Trekking in the Himalayas was a long-time bucket-list holiday for my wife and I. We both love getting off the beaten track, so a trip to India ticked a lot of boxes. I have travelled to India for work and was fascinated by the diverse culture and bustling nature of day-to-day life; my wife, on the other hand, loves walking and immersing herself in nature’s wonders. So when the topic of a honeymoon destination came up, we both fairly quickly landed on a trekking trip through India. After locking in a venue and a date for the big day, my wife (who loves anything that goes against convention) floated the idea of shaking up the traditional program of events by going on our honeymoon before our wedding.
We would have three weeks in India, then two weeks back in Sydney before the big day. This might seem a little backward and even stressful, but it actually really worked for us. Here’s why.
1. It made us more organised
Having our honeymoon before our wedding forced us to front-load the planning, making us more organised and efficient. Returning with only two weeks until the big day meant almost everything had to be arranged and organised before we left.
2. It made our wedding day more relaxed
Disconnecting from the craziness of wedding-planning mania was bliss. No mobile phone, no Internet, no newspapers – just ourselves, our wonderful guide, and our two donkeys, all together in the mountains.
We also discovered that a lot can happen when you go offline for a week. When we got back from the trek, we were soon in disbelief as, reading the Indian newspapers, we learned that Trump was the new President of America!
On the relaxation front, I think it also helped that we checked into a meditation detox retreat for the last five days of the trip, which was amazing, apart from breakfasts consisting of seeds/stewed fruit and the daily dose of sesame oil swilling (a traditional custom in India that’s good for dental health!). Apparently we were both glowing on the big day, so we must have done something special.
3. Weddings are exhausting
Post-wedding, you are physically and emotionally exhausted – certainly not in any state to embark on an adventure holiday like the one we had planned. The trek was extremely demanding – we were camping in tents and hiking up to 20km per day, so we needed to be fit and well-rested. The trek was a six-day hike along the Sikkim Ridge, which is at the base of the Himalayas, nestled between Bhutan and Nepal. The vastness of the Himalayas are like nothing else I have experienced. At 6,000 metres it felt like we were on top of the world… until we looked across and saw Everest at 8,800 metres.
4. It gave us time to reconnect
And most importantly, getting away from all the planning and back into nature helped us reconnect and remember why we were getting married. Wedding planning will turn anyone into a crazy person. And while travelling can test you at the best of times, roughing it in the mountains tests you even more. But when we came back from this trip, I was more confident than ever that Suz was the one for me!
