Whether you’re a capsule wardrobe kind of packer or you like to lean into honeymoon theme dressing (hello kaftans and head scarves!), don’t let your honeymoon wardrobe take up all the space in your luggage. Here are a few essential items to pop on your packing list in “Gear Up With These 5 Must-Have Gadgets For Your Honeymoon” from Lisa Perkovic.
Go hands-free with your hat when you travel – okay that sounds like an obvious statement as you’d usually just wear a hat on your head. But wearing your sun hat through the airport terminal, on trains and buses, or even in taxis isn’t much fun. Neither is carefully packing your hat only to find it bent out of shape on arrival. Klipsta is an Australian-made gift to all hat lovers. Slip a Klipsta onto your backpack, suitcase, handbag, or even belt buckle, and then use the heavy-duty magnet to secure your hat by its brim. The magnets won’t damage or dent your hat, but there’s no way your hat is going anywhere – after five weeks in Europe, I can confirm this is a game-changer. My husband got jealous when he saw mine so we’re matching Klipsta kind of people and proud of it!
Images: Klipsta
It fits in the palm of your hand, slips into the slimmest of purses and when you give it a good go, brings in a solid breeze. Trust me, the Annabel Trends pop up fan will be your best friend if you’re travelling somewhere warm for your honeymoon. The fan flips out a little like a fold-up tent and in desperate times, say if you forget your hat, can also work pretty well as an itty bitty sun shade. With several fun patterns to choose from, my only wish is that the fans came in a gender-neutral option too, though that didn’t stop my hubby from using mine when the temperatures climbed. RRP $9.95
Images: Annabel Trends
My number one advice this year is to travel with carry-on only, but let’s be real, that’s a hard task for the best of us. If you’re checking luggage, don’t leave home without an Apple AirTagin your checked luggage. These nifty tracker devices take around 30 seconds to set up and will keep you in the loop on your bag’s location – a real lifesaver if it doesn’t make it to your destination. My bag missed my connection to London, spending a night in Singapore – a fact I was aware of five minutes after landing. I skipped the baggage carousel and went straight to luggage support. I followed my bag’s journey to my hotel the next day and met it downstairs. It’s a real stress saver. RRP $45
Travel Clothesline
You might have received one of these from an aunt on your first trip overseas and never used it. Just me? Well, this trusty elastic clothesline was a literal lifeline during my first post-pandemic to Europe this year. Handy for hand washers among us, but for me, it was the perfect way to hang up swimmers at the end of a beach day.
Bottle Opener
It’s the simple pleasures of a warm baguette, a few slices of cheese, and a glass of local wine that gets me every time when I’m in Europe. In Rome, grocery stores stock 10 euro Chianti that go down a treat. In Nice, even the 5-euro Rosé from Provence is bliss. Unlike in Australia, much of Europe’s wine bottles still use corks. Don’t get caught out with a cork, like I did! Instead, pack a mini bottle opener in your bag. Trust me, buying a bottle opener that costs as much as the bottle of wine you’re drinking takes some of the shine off the experience. Especially when you have five bottle openers in a drawer back home.
About Lisa Perkovic: Lisa has spent the past decade travelling the world writing for Australia’s leading newspapers, magazines, and blogs about all things travel. Her own honeymoon was her pièce de résistance – an epic journey to the Maldives and South Africa. Now she loves nothing more than sharing destinations and tips to help other newlyweds work out how to have the honeymoon of their dreams.
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