Written by Jessica Comegys
I still remember the first time I drifted into that sleep story about the Orient Express, one of those honey-voiced narrations meant to soothe you into dreaming. Instead, it electrified my imagination. Suddenly I wasn’t lying in bed in Louisiana. I was on a quiet platform in Paris at first light, wrapped in a silk-soft mist and the perfume of fresh baguettes drifting in from somewhere just beyond the station walls. Before me stood the legendary navy-and-gold train, shimmering like a promise. A porter lifted a white-gloved hand in greeting. Silver buckles on vintage trunks clicked in succession. The whistle sounded, a deep, resonant note that felt like the beginning of something.
But the train wasn’t the whole fantasy. It was merely the golden thread stitching together perhaps the most impossibly romantic route a honeymooner could dream of: Paris to the Amalfi Coast, with nights bookending the journey like gilded pages in a love story. Because you wouldn’t simply board the train and disappear. You’d linger. You’d let the anticipation breathe.
I imagined arriving in Paris days before departure, checking into a Haussmann-lined boutique hotel where the French windows opened onto wrought-iron balconies and the city unfurled below like a watercolor. Mornings would be slow and indulgent: café crème, pastries still warm from the oven, wandering hand in hand through the Musée Rodin gardens, pausing often because beauty demands it. Evenings would be candlelit bistro tables and whispered toasts, savoring the delicious tension of knowing something extraordinary was waiting.
And then the day would come. You packed the dress reserved only for the most important dinners, the linen suit that feels like a second skin, a small bottle of perfume for the train. Together, you’d make your way to the platform radiant with ceremony. And somewhere in the faint curl of steam rising from the locomotive, you can almost imagine Agatha Christie herself gloved, poised, quietly approving, because this is the kind of journey she would insist lovers take at least once in their lifetime.
Stepping onto the Orient Express is like entering a different century. Everything gleams: lacquered wood, polished brass, crystal sconces, velvet upholstery in jewel tones that belong in old films. Your steward welcomes you to your cabin, a jewel box of light and silk. A bottle of champagne waits in an ice bucket, cold and beaded with mist. The train exhales. A soft jolt. Movement.
In the dining car, white linen glows beneath the sconces, and every table feels like it was set for a celebration. Dinner might be lobster bisque spritzed with Cognac or truffle-dusted pasta folded lovingly by chefs trained in Parisian kitchens. The sommelier pours a chilled Chablis. The sparkle of the crystal catches the gold in your wedding bands.
After dinner, the bar car becomes its own world. A small band begins to play something jazzy and molten. Couples sway lazily. Others simply sit close, letting the hum of conversation, the gentle clink of ice, and the rolling tempo of the train become the soundtrack of the future they are beginning together. Outside the windows, the French countryside slips past in a soft blur, villages glowing like lanterns.
By morning, the Alps rise around you, quiet and majestic. You sip espresso in bed as snow-dusted peaks drift by your window, feeling as though the world has slowed to honor this moment in your story. Then Italy appears. Terracotta rooftops. Waves of vineyards. Sunlight that feels warmer, more golden, as if hinting at the coast waiting just ahead. Even the train seems to sway differently now, with a kind of Mediterranean ease.
Eventually you arrive in Naples, where a driver winds you gently along the coast until the cliffs of the Amalfi open up like the pages of a beloved novel. Perhaps you stop first in Positano, where blush-colored houses spill toward the sea. But the final chapter of this honeymoon, the one that leaves its mark, unfolds in Ravello.
Positano, Italy
High above the coastline, Ravello feels suspended between sky and sea. Your hotel pool stretches out into the horizon as though floating above the Mediterranean itself. The light changes throughout the day—morning mist, afternoon gold, evening rose—and every shade seems designed to reflect back the feeling of being newly married. You linger by that infinity pool, the coast shimmering below you, feeling as though the entire world has paused to give you room to breathe in the beauty.
A honeymoon like this becomes a trip with chapters, each one lovelier than the last. Paris. The Orient Express. Ravello. City. Journey. Coast. Anticipation. Bliss. Reverie.
We often rush through travel, treating the in-between moments as inconveniences. But on a honeymoon, especially one like this, the journey becomes the moment. The slow unfolding. The liminal space between who you were and who you are becoming. And while this is the wedding issue, here is a secret: honeymoon travel is not only for newlyweds. We all deserve a rekindling escape—a second honeymoon, a just-because honeymoon, a reminder of how it feels to step out of real life and into romance. Sometimes the most meaningful trips happen long after the wedding photos fade, when you know each other more deeply and can savor the experience with a softness that only time brings.
When I plan travel for clients, honeymoons or otherwise, my goal is always the same: to weave intention, curiosity, and a sense of magic. Travel should never feel like checking boxes on an itinerary. It should feel like walking through a doorway into the next part of your life. So, as you flip through this issue, dreaming of dresses, flowers, and first dances, I hope you’ll dream just as boldly about the moments that come after. The champagne on the train. The sunrise over a vineyard. The whisper of a foreign city waking up around you. The feeling of being suspended in a bubble of time with the person you love.
Your honeymoon is not just a vacation. It’s the prologue to the rest of your story.
Make it unforgettable.
Honeymoon Dreaming
A guide to crafting a love story you’ll never forget
The best honeymoons aren’t defined by how much you spend. They’re defined by how deeply you feel the experience. Whether you’re planning something intimate and close to home or ready to board a plane to somewhere extraordinary, intention is what transforms travel into memory.
- For the Romantic Minimalist
When life is busy, sometimes the most luxurious thing you can choose is togetherness. Think charming boutique hotels, mountain cabins wrapped in quiet, or a beautifully curated coastal town where mornings stretch slowly and nothing is rushed. A thoughtfully chosen splurge—a private dinner, a sunset sail, a massage for two—becomes the moment you’ll talk about for years. - For the Effortless Escape Couple
If you want relaxation without logistics, consider destinations where beauty, service, and experience come seamlessly together. Think turquoise waters, warm hospitality, and days that unfold gently and graciously. This is romance wrapped in ease. - For the Adventure-Meets-Romance Traveler
Some couples crave a story. Rainforest and beach in the same trip. Tucked-away vineyards. Hot springs beneath open sky. Cities that sparkle at night and landscapes that take your breath away by morning. This is for the two of you who want to feel alive, curious, and beautifully connected to the world—and each other. - For the “This Is Our Moment” Journey
When you’re ready to lean into cinematic, heart-stopping beauty, the world opens. Clifftop towns in Italy. Sun-soaked Greek islands. Lantern-lit dinners in Japan. Safaris at sunrise followed by wine under the stars. Luxury here feels soulful, purposeful, deeply remembered. - For the Dreamers, the Legends, the Once-in-a-Lifetime Lovers
Some places imprint themselves onto your heart forever. Overwater bungalows in impossibly blue lagoons. The quiet hum of the African savannah at dusk. Destinations so breathtaking they invite you to exhale and step fully into this new chapter together.
A Note from Jessica Comegys, Founder of The Balanced Boarding Pass
Every honeymoon carries its own magic when it’s curated with intention. One extraordinary experience, thoughtfully chosen, can become a touchstone in your love story, a memory you return to again and again. I’d be honored to help you design a journey worthy of the life you’re beginning together.
(318) 393-5371
www.balancedboardingpass.com
Jessica.Comegys@fora.travel