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As an avid traveler who prides herself on trying to connect on a local level when exploring a new place, I was so excited when I met Darrah Feldman of In-The-Know Itineraries, a really unique travel business. She is not a travel agent. Her job is to plan the most authentic travel experience possible, so you can be a tourist, but feel like a local. It would take you hours to ferret-out the establishments and sites that only locals know about, and Darrah takes that off your plate with one-of-a-kind itineraries! How cool is that?

Choosing where you want to go for your honeymoon might seem like having to choose between Jimmy Choo’s and Manolo Blahnik’s; you really can’t go wrong either way. And, to some extent, that’s true. Honeymoons are the ultimate vacation – you’re on a natural high from your wedding, all the stress is behind you, and you’re finally alone with the love of your life. But you still want to make the most of your honeymoon, which is why choosing the right destination and having an idea of how you want to spend your time is essential.

Here are some tips to get you going in the right direction:

1)    Create a list, together, of your top 5 destinations: These should be destinations you both want to travel to. There’s inherently a lot of compromise involved in honeymoon planning, so make sure your short list is agreed upon by both of you!

2)    Choose a destination that neither of you have been to before: You might be tempted to go somewhere you’ve been to already and loved, either together or apart, but resist the urge. There’s nothing better than exploring a new place together and making new memories during your honeymoon.

3)    Go far, far away: This might be the last time you take a big trip without babies in the picture. Or the last time you’ll be able to take a two-week vacation for a while. This is the time to take that 20 hour plane trip, if need be, to get to your ideal honeymoon destination. You’ll enjoy having the time to debrief with your new spouse about the wedding, catch up on some much-needed sleep, and enjoy some “complimentary” cocktails on the flight! Which leads me to my next point…

4)    Splurge: The recession has hit everyone hard, and it makes sense to not want to break the bank on travel. But if there’s one time to live it up and plan your dream vacation, it’s now. Have you been fantasizing about staying in an overwater bungalow in Tahiti? Go for it. Have you always wanted to dive the Great Barrier Reef? Now’s the time. You’ll likely never splurge on another vacation quite like your honeymoon, and you probably won’t remember the others as well either. So go all out and chalk it up to a once-in-a-lifetime event.

5)    Plan an itinerary: You certainly don’t want every moment of your honeymoon accounted for.  Most people enjoy an element of spontaneity when they travel. But do some advance planning too. Make sure to figure out at least a few must-try restaurants and must-see attractions before you set off. Even if it’s your honeymoon, travel can be extremely stressful, and it’s comforting to know you’ve got your short-list of “musts” already accounted for. That way, you won’t squander too much of your honeymoon with your nose in the guidebooks or on the hotel computer.

6)    Have a blast! You’ll be back home before you know it. So take loads of photos and soak up every moment!

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Darrah Feldman is the Founder of In-The-Know Itineraries, a company that creates highly customized travel itineraries for any type of trip, anywhere in the world. Darrah has traveled extensively worldwide and has always felt that her most memorable trips were those where she was able to get “insider information” from locals. In-The-Know Itineraries will do all the legwork for your trip, enabling you to benefit from our international network and extensive research. Follow us via our blog or on Twitter.