We are so pleased to welcome Abigail Batiuk to the blog today! Abigail had been to 26 countries by the time she was 13, and she studied abroad in Aix-en-Provence when she was a college junior studying English Lit and French. After an incredible senior year in the Oregon Wine Industry Experience, Abigail graduated with honors and was soon in management at a lovely boutique winery, Colene Clemens. Her joie de vivre may inspire you to open a bottle of pinot noir and start thinking about your next trip.

From Abigail:

**How Kristen Meckem Travel planned our dream honeymoon and took away all of our stress in the process**

Planning a wedding is stressful. From picking out wedding colors over coffee in the morning to having late night meltdowns over seating arrangements, every spare second of each day leading up to our nuptials was spent dreaming, calculating, corresponding, finalizing, and coordinating little wedding details. Every so often the thought of our honeymoon would spring up in our minds, but the thought of planning an entire trip right after a massive party really stressed us out. Thoughts like, “Let’s do the wedding first and plan a honeymoon once everything else is done!” and “We could just book a trip at an all inclusive place and not have to worry about planning anything else!” kept popping up in our heads.

The only problem, though, was that we wanted to do something really special and unique to us as a newly-wed couple. We wanted our honeymoon to be memorable, and we wanted to go on our honeymoon right after our wedding. Honestly, we just didn’t have the brain-capacity to plan a unique and wonderful honeymoon at the same time we were planning our wedding. This is where Kristen Meckem Travel saved us. After one meeting with Kristen, all of that stress was immediately lifted from our shoulders. We told her what we wanted (castles, relaxation, beautiful countryside, a place that wasn’t too hot), and she came back with an incredible itinerary: Ireland. Game of Thrones tour. Irish Musical Pub Crawl. Guinness. Spending four nights at one of the stunning Relais and Châteaux. Falconry. Horseback riding. Wine tasting in an old cellar. Whisk(e)y tasting. Ring of Kerry tour. Exploring the Cliffs of Moher.

It was perfect for us. The best part? We didn’t have to plan or book any of it. Kristen took care of every little detail, including booking our plane tickets and sending us a packing checklist. All we had to do was show up at the airport with passports in hand.

If that alone isn’t enough to convince a person to reach out to a travel advisor for his or her honeymoon, wait until I explain how Kristen took care of us, even while we were abroad:

First, she VIP’ed us at every hotel we visited. For example, when we arrived at the Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare, we were immediately upgraded from a Deluxe Room to a Bay View Suite. A welcome note, a bottle of wine, and some chocolate greeted us as we entered our spacious suite, and each room had spectacular views of the bay. If that wasn’t sufficient, we also got a complimentary ride into town in the Sheen Falls 1936 Buick and breakfast was included each morning.

She listened to our interests and found places that offered exceptional activities for us to do. We didn’t have to research or find them ourselves; our hotels were chosen specifically because they offered activities that suited our interests.

Also, each tour on our trip was already researched, booked, and set up for us. All we had to do was stick to our itinerary. We arrived at the designated meeting place, checked in, and enjoyed the sights, sounds, food, and Guinness. We didn’t have to do anything except relax and enjoy every single moment of our wonderful honeymoon. Oh, and figure out how drive on the left side of the road. Ahh!

For all of you out there who are in the throes of wedding planning: I highly recommend reaching out to a travel advisor for your honeymoon. With all of the stress that comes with wedding planning, there is no need for you to stress over planning a special vacation, too. Kristen has an unbelievable network of resources and partners that will take you and your new spouse anywhere you can imagine: an Un-Cruise up to Alaska to see all of the incredible and raw wildlife of the Pacific Northwest, a striking and historical cruise from Alsace to Amsterdam with wine tasting and castles, an African Safari full of elephants, giraffes, lions, and hyenas, or an extraordinary trip Down Under to witness Australia’s striking Opera House, a helicopter ride over coral reefs, and a visit to Kangaroo Island. Tell Kristen Meckem your travel dreams, and she will include each one of them in an unforgettable honeymoon completely catered to you.