Hello Simplicity Life Travel and  Honeymoon Registry Clients andReaders — I thought you might enjoy this Top 10 list as I did. This was written by a Travel Writer’s Association member Barbara Bunce Desmeules aka Travelling Booky http://www.travellingbooky.com/

Top Ten Travel Tips You’ve Never Heard

1. Make sure your suitcase is within your lifting capabilities. There is nothing worse than heaving and grunting under excess weight, the suitcase’s not the owner’s. My problem is that I am such an expert at rolling and bagging all of my clothes that I can fit in twice as much as I should. The items might fit but it makes for a suitcase I cannot lift from the airport baggage carousel, cannot lift onto the bus or lift onto any surface for unpacking. My husband dropped it on his foot trying to hoist it out of the trunk of the car and had trouble walking for days.

2. Never read “What to Pack” lists. They inevitably suggest an item or two that you never would have thought to bring. Now I absolutely need a bandana, inflatable hangers and a universal sink stopper! (See http://www.onebag.com/) I have never removed an item from my list after reading these helpful aids.

3. Do not accept the little gift packs some airlines give you. It’s free, I know, but takes up unplanned space. Who needs flimsy earplugs and extra eye masks? Be tough. Just say no.

4. Bring a book you don’t mind leaving behind. Never bring a library book. Not only will you have to take good care of it but you will have to lug it back home. A cheap paperback you can leave behind is your best bet. You can even join http://www.bookcrossing.com/ and perhaps see who picks it up.

5. This tip is mostly for men but can apply to women. Do not bring all of your shirts (tops) in the same shade. Blue is nice but no one will notice that one has micro stripes in red or that the other has tiny checks in grey. It all looks the same in a picture. Vary the colour scheme. And, please remind me to read this pointer to my husband on the next trip.

6. Never try to crack a joke with either a border guard or a French waiter. Both are humourless and can make your life miserable.

7. Never promise any one back home a specific souvenir. I looked all over South-western France for the perfect scarf for my mother. I could not find one the right colour, size, price or fabric. I came back with a bracelet.

8. Never have raw oysters on an empty stomach and a half-hour before going for a boat ride on choppy waters.

9. If you have a rental car that is manual, please try out every manoeuvre before heading down the highway. At our first pit stop, we couldn’t figure out how to go in reverse, i.e. get out of the parking spot. Thanks to a kind Spanish tourist, and my smattering of Spanish, we managed to learn how to go backwards in France.

10. Finally, here is the last and the most important tip: put your house keys in a safe and reachable place. Do not throw them recklessly at the bottom of the largest suitcase and then forget about them. The worse place to think about how to enter your house is when you are in a taxi, five minutes away. Leaning into the trunk of the taxi, searching through suitcases while your husband holds the umbrella over your backside, is not the best way to end a vacation. Fighting about who has, or had, the keys is not pleasant either. The only one who gets a good story and laugh out of this experience is the taxi driver. Oh yes, it’s also very expensive to drive across the city to go to that someone’s house who has a set of your keys.

Questions: will you remove one item from your list after reading this? 

 

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You don’t want to start your honeymoon stressed out in the security line.  Unfortunately long lines might be hard to avoid but once you DO get close to the “gate” so to speak here as some tips on getting through pre-flight security.

1. Have your documents ready before you get in line:  It always surprises me when I see people pulling out their documents WHEN they get up to TSA agent.  It’s not like most of these people haven’t already been in line for 20 minutes or more.  Why then do they wait until they get to the agent to then begin digging around in their bags for their passport?   Keep your passport, boarding pass and other travel documents in one place, where you can easily find them and give the right documents to the right person as quickly and orderly as you can.
2. Choose who you line up behind: The speed in which you can get through the line depends most on the speed of the people ahead of you in the line.  You need to do some profiling of the people in front of you before you join a line. Avoid families and the elderly – they take too long to get their jackets, shoes and bags into and out of the scanner. Avoid anyone carrying anything metal (crutches, canes, prams) – there will inevitably be delays in them putting them through the scanner. Avoid large groups of people (school kids, tour groups, sporting groups, air crews) – they will be taking too much time helping each other out and sorting out who owns what. Basically look for other packs of travelling alone and serious looking business travellers.
3. Select the right toiletry pack: The obvious advice is do not pack anything in a bottle larger than 3 oz and put them in a clear zip lock bag. But that is a given.  Here are 3 other pieces of advice for you. Firstly – carry a spare zip lock bag. If you lose your original or it breaks you will need a spare.  Secondly – be selective as to which toiletry bag you use. Thirdly – keep your liquids to a minimum. (ex:  Don’t pack shampoo- use those provided by the hotel.)  F
4. Slip ons not laces: Your shoes should be slip ons not lace ups to speed on and off;
5. Put everything in your bag: Before you get to the line (ex: at check-in or in the taxi) put your wallet, coins, mobile, blackberry, pens, everything in you pockets into your carry on bag. Don’t keep things in your pocket as you will just have to take them out and put them back in again;
6. Smile: Security people get frowned at all day. Give them a smile.
7. Afterwards -  relax and enjoy knowing you’re on your way to your honeymoon!

Not sure where you want to go on your honeymoon? Simplicity Life Travel offers some advice on choosing the honeymoon destination that’s perfect for you.

It’s a big world, after all! And there are so many places that sound wonderful for your honeymoon. And it is the trip of a lifetime right? How do you decide where to go on your honeymoon?

It may seem obvious, but the first step in planning a trip is deciding where to go. Here are some simple guidelines:

1.) Be realistic – the first step is determining how much time you have to travel, and as important, how much money do you have allocated for your honeymoon. (Using Simplicity Life Travel’s honeymoon registry can give extra cushion to that budget!)

2.) The best way to start your planning may be to choose a list of specific destinations that interest you. Then start reading and researching these places to see if they fit your desires. If there are only beach and water sports and you don’t tan and can’t swim, then it may not be the place for you.

3.) Narrow your choices. The world is big. Even one country is big. You can’t see it all in a lifetime, much less in a week or a few weeks. Most people try to do too much in too little time. You’ll have a much better experience if you can actually take the time to enjoy where you are – instead of being exhausted because you’re running from one city to the next, one country to the next. (This makes for some cranky travelers!)

4.) Choose a place that interests you – not just for the monuments but also for the culture and way of life. Your daily activities and the people you meet have more influence on the quality of your travel experience than the sites you visit or the sights you see.

5.) Make your own choices. Don’t go somewhere just because someone else liked it or told you to go there. See #4 – again, just because a friend enjoyed the trek through the Himalayas in freezing temperatures carrying a 60-pound bag doesn’t mean you will. If you’re idea of roughing it is a 5 star hotel in Tahiti then a river-rafting trip down the Grand Canyon may not be for you!

6.) Think about who is giving you advice and what their knowledge is based on. Have they actually been there or are they experts on this destination? Look for resources from and by people in the places you are thinking of going for the most accurate picture of what travel in those places will really be like.

7.) Travel in the present. Learn about contemporary life and current affairs in the places you are going. (The Internet makes this much easier than ever before.)

8.) And most importantly, be sure that you and your fiancée are on the same page. If you want a week at a luxury hotel with a spa and a swim up bar, and he wants to go to a dude ranch, then you need to talk about that early on and find a way to compromise. (That is what you do in marriage!) Perhaps you can go to Kauai and stay at the Princeville Resort, which has a wonderful spa and is conveniently located by the Princeville Stables!

9.) Once you’ve made your decision, book early! Waiting for those last minute Internet fares is not honeymoon appropriate. The most popular honeymoon destinations such as Tahiti sell out months in advance!

10.) Don’t forget to say “I DO” and go have the honeymoon of your dreams. You should come back from your trip feeling like you’ve just experienced one of the most memorable and enjoyable events of your new life together.

Take these items along…. Just in case…

  

Don't forget to pack the Aloe Vera!

1. Plastic grocery bags, just a few, these are great for bringing home your wet swim suit you wore the morning before you left to come home.  They are also great for seashells that are full of sand and many, many other uses.  In a pinch you’ll be glad you have it for toting stuff home. 
2. Travel packet of disinfecting wipes. Maids aren’t always as diligent as you would hope they would be. Wipe down door knobs front and back, including the bathroom door handles and any other door handles you may have in your room.
3. Tylenol and Advil , these are a must for many obvious reasons.
4. Aloe vera gel especially if you are going to the beach, a sun burned grumpy hubby (or bride) is no fun, so don’t forget the Aloe Vera!
5. Clorox stain pen, I love this little gismo! Never leave home without one! You can get almost any stain out with this little pen and you won’t have to retire that sexy and cute shirt from your cache of honeymoon clothes. Take 2 or 3; really you don’t want to be without them!

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!)

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!)

Smart bride, smart traveler…Wherever your honeymoon may take you it is important to leave a paper trail…yes, a paper trail. I know you two love birds want to be left alone and after all the wedding festivities you just want to head off into the sunset to begin the second most anticipated event… The Honeymoon!

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

 

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!