Through the Desert on a Horse (Er, Camel) With No Name
A 10-day safari on camel sounds like the coolest thing I will never get the courage to do. I have to admit: while I try to be varied and fair to many interests in what I offer up here as the best of the internetz, my ideal lodging will always be a big, comfy bed under a real roof and I can’t help but be amazed at folks who embark on epic journeys like this. Also, my hair would look really stupid in a wrap like that. But, I digress. The camels actually did have names (Papu, Lalu, and Babaloo), and this short documentary from LonelyPlanet.com is most certainly worth a watch for the stunning imagery.

The World’s Weirdest Places to Land
Who knew that the Denver airport was so heavily draped in conspiracy theories? And that there’s an airport in St. Maarten that has planes landing literally just over sunbathers’ heads? This photo gallery of airports from the Telegraph is a wealth of cool, creepy, and just plain amazing information.

The Writing on the Wall
On the heels of the rising attention to British artist Banksy, this Flickr gallery of graffiti represents a different way of viewing your surroundings when you travel. Travel photos will be the most frequent way you revisit your trip in years to come, so achieving a balance between necessary landmark shots and smaller, everyday details ensures you’re telling the best, most complete story of your honeymoon.

It’s All Greek to Me
(First, an apology for such an obvious headline. I’m ashamed of myself. But it’s been a long week here in NYC.) The photos I’ve seen of friends’ trips to Greece have me longing to plan a trip there. And a honeymoon seems like the most perfect time to tackle a destination like Greece, a country that offers both beach-side relaxation and city exploration. This article from EuropeUpClose highlights all of the basics and then some. You’ll find emergency numbers, tipping practices, public holidays, and more.

Tidbits:
• Whatever, New York Times. Way to be two weeks behind this intrepid reporter. (NYTimes.com)
• Drink up. Another Flickr gallery of awesomeness. (Flickr.com)
• Bizarre Eating Rituals. Seriously, enter at your own risk. Some of these photos made me squirm. (WildJunket.com)

Marissa’s first journey out of the country was on a school trip to England (since then her anglophilia has truly known no bounds). She dressed up as Julia Child last Halloween.

Happy Anniversary to us! June 7th is our day and we’ve spent the weekend wishing each other many more years to come.

This week my latest guest post on Destination I Do’s blog ran. You ran check out the whole post here. Happy rest of the weekend, everyone!

The Game of Risk
Start-up company Off & Away might be the “next big thing” in the travel world. A hybrid standard hotel reservation site-slash-Groupon-slash-eBay, the site offers 5-Star hotel reservations averaging less than a typical lunch for two. It makes me nervous.

Serious DIY
I know, you think you’ve been so crafty about your wedding. You’ve read every DIYBride post on table decorations and consider yourself a bit of a wedding craft connoisseur at this point. Well, I have a news flash for you, Walter Cronkite: You have been trumped. This bride on StyleMePretty made her wedding dress out of an Anthropologie shower curtain. I believe she could make Martha Stewart weep glitter.

To Europe!
I love the healthy competition that exists between the serious travel resource websites, because it means they’re constantly coming up with more ways to help travelers get out there, and get the most out of their trips. Fodor’s launched their brand-new collection of European itineraries last week, and what a fantastic launching pad for engaged couples just starting to plan. The To Europe! feature lets you click around, explore, and see what appeals to you, with great usability. Filter by the kind of experience that’s most important to you: Beaches? Museums? Nightlife? Shopping? You’ll find it all here.

G’Day?
I’ve been inspired to learn more about the land down under by friends. One is considering Australia and New Zealand for her honeymoon in January, and another has taken up residence there after traveling around the world for the past year. So, I’ve deduced, this place has to be good, and this intro to Sydney from LonelyPlanet is explaining both of these friends’ choices pretty spectacularly!

Tidbits:
• This can’t be real: Malaysian Tea Plantations. (AsWeTravel.com)
• The End: The New York Times Frugal Traveler Matt Gross hands in his badge. (NewYorkTimes.com)
• Rick Steves: Favorites in Europe. It’s a slideshow. You know how I love slideshows. (Bing.com)

Marissa’s first journey out of the country was on a school trip to England (since then her anglophilia has truly known no bounds). She dressed up as Julia Child last Halloween.

We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with A Girl’s Gotta Go, LLC, a full service travel agency that specializes in cutting edge tools like a Honeymoon/Destination Wedding Registry. Their new gift registry site allows wedding guests to buy a special piece of the couples’ special getaway; like flights, room upgrades, spa treatments, golf, water activities, and many more. You can read the press release (pdf) here.

We’ll be featuring some great deals – and some great couples – in the coming months thanks to our friends at A Girl’s Gotta Go.

A quickie for this weekend… because we’re gearing up for the Lost series finale tonight. Six seasons we’ve devoted to you, Lost. Don’t let us down tonight. My, how we’ll miss Sawyer’s nicknames, confusing cliffhangers and “See yah in anotha life, brotha!”

In real-honeymoons-related news, we’re gearing up for our summer stories and are on the lookout for new couples to share their real-life travel experiences. Would you – or some other great couple you know – like to share your own honeymoon with us? If you’ve traveled within the last three years and had a fabulous time, we’d love to hear from you. We’ll be featuring the best trips all summer long. Couples can use this form to tell us all about where you went, what you ate, the places you slept and the things you saw.

The most memorable and romantic moment of Katie and Robert’s St. Lucia honeymoon was the boat trip they took around the island. Ti Kaye Village Resort, where they stayed, arranged the outing for them.

There were a few other couples on board with them, which Katie says, “made the trip a lot of fun.” The crew served up wine, cheese and some appetizers as they sailed past the Pitons, St. Lucia’s famous peaks.

After watching the beautiful sunset, Captain Glen let Robert take the wheel and steer the boat for a while. Looks like everyone had a blast.

A huge thank you to Katie and Robert for sharing their beautiful trip with us. And a very happy congrats to these two, who are celebrating their anniversary this month.

Groupon, Get On Up
When people ask me to explain Groupon, I say simply: “I bought two, and never used them.” I can’t be the only total procrastinator out there, so they’re making some money on us. The opposite is this guy who is living off of them for the next year. I am astounded. I also can’t say I quite understand how it works, but if I get a Groupon for a mani/pedi out of helping this guy out with a MetroCard: I’m in.

It’s not the Caribbean.
It’s better. A guide to Long Island, based on the discography of the venerable Billy Joel. Ah, now I finally know what the “Miracle Mile” is. And I thought I’d die trying.

F-R-E-E
You can’t beat free, so these seven free eBooks from TripBase.com are mighty enticing. Honeymooners will find exactly what they’re looking for whether they’re beach rats or foodies, and get to give back at the same time: For every download, $1 is donated to charity: water.

America’s Favorite Pastime
Okay, so maybe not everyone’s idea of a great trip involves baseball, but understand you’re talking to a girl whose husband once booked her a trip to Cooperstown, NY for Valentine’s Day. Travel & Leisure provides a list of great hotels and itineraries for baseball-themed vacations, and while it might not be honeymoon material, this could inspire some great summer trips. (A lot of these sleepy towns and big cities have much more to offer in the way of charm than you’d think!)

Whiskey Smash
How cool is this resurrected ad campaign from Canadian Club whiskey? Granted you’d have to really love whiskey to partake (or just really want to get famous), but you can’t deny that it’s kind of a genius marketing plan. Hidden cases in Scotland? So intriguing and mysterious! But, of whiskey. (Less mysterious.) Maybe they could also have hidden a couple of gold coins in there to up the ante?

Tidbits
• Keeping a travel journal.
• Stolen Body Parts. Seriously.
• Europe’s 66 Most Unusual Places to Stay.

Marissa’s first journey out of the country was on a school trip to England (since then her anglophilia has truly known no bounds). She dressed up as Julia Child last Halloween.

Vendors lined the streets selling their food, and everyone sat around to enjoy the big fish fry. The air was filled with music and great smells. Katie said it was load of fun to chat with the local residents and see how they spend their Friday nights. It was a pretty authentic experience and not too touristy.

One van headed back early for those so full of dinner they were ready for bed. The second stayed around longer to wait for guests who wanted to party the night away.

Katie and Robert were quite happy to spend most of their St. Lucia honeymoon lounging and relaxing at Ti Kaye Resort. But they did get out to see some of the Caribbean island’s natural beauty with a Sea and Land tour.

They got to check out views of the island from the water, as well as visit Diamond Botanical Garden in Soufrière and check out the volcanos just like another honeymooning couple Chris & Kim did on their trip to St. Lucia.

They took a dip in the natural hot springs and then grabbed lunch at a local restaurant. Katie’s said the native flowers “were really pretty.” The one above is a lobster claw.

Katie and Robert loved Ti Kaye Village Resort in St. Lucia, where they stayed on their May honeymoon. Katie found the resort through her online research and loved the remote location of the accommodations.

She says it was “kind of a hike to get there” though not literally on foot. The resort’s van picked them up at the airport and they traveled along some very bumpy, rustic roads to arrive at the destination. But Katie and Robert where thrilled with their choice and were welcomed with complimentary cocktails upon arrival.

Katie describes the resort as “pretty small” which means they avoided hustle and bustle and go to focus on relaxation. The highlight of the whole stay was their room. The private porch had spectacular views and a private pool. She says, “It was great to hang out on our own hammock and have privacy in our very own pool.”

There was even a private outdoor shower. Another highlight was the couple’s massage they had on the balcony one afternoon.

The bed was strewn with flowers when they first arrived… a small touch that the honeymooners loved.
The resort has a larger shared pool which Katie and Robert also used. Access down to the beach was just steps away as well. She says, “Every day we had to decide do we wanna go to the pool or the beach today”

For meals, they ate most dinners at the resort’s waterfront restaurant (above) which features seafood and other fresh selections and a “sundress casual” dress code. There is an option for a meal package, though Katie and Robert opted to keep things simple. Most mornings they ordered in a room-service fruit plate for breakfast, grabbed a sandwich at the pool or lunch or had some snacks they’d brought from home, and then splurged on an a la carte dinner.

Katie says the resort was so “amazing” that they’d love to go back someday. And their first stop would be to grab a tropical cocktail under the paper lanterns at Ti Kaye’s on-site bar.