Honeymoon

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the honeymoon as "a period of harmony immediately following the marriage," "a period of unusual harmony especially following the establishment of a new relationship," or as it is mostly known for in this case, "a trip or vacation taken by newly married couple."Out of all the newlyweds that marry, 96% go on a honeymoon.The honeymoon industry is a 12 billion dollar industry annually. An estimated 16% of weddings actually occur at resorts each year.As part of the honeymoon, there are many aspects to consider, including destination, budget, and packages such as cruises and tours. There are numerous resources online that can help in a decision for the perfect honeymoon; searching on the Google engine alone gives roughly 25,500,000 results.

Destination

The destination is usually the most important aspect of the honeymoon onto which a newlywed couple focuses their attention. Influenced by budget, the destination can range from anywhere as near to home to as far as one wants. Usually, newlywed couples choose a tropical climate for their honeymoon, and the cliché location is Hawai?i. An alternative that couples choose is a destination wedding, which is a wedding held neither near the bride or the groom's families, but rather at a chosen destination; the most popular destination weddings are held in Hawai'i, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.The average length of a honeymoon is roughly a week to 8 days.

Budget

The average honeymoon costs approximately $4,500, which varies according to household income, age, willingness to spend money, and many other factors.[28] Because there is a wide age-range of newly married couples, companies usually target a certain age range with a specific budget in mind. For example, couples who get married around the age of 25 - 29 earn an annual income of $85,000, are targeted in a different way than older couples, wealthier couples, and couples of different social-economic status.

Packages

Companies use packages to appeal to honeymooners and act as a deal to attract attention. Because newlyweds do not usually know much about the place that they are about to vacation to, a package, such as a cruise or a tour of the city, country, or island, has the best appeal. Because of the high demand of honeymoon packages, as seen by the 1,370,000 hits on the Google Search Engine when one inquires about "honeymoon packages," there is a large industry involved, and can expand to multiple arenas of the business, including the destination weddings mentioned above, and also celebrations such as an anniversary.On average, about 10 percent of newlyweds book cruises as their honeymoon trip; 37 percent travel to domestic locations, while 63 percent go abroad; lastly, 40 percent stay at a resort, while 27 percent stay at a large hotel, while 10 percent look into a small hotel.

Leisure activities

Other than romance, couples often choose to engage in outdoor activities to enhance their honeymoon experience. The top five activities are listed below:
Visiting a new place for sightseeing, restaurants, entertainment and nightlife- 75%
Beaches and lakes - 45%
Casinos - 20%
Cruises - 15%
Golf/sports vacations - 10