Dealing with disappointment after planned honeymoon cancelled

[Margot9]

I’m getting married in September and we had originally planned our honeymoon in Japan in October. We’ve been planning it for about two years and it’s something we’ve both been really excited about for a long time. It was going to be our first big long-haul trip together and we’d put a lot of thought into the itinerary, including things like staying in a traditional ryokan, visiting different regions and experiencing as much as we could.

Due to the current situation with travel and rising flight costs/ uncertainty, we’ve decided it’s probably not realistic to go ahead with that trip and are now looking at alternatives in Europe instead, like South Italy or Tenerife. Our second choice was the Maldives but DP thinks that will have to same travel issues as Japan.

I completely understand the reasons for changing plans but I’m finding it hard emotionally because Japan felt like a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us and I was really looking forward to it. I think I’m struggling with the disappointment of letting go of something we’d been building up for so long, even though I know we’ll still have a lovely honeymoon wherever we go.

Has anyone else dealt with having to change honeymoon plans quite late on? Can anyone recommend a nice European honeymoon destination?

The OP said their budget is £1k per person on flts. No one is going long haul at the moment at that budget.

Sorry but that’s your fault for not booking it. You can book flights a year in advance. Why not just book it for a later date when flights are cheaper? It doesn’t have to be right after your wedding. We went on honeymoon a couple of months after our wedding and it was nice to have that to look forward to, and felt less rushed right after

As someone who travels to Japan a lot, the prices are not that much higher. Your issue is you should have booked 11 months in advance. Flights nearer to departure date are always more expensive.

Also OP it's unlikely airlines won't fly due to lack if fuel but they will cancel bookings and re sell them at higher prices to cover increased fuel costs.
This is going to catch many out this summer. That will be both short and long haul.

Our entire wedding and honeymoon was cancelled because of Covid.

Our wedding went from 250 people in a ballroom to a ceremony and meal with 12 people, and our honeymoon from the Maldives to a staycation.

Whilst I loved it in the moment and wouldn’t change anything about how it went, I did have regret and sadness for a long time that it wasn’t what we had planned and what I had always dreamed out. But eventually, I got over it and now I’m not in the least bit bothered.

I highly recommend Taormina in Sicily, perhaps just a short 4-5 day break and save up for your dream destination next year, it’s full of lovely restaurants, excellent for people watching and classy. If you want a longer break take in Syracuse too, both have lots of history and Etna periodically provides a free fireworks show

ah it seems we got bad advice. We were told it was best to book 3-6 months in advance to get the best price. I won’t go into it all but there’s nothing I can do now.

Cathay Pacific has increased flt costs by 175%. You might see a cheaper flt but it will show as unavailable when you go to book it.

Cross posted with that one.

It's a rubbish situation and really disappointing not to be able to do the trip you had planned. I still stand by saying that Tenerife isn't comparable - it's great if you're looking for an easy sun holiday but definitely not the adventure that you would have got in Japan.

Southern Italy sounds gorgeous though - lots of culture.

Yabu to plan a trip for two years. It would begin to seem boring after discussing it for that length of time.

If it's your dream trip just go OP. Play around with the dates a bit to get the cheapest flight currently available and throw a bit of extra money at the problem.

What was your total budget when you were talking for 2 years about the Japan holiday and all the activities you were planning ?

Yes, this.
He is also the "major voice" to cancel, isn't he?

I've been looking at flights to Singapore in October and they are high, but I think that's because I've left it quite late rather than anything else. Definitely stick with Japan, if you can afford it. Cancelling seems like a very extreme reaction.

I like the way you are going on about my planning @Oddgain none of your posts have been helpful so it might be a good time to follow the well-known advice - if you don’t have anything nice to say, perhaps don’t say anything at all.

Thanks to those who have made suggestions and shared their own experiences. I think we will now have a think and make a plan about what to do from here.

Then I'd book 11 months ahead and get the cheaper flights. Or push it back to October next year. Have a cheap 4 nights in Italy this year. But don't cancel a trip of a lifetime you've been planning for two year!

I think that talking about a holiday but not booking a bloomin thing is best not repeated!

Actually I just booked flights to South Africa for next February for £850 pp

I'd sit tight for 6 months. Things will either settle down or get worse. If it gets worse no-one will be travelling. I've put my India trip back until next year.

Why did you sit watching flights increase in price? That seems a very odd thing to do. They are always cheapest as soon as they are released.

None of this makes any sense unless you are both extremely anxious and indecisive people.

Just get on and book the bloody thing!

It's 3-4 months before your flight when prices drop. I've just booked flights to Canada for August. They were low (£831) when I first started looking in November, but still wasn't 100% sure who was going then (adult children!), so didn't book. I've been tracking them ever since, prices shot up just after Xmas, very slowly came down below £1000, but only just below in March, then a bit of up and down fluctuation due to the war, then suddenly, late Thursday night, prices dropped to just below £800, so I booked. I did the exact same with flights to Jo'burg last year.
So you're currently looking right at the point where prices are highest (i.e. 6 months out). Hold you're nerve OP, they'll come down!

From what we’ve talked about, the anxiety is over the flight being cancelled last minute and then we lose the money we’ve spent on hotels and attractions. I don’t think travel insurance covers known risks like war/ oil shortages. It’s easy for us to get to Europe as we could take trains or drive. So I’m unsure what to do.

I would plan both - choose an airline that lets you book and then move a package holiday for another time. Plan Japan and see how you go.

OP where are you getting £2k pp?

I’ve just looked at a few dates in October and there are daily flights for around £800pp.

Yes you might have a short layover somewhere but even BA direct doesn’t go much above £1300pp.

Your husband to be needs to turn off the news. Why does he think the huge long haul airlines will struggle for fuel but short haul airlines won’t? That should tell you this is not about fuel. Plenty of people are continuing to travel to Japan yet you’re suffering because your DP can’t be rational?

Just book them with free last minute cancellation. Trips tend to have this anyway. Just make sure you select the correct option for fully refundable hotels and you are good to go.

Plus, you are not driving to Tenerife 🤣 don’t be silly.

How could you drive to Tenerife? 😐