Howerton+Wooten Events Blog. The musings of a Maryland Wedding and Event Planner

Honeymooning In a Foreign Country with Food Allergies

 
Honeymooning internationally can be quite a pickle (in fact, it can be dangerous) if you have food allergies. -- Especially if you don't know the language of the country

SelectWisely Translation Cards help you communicate your needs to restaurant waiters, hotel managers, open air market vendors, grocery store clerks, street kiosk vendors, and transportation personnel.

When ordering or purchasing food, show your SelectWisely card to the manager or the maitre'd (as well as the waiter or waitress).  Allow the waiter or waitress to take the card into the kitchen to inform the chef.  According to the SelectWisely web site, you should show both sides of the card, and point to the picture of the food with the international prohibitory sign.  Make sure they understand.

Check out the SelectWisely web site for some of the general tips they gathered from their personal experience and from speaking to other travelers.

Enjoy, and have a safe and happy honeymoon!

Love and Soul Always, Kay

 

Disclaimer - I am not a doctor, so don't take this advice as a medical recommendation.  I have used this product before when my family went on a vacation to Europe.  We found it to be extremely helpful.  Oh, and no one paid me for this blog post.

(Photo: SelectWisely)

 

 

 

 

Murphy's Law Packing List for Your Honeymoon

 
When it comes to packing for your honeymoon, Murphy’s Law tends to step in.  You know how it goes –“If you find that you need it, you didn’t pack it.”

 

 Here is a list of items that you’ll want to remember packing for your honeymoon.  Just in case.

 · Band-Aids, Antacid and Pain Medication.  All of these items are obvious, but I am amazed at the number of times I have forgotten to pack them for a vacation.

 · Insect Repellent.  It wouldn’t hurt to have a little travel size for the mosquitoes.  Nothing is “less sexy” than your legs covered in mosquito bites.

 · Allergy Medication.  Okay, I was wrong.  A swollen eye or a swollen lip because of an allergic reaction is “less sexy” than a leg covered in mosquito bites.

 · The Storage Case and Solution for Your Contact Lenses.  Those babies have to come out of your eyes sooner or later.  You will be happier if you have a good place to store them.

 · An Extra Set of Contact Lenses.  Sure, you remembered the ones on your eyes.  But, what are you going to do if you drop one of them in the hotel room toilet?

 · Electrical Converter/Adapter.  Check your travel guide to find out if you need an electrical converter/adapter for your hair dryer.  Purchasing one in the hotel’s gift shop can be pretty pricey.

 · Luggage Tag.  Place one tag on the outside and one on the inside of your luggage before you reach the check-in counter.

 · Cell Phone Charger.  You are not supposed to use your phone while you are on vacation, but it will drive you “nuts,” if you unable to use it.

· Photocopies.  Before you leave on your trip, make a photocopy of your airline ticket/e-mail confirmation, your driver’s license, passport, credit cards you intend to bring with you on your trip, traveler’s checks, and the contact information for your physician, house/pet/baby sitter, and credit card companies.  Place the photocopies in your hotel room safe upon arrival.  Just in case.

  

Okay, how about you?  Do you have any recommendations for the Murphy’s Law packing list?

  

Love and Soul Always, Kay

 

 

(Photo: MagazinesUSA.com)

Soy Travel Candles for Your Hotel Room

When I arrive at my vacation destination, I find it very relaxing to feel a cool breeze come in from the window, and the smell of lavender.

Why lavender?  I heard many years ago that the smell of lavender relaxes you.  I don't know if this is completely true, but it consistently works for my mood after a long day maneuvering airport lines, luggage and taxicabs.

If I were planning my honeymoon, I would take some of these candles (made by The Travel Tin Company) with me because hotels by the beach can be a little (ahem) musty.  Plus, these candles are made of soy with 100% cotton wicks, so they are better for the environment that many other travel candles.

By the way, these candles would make a great wedding favor too.  What do you think?

Love & Soul Always, Kay

(Photo: The Travel Tin Company)

Honeymoon and Vacation Packing Tips (the reprise)

Sometimes, packing your suitcase for your honeymoon can be an afterthought.  As a result, you might overpack or forget crucial items.

 

So, I wanted to reprise our list of honeymoon/vacation packing tips.  So check it out here.

 

Hopefully, it will minimize one of your major wedding planning tasks.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Love and Soul Always, Kay

Miniature Versions of Your Favorite Products

Planning your wedding might leave you very little time to shop for the "TSA-approved" size of your favorite personal care products for your honeymoon.

As life would have it, you can purchase all of them at once on the Minimus web site.

You can find just about everything you need in a travel size -- shampoo, diet specific foods and even household items.  In fact, I was able to find a "travel size" bottle of spray starch for my husband.  (He likes his clothes crisp).

In addition to your honeymoon, you can purchase these products for your Wedding Day Emergency Kit, Camping Supply Box or the nice little basket you place in the wedding reception venue restrooms.

Love & Soul Always, Kay

(Photo: Minimus)

If I Were Packing For My Honeymoon . . .

If I were packing my suitcase for my honeymoon, I would include the following --

My Bose (Noise Cancellation) Headphones.  This things are the bomb diggity!  With them, I am able to drown out the shrieks of the crying baby behind me, and I am actually able to hear the actors' words in the inflight movie.

La Roche-Posay (SPF 60) Melt-In Sunscreen.  This is definitely on my list because I have been burned before, and I am trying to hold off those wrinkles for as long as I can.  I don't go on vacation without this stuff.

World Traveler Adapter.  This single adapter contains plug options for more than 150 countries. Note:  This adapter does not convert the voltage.

Lilly Pulitzer Stay Afloat Tote.  You can fit just about everything in this bag, so you don't have to keep running back to your hotel room for items you left behind.

Kindle.  My honeymoon was the best vacation to enjoy after a year of wedding planning.  I spent several days reading fun, trashy paperbacks.  If I were able to bring a Kindle along with me, I would have so much more space in my bag for munchies.

Island Ice Cubes. If you are worried about the local water, but like your drinks cold consider the Island Ice Cubes.  They are hermetically sealed ice trays containing Tasmanian spring water . This leak proof ice tray contains ten (10) individually sealed cubes that can be carried in your luggage without worry, and put in your hotel fridge for freezing.

What do you intend to take with you on your honeymoon?

Love and Soul Always, Kay
 

Travel Week

With honeymoons and vacations right around the corner, I thought this would be a good week to focus on packing for travel.

Do you have any recommendations for packing and traveling?

Please send them to me and I will definitely feature them.

Enjoy!

Love and Soul Always, Kay

Honeymoon and Vacation Packing Tips

 

 

Trim your wedding planning stress by following some of our honeymoon packing tips.

· Use your Itinerary to Pack Your Bags.

If you planned out your honeymoon activities, print out a copy of your itinerary and jot down your selected outfits next to each planned event.  I try to do this a week before I depart for a trip so that I have enough time for laundry or the dry cleaners.

· Consider “Double-Duty” clothes.

Pack clothes of similar colors and texture so that you can mix-n-match your outfits if needed.

· Protect Your Skin.

Remember to pack a hat with a brim, sunscreen, and a pair of sunglasses that offer 99 to 100% UV protection. (That goes for all skin hues -- Goodness knows, I suffered from the most painful sunburn earlier this month.)

 

· Get Organized.

Forward your flight, car rental and hotel reservation e-mail confirmations to TripIt.com so that you can retrieve your itinerary anytime via e-mail.  TripIt.com will also provide you with a local weather forecast, maps and driving directions for each day of your trip.

· Pack some Money Honey.

Remember to keep dollar bills available.  You will need them for snack machines, bellman gratuities and taxi cab fares.

· Plan to Share Your Points.

I save my Frequent Flyer and Hotel Reward Account Numbers in my Blackberry notes.  That allows me to always have those numbers at hand when I check in at the airport gate and at the hotel front desk.

· Plan for Emergencies.

Keep a copy of your credit card account numbers and phone numbers in a spot separate from your wallet.  It will be good to have on hand if your wallet is stolen.  I also keep my family's blood type and known allergies saved in my Blackberry too -- just in case.

 

· Save your toiletries for last.

To ensure that I don’t forget any of my toiletries, I pack each item immediately after I use it for the last time before I depart for my trip.  Don’t forget your toothbrush! (Lord knows, I always do! Ugh!)

 

Of course these tips are great when you plan your much needed vacation too!  So, keep this post in your files for future reference.

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Hotel Week: WiFi Hotel Rooms

When I ask brides to identify one of their top priorities when booking their hotel room block, WiFi is always at the top of the list.

To give you a quick reference, I noted below the Hotel Brands where you can typically find Wireless Internet. 

{Wi-Fi for Free}

Aloft

Andaz

Doubletree*

Four Points by Sheraton

Hotel Indigo

Hyatt Place

Omni*

Ramada Worldwide

{Wi-Fi for a Fee}

Embassy Suites*

Hilton*

Le Méridien

Omni **

Sheraton

St. Regis

W

Westin

Enjoy, and let me know if I  am missing a hotel on the list.

Love & Soul Always, Kay

*In The Public Areas

*In Guest Hotel Rooms

(Source: Meetings & Conventions Magazine)

Hotel Week: Green Hotels

As you may know, hotels have not always been kind to mother earth.  Last year alone, more than 2 million hotel guests stayed in hotels using fresh linen, towels and hotel amenities on a daily basis while blasting the TV, alarm clock and air conditioner.

 

That is why booking a green hotel (or an Eco-Friendly hotel) for your wedding would help to reduce the negative impact that hotels have on the environment.

 

Here is the dilemma – How do you find a hotel that is actively working to improve the environment?  Where do you find green hotels in your area?  What exactly does it mean to be an eco-friendly hotel?

 

 

First things first – According to Orbitz, this is the criteria for Eco-Friendly Hotels:

·         Use a natural source of energy, such as wind, water, solar and/or bio-fuel.

·         Use environmentally-friendly and safe products on a regular basis

·         Contribute money from each hotel reservation to an environmental organization

·         Use of energy conserving devices

·         Earned the ENERGY STAR®

 

Where are the green hotels?  Listed below are some of the sites that I found.  If you know of others, please share.

·         Orbitz lists all of the hotels that have earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® for using nearly 40 percent less energy than average buildings and emitting 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

·         Last September, ForbesTraveler.com created a list of America's Greenest Hotels.

·         WholeTravel.com lists and ranks green hotels based throughout the world.

·         RezHub.com helps travelers find environmentally-friendly hotels, activities, hybrid rental cars and flights (via carbon offsets)

·         The Green Hotels Association has a list of environmentally-friendly hotels by state.

 

Not finding your favorite hotel on any of the lists?  Talk to you hotel sales manager.  Tell them how you want to reduce your wedding’s negative impact on the environment – They should be able to come up with ways to work with you.

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay