mistake would couples make? But it sounds like it's just being educated and just going out and doing the work the work, right?

SPEAKER_02 9:19

Yeah, it's um time of year um can be a big one. It's like um you don't want a book to go to South um, someone's looking at a South Africa safari, but they were gonna go over the summer. Well, it's raining in Cape Town, yeah. It's it's been like going to Manchester. It's like it's not what you want for your elephant, not what you want for your unimagine. So it's kind of again, it's finding it's that little bit of thought and because like when you think of South Africa, you just think sunny, yeah, but it's not when it's in the middle of winter. Yeah. Um, and the same if like you don't want to be going, like if you go to Thailand in the wet season, you think well, it's just gonna be a write-off, but it's not if you go to the right places at the right time at the right islands. So it's just helping them navigate that without them having to do all that research.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Yeah. What do people's itineraries typically look like, or is it just completely varied?

SPEAKER_02 10:09

It's completely varied. Like I say, I'm doing one at the moment. I'm planning where they're going on a trip through Tuscany and they're staying in beautiful vineyards, and they look like Tuscan castles, and it's just absolutely gorgeous. Um I've had one that's gone through Japan. Um, so they went to Tokyo and they went on the bullet train and they went to um Disneyland, Tokyo, and Universal Studios, Japan, and things like that, and then they went on to Australia.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

Um you booked all of that.

SPEAKER_02 10:39

Yeah, yeah, we can do absolutely everything. So all your experience, I can do I can do as much or as little as you want. I can do your flights and accommodation and leave you to it, or I will do your flights, your accommodation, all your transfers, I can put your excursions on, get you from place to place, do a full tour for you. Um, or it could be that yeah, you you just want to get somewhere and it's like me alone, I'll be I'll be fine here.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

So why would people choose to go through you then rather than doing all this themselves?

SPEAKER_02 11:10

Yeah, well, you you absolutely can, but obviously there's time. You're planning, you're planning a wedding, you've got an awful lot on your plate at the moment when you're planning your wedding. So I can take that off you. I can't make anything else less stressful, but especially kind of like there is pressure on you to get it right. Um you you want it to be magical, you want it to be special, and you don't want a bride sat there thinking, oh my god, I've bought my honeymoon. What if this hotel's crap? What if this is this isn't right? What if this isn't the place I want to be? Um, so it's it's like I do that, I do the research, I make sure that the hotel's on the right side of the island so they get the sunset, I make sure that the rooms are facing in the right direction, I make sure that the um transfers are all work, that the time that you allow, yes, it the flights might let you book and you've got an hour and a half, but if you're in Skippel Airport in Amsterdam, you ain't making that flight. It's it's like you need to make sure that you're leaving enough time. So it's all those little things that you don't want to have to put the pressure on yourself to do while you're planning everything else. Um, so I take all that research, make sure that you're getting your best options and the best options for your budget, but also then I'm with them the step every step of the way. So if there's a flight delayed, if they were doing a multi-centre trip through Vietnam or Thailand or somewhere and you've got a transfer and one plane's late and you had to get on another one, I make sure that that's all sorted before you've even landed, or your car's been pushed back so it comes when you're gonna land, you're not then scrabbling around going, Oh, well, where's my transfer gonna go?

SPEAKER_01 12:46

So you're actually helping them during the trip as well. It's not like send them off and that's it, they're done.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

Nope. With them right the way through. So it's like I know where they are, I know that they're they're safe, I know that like if a flight's cancelled, I make sure they've got a hotel for that night. They've not got to run around and try and find a hotel or somewhere to stay, or it's not on them. I'll I'll get them somewhere to stay, I'll get them a taxi there. It's like I'll sort all that out. They'll get on the, I'll make sure their planes are booked for the next day, I'll make sure the other hotel knows about it, and I make sure that it's just all happens. And again, if tragedy strikes like it has in the Middle East and things like that, you're then not just one of many trying to get in, either find a rep or it's it's it's all on you, you've no idea what's going on. I'm there. It's like I'm making the phone calls, I'm making sure that you're on the next flight, that the hotel where you are is in a safe place, that you feel safe, that you feel reassured, that it's that everything, yeah, it's not gone to plan, but I will get you home. You're not sat there wondering, oh, I don't know when I'm going to fight. Yeah, it's like, no, it's fine, we'll sort it. Um it wasn't a honeymoon, it was um a big 60th birthday trip, but they've gone out today. Um and they were originally supposed to be flying through the Middle East, which obviously they've not been able to do. But I've sorted all that out for them. I have got them new flights, I've got them new transfers, I've done everything, so they've not had to do anything, and they're about to go off on their trip. And other than adding in an extra flight at the beginning, again, which is covered under the um atoll protection that we that travel and avatar that travel counsellors do because it's a package with us that it does not cost them anymore. And they still get to go on this incredible holiday that she'd had planned for 12 months. So that's the same with all the honeymoons and things like that. It's like I make sure that it either happens or an alternative happens.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Got you. So would it work out more costly to go through yourself rather than booking it on your own, or actually because you know all the tips and tricks? Can you actually make it work out cheaper?

SPEAKER_02 14:58

Uh not cheaper, yeah. Um, but um I mean I'll never beat things like booking.com. Um, but again, booking.com can and Airbnb they can cancel on you the day before. You don't know what you're gonna turn up to get, and all the you've got to have done all the research. So I will save you time. Time is money. Um in that respect. Um, but I'm not thousands of pounds more expensive than if you do it yourself. Um I can sometimes get better deals. Um obviously I can book stuff, and if you booked a package for next year, you can pay it off in instalments um with us the way that you could with like EasyJet or someone like that. And I also use the major tour operators as well, like EasyJet, Jet2, Tui, Coroni, things like that. So when I book through them as well, I'm price matching the price that you would get. So it's I am pretty much your customer.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

I mean, when you asked the question, I thought that's just me, I'm the person that would book. Yeah. Because I I get dreadfully stressed over holidays. I don't know why. A lot of people do in business, it's fine, I can sort things out logistically, everything else. As soon as it's a holiday, mine just goes, Oh what? And yeah, because you don't go on enough. No, not anymore. I have a couple of kids. Uh but no, I think that that's basically where your business would come from. Yeah, yeah, just people that just don't want to face that or learn actually. Yeah, it sounds bad, but I just don't want to have to think about it all.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

And it's not, and and sometimes it's people like they they've always booked their own holidays, they've always wanted to book their own holidays, they actually like that bit, but especially for this one, they've got so much else going on and so much other pressure, it's just a bit too far for them. So it's easier to pass the responsibility. It's easier to pass that on um that one time, and it's like, and again, it's like it's that time, that research time of knowing what to look for and how to get for so if you're doing a tour tour of Vietnam, which way do I go? And where do I stop? And what's the distance between that? And when how do I get on a boat and how do I book a ferry to get from this island to that island and all those little things.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

That is what I'd be like. I'd be like, well, how do I do this? How do I do that?

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Yeah, but I've also deal with a lot of brides and grooms who have got kids now. It's people getting married later on, or it's second marriages and things like that. And some of them have got to take the kids with them, some of them want to take the kids with them, but everyone everybody's it's just the rug, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

I don't judge a lot. I was gonna say I am.

SPEAKER_02 17:49

But again, it's okay. So if you've got two kids, well, how do you make that work? How do you make it so that they feel like they're getting the honeymoon that they want, but that the kids are happy? Yeah and where where do we go? So it's fine, it's knowing those hotels and finding those hotels and partners and things like that where actually they have got a great babysitting service so they can go out one night and have a meal without them. They have got a great kids' club or sports activities or this, that and the other. So actually, you don't see your kids for for two weeks. I mean, one of my favourite ones to promote to people with kids is cruise. Right. Um especially someone like Royal Caribbean, because the kids club are generally from four, but they will sometimes take them at three if they're potty trained. Um, but like the kids' club can run till one o'clock in the morning. Um, so kids are having a blast. Yeah, it's done in segments, but they can but they're having a great time. They go have a sleep, they can go and have their tea. So there is, yeah, you won't want to put them in there all day, every day. Well, but you get that flexibility. So one night you can go and see the West End show. One night you can go to the um specialty dining. It's like you can go and have an hour by the pool with your book without someone behind you going, Mum, can I have an ice cream? Mum, can I go swimming? Mum, can I do this? There's so much for them to do, and you get to see places so you can get on and off as much as you want when you're in port. It's so for me, I think cruise is a as something like that, and it's luxury, food's incredible. So it for me, I think that works really works really, really well for for like a family that's looking for that's got to take the kids with them. Um because then you get to go and see.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

And is there a pattern? Like uh do they do people go on honeymoon a week after their wedding, two weeks, or is it just as and when nowadays?

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Um to be honest, it's not very often that people go straight afterwards. There's usually at least kind of like a month to three months, usually. Um there are some that still will go straight afterwards, um and some people will go 12 months afterwards. Um but yeah, there's generally kind of uh mini moons are a thing, so it's like you will go and have like a night, yeah, um, a couple of nights or something, or maybe even a week somewhere, and then you'll do your big trip the year after. Um, and things like that. But again, usually that can come down to budget as well. It's kind of like because they've just been paying for a wedding, they've got to save it.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

So do they come to you before they're even married? Or yes, yeah, yeah. And they just pay in.

SPEAKER_02 20:28

Yeah, well, because I tend to generally meet them through wedding fairs or through contacts through wedding fairs, um, that tends to be where they are. So yeah, so it's before that they're married, but because they speak to me that early, I also do kind of like a wedding gift list so they get a link where they can send it out to their custom to their customers, to their guests at their wedding. Right, okay. Um, so rather than because everybody gives money, it's like no one's asking for a dinner service these days. No, so they get them to give um money and it goes into an account and it pays off the honeymoon. Um and it's all there, it's ring fenced. So that means they're not getting all this cash in or checks in or all sorts of other stuff, and it's somewhere safe and it's kept for their honeymoon rather than oh well I'll dip into it for this or I'll dip into it for that. It's kept there and it's safe and it it pays it all off and yeah, it's all protected.

SPEAKER_01 21:22

Makes sense. Perfect. What is your biggest piece of advice then to your couples?

SPEAKER_02 21:26

Um be flexible and use a professional and be open minded, I guess. Yeah, be open minded. It's kind of like it's like it's like don't be, I want to go to here on this day in this hotel, not like this. It's kind of like, well, yeah, but okay. It's like, are you sure? It's kind of like and are you sure that's the right hotel at the right time? It's it's like you've got to that needs to be somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Yeah, I mean the company seem pretty set on um making it a bespoke holiday, not just saying yes to everything as well. Yes. Yeah. That's the way we all do. Try and advise them. Yeah. You do all work like that.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

Yeah, we all all travel counsellors work work like I do. It's um it's very much about delivering what the customer wants and needs rather than not an easy sale. It's not a okay, um just want to go to Tenere for a week. It's like okay, but still, what do you like to do when you're in Tenere? Is it vitally important that you're on the beach? Um, it's kind of like, are you on the right side of the island? Are you facing the right way? What's your transfer time when you get there? Though it's like, will you do early morning or late, late nights? It's and it's not just an off-the-shelf. It's like, yes, I'll check those first because they do tend to be the cheapest. But um, my mum and dad are a key example for this. Um, they hate really early morning and really late night flights, which over the summer with a package holiday tend to be what you get. Um, and those are the cheaper ones, so it's like I'll might look at what a package holiday is, but then I'll put it with different flights and the same hotel and things like that because that suits them better. So that very much rolls into what we do for honeymoons. Yes, of course, you can get uh a beautiful five-star hotel with Jet 2 or Easy Jet. They do some stunning properties, but it might be that they've got a long transfer, it might be that you're not arriving till nine o'clock at night and then you're leaving at seven o'clock in the morning because you're going for the cheap flights and that way you're missing out on two days of your honeymoon and things like that. So it's those sort of things that I add to, even if they're doing it with with a with a package company.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Makes sense. And what is your biggest ick then?

SPEAKER_02 23:43

You hate it when people do it. Just don't come back to you. It's it it's I I don't mind if people don't want a book with me. It's it's like, yeah, it might not be the right thing. Someone else might have given them a different cost, someone else might have given them a better idea. It's absolutely fine. It's like as long as I know that I've given you my best options and I've done my best work, it's like, okay. If that's not for you, no problem. Just please send me a message and say, no, thanks. Yeah. It's it's and then I can I'll stop chasing you and I'll leave you alone. I'm not gonna do a hard sell on you. It's like, oh, well, why have you not booked with me? Where have you gone? All this, that and the other.

SPEAKER_01 24:20

It's like, yeah, it's fine.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

But you've done a lot of work though, really, haven't you?

SPEAKER_02 24:23

Yeah, yeah, I have done a lot of work, and I don't get I don't get paid for doing that work. No. It's so it's like I'm I'm investing in the fact that you'll want to go on one of these holidays, which okay, fine. If you don't, you don't. But at least have the courtesy to tell me thanks for the work, but we've actually decided to go down a different route. All I'll do is send an email back going, have a fabulous time. Yeah, you know where I am if you need me. Yeah, it's it's it's fine. So, yeah, that is my absolute pet peeve being ghosted.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

I agree with that one. Yeah, right. We'll head into customer dilemmas then. So we have people write in off Instagram and TikTok. So we'll start with Sheila. She says, What are the most overrated and underrated honeymoon destinations?

SPEAKER_02 25:10

Ooh. Now I always, and I could be completely wrong, and it is down to personal preference when it comes to holidays, because what's one right for one person is not right for the other. But I personally think the Maldives is overrated. I knew you were gonna say that.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

I've said that before you came in. Yeah, only because it's I was bored. Yeah, genuinely, I was bored on day event for two weeks. I reckon I was bored by day nine. It ended up being a chore. Yeah, not quite a chore, but it was. I found it.

SPEAKER_02 25:46

Again, it's doing nothing. Yeah, um, and it's so expensive for what it is, and yes, it's beautiful. Yes, you get stunning luxury, but have an open mind to let me show you other places that where you the experiences you can get, the things you can see, the things you can do, um, in some places, um Thailand, Sri Lanka. Um I did write down a list of some uh like South Africa, like Zanzibar, um these places where you can go and you get in these incredible beaches, beautiful hotels, stunning service. You're treated like the king and queen that you are because you've just got married, um, and you've not necessarily spent 20 grand doing it. Yeah, that's mad to be fair.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

So it's like the Yeah, it wasn't that much when I went. Yeah, yeah. I mean I went a long time ago.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

Yeah, but again, it's it's kind of like it's it absolutely has its place. Of course it does. And if you want to go, I will happily book you and send you there. No problem. No problem whatsoever. And I will even try and get it at a lower budget. If you come and tell me you've got 10 grand, it's like, right, fine, I will make find a way to make it work. You might have to be flexible on dates, you might have to be flexible on flights, and you might have to be flexible on room type. But I might still get you there. Yeah. So it's like it's not that I'll bring a sleeper. I can't do it. Yeah. Um, but yeah, so but again, I think it's there are a lot of places where even kind of like five, ten years ago, travel would have been backpackers. Whereas now it's a lot easier to get around the hotels or of a higher standard. So, yeah, so I think be open, be flexible, and you can get some absolutely stunning places.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

I love it. What's the most underrated one then?

SPEAKER_02 27:44

Uh underrated. I don't know. I think people tend to overlook Europe a little bit. I mean, it's quite pricey at the moment, but but because you think you're gonna go further afield, it's like long haul when actually if you look like the Greek islands, Italy, yeah, um, I think Europe can actually be overlooked for honeymoons because it's people all want to do it. People go, yeah. But do you do what you do on your honeymoon on a regular holiday in Europe? And that's where I think Europe can be seriously overlooked.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

Hmm, interesting, right? We'll head on to the next one. This is in from Michelle. She says, What's the craziest honeymoon request you've ever had?

SPEAKER_02 28:29

Um, like I say, I don't think it's it wasn't it wasn't a honeymoon, but it's definitely the craziest request was the square pools. Yeah, that is. It's it's absolutely insane that that someone does that. Um people don't tend to have crazy, insane requests. Um, they're all generally pretty straightforward. They don't like a specific airline, they don't want long transfers, they don't want um certain room types or certain types of hotel or things like that. It's it's more about a style and things like that. I've not had anybody yet who's come to me and said, um, oh, um, I don't want to uh don't know. I won't go anywhere that they I don't know. Have some. Yeah, yeah, or I'm trying to think what might be crazy, but I don't think I don't think you know crazy till you till you meet it.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

It would be themed hotels, wouldn't it? Things like that. Yeah. Yeah. There must be people out there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

I was watching um TikTok yesterday, um, and there's a Japanese hotel, and they had dinosaur heads on and things like that.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

It's uh yeah, people people like to people like weird things, people do, but we'll head on everybody. So the next one, this is from Barry. He says, What is the most awkward honeymoon situation you have heard of?

unknown 29:48

That's a good question.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

Um I don't really know. Um at the moment, I've not heard of anyone do anything too awkward. Um there there tends to be a lot of stories that fly around travel counsellors because we we do all share, but I've not got any uh Do you get much feedback about the honeymoon afterwards?

SPEAKER_00 30:09

Like they you have all this contact with them beforehand and probably sometimes during.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:14

Then afterwards, do they just forget?

SPEAKER_02 30:16

No, no, it's like I I I stay in touch with them because I don't just do honeymoons, I just do holidays. It's like we become customers for life, sort of thing. So because it's like they know that they'll get the same level of service when they book their next holiday. Whether whether it's a family holiday to to Greece or it's a trip to France, or they want to go to Eurocamp or whatever it is they want to do, it it all stays there. So um that was how I became a travel counsellor because I used to book with a travel counsellor um who had been recommended to me. Someone had booked a honeymoon, one of my friends had booked a honeymoon with her. And when I got married, I booked a honeymoon with her and then continued to use her. So when I looked into going into travel, I wanted to go to travel counsellors because I knew what they did. Yeah. So it's so yeah, and everyone still uses, still uses her and and what have you. So it's kind of like, yeah, it's you stay in contact with these people and yeah, they become customers for life.

SPEAKER_03 31:17

Right.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Oh, I love it. Right, we'll head on to the final one. This one wants to remain anonymous. Me and my partner have just returned from our honeymoon, but we argued the entire time. It's making me question our marriage. Is this normal or have I made a big mistake? I book your honeymoon.

SPEAKER_00 31:36

I'm not your late parents like that.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

I feel like, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Because when you were saying it before, I was thinking, well, what happens if one wants to adventure and the other one wants?

SPEAKER_02 31:46

Well, I mean, hopefully you would know before you get married that you like two different types of holiday. But again, that's what I do. It's like I make sure that it's like you go on, it's like one of you's a city person, one of you's a beach person. It's like, well, okay, how do I make that work? Where do I send you? How do I mix that in? One of you likes to lie there and not do anything, one of you wants to get out and about. Well, okay, where are you? How do I make that work? So um, maybe they maybe they just pick the wrong cunning mate. Um, but again, it's the counselling part. Yeah, they need to give themselves a break. They've just been through a very stressful wedding. It's like they've had a lot going on, it's like just let themselves sell themselves back into life, and then if not, maybe book another holiday and see whether that helps.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

Yeah, I think about maybe people do put too much pressure on a honeymoon because they want it to be like the best holiday of their lives, and then it's if you do go away and argue, you know.

SPEAKER_02 32:39

Yeah, it's like I do think social media can have a lot to answer for. It's like they think that they can it's like they think they've got to be showing these picture perfect things and doing this and doing that and doing the other. And maybe he just wants to sit there and go, I just want to lie here. I've had a very stressful time. It's so it's like you've got to have I do think you need that little break though.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

Even if you don't have a honeymoon for two weeks or whatever, I do think you need one or two days. That's why I don't think I should take your kids. Take it all in. No, yeah, you should. I don't know. No, when I when we got married, we uh we had uh like a mini moon literally for two, three days, and we needed it because you you won't look through the pictures, don't you? And you want to speak to all the guests, etc. Yeah. And then we had like we we I don't know if it's the proper name, we had a family moon. Yeah, um like six, seven months later. So it wasn't really related to it, it was just an excuse to have another holiday, yeah. Have a holiday and spend the money really that was in the envelope.

SPEAKER_02 33:32

Yeah, yeah, I did that first time I got married. We had uh we had a mini moon, we just went away for a few days and then we had a longer honeymoon. Whereas when I got married the second time, I just went abroad and didn't tell anyone and sends him a picture.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

I did it the other way around.

SPEAKER_01 33:46

I love that. Well, is there anything that you want to add?

SPEAKER_02 33:48

Uh no, I mean again, it's not just the honeymoon I do as well. I can do your handus and your stagdoos as well. So I can do so I do can do groups so you can kind of get everything together for you. So where you go in, get group rates and things like that, so I can do those. And I do destination weddings as well. Um and all the little idiosyncrasies that come with that. It's kind of like, will it be legal? Yeah. Um a few places, is it? Yeah, no, but it is. Um I did it in the US, so it was legal there. So yeah, no, so it's uh yeah, so it's that. But I mean, don't put too much pressure on yourself to make it perfect, but do something that you want to do. It it is the time you've got to kind of like tick those things off that bucket list. Yeah. But be realistic and above all, don't use a professional. It's the one time you really don't want to be spending time like on the phone trying to figure out it's like, well, my transfer's gone wrong, it's like, where's my car? My transfer's not turning up, I'm not gonna get there in time. It's like that hotel's gonna need to be cancelled. You don't want to be doing that. It's like have somebody who is on it for you. Yeah. Um, ideally me. But we like I said, that you like you said, the there are 2,000 of us out there, travel councillors, and they all work in the same way as I do. Um some will work, it's not well everyone will have their own style of doing it, but in that they will deliver that personal service um and make sure that you are having the best time of your life.

SPEAKER_01 35:20

Amazing. How can people find you then?

SPEAKER_02 35:22

Uh I am on Instagram at Alex JaneBooksTravel. Uh that's Jane without a why, um, or Facebook at uh which is AlexCollins Travel Counsellor, and TikTok is at AlexJaneBooks Travel.

SPEAKER_01 35:36

Amazing. Well, thank you so much for coming. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 35:38

It's been lovely to chat to you. I love I love talking about talking all things holidays, so it's been great for me.

SPEAKER_01 35:44

And we will see you all next week.