Road trip honeymoons: routes worth considering and how to plan one

A road trip honeymoon trades the certainty of a single beautiful destination for the freedom of several, and it works especially well for couples who find a week of pure relaxation more restless than restful.

Routes worth considering

• The Amalfi Coast to Tuscany, a week of coastline followed by rolling countryside
• California's Pacific Coast Highway, San Francisco to San Diego
• Scotland's North Coast 500, dramatic and far less touristed than people expect
• New Zealand's South Island, if you have the time and budget for the flights to get there

Plan loosely, not tightly

Book your first two nights and your last two nights in advance, and leave the middle open. This gives you the security of a plan on both ends without locking you into a rigid schedule that a good detour or a place you love more than expected can't disrupt.

Budget for the car properly

Rental insurance, fuel, and tolls add up over a multi-week route in ways that are easy to underestimate against a single flight-and-hotel cost. Price the whole route out before assuming a road trip is automatically the cheaper honeymoon option, since it isn't always.