‘Fly and flop’ honeymoons are over – now it’s about having a unique story

Steph Wilde, 33, and Ben Twineham, 34, sold their flat and left jobs to travel for three months. “We blew up our lives to have an unforgettable trip,” says Steph. “We didn’t backpack – we planned it with Trailfinders and stayed in nice places”.

Trailfinders has seen a spike in this sort of trip: “a honeymoon is the perfect excuse to take these gap year-style breaks with a luxury twist”. For some it’s not just about staying in luxe hotels – they seek more authentic experiences.

Helen Casey and Sholto Thompson, both 34, took sabbaticals for a self-drive tour of Africa.

“There were moments setting up camp when we thought we were mad, but we wanted to find that buzz that only off-the-radar travel can give you.”

Slow travel is popular too. Romantic train and riverboat journeys are having a resurgence. “It offers a different perspective on a destination, often veering off the usual tourist trails,” says tour firm Abercrombie Kent.

Cruise liners or Interrailing this is not – think exquisite Orient Express trains by Belmond (the Andean Explorer, Belmond’s latest offering in Peru, has its own spa), or 20-suite boats like floating boutique hotels, such as the Aqua Mekong, from which you cycle in bankside villages before using the on-board plunge pool. Slowing down can mean getting involved in one place, such as helping on an estancia in Argentina.