CEO Sketches: 7 Reasons Why Second Honeymoons Are Better
A few years ago, my wife and I celebrated 15 years of marriage with a trip to Morocco, Barcelona, and Paris. For this epic trip, we had to convince my mother to fly into town and watch our 3 kids while we traipsed around the planet. Although it’s hard to get away for big trips when you’re leaving kids behind, it’s worth the effort to plan a second honeymoon and it’s even more enjoyable than the first.
One of the most obvious reasons for this was that after we were married, we had 6 figures of student loan debt and were saving up for our first house, so we couldn’t afford a grandiose vacation. We managed to scrape together just enough to get to Belize on a cheap flight, and stayed in a modest hotel by the shore while a tropical storm shut down the island for days. Mostly, we remember being exhausted and sleeping. Planning a wedding and hosting 200 friends is draining, and by the time it was over we just wanted to curl up in a ball. I still have video footage of my wife and I taking turns in a hammock, sacked out and sleepy-eyed, on a second floor balcony of our hotel, debating whether to get up for another basket of fried fish.
Our second honeymoon was, by all accounts, a much more action-packed experience. We took a cooking class in Morocco, hung out with the locals in Barcelona (who at one point, let me play a guitar one of them had brought to the bar), and walked down the steps of Sacré-Cœur. Where our first trip involved a few days on the beach and in the jungle, we came back from Europe feeling somehow both relaxed and smarter about the world we live in. We studied art, tried new foods, saw famous buildings and most importantly, met the people in those places and learned about their cultures.
So here is my take on the top reasons why second honeymoons rule…
Top 7 Reasons Second Honeymoons Beat the First
- You and your spouse know each other’s habits and likes so much better, it’s easy to plan how to spend your time
- You (probably) have more money to spend on nicer things
- You can use your years of accumulated points in loyalty programs for free airline tickets and upgraded hotel stays
- You are not exhausted from having just wrapped up your wedding day
- There are not any post-wedding thank-you notes that you have to write
- You can talk to the newlyweds you meet and impress them with the number of years you’ve been married
- You are a smarter, wiser traveler from knowing how to pack, when to leave for the airport, and what kind of luggage to bring!
My kids are not quite out of the nest yet, but I already know that in future years, my wife and I will travel a lot more. It might be cliche to say that travel is the best reward you can give yourself, but it’s still true!
Have you taken any second honeymoons or especially amazing anniversary trips? If so, we’d love to see your favorite pictures. You can contact us directly with your stories, or follow and share with us on TikTok or Instagram.
I second that emotion 🎶,
Rich