Never ever put your valuable jewelry in your checked luggage or other small valuable items like expensive sun glasses. Valuables have a way of disappearing from checked luggage (even with luggage locks!)
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Tuesday’s Travel Tip October 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
When flying, always keep your prescription medications with you in your carry on luggage. Do not put your prescription medications in your checked luggage. Should you put them in your checked luggage and the luggage is lost or delayed…well…need we say more?
Also, it’s a good idea to take prescription medication with you that you may not use everyday, but might need while on your honeymoon. (Should any of you want to hear MY honeymoon story and my quest in a foreign country for a medication to help with a pesky YI, do let me know!)
Destination (Wedding) Wednesdays…
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009Imagine your perfect wedding…
Destination (Wedding) Wednesdays for all your destination wedding and honeymoon tips.
Has he said “Will you?” and you’ve said “I will” (or visa versa)? Is your dream wedding on a beach? Is it in a stunning tropical paradise? Maybe it’s high on a mountain top? Are your friends and family surrounding you as you exchange your vows?
“Fiji has a way of making dreams come true. Be assured of one thing in this South Pacific Paradise… say “We do” in Fiji and you will experience a dream wedding that will provide fantastic memories that will last a lifetime….”
On Wednesday’s we will post ideas about where to have the perfect Destination Wedding or just the perfect honeymoon with tips and recommendations about making your dream come true!
Simplicity Life Travel can help you book your dream destination wedding. And don’t forget, even if you have a destination wedding, you can still create a fabulous honeymoon registry!
Tuesday’s Travel Tip October 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009![iStock_000003568501XSmall[1]](http://www.simplicitylifetravel.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/iStock_000003568501XSmall1.JPG "iStock_000003568501XSmall[1]")
Take your passport...and copies!
However, it is important to be smart when traveling. It doesn’t matter if you are going outside the US or staying stateside creating a paper trail is always a smart safety precaution. Add these items to your honeymoon check off list. Make copies of airline schedules, hotel information, check in and checkout dates, planned excursions, car rental information and your in-laws phone numbers. If you are traveling outside the US it is very important to make 3 copies of your passports: one to leave at home, one to carry while you are out having fun and one to leave in the hotel room in case yours gets lost or stolen. The US will let you back into the country with a copy. Never carry your passport when you are out site seeing.
In case of an emergency you will be very happy you took these measures in advance! Be like the Boy Scouts and be prepared.
By: Renee Madison — National Travel Director, Simplicity Life Travel
Considering a honeymoon at a Sandals Resort? I highly recommend it!
Friday, October 16th, 2009I spent last week at Sandal’s Jamaica Dunn’s River (it was a vacation, not a honeymoon). I have to say, I was absolutely blown away by how fabulous both Jamaica and Sandal’s were.
Nancy, the blogger, enjoying the swim up bar at Sandals!
I have also tweeted already how I went from skeptic of the swim up bar, to a true believer!! My one suggestion is that Sandal’s build a swim up bar at/in the beach! I realize most people prefer the pool over the beach (not sure why) but I’m a beach nut. It sure would have been nice to get in the Caribbean, swim on up to bar in the sea and order a cocktail. No worries, I made do with the swim up bar at the pool!
Ok, so Sandal’s for a honeymoon. Absolutely!! Sandal’s for a vacation. YES!! I am not being paid to blog or promote Sandals – my experience there was just that good. (Although I will say at times I did feel the staff was a bit “Stepford Wives-ish” — but I would take that over complaceny and bad service.) Sandals is over the top in service, hospitality, and a “no brainer” vacation or honeymoon. The food was excellent, the wine was quality, the drinks were great, the staff was so gracious, accomodating and friendly. I never really understand the Sandal’s formula until I went there – and they have perfected it.
The one surreal thing about Sandal’s Dunn’s River to me (and this by no means a complaint, just a comment) was the Italian theme. The lobby was gorgeous — but Italiante. The restaurants were great — but named things like Columbo or Marco Polo. I had to remind myselves several times that we were in Jamaica. You could spend a whole week there and never leave the property – and if you didn’t, you could probably convince yourself you had honeymooned on the Italian Riviera. We however, wanted to KNOW that we had vacationed in Jamaica. So we ventured off the property to explore a bit and get a “feel” for Jamaica (although we did miss it while we were away!)
If you want to get out and explore or take tours — and we did, Sandal’s can help you with that too. We rented a car and drove out to Port Antonio. Port Antonio is where the Hollywood set goes in Jamaica but it is largely ignored by the typical tourist crowd. The resorts there and the beaches were, however, spectacular. Anyway, the road is new and it was a gorgeous drive (on the left) with several stops in small charming Caribbean/Jamaican towns. All the while we had stunning sea views on one side and gorgeous, lush, tropical mountain views on the other side.
Here is a NOTE: If you are in the area of Dunn’s River or Ocho Rios, don’t take a tour to Dunn’s River Falls. We almost didn’t go visit them because the guide book said it was overrun and overrated. However, we stopped there on our way to return the rental car at 8:30 in the morning right when they open. (If you don’t rent a car, take a taxi.) We had the entire place to ourselves. But for the employees, there were no tourists there at all. Just us. When we left at 10 a.m. the first 3 buses of tourists were showing up and hundreds of people were headed toward the falls.
Back to Sandal’s, if you are on your honeymoon (or just a really romantic vacation), they do an excellent job of creating romance. DO put things on your Simplicity Life Travel Honeymoon Registry like their “private dinner for two on the beach” or “private beach cabana rental”. If you can swing it, go Concierge service all the way. (We didn’t and I found myself coveting the “concierge services” of those that did!)
I would definitely return to a Sandal’s property – and by the # of the returning guests in their Signature Guest program, so do many others.
One last thing, I haven’t actually done the math, but with all that is included with Sandal’s ultra all inclusive, I do now believe that with the quality and luxury of the accomodations, the excellent food, snacks and beverages, the included activities like kayaks, hobie cats and even SCUBA, that a Sandal’s vacation is actually more affordable than a comparable “a la carte” vacation with the same volume of food, alcohol and diving added up. It just feels like more because you pay a lump sum up front rather than doled out over time.
Trust me, it’s worth it!
(and don’t forget to book your honeymoon with Simplicity Life Travel and use the Simplicity Life Travel Honeymoon Registry!)
Tuesday’s Tips
Friday, October 16th, 2009
New tips each Tuesday!
Stop surfing the net! Simplicity Life Travel has everything you need!
Every Tuesday Simplicity Life Travel is going to bring you some fun and informative honeymoon tips and tidbits that we promise will help you become a seasoned traveler who knows all the insider travel tricks!
Tips to creating a successful honeymoon registry.
Thursday, October 8th, 2009Jenny and John had a successful honeymoon registry!
Happily ever after with a successful honeymoon registry.
When Jenny Johnson and John Ericson got married, they didn’t bother registering with the traditional registries. They already lived together, owned a home, and had the household items they needed.
Instead, Jenny and John created a honeymoon registry and received “pieces of their honeymoon” as wedding gifts.
Jenny and John had a very successful honeymoon registry! “Our honeymoon included Spanish Language courses in Cusco and hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru,” says Jenny. “It was so much more fun creating a gift registry that included these experiential gifts we would always remember. Our honeymoon was filled with fantastic adventures we will never forget, and allowed us to tie these special gifts to our loved ones back home.”
Honeymoon registries today are no longer “alternative” and are acceptable wedding registries. Honeymoon registries offer the opportunity for families and friends to give the couple something worth remembering for their honeymoon. However, because many people are not aware that honeymoon registries exist, it is important that the bride and groom (and their close friends, maid of honor and best man) let people know that their honeymoon registry exists and to “educate” their family friends about the concept. This will insure that they have the most successful honeymoon registry possible.
Simplicity Life Travel Honeymoon Registry provides many tools to help create a successful honeymoon registry and to “get the word out” such as:
- Easy to use honeymoon registry templates to create a dynamic and customized honeymoon Registry announcement postcards to send to family and friends letting them know about your honeymoon registry
- Email announcements to send to family and friends letting them know about your honeymoon registry
- An easy to use website to for friends and family to view your itemized registry and purchase your gifts.
In addition to the “spread the word” tools, the Simplicity Life Travel honeymoon registry also offers:
- FREE wedding website
- FREE wedding blog
- FREE photo album
Although Simplicity Life Travel Honeymoon Registry provides some great tools to help you have a successful honeymoon registry, the bride and groom can also help make the honeymoon registry successful. Here a few things you can do to create a successful honeymoon registry.
1. Be Creative – Have fun with your registry. Don’t’ just ask for cash – include fun items and activities your friends and family can get excited about. HoneyLuna’s registry page allows you to include comments and even links to the hotel or activity to personalize your registry even more.
2. Include Gifts In a Variety of Price Ranges – When creating your registry do include a variety of items in different price ranges. You don’t want to leave anyone out, nor make anyone feel uncomfortable. With a wide variety of price ranges, guests can contribute anywhere from $20 on up – more if they want!
3. Upload a Photo – upload your photo to your registry and wedding website pages to personalize your honeymoon registry as much as possible.
4. PROMOTE YOUR REGISTRY – Don’t’ be Shy – PROMOTE YOUR REGISTRY! For a successful registry let everyone know where you are registered. Include registry announcement cards in your engagement letters, shower, and wedding invitations. Advise family members and bridal party of your gift wishes, so that they may be actively involved in communicating directly to your guests. Use HoneyLuna’s email announcements as a follow up close to the wedding date. People DO want to buy you a wedding gift, so you might as well make it as easy for them as possible.
Here is an example of some language you can use in email notifications or on your own wedding website:
Dear Tom and Susan:
We would like to share with you our honeymoon registry.
We have registered for the items and activities of our honeymoon as wedding gifts through Simplicity Life Travel Honeymoon Registry! The gifts from our honeymoon registry will help us create memories that will last our lifetime! And, you’ll be really connected with our honeymoon!
If shopping on line is not your preference, please call Simplicity Life Travel at 877-699-5884. You may also find our registry on line at Simplicity Life Travel Honeymoon Registry and click on “Find a Honeymoon Registry” and type in either Smith or Williams.
Thank you so much for thinking of us. We look forward to seeing you and sharing our special day.
Nancy and Dave
Remember, the more you promote your honeymoon registry, the better your chances of having a successful honeymoon registry. Wouldn’t you rather have some fantastic honeymoon experience as your wedding gift rather than a zebra head cookie platter or another turkey baster?
