When you hear the term “celebration travel,” a honeymoon might come to mind. After all, weddings have often been synonymous with travel. Take a traditional wedding, for example. The guests cheer as the happy couple drives off with a “just married” sign on the back of their car. Soon they’re heading off to their honeymoon.

While wedding traditions have changed over the years, today’s couples are incorporating travel into elaborate bachelor or bachelorette parties, destination weddings, and honeymoons.

Ashley Ratinskiy, formerly Selevchuk, is a senior travel advisor at AAA Western and Central New York. Her husband, Roman Ratinskiy, works at AAA as an insurance advisor. When they were planning their wedding, it was Roman who chose the honeymoon destination. Their choice went beyond the typical island activities.

“Roman is very into culture, and it was his dream to go to Bali,” Ashley said. “With my experience in travel planning, I designed a honeymoon with a mixture of adventure and relaxation with our own private driver to show us around. There are many ways to make a destination intimate, so it truly feels like you’re on your honeymoon.”

Ashley and Roman’s honeymoon was part jungle (imagine staying in a villa where monkeys come to visit!) and part beach (envision the most incredible tropical beach photo) which gave them a complete experience after traveling to the other side of the globe.

“The jungle portion, at Alila Ubud, felt like luxury camping with air conditioning,” Ashley explained. “We had netting around our bed, and monkeys lined up on the villa wall – they would hang out and hold their babies. We were fully immersed in wildlife!”

The couple chose some unique excursions involving wildlife as well, including riding, bathing, and feeding elephants. They also hiked an active volcano, which took two hours, reaching the peak to watch the sunrise over the clouds, and explored multiple waterfalls. Ashley took part in an amazing “Instagram famous” swing over rice fields. These fields are a leading source of food in Indonesia.

“They have amazing food! There’s a lot of exotic fruit, and their ramen was so good,” Ashley said. “There are coffee plantations on the island, and it was the best coffee we ever had!”

Along with food and adventure, they were able to experience other aspects of Bali culture.

“There’s a lot of religion and culture,” Ashley said. “Every house has a temple. We visited many temples, including Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site.”

After nonstop activities in the jungle and bustling Bali, where city roads are filled with motorbikes and traffic, the newlyweds were ready to relax, and it was time for the beach portion of the trip.

“We stayed at the W Seminyak in a villa, and we felt like royalty,” Ashley said. “The hospitality was amazing, and the service was outstanding.”

They took a day to visit Nusa Penida, where the couple stood on the edges of cliffs, soaking in blue turquoise water, white surf, and golden sand below.

“Bali has the softest sand you can imagine,” Ashley shared. “The beach isn’t white sand, it’s more volcanic, and there are no rocks or pebbles. The waves sounded like thunder, and it was absolutely gorgeous to watch.”

Ashley noted there were some similarities to Hawaii, but while Hawaii is very American in its culture, Bali is very unique. Yet students learn English at a young age so there’s no language barrier.

“You’ll be engulfed in culture,” she said. “It’s very diverse and you can add adventure or stay in the beach area and relax. It’s for anyone of all ages. I did see activities for children.”

The flight might be a deterrent for families, Ashley noted.

“The only drawback is how far it is. I would advise taking at least two weeks for the trip, and I wish we built in time to explore Singapore where we had a layover. It’s a 19-hour flight to Indonesia alone, but it goes by quickly and they kept us well fed and entertained.”

Now that “the honeymoon is over,” as they say, I asked Ashley if she would recommend Bali to her clients, and she replied, “OMG, 100 percent recommend!”

As for Roman, who was the inspiration for the trip, there are no regrets.

“Out of all the places and corners of the earth that I've been to, Bali is a place that I truly fell in love with,” he said. “Everything from their culture, religion, sense of community, the locals, the food, the sights, the weather – absolutely incredible!”

Ready to book Bali? You can work with Ashley directly to create your own vacation experience in paradise. Contact Ashley today.

Do you deserve an extra special getaway? We think so, too! Let the travel experts at AAA help you plan your next vacation.

AAA Travel