3 mistakes couples make when planning their honeymoons

You might be tempted to pack your honeymoon with nonstop activities, but an expert said building downtime into your trip is important.

• Planning a honeymoon is exciting, but it can be easy to make mistakes as you schedule your trip.
• Some people end up only seeing "tourist traps" because of social media.
• It can also be a bad idea to schedule too many activities. 

Planning your honeymoon can be one of the most exciting parts of being engaged.

When looking at centerpieces or booking a caterer gets too stressful, you can daydream about your post-wedding getaway, whether you intend to spend your honeymoon relaxing on a beach or sightseeing in a new city.

But just because you're good at fantasizing about your ideal honeymoon doesn't mean you know how to plan it, especially if it will be your first big vacation.

Business Insider spoke to Allison Kobasky, the cofounder of Over the Moon Vacations, about the most common mistakes people make as they plan their honeymoons.

Don't rely on social media for your plans

Kobasky said many couples fall into "tourist traps" when planning their honeymoons, often because of social media.

"A lot of people, because of our social-media era, see a hotel on Instagram and want to go there, and it's really hard to talk someone out of that," Kobasky said, which can lead them to end up with an "Instagram versus reality" issue when they actually go on their honeymoon.

"Even if it's beautiful, it might not have the service level you're accustomed to or be in the best location or whatever," she said. "Really make sure you're doing enough research to understand what you're seeing. Don't just see one cute picture and be like, 'OK, boom, done.'"

Likewise, Kobasky advises against relying on friends or people from Facebook for honeymoon advice.

"On that same note, crowdsourcing on Facebook makes me cringe," Kobasky said. "Someone's like, 'I'm going to Atlanta, tell me 10 restaurants,' or whatever it is. No one's thinking of you at that moment. They're just spilling out the restaurants they've been to one time."

Although your Facebook friends are well-intentioned, they likely can't give you a holistic view of your destination. And as you look through social-media posts, remember that someone else's dream vacation might not be your perfect trip.

Don't overschedule yourselves

Kobasky, who owns Over the Moon with her husband Josh, said she often works with clients who want to travel to multiple locations during their honeymoons, which is fun in theory but can "severely impact your experience."

"We have clients that'll be like, 'We want to do Thailand, the Maldives, and Italy,'" Kobasky said. "Geographically, that makes no sense. Save one for another trip where you can really enjoy it."

And even if you're staying in one country, Kobasky still advises against booking too many activities.

"Some people want to do and see as much as possible," she said. "Every minute is planned out, and we're like, 'Leave time to get lost.'"

"You want to wander the streets of Rome and not feel like you have to get back for that Vatican tour," she gave as an example. "You know, you just want to be able to have time to enjoy the actual place you're in versus constantly being on the go."

Splurging on the flight is worth it

Kobasky also told BI that one of the biggest errors people make on their honeymoons happens in transit.

Especially if you're flying internationally, she thinks it's imperative to fly business class if you can afford it.

"I think that's a big mistake," she said of not splurging on higher-end tickets. "If you're going somewhere really far, you want to be well-rested."

If you arrive at your destination exhausted, you'll miss out on valuable time you could be spending enjoying your trip with your partner. Kobasky said she made the mistake of not flying business class on her honeymoon and still regrets it.

"We didn't have this business yet when we took our honeymoon, and Josh and I were jet-lagged for like four days because we didn't time it properly," she said. "Some people aren't thinking about how much that is actually part of the trip."

Most importantly, make sure you and your partner plan the honeymoon that's right for you two.