January 2011, Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan — 9

With all the work that goes into planning a wedding, it can beeasy for couples to overlook their own honeymoons. But in themiddle of all those seating arrangements and reception hall nego-tiations, couples also need to plan and look forward to the rest andrelaxation that awaits, which will no doubt be a well-deservedescape once the wedding has come and gone.

Couples can take the following advice to ensure their getawaygoes off without a hitch.

• Be budget-conscious. Many couples could enjoy a honeymoonto Siberia in the dead of winter after their big day has passed. Afterall the stress of planning and paying for the wedding, couples willlikely just enjoy the time away. Take this into consideration whenplanning a honeymoon. If a dream trip isn’t in the budget after allthe wedding bills have come due, don’t fret. A less expensive get-away is still a getaway, and couples will enjoy their well-deservedbreak no matter where it is they’re putting their feet up.

• Plan an off-season honeymoon. That dream honeymoonmight be affordable after all if couples can wait till it’s not theheight of tourist season. Most weddings occur during the summermonths, when tourist season is in full swing.Couples who can putoff their honeymoon until the off-season will no doubt find theirdream honeymoon is much more affordable.

• Start early. It’s never too early to start planning the honey-moon. The earlier couples begin to research possible destinations,the better feel they will have for what they can and can’t afford.Research can be done well in advance to give couples an idea ofwhat their dream trip will cost. But don’t book any flights or makeany reservations too far in advance. The best deals are often avail-able a few months before the trip.

• Spread the news that you’re newlyweds. Hotels love hostingnewlyweds, and many will upgrade rooms for recently marriedguests. Couples should not be too brash about it, as fully bookedhotels won't be able to upgrade their guests. But let the hotel knowyou're on your honeymoon when checking in, and they might justupgrade your room and comp you a bottle of champagne as a gift.

• Think outside the box. When asked about a dream honey-moon, couples will often bring up Hawaii or even Paris. Whilethose are beautiful places to spend a honeymoon, they’re alsoexpensive. Fortunately, there are a bevy of locales, be it domesticor international, that aren’t nearly as pricey as the most popularhoneymoon destinations but still make wonderful options for ahoneymoon getaway couples won't soon forget.

Ideally, a honeymoon offersnewlyweds the chance to kickback, relax and enjoy the start oftheir lives together. But whensomething happens to foil honey-moon plans, couples could be fac-ing anything from financial hard-ships to a spoiled trip. Travelinsurance may help couples pro-tect their assets while honey-mooning.

Travel insurance can protectcouples against lost funds andother incidentals on their honey-moon. Depending on the cover-age purchased, a portion or all ofthe money paid for the trip couldbe refunded in the event of a can-cellation or emergency that callsoff the honeymoon.

Purchasing a travel insurancepolicy could be effective in annumber of situations.

* Couples are booking a hon-eymoon well in advance (such asa year or more) and want to pro-tect themselves in the event theresort, cruise line, etc., foldsbefore the trip can be taken.

* The honeymoon locale is fre-quently affected by harsh weatherconditions, such as hurricanes,earthquakes or typhoons.

* Couples want protection incase the trip has to be cancelleddue to a medical condition or afamily emergency.

* The honeymoon is veryexpensive and the couple is notcomfortable with losing depositsor money paid in such highamounts.

* The honeymoon involvescomplex plans of planes meetingwith cruise ships, or a similar sit-uation that is tightly scheduled.

* A couple is taking a cruise.Many cruise lines have a no-excuses policy and may not bewilling to offer refunds without atravel insurance policy in place.

Couples should realize thatnot all travel insurance is thesame and they may already beprotected against some travelincidentals. Many credit card

companies offer cancellationinsurance on purchases, whichmakes buying another policyunnecessary.

When shopping around fortravel insurance, the trip itself candicate the necessary coverage.Travel to an international countrymay require additional medicalinsurance for domestic policiesthat do not offer coverage over-seas. Medical insurance also mayinclude a portion for emergencyevacuation or airlift in the eventof a serious accident.Cancellation/interruption insur-ance covers the nonrefundableand additional costs to couplesshould they need to return homemid-trip or cancel the trip alto-gether.

It's a good idea for couples topurchase travel insurance from athird-party instead of through aresort, airline or vacation compa-

ny itself. That's because, shouldthe trip be cancelled because theresort goes bankrupt or experi-ences other financial hardships,there's no telling if that resort'sinsurance policy will be honored.A safer bet is for honeymoonersto contact an insurance companywith which they feel comfortableand inquire about the differenttravel insurance options.

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Travel insurance could be an added precaution couples take when theybook their honeymoons.

Travel Insurance May Be Honeymooners’ Saving Grace Honeymoon Planning How-To