Honey Prep. Moon Organization. You Know.

Or, How to Prepare for your Honeymoon.

You know, because Mr. CA and I are still in that blissful newlywed stage between the wedding and the honeymoon where all I want to do is think about what an amazing time I will have on the trip with my fabulous new husband?? Yeah, that stage.

 

{Cappadocia rock column, via Library of Congress}

I already told you where we're going on our honeymoon (hint: it has the same name as the fowl that most carnivores eat for Thanksgiving), but since we had a month between the wedding and when we leave, and all I can do is think about sweet, beautiful Turkey, I thought I would write up a post on preparing for your honeymoon.

Yes, I realize that I am super anal and type-A, and most people don't need a post on how to prepare for their freaking vacation, but too bad. I know that some people (anyone?!) are like me and like to get organized ahead of time. Particularly if you're going on your honeymoon directly after your wedding! You don't want to have to worry about this stuff when you're in that yummy newlywed glow the morning after the wedding, so do yourself a favor and think about this stuff beforehand. That way, when you embark on the trip, all you have to do is make sure you catch the plane (or train. or boat. or automobile).

1. Itinerary and Important Information

I am insane. You must already know this about me, yes? I like being organized, and thus I make a little folder for each trip that I take. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a manila folder (mine are pretty red), but I print out copies of all of my flight information (with confirmation codes), hotel reservations, train tickets, tours I have booked, etc. and stick it in the folder. That way, all of my reservation information is in one handy place in my purse/ backpack/ carry-on when I finally set off, and I can access it easily and quickly. Need my boarding pass? Oh, it's right there in the folder! Need to give our hotel's address to the taxi driver when we land? Yep, that's there too!

This isn't necessary, but I also will typically send a copy of my itinerary to someone at home in case of an emergency. I don't go crazy and type up a super long document detailing my every move, and I am not hugely specific, but I do like to send my mom information on cities I will be in, and the dates, just in case anything should happen. Or, you know, in case someone wants to send us newlyweds a bottle of champagne in our hotel room. Ha, just kidding! (Or am I?)

If I am travelling internationally, I will also stick a copy of the front page of my passport in this folder. That way, if my actual passport is stolen, I will have the copy to take to the nearest American Embassy. Or however that works - I've never actually had a passport stolen (knock on wood!!).

2. Marriage License

Order an official copy of your marriage license and take that with you in your handy folder (see above). There are a few reasons for this.

First, you might want to try for a first-class honeymoon upgrade or other honeymoon perks! I mean, duh, you are going on your honeymoon! You deserve the best, and this is probably the only time in your life where you can shamelessly ask for freebies. Except maybe when you are pregnant.

If you do try for upgrades or perks and the airline/ hotel/ restaurant is amenable, they may require some sort of proof that you are, in fact, recently married. I have no idea if we'll try for an upgrade, but it would be awesome if we could pull it off! Mrs. Penguin had some great tips for attempting a first-class upgrade; I suggest you click on over and check them out!

Second, you may have played the Name Change Game and changed your last name after getting married. Depending on how far along you are in the process prior to your honeymoon, this may cause some issues with boarding planes, customs, etc. 

For example, all of my current identification is in my maiden name, and our tickets to Turkey are in my maiden name as well. Phew! However, my father purchased flights for a family trip in December, and he used my new, married surname for one leg of the flight. Only problem is, I won't have officially changed my name by that time. Uh oh! Don't worry though - as long as you have an official copy of your marriage license with you when you travel, you should hopefully be fine. This may vary according to airline, though, so you might want to call the airline beforehand to confirm.

3. What to Pack

Well, this will obviously depend on where you're headed! And I'm sure you all are far more savvy travellers than I. But, a few suggestions:

- Passport (if you are travelling internationally): Make sure the valid-through dates will cover you through your honeymoon, and at least 3 months after.
- Any necessary visas (if you are travelling internationally): You can find this information here.
- Camera, with necessary batteries, memory cards, and chargers (You might even want to consider an underwater camera!)
- iPod, iPad, etc
-Books (if you are intending on doing reading, or have long international flights like us): I just finished reading Sophie's Choice and In the Garden of Beasts, and have loaded Game of Thrones and a few of the Mary Russel books onto my iPad. Woohoo! 
- Guidebooks for wherever you're going
- Foreign currency: Remember, you get the best rates through your bank!
- Sunhat, sunscreen, insect repellant
-Clothes, toothbrush, toiletries, etc.

Do you have any good tips for preparing for your honeymoon? Or do you prefer the more relaxed (ie normal) approach?

Fly me to the Moon (and Back)

Remember that one time I mentioned we probably wouldn't be able to take a honeymoon? Yeah. Let's talk about that. 

We recently found out that Mr. CA will have about two weeks in late September/ early October between the end of his current job, and the start of his next job in DC. Which means (drum-roll, please)...we have a little bit of time to work with for a honeymoon! Woohoo! It will be about a month after the wedding, but I am a-okay with that - it will give us a bit of time to simmer down after the whole wedding hoopla, get settled in as Mr. and Mrs., recoup, and then head off. 

So, where did we decide on, you ask? Funny story... 

As I mentioned in that previous post, if we did take a honeymoon, we were planning on using miles to fly. I had checked flights for several of the places that we had considered, but just wasn't finding anything that really clicked. Also, we were still only semi-tentative about the whole honeymoon thing. Which means that we weren't really looking in earnest, or very seriously.

Well, one day, on a whim, I remembered that Mr. CA and I had always talked about a certain location. A certain special location. A super-cool, off-the-beaten-path location. A location that was perfect for us - steeped in history, with warm, sandy beaches, incredible and ornate architecture, delicious, exotic food, and lots of things to do and see.

So I randomly checked flights for the potential week and, guess what? Perfect flights, and we had the right amount of miles. I emailed Mr. CA with a screenshot of the flights, and asked "Honeymoon?" I was really mostly joking at that point - I didn't think he would take it seriously. He is, after all, the somewhat more financially responsible one in the relationship. But, a few minutes later I got an email back that said "Let's do it!" Um. Excuse me? 

I immediately called him (you guys know how I can obsess about these things) to verify that he was, indeed, serious about this. Amazingly, he was! So, we booked the damn tickets.

Since we're insane, and have to make everything difficult for ourselves, we booked the tickets separately - our miles are in our separate accounts (did you know that it costs you a ton of money to simply transfer miles from one United account to another?? ridiculous). I knew this was dumb as soon as we started doing it, but Mr. CA was all gung-ho about this trip, so I didn't want to do or say anything that would make him want to pause and rethink this decision. Yay for impulsive choices! 

So, the first time we booked our tickets, he got on the flight and I didn't. Yes. You heard me. 

We were on the phone and filled in all of the information at the same time. When we clicked "confirm" (or "submit," or whatever it is), he got a confirmation screen, and I got an error message. Crap. Mr. CA's going on the honeymoon without me. He had to call the airlines and cancel his flight, although thankfully, they were quite understanding. 

We ended up shifting the dates a little bit (to find flights that had more than one award seat available), and magically, an hour after I emailed Mr. CA, we were going on a honeymoon! Tickets booked. Easy as pie.

Oh, I suppose you want to know where we're going?? Let's see...I spy, with my little eye, a country named...

{Free World Maps}

Yes, that's right! The Candy Apples are going to Turkey. And, Hive, I could not be more excited! Seriously, you guys. I have been dying to go there forever, and it is just such an "us" honeymoon destination. Woohooo!!!

 {Frommer's Istanbul}

At the moment, we have only booked the flights, so things are still up in the air a bit in terms of specifics. We'll be flying into and out of Istanbul, and I am making sure we also hit Cappadocia, but other than that, our schedule is free as a bird. I can't wait to visit the caves that early Christians carved out of stone pillars, stroll along the Bosphorus, explore the Grand Bazaar with all of its spices and scarves, oogle over the Hagia Sofia, touch the old mosaics and crumbling stone, and check out way too many mosques and museums. It is going to be simply incredible.

{Frommer's Istanbul}

 {Frommer's Turkey}

{Frommer's Turkey}

Why yes, that incredible place is our honeymoon destination.Watch out, Turkey! The Candy Apples are coming! 

Next steps: buy slip-on shoes and a scarf for the mosques, guidebooks, and finagle a first-class upgrade! Oh, who am I kidding - I already bought two guidebooks.

Did you impulsively book a honeymoon trip? Were there any misshaps with booking?

Anyone been to Turkey for their honeymoon/ other random vacation? Any sweet tips for good hotels, eateries, etc? Would love to hear!

Over the Moon

During this last year of wedding planning (seriously! 1 year ago today! craziness!), I honestly haven't really given much thought to our honeymoon. Why? I'm not sure. I love a tropical vacation as much as the next gal, but for some reason, the honeymoon just didn't seem like much of a priority to me.

Also, I'll let you in on a little secret: it's always been a bit up in the air whether or not we will be able to go on a honeymoon at all. Trust me, we definitely want to go on a honeymoon. I've certainly had dreams of lounging about on the beach of my own private Fijian island, in my perfect wedding-shape bod (HA) rocking an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini, sipping fruity drinks, getting massages, and watching the sun set with my new hubby.  However, there are a few small issues that are standing in the way of our dreamy, perfect honeymoon:

1. Finances. We're trying to pay off mountains of law-school debt at the moment, and frivolous travel seems a bit, well, frivolous. Unnecessary. I would feel guilty spending more money on a honeymoon, particularly so soon after our wedding.

2. Timing. Our wedding is in August. Mr. CA's current job isn't over until the end of September, and the time off that he gets is mainly eaten up by the wedding week itself. Plus, August is a very busy time of year at my job, so it would be tricky taking off over two weeks at that point for me as well.

Obviously, though, these things haven't stopped us from talking about what we would potentially want to do for our honeymoon, if we are able to go on one. Mr. CA and I are big travelers - when we have the time and resources, we love going to new places, experiencing new cultures, checking out crumbling historical sites, and sampling local beer and grub. So what were some of the possible CA honeymoon locations that we considered?

1. Maui

I've already waxed philosophic about my love of, and connection to, that little island in the Pacific - Maui. I would love nothing more than to sit on my butt on the beach after the wedding, when my only concerns will be whether I slathered on enough sunscreen to stave off skin-cancer, and which tropical drink I will choose to go with my dinner (or lunch. or breakfast). And, come on - where else can you get moonscapes and banyan trees in the same place?

However, while Maui would be an absolutely amazing honeymoon destination, Mr. CA and I have already been to Maui together. And it was an awesome trip, one that we still talk about to this day. But we want to go somewhere new together for our honeymoon. Somewhere we haven't been, so that we can kick off our marriage together on a new adventure.

2. Belize

{Frommer's Belize}

Mr. CA and I have been wanting to go to Belize forever. In my opinion, it's the best of both worlds in terms of what I'm looking for in a honeymoon - sunny, tropical beaches, Caribbean snorkeling, and fruity drinks, but also cool Mayan ruins to satisfy our nerdiness, flora and fauna-filled jungles, and sweet hiking. Seriously, Belize looks absolutely incredible.

3. Iceland

 {Frommer's Iceland}

I realize Iceland doesn't exactly scream "honeymoon" - it's not tropical, nor is it particularly hot (hence the whole "ICEland" name). However, this is another country we have been wanting to visit, and how can you say 'no' to hot springs, scenic hiking, and colorful houses?? It just looks like a cool place. Plus, my Scandinavian roots are hankering for a visit to a country with foods and a culture that I am familiar with.

4. England

{Wikipedia}

We have both been to England before, when we studied abroad, so it wouldn't exactly be a new place, but we love the country, we love British ales, and we love Premier League soccer. I would be so happy going to a Premier League game or two for our honeymoon (as would Mr. CA, obviously), and spend the rest of the time chilling in London, drinking beer, eating greasy pub food, and making side trips to Bath and Stonehenge. This is definitely the most cosmopolitan destination that we considered.

5. Greece

 {Lonely Planet}

Back when we talked about our future ideal honeymoons in vague terms while we were still just dating, both Mr. CA and I agreed that Greece and the Dalmatian Coast was our dream honeymoon destination. Warm sun, sandy beaches, crystal blue water, white buildings, good food. Olives galore. Crumbling archaeological sites. You can't beat that. I'm telling you - dream honeymoon spot.

6.  No honeymoon, but take a mini-moon somewhere in the US

Since we're short on time, we thought it might be a fun option to do a little trip within the US that would only last a few days. These plans were never very well-conceived, though, and we didn't talk much about this beyond "we could do a mini-moon in the US." Clearly, we're put-together, and on top of things.

7. No honeymoon at all, but take a big trip later in the year, perhaps for our first anniversary

This option was looking like the most viable for us. Although we both had a hefty amount of United Airline miles that would enable us to fly for free, the time issue was our main concern. Putting our honeymoon on hold and taking a trip later would allow us to save up some more money, and would also let us not feel stressed about the whole time-off issue.

Okay, I suppose for someone that "hadn't really thought" about our honeymoon, we had actually thought about it a little bit. I did list 7 options, after all!

Did you take a honeymoon right after your wedding? Or did you put the honeymoon on the back-burner until you could save up some time and money? Did you go with any of the above options for your honeymoon? What do you think will happen with the Candy Apples and their honeymoon?

Jet Set

(Now that our Save the Dates are out, and my brain is slowly re-forming from the mush-pile it was, we can get back to some regular posts. Who's excited?!)

Today, I had a revelation.

I was going through my usual lunch routine of stalking blogs, checking websites (yeah, Daily Puppy! who's with me?), etc. while munching on my salad and green beans. (What, does no one else spend their lunch time doing that?) Nothing out of the ordinary. But, today was different. Because I realized that one of my regular, everyday sites could be enormously useful in wedding planning! And by wedding planning, I mean honeymoon planning.

Intrigued? You should be.

A while ago, I joined a site called Gilt that offers designer products for lower prices. I've gotten Deborah Lippman nail polish through Gilt. I've gotten my Iittala dishware (which I am obsessed with) through Gilt. I got more Iittala dishware thorough Gilt (I told you. It's an obsession. I can't stop). I've gotten Citizen's jeans through Gilt. You get the idea. Anyway, yes, Gilt is awesome. They even had a wedding week at some point last year - dresses, bridesmaid dresses, accessories, etc. Super cool. But, it's Gilt's travel site that I'm talking about.

Jetsetter. It even sounds swanky and fabulous.

Now, I have never actually used Jetsetter. We don't have too much spare money at the moment (yay, student loans!), and oftentimes the hotels aren't discounted enough for us to take advantage of the fares for random trips. But, I love checking the site to see what deals they have - looking at all of the gorgeous, tropical locales, and all of the fun properties that would be perfect for weekend getaways. So, I check it daily just to see what's new, and if there are any insane deals.

And, I realized today that this would be the perfect tool for honeymoon planning! How did I not think of this before? Seriously, you can get some really great deals there as long as you're constantly checking. I was trawling through the site and saw an amazing deal for a hotel in Thailand. AH-mazing deal. I almost booked it right there, but since we still haven't decided when we can do a honeymoon, that would have been unwise. Just a little. But THAT'S how good the deal was! And it made me become slightly obsessed with going to Thailand. As you can tell, I become fixated on things.

On Jetsetter, you can find places like this

{Image from Jetsetter}

French Polynesia? Yes, please. Over-water bungalows are the coolest.

And Colombia? Yes, please again. Okay, maybe slightly unsafe. But this hotel room looks sweet; I'm totally digging the exposed brick.

{Image from Jetsetter}

You can also find great deals for nice hotels in NYC, Charlotte, Maine - closer locations if you don't want to go too far for your honeymoon, or if you're taking a minimoon.

{Image from Jetsetter}

Seriously, if you're planning your honeymoon, or are thinking of planning your honeymoon in the near future, I suggest you sign-up asap to get their deals emailed to you. They have new deals almost daily, so there are tons and tons of options! And if you're not planning honeymoon? Well, you should just sign up anyway.

{Image from Jetsetter}

Do you have any sweet honeymoon or travel finds? Any sites or resources that you had been using prior to planning that unexpectedly came in handy?