After receiving a new piece of jewelry, most women can’t wait to show it off. The same is especially true when it comes to engagement rings and wedding bands. So if your honeymoon begins shortly after your wedding, you may be extra tempted to bring the new jewelry along… but is that the smartest idea?
There’s no absolute right or wrong answer here, and I think it mostly depends on the type of honeymoon you’re going on and what your rings are like, but here are the things I’d consider before making your decision:
1) Are your rings insured? If not, leave them at home. I repeat, leave them at home. Get those bad boys insured A.S.A.P.
2) How flashy are your rings? If you have an enormous diamond, you’ve probably noticed how much attention it gets, but is that the sort of attention you’ll want while traveling?
3) What are you planning on doing during your honeymoon? If your itinerary is something along the lines of “swim, surf, massage, and repeat,” you’ll need to take your rings off a lot anyway, so why risk bringing them in the first place? I personally know at least two guys who lost their brand new wedding bands during their honeymoons, and I can’t shake the memory of a guy frantically swimming around in the ocean looking for his wedding ring during my trip to Hawaii last year. Let’s just say he did not look happy. Large bodies of water + expensive jewelry = usually not a great outcome.
4) Where are you honeymooning? If you’re going somewhere that has a reputation for street crime* (e.g. Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Rome), you may want to be extra mindful about what jewelry you choose to wear. And if you’re going to a more religious or conservative destination, some tourists feel that they are treated differently when locals perceive that they are an unmarried couple.** In that case, you may want to wear rings, but that doesn’t mean you have to bring the real deal. Lots of people wear fake wedding bands while traveling and leave the expensive stuff at home.
Peonies to Palm Trees 