A survey from Expedia has revealed top travel trends and destinations for UK honeymooners in the September to October ‘honeymoon season’. Jenny Southan reports

After polling 2,000 UK couples, Expedia has found that 97 per cent of honeymoon plans were impacted by the pandemic, with nearly two-thirds forced to cancel or postpone their post-nuptial trips over the last two years.

This is resulting in 45 per cent of newlyweds being “more likely” to take a longer honeymoon than originally planned.

The survey also found that 50 per cent of British couples are interested in ticking “bucket list” destination off their honeymoon list, with the Maldives and Caribbean being the most popular hotspots, indicating they are willing to spend more money.

According to the research, 45 per cent of couples favour all-inclusive resorts, while 40 per cent want to book “romantic” activities such as hot air balloon rides and sunset boat cruises.

Expedia says: “After the stress of rescheduling plans over the last two years, many couples are looking forward to enjoying some much-needed downtime during their honeymoons.”

Expedia’s 2022 honeymoon travel trends

  • Trip-stretching: 45% of Brits are more likely to take a longer honeymoon than they originally planned to make the most out of the missed travel opportunity during the pandemic.
  • Splash the cash: Two fifths (40%) of Brits will throw aside the budgets and spend more money on their honeymoon, with 50% more interested in spending extra money to visit a bucket list destination.
  • Trips instead of toasters: 60% are more likely to add a honeymoon fund to their wedding gift list, prompted by the pandemic to prioritise their once-in-a-lifetime trip over traditional registry items.
  • The do-over: 35% of UK honeymooners want a “do-over” because their honeymoon plans were impacted by travel restrictions over the last two years.
  • Mini moons: 60% of couples took a “mini moon” with plans to take a second honeymoon later in the year.

The Expedia survey also polled UK couples on where they would most like to go on their honeymoon this year, with almost a third (30 per cent) of respondents citing tropical islands. The Maldives attracted the most interest (20 per cent).

Most popular honeymoon destinations for 2022

  1. Maldives
  2. Caribbean
  3. Italy (Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terra, Rome, Florence, Venice)
  4. US
  5. Seychelles
  6. Hawaii
  7. Greece (Mykonos, Santorini, Athens)
  8. New Zealand
  9. Canada
  10. Australia