The Full (Honey) Moon

You know how it works: You meet, you fall in love, you get married, and then comes the moment that everything has been leading up to all along...

photo: Howard Green, founder and CEO of MoonRings

"Relationship Managers" fulfill their clients' idea of a perfect honeymoon.

Your honeymoon.

Most everyone has his or her idea of the perfect honeymoon. For some, the ideal post-wedding getaway involves just lying out on the white sandy beaches of the Caribbean, while for others, it's not a real vacation unless it involves sand surfing in the Sahara desert or paragliding in New Zealand. No matter what the trip entails, MoonRings, a Chicago-based concierge travel company, will customize honeymoons to meet the specific desires of every bride and groom.

When Howard Green, founder and CEO of MoonRings, lived abroad while working as a management consultant, he traveled through almost every continent. But he headed back to the states in 1999 to start a company through which he could share his love of travel.

Arranging a MoonRings trip starts with several planning sessions, either in person or online, during which "Relationship Managers" evaluate every level of detail to fulfill their clients' idea of a perfect honeymoon. "If we're going to understand what they are looking for, we need to understand everything," says Green. Do you like wine? Heights? Adventure? Peace and quiet? MoonRings wants to know. "The idea is to key in on the types of experiences they enjoy." Green and his staff will then plot out honeymoon ideas just for you.

Though many of MoonRings' honeymooners prefer just to relax on the beach, Green says his clients' tastes have become more exotic since he began the company. One couple recently honeymooned at a solar-powered bungalow in the Costa Rican rain forest that is accessible only by rafting down the rapids of the Pacuare River. Others have trekked to the Kakadu National Park in the Australian outback to view prehistoric Aboriginal cave art. Couples who can't decide on just one destination have taken their honeymoon - literally - around the world.

MoonRings doesn't only cater to people who've just wed. Green also plans exciting anniversary trips, exotic destination weddings, and vacations for former clients who now have families of their own. Green is happy to help anyone ready to take an adventure because, as he says, "You only live once, so [you might as well] see the world."

Posted on April 10, 2006