Mr. Turkey and I tried to keep these as generic as possible. However, you'll notice that many of them have more to do with the overall preparation and experience than a specific location or honeymoon style.
1. Pack EARLY
Take our advice and pack before you head to the wedding. I repeat...before the wedding.
Clearly there will be some things to add at the end, but whether you're leaving hours after your celebration or a day later (like us), packing early is key. The last thing we wanted to do with our Sunday afternoon was pack a suitcase. We preferred falling asleep on the couch much more.
2. Pack Smartly
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| The bulk of our luggage - two 29" suitcases |
On the "what": Think hard about what you plan to do. Although Mr. Turkey and I already had our excursions mostly planned out, I packed way too many casual day outfits. We wore one each. The majority of our necessary clothes were bathing suits, coverups and evening attire (dresses and polos for dinner). Also, shoes are your enemy. Pick one pair of sandals and wear those. You don't need a gold pair AND a blue pair. And Mr. Turkey doesn't need his boat shoes (I am speaking to the former Miss Turkey).
On the "how much": We went TO Hawaii with almost the maximum in luggage. Clearly we planned to buy a few things, so starting so dangerously close to 50 pounds was not the best idea. At the Honolulu airport we were switching items among bags and making our carry-ons excessively heavy. Not fun. You can always buy things you forget / need later. Such a better option!
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| However, do BYO sunscreen and leave any extra when you depart. Resort prices are ridiculous ($15+). |
3. Think before you book
Make a decision early on with your significant other about what type of honeymoon you want. Are you planning to do lots of activities and eat dinner at popular restaurants? Or do you prefer days on the beach and a quick bite?
If the latter is more your scene, all you need is a hotel and a credit card! However, if you're like the Turkeys (in the former style), your honeymoon may require some pre-planning. Call your hotel's concierge, consult travel websites and look at the details for bookings.
Some of our excursions / activities / splurges required early reservations to get the day of our choosing, while others were OK the day of (e.g. we booked the luau and Hike Maui early, but did the cabana two days beforehand). Dining was a mixed experience. In Ka'anapali, we ended up with burgers one night after finding long waits at three different restaurants. On the flip side, in Wailea we were able to snag a same-day reservation at the brand new Amasia.
We would also recommend, if you do early bookings, ensure you have all your print outs and contact information handy. I brought a file folder with all our information and although Mr. Turkey mocked it at first, it was extremely useful throughout the trip.
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| Make sure to include all your hotel reservations too! |
This means different things to different couples, but were recommending you try at least one new thing when on your honeymoon. It's a once in a lifetime trip, so go all out!
We tried lots of different / local food and Mr. Turkey went really outside his comfort zone by going on a helicopter tour.
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| This photo was after we got off board...and Mr. Turkey was VERY happy |
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| Mid-way through the food quest that was the Ocean Hale dinner |
Don't worry, we're not pushing cell phone abandonment or anything crazy like that (well, unless you're going international and can be hit with crazy roaming charges). The Turkeys do recommend, however, that you at least tuck the iPhones away for a bit. Whether you're gone for 2 days or 2 weeks, it's nice to be in the moment and a bit separate from the "real world".
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| Hmmm...unless one of your restaurants gives you an iPad as a menu |
Although our behavior was not at all the "norm" - in a world where we're both attached to our iPhones and work Blackberries - it made us focus on each other 100%. In the craziness / travel that has come since returning from the honeymoon, we're extra happy we had that time together.
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| Love |
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