Congratulations to Caitrin and David, our 2009 Honeymoon Story contest winners of a 1st Anniversary trip!  We will be posting their Italy honeymoon story and photos this summer within the Real Member Stories section of Traveler's Joy. Our outside editors had a hard time narrowing down the winner from over 500 submissions. Thank you to everyone that contributed!

We had a great time working with our outside editor on selecting the 2009 Honeymoon Story winner. We can't believe how many amazing writers we have as Members!  We'll have more information on the winner once we finalize details with them. 

In the meantime, read our 2008 Honeymoon Story winner...it makes me want to jump on a plane to Sicily and spend time with Rob's two elderly cousins!

Shannon and I thought we were lucky enough to spend a week in Northern Wisconsin and two weeks in Kenya and Zanzibar but Traveler's Joy Members Derek and Shanna took honeymooning to a new level!



During their one year honeymoon they visited 40 different countries in Asia, South America, Africa and Europe. When they were asked about how they could afford such a honeymoon, they replied that an around the world honeymoon is more affordable than most people think if they are willing to travel cheaply. They also mentioned how their Traveler's Joy registry helped them splurge when they otherwise might not have been able to.

To read the article, see photos, and video, click here.

Why travel? Meet Derek, who traveled the world with his wife on their honeymoon – which lasted a whole year!

February launches our first ever Registry Center partnership with Brides.com.  We are excited to be joining such a well known wedding website that counts Macys and Williams-Sonoma as its other registry partners.

We hope Brides.com will help us reach engaged couples that haven't been exposed to the honeymoon registry. Check out our ads and the Brides.com Wedding Registry Center and let us know what you think!

How about honeymooning at a place where none of your friends and family have been? In our annual pursuit to find the top romantic eco-lodges, our 2010 Honeymoon Destination of the Year ('DOTY') is in the new and exciting destination of Nicaragua!

There are many trendy destinations but if you want to be a honeymoon trendsetter and travel pioneer, Nicaragua and Jicaro Island Ecolodge are perfect choices.

Looking for that dream honeymoon destination? No problem. Here are our top picks from around the world!

We've done the research for you. Learn more about some of the top spots and off the beaten track honeymoon destinations around the world. This comprehensive section includes detailed information such as activities, attractions, local history, photographs, and estimated cost.

Traveler's Joy 2010 Honeymoon Destination Guides

A big welcome to Members signing up with Traveler's Joy in 2010!

For the first time ever, Traveler's Joy is offering every Member that signs up for a honeymoon registry between January 1st, 2010 and April 15, 2010 a chance to win an amazing trip!

We are super excited to be partnering with Jungle Bay Resort and Spa on the beautiful island of Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic) to make this giveaway possible!

Experience the natural beauty of Dominica with its wondrous waterfalls, natural hot springs, the world's second largest boiling lake, crisp clean rivers and more. Hike to waterfalls, mountain bike, snorkel, kayak and much more by day. Pamper yourselves with massages, facials, and pedicures in late afternoon. Finally, enjoy fine romantic poolside dinners overlooking the glistening sea under the stars by night!

More details and the Official Rules are here!

To all of our Members that had honeymoons in 2009, we want to hear about it! In fact, we are so excited to hear about it that we are giving away a first anniversary trip* to the most detailed and well-written honeymoon story. 

We love to read about any and all honeymoons so to be fair, all entries will be judged by an external third-party content editor. When writing your submission, please keep in mind that entries will be judged on their thoroughness. Your story will be added to our Member Stories section and help future Members learn about amazing honeymoon locations.

Just email your story to honeymooncontest@travelersjoy.com. All entries must be received by Friday, January 8th, 2010 11:59PM EST. Be sure to include both of your full names, current mailing address, email address on your Traveler's Joy account, and phone number. It would also help if you attached the story itself to the email as a text file or Microsoft Word document, but this is not required.

Your entry should include the information below but the more detailed and well written your entry — the better chance you have to win: 

1) Honeymoon destination and dates.
2) How and why you chose a particular place or region.
3) Where you stayed, why you selected the accommodation(s), and how you enjoyed your time there.
4) Your favorite activities and experiences during the honeymoon and why.
5) The approximate cost of the honeymoon including airfare.
6) If you would recommend the destination to other honeymooners and why.
7) At least four photos (each attached separately to the email), two of which include you and your partner. 

We look forward to reading your honeymoon story and seeing your photos! 

* Traveler's Joy, Inc. will award the winner with one $500 gift certificate to bedandbreakfast.com on March 1, 2010.

Be sure to take a look at some of the holiday wishes Brides.com is helping to make come true!  Not only are they giving away wedding and bridesmaid dresses - but also honeymoons! The deadline to enter is 12/20 so don't wait long to enter!

Brides.com Holiday Wishes

Traveler's Joy experienced its fifth straight year of record growth! While the Traveler's Joy team is excited for the 2010 wedding and honeymoon season, we are also happy to have a small break between Thanksgiving and the New Year. In addition to record Members and gift-giving in 2009, it was also a busy year for our business development, marketing, and development team with new partnerships and the development of a private label and affiliate network. During the next 6 weeks or so, we'll be completing a re-design of the website and seeking feedback from our 2009 Members on their honeymoon registry experience. 

We also use this time to search for awesome honeymoon locations.  Destination Weddings and Honeymoons recently had a great article on 9 honeymoon destinations for adventurers - take a look!

http://www.destinationweddingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=1000076887

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!