Category Archives: Travel Tips

Honeymoon Reading Recommendations: Keep It Light!

Posted on by

2

Believe it or not, your honeymoon is not the time to bust out tearjerker books such as Never Let Me Go, The Road, or Little Bee.  It’s also not necessarily the best time to tackle notoriously challenging books like Infinite Jest or Gravity’s Rainbow.  In her recent Tahitian honeymoon blog post, my very wise friend Alix made an excellent point that I also want to emphasize: you’ve got to keep the reading selection during your honeymoon light.

Library

The library at the Hon Tam Resort in Nha Trang, Vietnam

I recently polled a small group of friends to ask them what they read during their honeymoons, and the feedback was almost entirely unanimous:

1) Everyone likes funny books, especially comedic memoirs:

– Bossypants by Tina Fey (the audiobook, too, is truly amazing)

– Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

– Anything by Chelsea Handler

2) Book series are so hot right now:

– The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (although one friend mentioned that she would get so caught up in the books that wouldn’t want to put them down, which brings up a smart point that if you don’t want to turn your honeymoon into a reading marathon, you should bring along books that are good, but not THAT good.)

– The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling (these books are pretty clunky, so it’s probably best to load them on an e-reader)

– The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy by Stieg Larsson (a good story, yes, but definitely not the lightest/happiest subject matter)

3) “Romance novels” can help put you in the mood:

– The 50 Shades of Grey  Trilogy by E L James (Oh my!  Barf.  I couldn’t even get through book two, but it sounds like all of my friends were equally curious about these books)

And I can’t personally vouch for any of the following, but the following books were highly recommended by a self-proclaimed trashy romance connoisseur:

– Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

– Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

– The Mighty Storm by Samantha Towle

– On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Continue reading →

Don’t Let Travel Scams Bum Out Your Honeymoon

Posted on by

1

Lonely Planet’s blog just published a great piece on 10 Common Travel Scams, including the ever-so-popular bird shit and fake police scams that trick far too many travelers.  Fortunately, I haven’t encountered many scams myself during my travels abroad, but my husband and I did have one little “incident” during our honeymoon.  Here’s the story of our “You look tired, do you want to stop for some coffee?” scam:

While my husband and I were honeymooning in Bali, a prearranged driver was supposed to take us from our first hotel in Ubud to our next one in Nusa Dua.  During the drive, Aaron let out a yawn and the driver made some sort of joke about how honeymooners never get enough sleep.  He asked if Aaron would like some coffee because he knew of a wonderful coffee plantation nearby.  We don’t really remember saying yes to the driver, but the next thing we knew we were in a parking lot full of other taxis.

Balinese Coffee Tasting

Balinese Coffee Tasting

We were quickly shuffled to a table where trays of different coffees were set before us, and a young woman recited her memorized shpiel about the different blends.  We tried them all, and Aaron even paid an extra $10 to try the coffee made from luwak droppings.  (I passed on that.)

At the end of our tasting, we were given a quick tour of the plantation and our guide explained to us how poor the workers were.  Right on cue, we arrived at the gift shop where we were told that every purchase makes a big difference in the workers’ lives.  We decided to buy two little bags of flavored coffees and were shocked by the humungous price tag.

Continue reading →

Is a Honeymoon Cruise a Good Idea?

Posted on by

0

I have a confession to make.  Okay, deep breath, here we go.

I don’t hate cruises.

This may be even more shocking than when I wrote about why I used a travel agent to help me plan my honeymoon, but it’s true.  Did I want to go on a cruise for my own honeymoon?  No, but I can definitely see why people would choose to go that route.

Cruise Ships

1) Cruises are a stress-free way to see many destinations on one trip.  Whether you want to check out a variety of Caribbean islands or multiple ports around the Mediterranean, you won’t have to worry about transportation between each place.  No delayed flights, smelly trains, or confusing roadmaps to dampen your honeymoon!

2) All-You-Can-Eat and midnight buffets.  I don’t know about you, but I was ready to chow down once my wedding was over.  So not only can you eat a ton on cruise ships, picky eaters or people on special diets don’t have to worry about what they are eating while they’re in foreign countries.*

3) It’s pretty impossible to get bored on a cruise ship these days.  Between the rock climbing walls, the spa, the shows, the ice skating rink, etc., your days at sea can be as active or relaxing as you’d like.

Even though there are a lot of good reasons to cruise, there certainly are some turn-offs as well.  You can’t be flexible about your itinerary, cruise ship cabins can be comically small, and some cruises have strict seating assignments and meal times.  Despite the monstrous size of cruise ships these days, some people feel claustrophobic nonetheless.

Continue reading →

Delaying Your Honeymoon? Travel in January!

Posted on by

0

A lot of people choose not to go on their honeymoons directly after their weddings for a variety of reasons. As I wrote in a previous blog post about timing your honeymoon, I think it’s really important for a couple to consider where they want to go, what their work/school situation is like, how they want others to treat their honeymoon, and their finances.

Ko Olina, Oahu

Sunset at Ko Olina, Oahu

So if you do want to delay your honeymoon, when is the best month to travel?  That, of course, depends on where you’d like to go.  There are certain places that have great weather all year (e.g. Hawaii), but obviously the major European destinations like Italy and Greece are going to be quite cold.  Beach Tomato’s “Follow The Sun” map is an awesome tool for finding sunny destinations all year round.

Financially speaking though, January is a great month for traveling.  Prices are usually at all-time highs around the December holidays, but they drop dramatically after January 1st once kids go back to school.  And for spontaneous couples that don’t need a lot of time to plan ahead, you can get really great travel deals if you actually book your January trip at the last minute.

What are my favorite January destinations?  If you’re looking for warm weather, it’s a great month to visit the Southern Hemisphere, and I especially recommend going to Australia, New Zealand, or Argentina.  I’d also looove to visit South Africa in January one day, too.

But if getting a tan isn’t high on your honeymoon priority list, January is also the perfect time to visit world-class ski resorts throughout the U.S., Canada, and Switzerland.

Do You Need To Buy Souvenirs During Your Honeymoon?

Posted on by

0

It really just depends on whether you like souvenir shopping or not.  If you love it, then go for it!  Shot glasses and magnets for everyone!  But if you aren’t a huge fan of bringing tchotchkes home from all of your trips, you don’t need to feel obligated to do so on your honeymoon.

Souvenir Shop in Granada

Souvenir Shop in Granada, Spain

If you’re still on the fence about souvenirs, here are a couple of things to consider:

1. Are any of your family members or friends going out of their way for you back home?

A token of gratitude will most likely be appreciated if you’ve asked anyone (or if you’ve accepted someone’s offer) to do any of the following for you:

– watch your dog/cat/goldfish/etc.

– water your plants

– pick up your mail (even though you should just sign up for hold mail service!)

– house-sit

– drive you to/from the airport

2. Is your honeymoon destination known for a cool product?

This is my nice way of saying, “don’t just buy someone foreign crap.”  If you’re going to buy someone a souvenir, try to find something that’s popular in, or unique to, your honeymoon destination.  For example, if you’re honeymooning in Italy, it’s a good idea to bring home high quality olive oil or something made of Murano glass.  If you ‘re honeymooning in Hawaii you can always bring back macadamia nuts or Kona coffee.  You get the picture.

Continue reading →

How To Get Awesome Honeymoon Photos

Posted on by

0

Almost all honeymoon photos fall into one of three distinct categories:

#1 The dreaded awkward solo photo:

#2 The long-arm self portrait (a.k.a. the armpit shot):

or

#3 The I-can’t-believe-a-stranger-actually-caught-this-cool-shot-of-both-of-us:

You’re most likely to take tons of #1s and 2s, but you’ll be lucky to get even a small handful of 3s.

So what can you do to get better photos?  The answer is simple.  You’ve got to rely on a third person.  The best photos from my own honeymoon were taken by private tour guides.  (You’re less likely to get great photos if you participate in group tours when the guide has to stop and do photo shoots for each couple.)  You can arrange private tours spontaneously or in advance and there are certainly benefits to each way.

Continue reading →

Making the Most Out of Layovers: Part 2

Posted on by

0

In my last post I mentioned some fun things to do if you leave the airport during a layover, but what about tips for those who don’t want to venture out?  Aside from the obvious (restroom break, eating, buying magazines, etc.), here are some additional tips for making the most out a of a layover if you stay inside the airport:

  1. The Travel Channel’s Layover Guide has a fantastic suggestion: see if you can a one-day pass to your airline’s airport club.  In addition to relaxing in a quiet space on comfortable furniture, you’ll probably get free food, wifi, and/or booze, depending on the airline.
  2. Recharge your electronics.  You won’t want your laptop/iPad/iPod’s batteries to die mid-flight.
  3. Exchange some currency.  While the exchange rates at the airport may not be the best deal around, it’s a good idea to have some of the correct currency upon arrival.
  4. Walk around.  This is probably a no-brainer to most of you for health reasons, but you never know what you may find while walking around an airport.  For example, during a recent layover in Kuala Lumpur, my husband and I found a Harrods Tea Salon and shop.   He had never been to the store in London before, so we killed the time sipping tea and eating sandwiches.
  5. Shop duty free.  But just a heads up, it may be difficult to bring alcohol into countries with strict rules about alcohol.  (Some of my friends were unable to bring wine into the Maldives.)

Making the Most Out of Layovers: Part 1

Posted on by

0

I really hate layovers.  To me, they’re almost always a waste of time and just another chance of a delayed/missed/canceled flight while the airline loses my luggage.  That’s why earlier this year, my husband and I made the conscious decision to always pay extra to fly direct whenever we possibly can.

However, flying direct to many popular honeymoon destinations is just not feasible, even for those who live near big hubs like Los Angeles or New York.  So if you need to have a layover or two, why not try to make the most of it à la Anthony Bourdain?

Los Angeles

You may find yourself stuck at LAX en route to Hawaii, Australia/New Zealand, Asia, or Tahiti/Fiji.  Depending on how much time you have, you will probably want to rent a car since the city is so spread out.

I totally agree with Tony that your very first stop should be In-N-Out Burger – there’s one right by the airport.  (The burgers aren’t huge – you’ll still look awesome in your bikini, I promise.)  After that, the world is your oyster.  If it’s your first time in LA, you may want to drive over to do some shopping in Beverly Hills or The Grove.  If you’re looking to just take it easy, maybe drive over to Malibu or Santa Monica.

Beware of LA traffic though, and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get back to the airport before your next flight.

Miami

Miami is the gateway to the Caribbean and South America.  The infamous beaches are just 30 minutes away, and you can easily get there via the super shuttle or a taxi.

South Beach is a pretty amazing place to people watch and get some excellent seafood.  But if you don’t want to venture out of the airport, there’s a pretty decent Cuban restaurant that you should check out in Terminal D.

London

London is a great city for a layover because there’s so much to see and do, and Heathrow will connect you to many airports throughout Europe and Africa.  Unless you’ve got tons of money to spare, take the Tube into town because taxis are incredibly expensive.  In fact, everything you do is going to be pricey, so just be aware of that.  If you’re going to be in London for < 24 hours, just buy a one-day travel card.  But if you’re going to be in town for longer than that, buy yourself an Oyster card.

Crunched on time?  Just go to a pub.  Which pub, you ask?   Any pub will do.  Really.  Beers will be at least $8 each, but they will be delicious and worth it.  Order some fish and chips as well.

Have plenty of time?  There are so many great (and free!) museums in London, my favorite being The British Museum.  You’ll also want to take obligatory photos near Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace.

Continue reading →

Feeling Crappy On Your Honeymoon Feels Like… Crap

Posted on by

0

I’m sorry to break this to you, but there’s a really good chance that you’re going to get sick at some point during your honeymoon. Between eating strange new foods, sitting next to sickly airplane passengers, and mostly just getting over the stress of planning your wedding, your immune system will indeed be working overtime.

So, what can you do to reduce the risk of falling ill? Aside from bringing a two-week supply of food from home and wearing a face-mask at all times (gasp – just think of the tanlines!), there’s not a lot you can do.  However, it’s smart to plan ahead and bring some medical supplies just in case your health takes a turn for the worse.  No, you don’t need to bring an entire pharmacy in your suitcase, but in addition to any medication that you currently take, consider packing the basics: acetamenophin, ibuprofen, antacid tablets, aloe vera, and bandaids.

Though if you really want to cover your bases, you should also think about where you’re going on your honeymoon, and pack additional items accordingly.  Will you be in a remote resort miles away from a major town? Will you need to deal with language barriers if you need to go to a pharmacy?  Are you a hypochondriac?  If so, it sounds like you should maybe bring some extra supplies.

Continue reading →