We’ve seen it over and over: travel brings couples closer together.  At The Honeymoonist, we firmly believe that exploring fresh and exciting locales that are new to both bride and groom will enhance and unify their relationship.  There’s no better time to amplify intimacy through an adventure for two than on your honeymoon!  Here are three romantic itineraries I’m dreaming up right now that will set your relationship on course for happily ever after.

Tanzania

When people ask me what my favorite travel destination is, I always say Africa.  It inspires me and changes my perspective like no other place in the world. There are few better places to witness the annual wildebeest migration than the luxe, design-forward Serengeti Grumeti. Set on 350,000 acres of protected land adjacent to the Serengeti in northern Tanzania, the hotel is broken up into a lodge and two tented camps in separate areas of the preserve so that travelers may encounter different experiences without traveling far.

Start off with a few days at the eight-suite Faru Faru Lodge, which includes a swimming pool and eight suites facing the Grumeti River. Then, transition to Sabora Tented Camp, where nine plush tents pair the 1920s ‘Out of Africa’ style with mod cons (electricity, WiFi and ensuite bathrooms).  Daily game drives, sunset cocktails in the bush and multicourse dinners showcasing top South African wines make life grand.  As a final stop, spend a few days at &Beyond Mnemba Island Lodge on the beautiful island of Zanzibar, a quick hop from Tanzania’s capital city, Dar Es Salaam.  Your African adventures will be just the start for the happily wedded two of you!

Maldives

For your honeymoon you’ll want to experience something unique and worlds apart from the mundane— which precisely describes this gathering of islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The average elevation here is a mere six feet above sea level, so everything revolves around the water. Scuba divers and snorkelers will love the biodiversity beneath the waves, and sybarites will love the assortment of  boutique hotels, which include some of the world’s top offerings.  A travel-writer friend of mine who has been everywhere swears by the One&Only Reethi Rah as the sexiest resort he’s ever experienced.

Check into a Water Villa, perched on stilts over a translucent lagoon with king-size platform beds, two-person soaking tubs and an infinity pool overlooking the horizon. And you’re in good hands for under the horizon, too: Reethi Rah is home to the only PADI National Geographic Dive Centre in the Maldives, with amazing scuba sites nearby.

Travel Tip: The Maldives is quite far away and most flights go via Dubai, so break up your travel with a pre-stay at the lavish One&Only Royal Mirage, set on a private stretch of beach overlooking the Gulf of Arabia.

Mediterranean by Sea

When you want to cover a lot of territory with only a little effort, cruising is a dream way to make your honeymoon fantasies reality.  I’m not really one for crowds, so I pass on the mega-ships, but I love sailing cruises, especially those by Star Clippers, whose tall ships recall the golden age of seafaring.

My favorite itinerary is aboard the 170-person Star Clipper from Venice to Athens, where you take in the best of the Mediterranean region, both well-traveled (Santorini, Mykonos) and less-traveled (Hvar, Dubrovnik and Kotor, Montenegro).  Start with a few nights in Venice at the iconic Gritti Palace, set in a 16th-century palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal. Then, board the four-masted ship for nine nights at sea, making port calls and sightseeing as you sail south. This is a true clipper ship, so you won’t find any cabins with balconies, but you won’t mind because you’ll spend your at-sea time lazing on-deck, dipping in the small pool and sipping cocktails as you watch the wind billowing the sails.