Honeymoon Blog

Cool Travel Products for the Holidays...

After dealing with the joys of the airport and settling into your “comfy” airplane seat, you reach into your carry-on to pull out your i-Pod-Pad-Touch.  But instead of enjoying the sweet sounds of Michael Bublé, you find yourself fighting to untangle your silly ear buds.  End the frustration by picking up a pair of Zipbuds ($39.99).  The left and right wires are integrated into a zipper so you simply zip them up when done – presto, no more tangles.

It’s a beautiful evening in Australia’s Hunter Valley and you and your partner are just finishing off a delicious locally produced Shiraz.  Keep the memories alive by bringing a bottle home without worrying about wine-soaked clothing.  The inflatable VinniBag ($28) surrounds your precious juice with a protective air-sealed chamber.  It’s also reusable, recyclable and TSA-compliant. 

Great Travel Jacket from Merrell

  
 
Packing efficiently – what to bring and what to leave at home – can be a major challenge for many travelers.  The folks at Merrell have come up with a creative solution to this problem, at least for one product. Their Guise jacket is super lightweight, warm, and pretty sleek looking too.  And as a kicker, it transforms into a soft neck pillow, meaning one less item to stuff into your carry-on bag!
  

 
 

 
    

 

Capturing Underwater Honeymoon Moments

If you are headed to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, French Polynesia, Turks and Caicos, the Maldives or any other destination known for excellent snorkeling you may want to pick up the new Kodak PlaySport HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera to capture your underwater adventures. 

It's a reasonably priced video camera (about $150 at Best Buy and on Amazon.com) and with its underwater features, you can plunge up to 10 feet below the surface to shoot 1080p video or take still photos.  Also, since the price point is reasonably low and this small pocket camera is designed with "adrenaline junkies" in mind, it's a good backup option to bring on tours or excursions where your camera might get wet or banged around a bit.

Since the depth is limited to 10 feet, this option is best for snorkelers as opposed to divers.  Divers headed further below might want a heavier duty and more sophisticated underwater camera.

If only I had known about this before my recent French Polynesian adventure - my most recent post would have been supplemented with great videos and photos!  I sure there is plenty more great snorkeling Ms. M's future so next time, I'll have this on hand and the pictures and video to share!

Cool Gifts for the Tech Savvy Traveler

 

Looking for high-tech gifts for your globetrotting relatives, engaged friends, or significant other?  Check out a few of our favorites for this holiday season and beyond:

 

Kindle – Instead of schlepping around lots of heavy paper, Amazon’s Kindle lets booklovers leave the tomes at home.  And with a capacity of 1500 books, magazines, and newspapers, there will always be something to read. $259.95.

 

 

 

 

Cinemin Swivel – Everyone loves the video capability of the iPod and iPhone but squinting at that 3.5” screen for a couple of hours can be tiring.  Hello to the Cinemin Swivel, a sleek little projector (about the size of a candy bar) that can display images up to 60” on pretty much any flat surface. $299.95.

 

 

 

Flip MinoHD Camcorder – Capture the highlights of your voyage on this pocket-size, 3.3 ounce camcorder, which holds about 60 minutes of 720p HD video.  A convenient flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy downloading.  $199.95.

 

 

 

 

 

Bose QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones – While these headphones are great for listening to music and movies in privacy, the key benefit is what you don’t hear – external noise.  On long flights, they are ideal for reducing the ever-present din of the engines or muting chatty neighbors. $349.95.

 

 

 

iLuv iSP100 Mini Portable Speaker – At just 5.5” in length, these compact speakers are perfect for listening to tunes or watching a movie with your partner.  Works with the iPhone, iPod, and any other MP3 player, and runs on AAA batteries. $34.99.

Holistic bags and jewelry from five accessories

Looking for that elusive honeymoon or holiday gift for hard-to-shop for friends or family members?  Check out the stylish handbags and jewelry at five accessories.  Most of the designer products are handcrafted in just five countries – Cambodia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, and Indonesia – and all are eco-friendly, created out of sustainable natural fibers and/or recycled materials.  In addition to supporting local artisans, a portion of every sale is donated to in-country charities.  Why not look good and feel good!

 

We’re quite proud to support five accessories, especially since we played a (very) minor role in its formation – the founders were inspired to start the company while on their MoonRings-designed honeymoon in Bali.  One minute they’re touring a local market and admiring the beautiful crafts, and the next they’ve got a new business!

 

We wish them tons of success!

Cool iPhone Apps for the Honeymooner

The accessory of choice these days for the hip and tech savvy is definitely the iPhone. We think it’s a great accessory for the globe trotting honeymooner as well. You can listen to hours of music while sitting on long flights or waiting in airports, email your family and friends from the beach just to make them a little jealous and tell them how much you are enjoying married life or use it for its most basic function - making phone calls (service is available worldwide).

 

In addition to its traditional uses, the iPhone also has some fantastic applications or “apps.”   Here are some of our favorites for honeymooners:

 

PackingPro

With all the craziness leading up to your wedding day, you don’t want to forget to bring anything important on your honeymoon! This application helps you stay organized before departure with useful packing checklists and pre-departure “to do’s” and you’re able to cross everything off as tasks are completed.

 

 

iTimeZone 

Pick up this application if you want to make sure you know what time it is once you get to your destination. Traveling around the world can take a lot out of you and you don’t want to lose track of time!

 

 

Zagat to Go

If you’re trying to find the perfect restaurant for an extra romantic dinner, make sure to pick up Zagat’s mobile app. It will show you what to expect for service, atmosphere and how much you can expect to spend on your meal!  Once you've found the perfect place, you can use the app to call the restaurant and make a reservation and map its location.

 

 

Metro Paris

Its almost sunset in one of the most beautiful cities on earth and you need to get from the Left Bank to Sacre Couer quickly to take in the best view. How are you going to get there in time? The Metro Paris app will help you navigate the Metro (subway) in the most efficient way possible, giving you enough time to pick up a bottle of wine to enjoy while watching the sunset.  Similar applications are available for most major cities worldwide.  

 

Byki Italian/French/Spanish

How do you say “I’m on my honeymoon” in the French, Italian or Spanish?  With the Byki app, you can translate this and many other useful phrases to practice on the honeymoon. Not only will you impress the locals and maybe even get an upgrade or two, but your new spouse will probably love it too!

 

iConvert

You're standing in a crowded market in Thailand and you spot the most beautiful Hermes-quality silk scarf.  You pick it up and you see the price tag says “THB272,” but how much is that in USD?  No need to worry, iCovert quickly converts foreign currencies (updated daily) to your home currency so you know exactly how much you are spending.  In addition, iConvert will help you convert metric units of measurements that are commonly used overseas so you can continue to keep that conversation chart from 11^th grade chemistry buried in the back of your brain where it belongs!

 

 

These are just some of our favorite apps for the honeymooner, but we know there are many more!  Let us know if you have a favorite app that's useful for the honeymooner or overseas traveler.