What to pack for a Croatian honeymoon?
The most intimidating part of a wedding — outside of writing the check, the ceremony itself, and a host of other things — is figuring out what to pack for the honeymoon.
Do I buy new shoes? I have about eight pairs, but only one is actually comfortable. What about shirts? My default would be a bunch of t-shirts, but I’m trying to dress nicer now that my birth certificate says I’m over thirty. However, I’m inherently cheap. I shop at designer stores only to buy a bunch of shit off the bargain rack that I marginally like.
Do I bring a beach towel? Croatia has tons of beaches, but limited sand. It seems more bad-ass to dry off in the sun like the Romans two-thousand years before. Plus beach towels are deceptively large and take up a lot of space in a suitcase.
Do I bring pants? If I don’t bring them there is a 100 percent chance that my wife will claim they were an obvious item to pack during the summer Mediterranean months. Nothing says enjoyment like sweating through a pair of jeans at a Zagreb cafe. However, If I do bring them, there is a 90% chance I will only wear clothes that cover 50% of my lower body during that two-week span.
What about my laptop? iPhone running strap? A deck of cards? Seriously, think about it. If you were going on a two-week Croatian honeymoon what would you bring? There are probably 150 things to consider. Each one is individually minor, but given that this is a Medium blog, let’s say that collectively it is the difference between a good time and a great time.
I say that because I’m what most would consider a young professional, and analysis is the lifeblood of modern professional life. In it, every decision, big or small, must be debated, analyzed, and prioritized. Sending out a quick announcement? Well my friend, have you considered the subject line? Studies show that subject lines “with a sense of urgency” have 22 percent higher open rates. What about line length? Everybody, and I mean everybody, knows that the ideal line length is 50–75 characters. Most normal people don’t have a strong opinion about any of this. A lot of people — who coincidentally consider themselves “thinkfluencers”— do.
This isn’t to say that professional analysis or expertise is useless. It’s not. You should listen to lawyers before mergers and if you’re a President looking to obstruct justice. Someone on the Marketing team should review Marketing’s learning and development syllabus. Large organizations run on consistency and logic. You’re burning money if you’re doing an extensive project implementation without mapping your current state processes against the future state, but most successful people realize it’s a game. A balancing act. You over analyze to make people feel confident in the project and cover your butt if something goes wrong. The only thing that truly matters is execution.
The honest answer to the question, “What do I pack for a Croatian honeymoon” is that it does not matter. Me and my best friend are going to Croatia for two weeks, and the only thing on the agenda is eating, drinking, and being together.
To test my theory, I’m going to fill my bag entirely with rocks.
