When the excitement of the wedding is over, couples have the honeymoon to look forward to—some special time carved out for just the two of you to relax, connect, and re-charge. Heaven, right?

If you’re one of the many couples planning your honeymoon during these challenging times, you might be feeling a bit confused or deflated. But don’t lose heart—there are still plenty of ways you can plan an unforgettable honeymoon with your soulmate.

Our own, Jennifer Stein, Editor in Chief here at Destination I Do Magazine spoke to Blue Nile, the world’s leading online retailer of diamond engagement rings, to share her best advice for planning a romantic and memorable honeymoon, even during the pandemic. We’re sharing her helpful tips here too:

Do Your Homework

With any trip, regardless of what is happening in the world, it’s best to be informed on where you’re going. If you plan to take an international trip for your honeymoon, you should research the destination ahead of time to be clear on their customs, brush up on some basic language if it’s not your native tongue and make sure there aren’t any travel restrictions for when you’re traveling. This is important now more than ever.  Even domestic destinations here in the U.S. may have different rules due to Covid and you’ll want to be aware of those before you travel.

It’s also worth asking questions like: Will the resort you’re going to have all their amenities available to you? Will the spa be open? What about the restaurants? Do you need to make reservations ahead of time for things you normally wouldn’t like a spot by the pool? Make sure you’ve done a bit of due diligence when you book and then again right before you travel to make sure your honeymoon trip is what you’ve envisioned.

Also, while you plan, make sure you look into solid travel insurance that covers things like Covid, hurricanes, illness, etc. in case your travel plans get derailed for some unforeseen reason.

Keep an Open Mind

Couples should factor in what they really want to do on their honeymoon and work from there. If you envisioned laying by a beach in a beautiful tropical location, you shouldn’t have too much trouble making that kind of vacation happen.

If you had fantasized about a place in the Caribbean that might now be out of reach due to the resort being shut down or the island closed, there are SO many other options. Mexico is open for business and better than ever. And the U.S. has some of the best beaches in the world!

If you were considering a city-break kind of honeymoon, where you hoped to walk to shops, restaurants, bars, and art exhibits, you may need to rethink your plans for now due to so many places being closed to the public in the U.S. and around the world.

Perhaps a compromise is in order. You could plan a long weekend on a tropical beach for now and on your one-year anniversary, go for the extended trip to Paris or New York where you can enjoy that romantic city honeymoon.

Relax, Let Go and Enjoy

The goal is to enjoy one another and celebrate the vows you just made—keep your focus on that. But also make sure you work towards doing some memorable things together outdoors that are low risk like a beautiful hike, or learning to surf together.

Find one or two things you’d like to do together before you get there so that you don’t leave everything up in the air. Make sure you tell your resort or the owner of your Airbnb that you’re celebrating your honeymoon. People love honeymooners and chances are, they’ll go out of their way to make sure you have a memorable stay.

And in the end, just go with the flow. Neither of you will have fun if you let a closed restaurant or attraction ruin your time. The point is you’re together, so start your marriage off on a positive, joyful tone!