Second honeymoons are completely different from your first one, for a number of reasons. Whether you have married someone you’ve known for decades or someone you’ve known only for a while, first honeymoons are always magical – filled with new experiences and adventures.
For every couple, both the honeymoon and the second honeymoon are completely different than each other. Whether they are years apart or decades, honeymoons can always feel different, and here are a few tips on how to make them diverse for you.
- Decide on the Timing
So, when do couples take a second honeymoon? Usually a couple of years after their first one, or it could be decades before you think of another trip together. It doesn’t mean that you don’t go on holiday in between, but for families, holidays usually mean taking along the children, other couples, friends and sometimes, extended families. A second honeymoon is when you’re going alone, just the two of you, without the children or anyone else.
The second honeymoon should, ideally, be planned when your children have quite grown and when you feel confident about leaving them behind. You can’t really enjoy your honeymoon together if you are constantly worried about your children. So, plan your second honeymoon only when the children are all grown up and capable of staying with someone else for a month or two.
Besides, there should be a suitable gap between your second honeymoon and the last trip you have taken together. Otherwise, there won’t be a sense of anticipation about it that you need to make it a success. There’s no use planning another “honeymoon” only the year after your first one; sure, you can go on trips together, but it has to be a good many years later to be qualified as a “second honeymoon”.
- Make it a Long One
Let’s just assume your honeymoon wasn’t a very long one. It could be because of your financial situation, or because of your careers, but most honeymoons end in less than 10 days. However, if you have had a few years’ worths of the gap in the middle, perhaps you have settled better in your professional life and managed to save a little.
So, do plan a lengthy and relaxed trip, at least two months long. You can relax in a way that you never can on a family vacation; you can sleep in late or party the whole night long since you won’t have children to look after during your vacation. If your kids are grown up and can take care of themselves, you can easily manage a long holiday from your work. If your first honeymoon had been a hurried week-long affair, make your second one a lengthy one.
- Make it Adventurous
Usually, on your honeymoon, the focus is more on romance and being intimate more than anything. On the second one, though, you can give your surroundings some attention, as well.
If your honeymoon has been all about getting to know each other intimately, use the second honeymoon to explore some new opportunities. Try some exciting adventures or sports, like bungee jumping, rafting, a wild safari, island hopping, trekking or hiking, mountain climbing, or kayaking. This will be something to look forward to, especially if your regular holidays are about relaxing around the swimming pool.
- Make it Luxurious
On the other hand, if your honeymoon had been a quick affair because of your finances, you can save up to make your second honeymoon a deluxe one. If relaxation is on your mind, you can book a five-star high-end resort where the staff will pamper you and make all your wishes come true.
Book the five-star resorts and hotels that you couldn’t afford for your real honeymoon; if this is something you’ve missed out on in your youth, your second honeymoon is the time to make them come true. Spa treatments, couples’ massages, honeymoon or Presidential suites, family villas – for your second honeymoon, you can definitely afford many perks and facilities that you couldn’t afford before.
- Go Back to the Same Place
If you have fond memories of your first honeymoon, why not return to the same place? You might have been stressed out or tired for your honeymoon, leaving immediately after the wedding; or, you might have made it a short one because you had to go back to your jobs. In any case, it will always be romantic to go back to the location of your honeymoon and reminisce about your old memories.
It’s safe to assume that the location of your honeymoon has changed a lot over the years that you were busy with your life. There would be more to explore and experience; you can choose the same hotel or a bigger one for your stay and can stay a whole month if you want to.
- Do Everything Together
If there have been many years since your marriage, chances are that you are both busy with the different aspects of your life. Children, jobs, family, bills, television series, ups and downs, illnesses and promotions, heartbreaks and celebrations – all these causes a couple to drift apart from each other, even when they try hard not to. It happens, more or less, to everyone. You get so busy with reality, there isn’t much quality time to spend with each other.
Your second honeymoon is when you can forget about everything else and be together, just like you used to before. Whether you want to try bungee jumping or you’re simply reading a book – you can do it together. When you are on a vacation, it’s not the time to worry about your kids, the bills or anything else. You can simply enjoy each other’s company and spend quality time together, just the two of you.
- Get Intimate
It happens to the best of us: after years together, it is quite common for a couple’s sex life to become a little dull and unimaginative. When you are both working hard at the office and also taking care of your family, sex is often the last thing on your mind when you fall on the bed exhausted. Besides, if you have young children, the constant interruption can also put the thought of sex in the back of your mind.
The second honeymoon is the perfect time to get acquainted with your spouse. You can be as intimate as you want to without any kind of interruption from anyone else. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what’s important is that you rekindle your romance with your partner, and have a wonderful time together.
- Switch Off your Phones
Keep your gadgets and cell phones off or silent for most of the time, and minimize your interaction with any kind of electronic devices. When you are on your second honeymoon, use the precious time you have in each other’s company. You don’t always have to be intimate or romantic, but use this time to talk. Talk about your interests and feelings, instead of always talking about practical aspects of your life together. If you are not in the mood to talk, sit together silently with a drink, take a leisurely walk or read a book each.
Whatever you do, don’t disappear into your cell phones checking up on other people’s lives. Give your social lives rest so that you can spend these days with each other only; keep updating your status or posting photos to a minimum. Call home only once a day, and keep your phones silent for the rest of the time. If there’s any kind of emergency, your family and friends will know which hotel to contact you.
Most importantly, don’t start planning your second honeymoon with a checklist; instead, go with the flow. Don’t plan your itinerary to be all “Fun, fun, fun” so that you have to squeeze the maximum number of activities and entertainments into your days. Don’t mentally plan to get physically intimate with each other at least twice a day. In short, don’t expect too much from a single vacation.
Your second honeymoon can be an escape from the hectic life that you live, but don’t use it to solve the problems between you. If you are having serious problems with yourself, you might need some professional help to make everything better. A second honeymoon can bring two loving partners back together, but even the more beautiful place in the world can’t repair the bridge between you.
Whether your first honeymoon has been a success or a bitter failure, a second honeymoon can create wonderful memories for you and your spouse, ones that you will always remember.
