Congratulations! After much chatter and fact finding you and your significant other have finally decided on a location to honeymoon! But now instead of looking at location after location, you are searching the internet for tips on what to bring and what to pack. Well, I pack heavy, too heavy my husband would say, so I can not help you there. But, I can help you this a few tips that I always abide. You will find, I always try to be a proactive traveler and not a reactive traveler. Ok, you might call in neurotic traveler, I call it proactive traveler. Potato- Patattah, whatever you call it, it makes me for a happy traveler. So, let’s get started, shall we?
Saving your gifts!
- This is not necessarily the most important, but it will save you a lot of struggle upon your arrival home. Make sure when you register for your wedding gifts, you have the shipping address sent to your office or family members home, not your own. You want someone to sign as responsible party for your gifts. Why? Because, believe it or not, there are people who do nothing but scour our neighborhoods looking for packages sitting on the front a porch just waiting to be picked up. If you don’t have anyone you can have your gifts sent to, make sure to ask your neighbor to check your front door everyday. I am sure they won’t mind and you will have piece of mind knowing dear Aunt Helen’s gift arrived safe and sound and you now all you have to do is write her the perfect thank you note.
Stop your mail!
- Make sure to have your mail held at the post office. Any police officer will tell you, having an over stuffed mail box is just like putting a sign in your front yard with an advertisement that reads, “We are out of town for a week. Please come raid our home!” I know you don’t want to have to deal with the police and insurance companies when you get back, so do yourselves this favor and put the type of hold on your mail that requires you to go to the post office and pick it up. I know it’s a pain, but it’s worth it, trust me! Unless you have a mailbox the size of a dump truck, you run the chance of returning home only to 7 days of mail flapping in the wind and rain all day. I know none of us like bills, but for weeks after the wedding, you run will most likely still be receiving congratulatory cards and such. Again, if you don’t want to share with strangers, don’t make it easy and PUT A HOLD ON IT!
Traveling outside of the country? Don’t forget your these words of advice!
- If you are traveling out of the country you must have a passport. I recommend applying for yours at least 6 months a head of time. I say this because should you run into issues you still have time to rectify any problems with plenty of time still left over.
- Speaking of passport, make sure you sign it and fill in the emergency information. Trust me, this is important!
- Make copies of your birth certificate, passport and drivers license. You will want to place these in a file and give them to your emergency contact. You will might need copies of all of this should you loose your passport or have issues at customs.
- Check and see if your health insurance covers your while traveling abroad. Some do, some don’t. If not, you might consider purchasing a supplemental policy.
- Make sure your emergency stateside contact knows your itinerary and has the phone number and address to your resort or hotels. Also, it might be a great, if possible, to email your contact once every few days or so.
- Make sure to register with the State Department of your travels. This will help you should anything in your area of travels happen. They will know you are there and try to get to you. In my mind, this is a must!! Here’s the link. https://travelregistration.state.gov/
- Always try to do a bit of research on local traditions and customs. Yes, it’s your honeymoon, but offending someone or worse yes, an entire country is never something a blushing bride should do. Yikes!
Honeymooning at the beach?
- If you are traveling to a beach to honeymoon you are most likely headed south of the equator. If this is true remember this, bring a lot of sun block and use it! I repeat, bring a lot of sun block and use it! You are much closer to the sun when traveling that far south and you will burn much faster there than you are used too. I would also recommend bringing Aloe Vera lotion with a pain agent just incase you need it. Also, I would make sure to have a good over the counter pain reliever with you. It will assist the Aloe in taming the sunburn sting, but the best remedy for sunburn is not to get one.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! If you are traveling to an area where the sun is stronger, it stands to reason the heat is hotter. Since we are here in Louisiana and used to a wet heat, the dry heat isn’t as hot to us, so we might tend to dehydrate quicker. My rule of thumb is this; always have water in hand. Even if you are not feeling thirsty, for good measure, take a sip anyway.
- I also like to bring several pair of sunglasses that are UV rated. I’m not kidding you when I say, it gets bright! Protecting your eyes is just as important as protecting your skin.
Airplane carry on must!
- I’m not bragging, but luckily I have never had my suite case lost by an airport. It has always made it to whatever destination I was headed too right along side of me. However, I try to pack my carryon bags as if I had. I pack anything I might need to get me through at least one day without my luggage. This is what you will find if you opened my carryon baggage; Extra undergarments, medication, makeup, hairbrush, bathing suit, cash, credit cards, extra change of clothing with matching socks and shoes, jewelry, camera, deodorant, ipod, tooth brush and tooth paste, a good book, my snorkel, scuba mouth piece and goggles and a pair of pajamas. I know the resort or hotel will have free shampoo/conditioner/bath soap and such so I don’t worry with that. I know it sounds like a lot, but hey, it fits and it makes me much more at ease knowing I have them along side of me should I need them.
- This may sound weird, but I never put my passport in my carryon. I always have it on me somewhere. I’m weird and neurotic I know, but it’s just something I do.
- For long trips, I make sure I have a small blanket and travel pillow. Many of the airlines are charging for these, so I just bring my own. Call me frugal, but I’m not one to part with my money when I don’t have too.
I know the list above is daunting a best, but each point has its own way of saving you time later and trust me, when you return home from your honeymoon, you will most likely have a long list of very important honeymooner things to do, like write thank you notes!
Happy honeymooning!
Tanya
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