A honeymoon is supposed to be relaxing, but sometimes the packing can be stressful, especially when you don’t know where to start. We’re here to help! Here are the essentials for all sorts of destinations. This checklist was adapted from one found in Real Simple magazine.

For your carry-on bag(s)

• Airline boarding passes and other travel tickets
• Passports, visas (I know it seems obvious, but my husband got stuck in France once because he didn’t have his green card.)
• Driver’s license(s)
• Credit, ATM, auto-club, and telephone calling cards
• Money/traveler’s checks (note: for foreign currency, just go to your local bank so you have some available cash for cabs, etc.)
• Hotel, theater, restaurants, or other reservation confirmations
• Photocopies of all travel documentation (e.g. passport). Also photograph your luggage contents in case of loss. Leave a copy of your itinerary with someone back home.
• Prescription medicine (in the bottle)
• Contraception
• Aspirin or ibuprofen and travel-sickness pills
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Small makeup bag
• Brush and comb
• Camera
• Any valuable jewelry
• In-flight reading
• Light sweater
• One change of clothing, including underwear
• Headphones for in-flight movies
• Travel pillow and blanket

Checked Bag(s) – All Destinations

• 2-3 pairs of shoes or sandals (stick with ones you’ve worn before and have broken in)
• 3 pairs of light cotton socks
• 2 pairs of shorts
• 2 pairs of pants
• 2-3 skirts or dresses
• 4 tshirts or casual tops
• 2 blouses or shirts
• lingerie
• enough underwear for every day, plus 2-3 extras, 2-3 bras
• evening wrap or jacket
• evening bag
• swimsuit
• shampoo and conditioner
• soap and face cleanser
• deodorant
• hand and body lotion
• lip balm
• personal-hygiene items
• floss
• qtips
• tweezers
• nail file and clippers
• razors and shaving cream
• insect repellent (where appropriate)
• sunscreen and sunglasses
• contact-lens solution and extra contacts
• eyeglasses
• chargers for cell phones, ipods, and digital camera (leave home with everything fully charged)
• electrical adapter for destinations outside the U.S.
• extra camera batteries and memory cards
• various sizes of re-sealable plastic bags
• maps, guidebooks, and a translation dictionary (if needed)
• travel alarm clock
• addresses of family and friends for postcards
• comfortable daypack for carrying guidebooks, snacks, and essentials
• travel umbrella and raincoat
• travel medical kit (band-aids, antacids, antihistamines, diarrhea medicine, antibacterial cream)
• foldable, lightweight tote for bringing home souvenirs

Add-ons for Beach Honeymoon

• paperbacks
• aloe vera gel or after-sun cream
• beach bag
• 2nd swimsuit and cover-up
• flip-flops

Skiing Honeymoon Add-ons

• waterproof ski pants and jacket or snowsuit
• turtlenecks
• heavy sweaters
• long underwear
• gloves or mittens
• warm hat or headband
• neck warmer or scarf
• goggles
• skis, poles, and boots
• waterproof socks
• hand and foot warmers
• ski lock
• ski bag

Safari and Sightseeing honeymoon add-ons

• comfortable walking shoes or hiking boots
• small compass
• mosquito netting (if needed)
• binoculars
• clothing in natural colors (avoid bright and white clothing, which can distract wildlife)
• safari or sun hat
• wildlife guides

Other useful tips?
- Remember to consider checked baggage requirements. With the airline industry in a bit of economic distress, they are adding new fees and baggage restrictions all the time.
- Put shampoo and other bottles that could potentially leak in ziploc bags to prevent them from spilling all over your clothes.
- Don’t overpack, but make sure you have good clothing options! Isn’t that the ultimate packing challenge?

The first place that comes to mind is Costa Rica. I’ve known a few brides who’ve honeymooned there, and it epitomizes an active honeymoon to a T. Touring volcanoes, hot springs, natural canopies, banana plantations, and waterfall gardens, Costa Rica has it all, including gorgeous beaches for the days you are feeling less adventurous. Costa Rica is also relatively affordable compared to the more long-distance adventure locations, like Tahiti and Fiji, and it offers a variety of accommodation options, ranging from resorts to more rustic, mountain bungalow settings.

If you’re feeling very adventurous, try an African Safari, on my “must do sometime in life” list.
White-water rafting, elephant-back safaris, canoeing, game viewing and scenic flights will keep the pulse racing throughout your entire trip. If those aren’t enoough, add shark diving, whale watching, and sailing to the list. Remember that an African safari really requires at least two weeks, if not more, as it takes awhile to get there, and, come on, once you’re in Africa, you mind as well take your time! Where to stay? Check out this incredible hotel in Cape Town, the Twelve Apostles.

Other active honeymoon locations? Mexico, Belize, Australia, and New Zealand.

When planning your active honeymoon, it’s even more important to be organized than with a beach vacation. Think about visiting a travel agent, buy tickets and confirm hotels early, and start packing weeks before your trip – you’ll need much more than a bathing suit and some shorts!

Most importantly, bring the best travel book you read in your trip research.

Beach/relaxation reads?

• Real Simple magazine… in the hopes that you’ll keep things simple and relax even after the honeymoon.

• I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris -> a total sassy girl pick; you’ll laugh outloud… repeatedly.

• Anything by Emily Griffin; some examples include Something Borrowed, and Baby Proof.
• Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner; the author is so down to earth and creates truly lovable, real characters.
• The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger; you really care about the characters.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen because Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy are the smartest, sexiest, sassiest, and most romantic lovers of all time… next to you and your husband of course.

[By the way, I like Keira Knightley and all, but this English actress is much more how I pictured Elizabeth from the book. And Colin Firth? Enough said.]

Stay away from total page turners, e.g. anything from the Twilight series. You’ll be totally disinterested in doing anything besides finding out whether or not Edward turns Bella into a vampire!

The main thing to remember when establishing a honeymoon registry is to read the fine print and do your research before choosing a company. Nearly all major honeymoon registry companies charge some sort of fee, ranging from a flat fee of $150 to 8-10% of every contribution gift.

Honeymoon registry specialists, such as The Big Day, HoneyLuna, Distinctive Honeymoons, Traveler’s Joy and The Honeymoon now compete with programs from lodging chains, like the Marriott, Starwood and Sandals. The one advantage with the former group is that couples can choose specific aspects of their trip, like snorkeling, massages, a private beach, for gift-givers to choose from. The downside to these options is that oftentimes the fine print does not offer refunds to the couple if they decide to sleep through the snorkeling trip. The lodging chains tend to me more flexible with the credit, but gift-givers are usually limited to contributing to meals, tours, and accommodations.

Another big difference between a traditional registry and a honeymoon registry is that ultimately it is the couple’s responsibility to foot the bill. In short, the couple pays for their trip in advance and hopes that guests chip in with gifts along the way. Still, when it comes to splurges like massages, the couple does not usually have to pay in advance; they can see if people purchase some big trip splurges for them before committing to pricier vacation experiences. The honeymoon agency usually mails the couple a check of gifts received before the wedding. Chain companies typically issue a gift card or company credit.

Also, remember to watch expiration dates. Starwood’s Honey Money expires after only two years, while the Marriott’s never expires.

Etiquette-wise, it is perfectly fine to register for a honeymoon. Just make sure you have your family and friends spread the word for you. The major downside are the service fees, of course. The best site I found in my opinion is called Honeymoon Wishes, a company based out of CA: http://ytb.honeymoonwishes.com/ What’s nice with this program is that it is totally free to set-up and the couple can choose to have the 7% automatically deducted from a $50 gift, rather than having the gift-giver automatically have to add-on 7% to their intended gift.

Planning a honeymoon takes time and a lot of research. Better Together Events can help! For an affordable fee, we can do all the leg-work for you, so you can just sit back and dream about your ultimate honeymoon experience, whatever it might be. For me, famous New Orleans beignets, hot strong coffee, and my new husband was my idea of a perfect morning!