Honeymoon with friends on the side!

Flight tickets? Check. Hotel reservations? Check. Chauffeured car through the course of the honeycation? Check. Euros in the wallet? Check.
Corporate lawyer Ranjith Gunashekaran went through his checklist just as he and his bride, HR professional Sumitra Kannan, took the cab to the airport, along with their three friends. No, they weren’t tagging along to see them off; they were joining the newlyweds in their honeymoon.Sounds bizarre? Maybe. But it’s definitely a fad that’s catching up.
Friendmoon — or honeymooning with friends — is predicted as one of the biggest travel trends of 2020. So, what prompts youngsters to take their friends along on a vacation, which is traditionally a couple’s preserve? “I think it could be because most couples either live in or at least holiday together before taking the plunge. So, I don’t think they feel the need to spend ‘us’ time after marriage,” says Chennai-based interior designer Anitha Subramaniam, who friendmooned in Tawang. We speak to couples who went on buddymoon to find out more about this trend...
Splitting the honeymoon bill
When we decided to friendmoon in Rome, we also had cost-cutting in mind. We went with three of my friends and two of my wife’s friends. It was a good chance to get to know each other’s buddies. You could say we were also anxious about starting a new life together. And since we split the cost for the private bungalow, 8-seater car and food, we ended up saving a lot.
— Pranav Kumar, Noida-based architect
We thought it would be fun roadtripping with friends and cost effective, too, especially since we were going to Eastern Europe. We had planned it in such a way that we’d be together while travelling from one place to another, and I could spend time with my husband while exploring the cities.
— Girija Jamdar, Pune-based entrepreneur
Timing matters
We are three couples who got married around the same time. They waited for our wedding to get over and we all decided to friendmoon in Bali. We booked private villas to have our personal space, and partied and did adventure sports together
— Zahra Motorwala Kothari, Mumbai-based media professional
Say yay to a post-nuptial party
I recently planned a wedding event in Goa. The groom is based out of Hong Kong and the bride was joining him there soon after. So, he wanted to plan a post-wedding trip to Gokarna, where they’d be joined by their childhood friends. Since he hadn’t met his pack in a long time, he wanted to make the best use of the time he had here. That was his grand honeymoon plan!
— Arjun Thomas, Mangaluru-based wedding curator
They did it, too
In 2015, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux went on a honeymoon to Bora Bora with their friends, including Courteney Cox, Chelsea Handler, Jason Bateman, and Jimmy Kimmel. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard also took their gang of friends on a cruise after their private Bahamas wedding in 2015. Both the couples have now split.
Going on a friendmoon?
Keep your friends posted about your plans of a friendmoon much in advance. Apart from splurging on travel, outfits and presents for your wedding, they will also have to start saving for the extended vacation and plan their work schedule accordingly.
Choose who you want to buddymoon with. Ideally, your idea of fun should match with your partner’s and also the friends who you are travelling with. If you and your spouse want to spend the day exploring and all that your friends want to do is laze around at the hotel, it could be trouble in paradise already!
Chew on...
40% millennials were OK to friendmoon if it reduced cost by 50%
47% of people surveyed, aged between 18 and 35, in 2018, said they’d go on a friendmoon
12% of Americans, in a 2017 survey, revealed they’ve attended a buddymoon in the last five years
In 2011, Buddymoon found a mention in Urban Dictionary, and was defined as ‘A honeymoon taken with a group of friends in addition to the bride and groom.’ Friendmoon and group honeymoon are just other terms for the trend.
Survey source: UK payment app Pingit, Travel agency Priceline and forex specialist Travelex