Hop on a jet to a tropical paradise-
Baste in factor 25 and dress in almost nothing-
Sizzle and toast gently in the sun, turning often and dipping in pool water occasionally-
Stuff with appetising foreign delicacies-
Pour in alcoholic fruit cocktails-
Stare languidly into new husband's eyes, while dreaming of many long, long, love filled nights to come……

Sounds like a good enough reason to get married, doesn't it? And it's most people's recipe for the perfect honeymoon.

So, what do you put in your new honeymoon suitcase? A toothbrush - a sarong - a thong - a pair of flip-flops - a hat and sunglasses?
Perfect.

But how often have you washed, carefully ironed, then squeeze your still warm holiday clothes into your case with ten pairs of shoes, a hair dryer, a wash bag, assorted cosmetics and finally the kitchen sink, knowing that by the time you unpack at the end of your journey, they will look as though you just casualty tossed them in and slammed the lid?
What am I saying? Try slamming the lid on that lot. You'd need a twenty-ton sumo to keep it down.

In short, how many of us can honestly say that we are minimalist packers?

Packing, like flower arranging, is an art that's all about combining the right colours in the right quantities.

To start with, it's a good idea to know something about the dress code in the country in which you intend to spend your honeymoon.
For example, on the Caribbean island of Barbados- in good yesteryear British fashion, it is customary to dress for dinner. Bermuda shorts and sleeveless T-shirts are not generally allowed in hotel restaurants after sundown. And ladies are obliged to dress in a feminine manor.

Whereas, on the equally Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic (Hispaniola - the other half of the country being known as Haiti. Once a French protectorate), dress codes are less strict, possibly due to its more laid back, Spanish roots.

The two most important things to remember are, that clothes should be comfortable and multi-functional.

You don't need a different outfit every day. Choose items that can mix easily with a number of different pieces. A beige skirt that can be worn with variety of coloured blouses for example. Or four tops and two bottoms that complement each other, will give you eight different outfits.

Two items of clothing that any female world traveler should posses, are a light multi-purpose sarong and a kaftan.

Sarongs can be worn around the waist either to customize a swimsuit when having lunch at the pool bar, or they can be an elegant wrap-around for the evening. While a silk kaftan can slip over a bathing suit in the day and over bra and pants at night.

If there's one item that you take on holiday where comfort should out-weigh high fashion, it is your choice of shoes. To be blunt, your most comfortable shoes shouldn't even be in your case - they should be on your feet.
If you absolutely have to take a pair of glam, fashion heavy shoes, that might pinch the toes and massacre the arches, then put them right at the bottom of the case where they belong. Make sure that the sandals you pack will look at home by the pool and gracing your feet at the hotel manages cocktail party.

The shoes you choose to travel in can double for those days when you take a day away from the pool and walk to the nearest town to browse or haggle for that real-looking, pearl necklace at the local market.

As with clothes, make sure that the pieces of jewellery you choose are good with the majority of the clothes you take. Plain gold or platinum bands, single strands of pearls and single studded earrings generally fit the bill. Try to keep ostentatious jewellery to a minimum. Less to loose.

Now, here's where you really can save on the weight.
Bottles of shampoo and conditioner, jars of face cream and moisturizer - all eat up valuable space and need masses of muscle to carry.

Unless you have a particular leaning toward certain makes of shampoo and conditioner, there are a mountain of hair care products that are given away every day in magazines and often end up at the bottom of waste paper bins.
Also, a lot of hotels provide such products in sachets and small bottles as a courtesy for their guests.

Always put the heaviest items at the bottom of the case- hairdryer, shoes, toiletries, sun creams and the omnibus Jacky Collins or Jilly Cooper novel. (Or who ever is flavour of the season). Though you should think twice about the hairdryer, as many hotels provide those, if not complimentary, then for a very small fee.
Then add those items that will stand a little crushing- swimsuits and underwear. Sarongs, skirts, trousers, blouses and T-shirts go at the top.

________Madeleine Dietrich____

Related Links-

Exotic Honeymoon Destinations