Getting Married? Better start planning – checkout this honeymoon checklist
Because your mind is overcome with emotion when you’re getting married; planning your honeymoon checklist under such emotions can make you forget the little details that later will prove to be crucial. Such errors could be really stressful and frustrating for a newlywed.
With time on your side, it’s time to start drawing your honeymoon checklist and lookup for suggestions from others who have experienced the same emotions you are now going through (You could probably also get some tricks and tips from your wedding planners as they have worked with brides for years and most likely could share some insight and stories).
Needless to say, that it is recommended to start creating a list of items you are thinking of bringing with you a few months before your wedding day/honeymoon.
Installing apps to help you get organized and set honeymoon checklist reminders
- Keep a note of the bullet points that come to mind
Nowadays, we are surrounded by technology 24/7 and at any given moment, a new idea of something you need/want to add to your honeymoon checklist will come to mind and here is where the Android, iOS and Alexa APPs will come in handy helping you get organized and on-task.
For example, you could pair the Alexa app with your Kayak Skill and say “Alexa, ask KAYAK how much it costs to rent a car in Miami”.
Things you can do with the Alexa app and Google assistant
With the Alexa Any.do Skill, just say ‘Alexa, add honeymoon plans to my To-Do list’ or ‘Alexa, add Victoria Secrets lingerie to my honeymoon checklist’. Your tasks will immediately sync to your Any.do account on mobile, desktop and tablet - so you’ll have it with you anytime, anywhere.
With the Alexa UBERSkill or LYFT Skill, You can book a ride on either Uber or Lyft; both of them have skills you can enable for Alexa. Once you've set up an account and have completed your profile with payment options, you could say, "Hey Alexa, ask Uber to request me a ride"
With the Alexa KAYAK Skill, You check prices on flights, hotels and car rentals. Want to see how far you can go on your budget? Alexa will use KAYAK Explore to tell you where in the world you can travel. Waiting for the in-laws to land? Receive real-time flight status updates on command through KAYAK's Flight Tracker. Travel is (literally) at your command. For example, you could say “Alexa, ask KAYAK where can I go for $600 dollars.”
*To book a hotel using the KAYAK skill, you’ll need to add your traveler and credit card information to your KAYAK.com account. While you can still use the KAYAK skill for Alexa without signing up, an account is required for booking hotels, creating Price Alerts, saving hotels & cars, and accessing KAYAK Trips.
With Google Assistant Todoist, say "OK Google, let me talk to Todoist." Your Todoist assistant will show up to help, and you'll be able to get your tasks organized.
To start, say “OK Google, let me talk to Todoist.” Your Todoist assistant will show up to help, and you’ll be able to ask to do things like:
- Read my tasks
- Tasks for today
- next task
- Add task "Create my Honeymoon Checklist"
*You will need to download Todoist app from Google Play or the iTunes Apple Store
TheKnot.com's "Master Honeymoon Packing List"
After doing much research about this topic and putting together an extensive honeymoon checklist, we realized that other reputable writers/sites dedicated to the wedding industry have done the same and a very good job on this subject. Therefore, I opted for sharing with you one of our best finds and expanded/tweaked a bit on the travel side of things.
The Knot
"Our bare-bones honeymoon packing checklist will keep you covered for emergencies and help you sail through your honeymoon with ease..." <--- packing list section below is a compliment of www.theKnot.com --->
The Must-Haves list
• Airline tickets (printed or on your phone) or e-ticket confirmations
• Passport, visas, driver’s license (see our travel planning checklist post)
• Credit/Debit cards (take only those you’ll need)
• Any reservation confirmations (like hotels, restaurants, tours, car & limo service and events) not available electronically
• Two sets of photocopies of all of the above, plus a photocopy of related medical and/or trip insurance coverage and prescriptions (carry one set with you, leave one in the hotel room)
• Phone numbers/WhatsApp/Skype contacts for your doctor, house or pet sitter and credit card companies (in case your cards are lost or stolen)
• Prescription medicine (Make sure you’ve got enough to last your trip in the original bottles)
• Birth control options (if it is within your conceiving plans)
• ID tags for luggage (inside and out)
• Camera (if you plan to bring one other than your phone. Perhaps a waterproof camera will come handy)
Her Stash for a Week Packing List (Tweak for Destination, Activities and Season)
• 1 pair jeans, pants or leggings (for cold airports and the plane)
• 1 light jacket or pullover (take one that can be tied around the waist or stuffed in a backpack)
• 1 nice sundress
• 1 little black dress
• 1 cardigan (for chilly restaurants)
• 4 casual shirts (T-shirts or tank tops)
• 2 pairs shorts
• 2 swimsuits (bikini for the beach, one-piece for water sports)
• 1 swimsuit cover-up
• 1 pair sneakers
• 1 pair walking shoes or sandals
• 1 pair evening shoes or sandals
• 1 evening purse or clutch
• Extra socks and underwear
• Bras (strapless and otherwise)
• Accessories (scarves, hats and jewelry to add variety to a limited wardrobe)
• Shaving solutions (razors, creams, etc.)
His Stash for a Week Packing List (Tweak for Destination, Activities and Season)
• 1 pair jeans, pants or leggings (for cold airports and the plane)
• 1 light jacket or pullover (take one that can be tied around the waist or stuffed in a backpack)
• 1 nice sundress
• 1 little black dress
• 1 cardigan (for chilly restaurants)
• 4 casual shirts (T-shirts or tank tops)
• 2 pairs shorts
• 2 swimsuits (bikini for the beach, one-piece for water sports)
• 1 swimsuit cover-up
• 1 pair sneakers
• 1 pair walking shoes or sandals
• 1 pair evening shoes or sandals
• 1 evening purse or clutch
• Extra socks and underwear
• Bras (strapless and otherwise)
• Accessories (scarves, hats and jewelry to add variety to a limited wardrobe)
• Shaving solutions (razors, creams, etc.)
The Pack Here - Don't Buy Once You Get There List
• Insect repellent (and anti-itch cream for the bugs that break through)
• Sunscreen and lip balm
• Sunglasses
• Sun hat or baseball cap
• Aloe Vera
• Band-Aids
• Aspirin
• Antacid
• Antihistamine
• Diarrhea medicine
• Motion sickness medicine
• Tampons and/or pads (they can be hard to find outside the US and are a non-negotiable must-have when you need them)
• Paperback books (you can leave them in the hotel library once you’ve finished them)
• Deck of cards
• Canvas tote bag for beach or pool (also good for carrying souvenirs home)
• Guidebook
• Electrical converter and/or adapter
The Bathroom Basics
• Travel-size toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Deodorant
• Cosmetics
• Makeup remover
• Cotton balls and swabs
• Comb and/or brush
• Hair gel or spray
• Nail file and/or clippers
• Shaving cream
• Razors
• Contact lenses, re-wetting solution and storage case
• Hair accessories
The Optional Items (Your hotel may provide, but don't count on it)
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Body lotion
• Hair dryer
• Shower cap
• Alarm clock
The Knot's Handy Extras Recommendations List
• Extra pair of glasses and/or contacts
• Asthma inhaler
• Ziploc bags (all sizes; use for packing wet swimsuits or protecting camera and film when it rains)
• Earplugs
• Sewing kit
• Tide pen
• Antibacterial liquid or lotion
• Eye drops
• Small backpack(s) for day excursions or impromptu activities
• 1 pair old sneakers you’re willing to get wet or ruined
• 1 pair workout sneakers and 2–3 workout outfits if you plan on visiting the resort’s gym or jogging on the beach
• Swiss Army knife
• Compact umbrella or other rain gear
what to leave behind with family and friends
• Your full itinerary, hotel & tour guide phone numbers (if traveling overseas and you opted for a local SIM card, don’t forget to provide them with the local # as soon as you get a dial tone)
• Photocopies of your passport, driver’s license, credit cards and recent profile pictures.
• A sealed copy of your wills, life insurance policy numbers and all pertinent financial info.
Now that you've got packing covered, let's discuss luggage quality and overweight
One of the other travel planning related thing to consider (and perhaps quite daunting) is the luggage weight cap. If you luggage/cargo is over the airline pre-set limits, chances are you will be charged an overweight fee by the airline at the time of checking-in for your flight (this is not what you need on the final stretch). Make sure to check with your airline in advance in order to avoid unpleasant surprises at the check-in counter if budget is a concern (it’s not like you have money to burn).
• Get yourself a suitcase scale (you can get a decent scale at Amazon.com for around $10.00).
• If you don’t have them already, buy quality luggage/suitcases with wheels as they could save you lots of efforts while hauling them and quality issue headaches by not breaking/lasting forever (which means saving money long term).
• Use vacuum-sealed bags you can get at stores like Target, Walmart or Costco to pack and protect your clothes.
• If your bags are overweight, you might find that pre-shipping a box via USPS, FedEx or UPS might be more convenient and cost effective.
• When packing liquids, remember the 3-1-1 liquid rule (check the TSA’s Travel Checklist).
• Most fluids should be checked in your luggage, do not take in your hand luggage. Ziploc bags are the key to keeping cosmetics, lotions, perfumes and other products organized and sealed.
• Pack your jewelry and wedding rings safely and never place them in the checked luggage. Do always pack these items along with your medications and important documents in your carry-on bag.
Safeguarding your documents in the cloud
Losing or forgetting to take important and sensitive documents can be very overwhelming when you are abroad, therefore, pay particular attention to this task and upload them to a “secured cloud account”.
Take digital pictures or scans of your ID cards, passports and credit of both sides to store these images in a secured storage solution and make sure your mobile devices are password secured and have a “Find my Phone/Tablet” app installed just in case you misplace any of them.
Hope that some of the tips mentioned on this honeymoon checklist prove to be useful for you. Traveling/packing can be overwhelming, but with some in-advance planning and applying the suggestions and tips outlined here and on theknot.com, you will relieve some of that jitter stress.
For more useful traveling tips, please visit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) “Summer Travel Tips” post.
As the saying goes: “prepare for the worst, hope for the best” and congratulations in your newlywed roll.
Best of lucks and have some fun,
The Travel Plan Info team.
