2305: Why You Should Consider an Adventure Honeymoon by Ali Cornish of Everthrive on Wedding Planning Advice

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Relationships Daily. Why you should consider an adventure honeymoon by Ali Cornish of Everthrive.org

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello, everybody. Greg Audino speaking, your host and narrator here on ORD.

[00:00:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Really glad to have you here with me on this fine Sunday if you are listening in real time.

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Today I've got a post for all the young couples out there who are getting ready to take the next step.

[00:00:25] [SPEAKER_00]: We're going to hear from Ali Cornish of Everthrive.

[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: She's got some words of wisdom about how to plan the honeymoon and she's not talking about going to Sandals for a week.

[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_00]: She's here to talk about a big adventure honeymoon with some stories from her own.

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_00]: So let's hear what she's got for us and start optimizing your life.

[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Why you should consider an adventure honeymoon by Ali Cornish of Everthrive.org

[00:00:53] [SPEAKER_00]: We went on our honeymoon exactly four years ago.

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I've always wanted to share our experiences, but I hadn't been able to make the time until now.

[00:01:02] [SPEAKER_00]: This article is written with the intention of both celebrating our marriage and sharing our somewhat unique experiences.

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: For our honeymoon in 2016, Josh and I didn't choose an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean.

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_00]: We decided not to spend 12 days on the beach listening to the ocean waves while receiving couples massages.

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_00]: No, we didn't dine on crab legs and champagne at an Instagrammable five-star restaurant.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, we chose to rent a tiny camping van and circumnavigate the tiny Nordic country of Iceland.

[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_00]: When we discussed our plans with friends prior to departing, we were met with blank stares and confusion.

[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Camping around Iceland? For your honeymoon? Isn't it covered in ice?

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, well, why on earth would we choose to honeymoon in a country that's known for ice?

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Not to mention unforgiving volcanic landscape and an average June temperature of 48 Fahrenheit.

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Especially right after the flurry that is planning and executing a wedding.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: By the way, it should be noted that Greenland is covered in ice. Iceland is actually much more green.

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Our reply? Why not?

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00]: It was June 24th, 2016 when we arrived in a foggy Reykjavik.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: It was raining just slightly and was a balmy 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: After shuttling from the airport, we rented a snail vehicle, our little home as we slowly made our way around this special country.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: The van freed us from the obligation check-in and check-out times at hotels and farmstays.

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: We could roam as late and as far as we pleased.

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Since we didn't pass many places to eat, we ate pre-packaged dehydrated meals we cooked over a small gas-powered stove.

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: The 24-hour daylight afforded us unlimited opportunities to nurture our new marriage with fun experiences.

[00:02:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Since it often took one to two hours to drive to each new destination,

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Josh and I had plenty of time to immerse ourselves in the beauty and majesty of Icelandic nature.

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_00]: We made room for spontaneous pullovers to check out vistas, Icelandic horses, hot springs, waterfalls, abandoned farmhouses, or to say hello to the sheep.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00]: They were quite literally everywhere.

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Even though we didn't choose to relax together at a tropical resort, we were still able to slow down and be present with one another.

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Camping each night was a deliberate choice that we made.

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Anyone can stay at a hotel and generally have a predictable experience every time.

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_00]: We slept under the Icelandic sky to bring us closer to nature and to have an amazing story to tell our children one day.

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: As with any type of funny moon, we collected many special memories on our journey.

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_00]: My mind holds specific snapshots frozen in time, moments that brought Josh and I even closer together,

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_00]: though sometimes our experiences didn't seem so great at the time.

[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Admittedly, things didn't always go according to plan.

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_00]: For example, early in our journey, while we were searching for somewhere to camp, our van became stuck in a volcanic sand trap.

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_00]: We were really tired, hungry, we were starting to get short with each other, and then we got literally stuck in what we thought was an impossible situation.

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Miraculously, we were not only able to trial and error our way out of that hole, but we also endured another grueling hour of hunting for a camping spot.

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: It was almost 11pm when we were finally able to park and cook dinner.

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_00]: In hindsight, we are able to recall that evening with pride.

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_00]: We overcame several obstacles together.

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_00]: We saw how we both handled the stressful situation, and the result made us even more connected as a couple by increasing the respect we have for one another.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Conquering tricky situations paves the way for potential good opportunities to become better people,

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_00]: and becoming better people together is the best gift of all.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: We're proud of our atypical honeymoon, but it wasn't easy.

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: It took a considerable amount of planning, countless hours of driving on questionable roads, and some physically demanding hikes.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And it was colder and more rainy than we had expected.

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: At times, I really did wish I was at the beach nursing a piña colada and a good book.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes, the best experiences come from working through hard times.

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Together, Josh and I built our experience from scratch.

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: We certainly could have purchased an itinerary or tour experience from a travel company,

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: but we chose to do the work ourselves in order to receive a greater reward.

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Married life is not a long period of relaxation and curated positive moments.

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Marriage is a complex road of interpersonal interactions and a mixture of all sorts of experiences.

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Marriage also takes plenty of work.

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_00]: With our honeymoon, Josh and I wanted to celebrate our marriage.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_00]: To satisfy our longing for adventure and exploration.

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_00]: And to commemorate the beginning of our new forever chapter.

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_00]: We marked the start of our marriage with a honeymoon that more closely mirrored the zigzag, up-and-down, character-building aspects of life.

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Can't typical honeymoons accomplish the same goals?

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Of course typical honeymoons can also be filled with important, life-affirming experiences.

[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_00]: For us, it felt right to choose the road less traveled.

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: This decision led to the creation of certain parts of our personal identities, as well as our identity as a couple.

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to the post titled,

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Why you should consider an adventure honeymoon by Ali Cornish of everthrive.org

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Really good post by Ali here.

[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Such a wonderful reminder that each couple is unique and that no couple should shy away from exploring that uniqueness and what it means to them.

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And what they've done in this honeymoon is set up a nice precedent for their marriage.

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, a lot of advice for building a morning routine revolves around doing something that reflects the challenges you want to overcome during the day.

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you want more relaxation, starting slow and easy is nice.

[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Whereas if you want to push your limits that day, starting with a freezing shower is nice.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And Ali and her husband did this, but on a much larger scale.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_00]: As a couple that is aware of and committed to being themselves and working together to welcome hard times with open arms,

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_00]: this is the perfect honeymoon to set the tone for that.

[00:07:24] [SPEAKER_00]: So take this chance to consider what you're trying to tackle, big or small,

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_00]: and how you can generate practice for yourself in your relationship or on your own.

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's going to do it for today, everyone.

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much for joining me as usual.

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Really hope you enjoyed this one and that it gave you fiancés out there something to think about when it comes to honeymoon planning.

[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Be sure to come on back tomorrow where we will continue the journey of better relationships.

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll see you all there, where your optimal life awaits.