The Bride's Guide to Honeymoon Packing
Sharon Naylor is the author of over 30 (yes, 30) wedding-planning books, including “Your Wedding, Your Way” (Adams Media, 2009). Here are her expert tips for what the new Mrs. should pack for the post-big day trip.
Clothing
Bring at least three pairs of shorts or skirts and five different casual tops for lounging, lunch, day tours, etc. For romantic dinners, pack three dresses, including a little black number that you can dress up or down with jewelry and shoes. If you will be honeymooning by the beach, I suggest packing four bathing suits and cover-ups for an eight-day trip – tropical air is often quite moist, making it difficult to dry a suit in a single day. If you plan to do any sporty activities like tennis, bring along a support bra and fitness outfit so that you won’t have to buy pricey items in the gift shop. And if hiking is on the agenda, it’s worth it to bring hiking shoes in addition to your walking-around sneakers. I only had a pair of Keds with me on my honeymoon, which made for very treacherous trekking. Other shoes to bring include comfy flip-flops and at least one pair of versatile heels.
Finally, bring along all your fun, new lingerie! I also advise packing double the delicates you think you’ll need, especially bras – thanks to a steamy environment on my honeymoon, I ended up having to launder my sweaty bras in the sink every day so that I would have enough clean ones to make it through.
Toiletries
In terms of toiletries, you should bring shampoos and cleaners, floss, shaving supplies, extra contact lenses and solution, makeup, prescriptions, birth control and/or sensual supplies, over-the-counter painkillers, an anti-diarrheal, Neosporin (antiseptic ointment), Purell (hand sanitizer), tweezers and nail clippers, and honeymoon-specific items like sunscreen, aloe gel for sunburns, and both bug repellent and a bite-treatment stick like AfterBite.
Entertainment
Bring your digital camera and camcorder, but, in addition, I suggest stocking up on a few of Kodak’s one-time-use cameras, including the underwater version, so that you won’t have to worry about damaging anything during rugged adventures like waterfall climbing. Don’t forget the chargers for your digital cameras, as well as for your phone.
Also, most couples would feel smothered if they spent every single second interacting, even in paradise, so bring along a great novel to read in a hammock while your spouse is off taking a scuba lesson or picking up snacks.
Paperwork
For any location off the mainland, you’ll need your passport, visitor visas if necessary, and an easy-to-use language translation dictionary or phone app. Stock up on local currency, especially small denominations, so that you won’t have to pay top dollar at the airport in order to catch a cab to your hotel. And instead of toting bulky travel books and maps that might signal you’re a tourist to potential thieves, bookmark your favorite tourism and restaurant sites on your phone.
As for paperwork you can leave behind – all those thank-you notes. It might seem smart to get them done during a long flight, but your honeymoon is not supposed to be about filling every second with something productive. Instead of chipping away at your to-do list, settle in with that trashy beach-read and let yourself unwind!
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