Honeymoon Planning

Our first solo trip as a couple was to Disneyland.

For any students who believe they won't have to use research skills after college, let me be the first to dispel the myth. Even if you graduate and plan to never write a report, essay, or research paper again, you are absolutely going to experience situations where you will sort through and uncover credible information. And that's not just my librarian side talking.

Whether it's to buy a car, find a healthcare provider, manage your finances, learn a new skill, get the perfect gift, raise a new baby, schedule a vacation, or plan a wedding, you have to know how to search, compile, evaluate, and synthesize information. Luckily, as a librarian, these are skills that I have practiced with tasks I enjoy doing.

So I've done a lot of research for the wedding part. What I didn't initially realize was that planning a honeymoon would be just as much work! Fun work. Librarian work. But still, almost like planning another wedding!

While I didn't get another notebook for this task, I have been writing down (in my wedding notebook) all the information I need to keep track of a honeymoon. It's basically like planning a slightly bigger than normal vacation. We need dates, airline reservations, hotel accommodations, activities, places for dinner, transportation, and most of all, coordination.

To make the process a bit easier, and because it worked out better for us, we decided to forego a trip overseas and focus on a place within the U.S. that I'd never been to before but would make for an exciting, fun, unique (for us) experience.

We're going to Disney World!

Maybe you already guessed that, based on our Beauty and the Beast theme. But honestly, we didn't even know until about a week or two ago.

For some, Disney World is the most romantic thing ever (princesses! castles! Disney magic!). For others, it's a crowded place for kids and they wonder why not go to Europe instead? But for your honeymoon you have to pick what's right for you as a couple--financially, logically, schedule wise, and personality wise. We may travel to Europe some day, but for now I'm just happy to be able to travel to a place I've never been to before (I've only ever been to Disneyland), that represents me, that's known for being happy. While I don't yet know what Disney World is really like, I'm familiar with the vacation planning process on their website and have successfully been able to find and choose (there's that research again) dining reservations and add-on activities to make our honeymoon extra special. Think carriage rides and animal safaris. And a firework dessert tasting for two.

Plus, the best way to be able to get through the whole research and planning part of the process is to pick a place that you look forward to visiting. I can't wait to see Cinderella's castle. I want to use my telephoto camera lens on a Wild Animal Kingdom safari. I want to try the "grey stuff" at the Be Our Guest restaurant. These are experiences I've never had before that are exciting to me. So the whole reservations process becomes even more fun because of how much I'm looking forward to doing them.

Plus, just the very act of making a decision and scheduling the reservations gives an awesome peace of mind--one less thing to worry about. With the plane, hotel, dinner, etc. all in place, we just have to show up.

I'm ready for a new set of "mouse ears" and a week long librarian vacation!