Ask the expert - honeymoon: Ocky White Travel, of Bridge Street, Haverfordwest, was established over 50 years ago. They are exceedingly proud of the reputation gained, not just in Pembrokeshire, but throughout South Wales, for providing exceptional customer service. Currently, they have five travel consultants with great experience within the travel trade. They are experts in providing tailor-made travel itineraries all over the world! They excel in large group travel, whether it’s a hen or stag trip or a large overseas wedding! Here director Mark White shares his top tips and advice about booking your honeymoon.

How long in advance do you suggest couples book their honeymoon?

It’s always best to book as far in advance as possible, and this is especially true with a honeymoon. Your honeymoon should be the most important holiday of your life and by booking early you are ensuring the widest choice of hotels and flights. Also, it is now more likely that you will secure the best deal by early booking, rather than hanging on until the last minute. Another important factor, of course, is that once the honeymoon is booked, it’s one less thing for the bride and or groom to worry about!

What are popular types of honeymoon?

The traditional honeymoon of a week or two in an exotic foreign country is still the most popular, but more and more couples now seek something a little bit different. For example, we are seeing more couples opt for a cruising honeymoon - it is now possible to get married on board some cruise ships and we have our first wedding afloat taking place later this year! If time is short, then a couple may opt for a city break of three or four nights, whilst many people will go for a twin centre holiday to taste a couple of different resorts!

Do couples like to go all-inclusive too?

All-inclusive options are always popular, but particularly so for Caribbean and Indian Ocean destinations, which can be quite pricey destinations to eat out continually. Whilst the initial cost of an all-inclusive honeymoon may appear steep, always consider how much you are actually getting for your money. As well as all your food, drinks and snacks, you will normally have a large range of watersports and activities included too.

Where are popular destinations?

We have seen a huge increase in more exotic honeymoon destinations over the past 10 years or so. The Mediterranean is still a popular choice, with Cyprus and Rhodes proving very popular. However, we are now doing more and more fabulous trips to the Indian Ocean, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka. The Caribbean is always in demand, too, with most interest for Barbados, Antigua and the Dominican Republic. For those honeymooners seeking a little more excitement, we have organised several safari trips and some extended tours of Australia and New Zealand. New York is a great option if time is short and it can easily be combined with a few nights in Las Vegas too!

How long do couples usually book for?

The majority of honeymoons are still for two weeks, but as previously mentioned, many couples are pressed for time and then it’s a case of fitting the honeymoon around time constraints - something we are very, very good at!

As it is a special occasion, do couples benefit from any extra special treatment?

We recognise how important the honeymoon is to all brides and grooms! We know that organising a complex honeymoon can be time consuming and stressful, and it is our job to put the bride and groom at ease and make the whole process as straightforward and pain-free as possible! Many tour operators will offer a room upgrade or bottle of wine to a honeymoon couple. For all our honeymoon couples, we always offer a bottle of bubbly for the bride and groom, and for all* weddings or honeymoons confirmed by 31/05/15, we will also provide complimentary airport lounge passes for the bride and groom prior to departure.*Terms and conditions apply.

What advice would you give couples planning their honeymoon?

Finally, we would always advise couples to plan their honeymoon as early as practicably possible. Also, for most, the honeymoon is a very special, once-in-a-lifetime experience! It is vitally important that everything goes exactly as planned. It makes sense to come and talk to us at Ocky White Travel - we have the knowledge, personal experience and expertise to ensure that your honeymoon is truly memorable for all the right reasons!