6 Reasons We’re Totally Behind Buddymoons
A month ago, we were saying goodbye to friends of ours who had just got married, and we asked (like guests usually always do) if they were going on a honeymoon any time soon. The groom laughed and said “not right now, planning a wedding was enough for this year, but next year we’ll probably go to Japan…. And it’ll most likely be with her [the bride’s] parents and my brother.” Fam trip!!
I’m pretty familiar with the trend of buddymooning, but my husband needed a little more clarification, so he asked his friend “why?!” And he followed up with the best explanation - “Well, Lydia’s dad is a huge skiier, and he’s never skiied Japan before, so he mentioned wanting to tag along…” So, it got me thinking about the larger reasons why buddymooning is blowing up these days; the whole idea of “bucket list” travel with your new partner and your loved ones really made sense to me.
Granted, no one has to share their newlywed vacay with anyone but bae, but if you ask us, there definitely are some solid reasons why bringing a crew with you - after I Do - can be genius.
You can cross items off your bucket list with a squad
As I mentioned above, a bucket list is usually something that a couple shares or collaborates on when they get married - but there might even be some things on there that the bride or groom brainstormed with close friends or family growing up. A honeymoon is an incredible time to cross some of those places, activities, and excursions off the list, so if you can do it with VIP people, in addition to your partner, you’re looking at some insanely-precious memories.
You can eliminate any potential for the post-wedding blues
The more the merrier right? Well, it certainly applies here, because I’m speaking from experience when I say that after the wedding, even if you’re tripping somewhere stunningly-beautiful and distracting, you’re going to feel some degree of let down. And who wants to spend his or her honeymoon moping when you can be wining, dining, indulging with your S.O.? Not saying that your partner can’t pep you up, but sometimes friends can do it better.
You can do your own things without feeling guilty about it
True, it’s your honeymoon, so yeah you’ll want to spend every waking moment with your hubby or wifey. But what if the place you’re staying at offers some extracurriculars that appeal to one of you and not the other? For instance, my husband is a huge scuba diver, but I want nothing to do with it (I’d love to try one day, but I’m also afraid of drowning, so… yeah). If he had wanted to go diving one day that we were in Mexico, I of course would have said ‘absolutely, do you,’ but I also would have felt lame sitting at the resort by myself. Having a bestie close by would have made the scenario sooo much more tolerable. Pina Coladas poolside with a PIC or two is much more preferred over solo day drinking.
You won’t have debrief fam and friends when you get back
Sure, when you return from your travels, it’s fun to catch up with your tribe, show all the pics, and tell them all about where you stayed, what you did, what you ate, who you met, etc. etc. etc. But after the first 6 times you do it, it gets old and tedious. You start to forget things, because you’re kind of over it, and you just wish that they were there to get the picture without all the explanation. Well, if you make the decision to invite some of your buddies to accompany you guys, that doesn’t have to be a thing. They’ll know what you wore, because they helped you pick out your outfits, they’ll know what you ate, because they ate with you, they’ll know how you ended up scraping your shin on the reef, because they got stuck with you when you went snorkeling and have their own scars to prove it.
You can avoid digital temptations and totally unplug
Okay, so whyyyy are we such slaves to social media? Because we crave every opportunity to be connected with our fam, our friends, and their lives. Even on a honeymoon, the first with our forever person, we still get FOMO and need to find ways to keep tabs on the ones we care about. It’s pretty sick. But places like Velas Resorts are actually circumventing this digital dependency by offering buddymoon packages to couples hosting their destination weddings at four of their properties. During their stay, the couple and their besties have to go through a digital detox and surrender all of their devices to a personal concierge in exchange for board games, books, and other diversions (including fun activities like cruises, painting parties, mixology courses, clambakes) to truly help everyone connect, bond, and enjoy their time together. LOVE THIS!
You can find an excuse to leave the bedroom at least a few times
When it’s just you two, of course you can fall into the habit of honeymooning from the comfort of your own Egyptian cotton bed sheets. You need that and you SHOULD experience that, please dooo, but having your buddies on the trip can motivate you to flip the ‘Do not disturb’ sign off once and awhile and make the most of your honeymoon. If you do just one more thing than you would have done without the influence of your friends, then it’s worth it.