Saint Nick's Travel Tips

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{Editor's Note: Today marks our last post of 2012. Over the holidays we're taking a break in our flight schedule to put down the pen, stay put (for 10 days at least!) and savor the reason for the season. In a recent communique from air traffic control I was told we could resume our regular route Monday, January 7th. Until then, I'll update Trip Styler's Instagram and Editor's Diary intermittently. See you in the New Year, and from all of us on the Trip Styler crew, happy holidays wherever your journey takes you.}

Santa's the master traveler. A frequent flier, logistics expert and packing whisperer wrapped in one sugar plump package, we can learn a lot about travel from the jolly jetsetter:

1/ Keep calm and carry on. Santa never gets his knickers in a knot about delays or weather setbacks, and he has the world's CRAZIEST travel schedule.

2/ Travel in Technicolor. You don't see Father Christmas toting a boring black suitcase from the North to South Pole {and back}. Instead, his packages are clad in bows and ribbons. Trip Styler Tip :: always identify your suitcase---checked or carry-on---with some sort of color to separate it from the other gazillion monotone bags.

3/ Stay nourished. Père Noël loves him a fancy feast and doesn't let his transcontinental trot interfere with eating well at every stop. Though his sweet tooth can get him into a little trouble over the holidays, I'm sure he trades some of his cookies for Rudolf's celery sticks to stay healthy. Point is: treats may tempt us over the holidays, but remember to balance them with healthy fare.

4/ Know before you go. Airports around the world have different regulations as far as how many carry-ons you can tote, and what's permitted on the plane. Confusing, I know. Check the regulations where you're flying so your extra bag or prized tweezers aren't snatched by security. Think of it this way: Mr. Clause has to do his due diligence too, he doesn't give a child in Aruba a snowsuit and a child in Alaska a wakeboard...

5/ Always be prepared. Weather can get iffy in the winter---and Santa has to fly in an open-air sleigh. Add in volumes of holiday travelers and you've got the perfect storm {pun intended}. Plan ahead: get the right travel insurance coverage, prepare an airport delay kit, AND dress right for the airport---we're talking layers upon layers of style essentials.

{For more of Santa's travel tips, see the full article I wrote in Fodor's.}

Ho Ho Ho, Meeeeeeeeee-rry Christmas. xoxo, The Trip Styler Flight Crew

[graphic by @tripstyler with a little help from clipart]

Tis The Season Of Beauty

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Want more travel beauty? Get your fill the third Wednesday of every month. Lauren, our travel beauty expert, is already whipping up her next concoction post!

Whether you're at home, jetting away to see family, hitting the slopes or escaping winter over the holidays, here is my roundup of cool, travel-friendly beauty finds sure to excite any friend or family member during your gift-giving extravaganza!

Trip Styler Tip: Want more gift ideas? Check out our just-published annual traveler gift guide and KinderHop families-on-the-go gift guide.

1/ For the Luxury Lover :: This limited-edition Burberry Lip Gloss Purse Charm is the perfect gift. Featuring a faux-leather tassel attached to an engraved cube filled WITH a gorgeous pink moisturizing lip gloss, this beauty gift looks as elegant in your bag as it does on your lips. Find it: Nordstrom for $85

2/ For the Trendsetter :: Ciaté created this super innovative Caviar Manicure Set. Ciaté's brainchild is Charlotte Knight, who wanted to develop something extravagant and different for the cover of a magazine shoot. The result was these Caviar Manicure Sets, which create a sophisticated three-dimensional look for nails. The set includes a base color polish and Caviar Pearls which are applied on top. My favorite shade is Candy Shop which is described as "an explosion of juicy brights on a bed of deep marine aqua." Find it: Sephora for $25

3/ For the Fashionista :: Jane Tran Los Angeles has fabulous hair accessories at affordable prices. This pretty, vintage-looking butterfly bobby pin is enhanced with stones and dresses up any hairstyle. Find it: Beauty.com for $15

4/ For the Eco-Conscious :: Aromatherapy Associates makes the most decadent, award-winning, 100% natural bath oils around. For the holidays they created an amazing set of 9 bestselling oils, which can be added to the bath or used in the shower to make skin incredibly soft. Find it: Beautyhabit for $74

[collage by @tripstyler with images sourced online]

Second Look :: Dubai

[trip style = urban + active & adventure + sun + luxury]

Editor's Note: Following our first look at Dubai and our nonstop Emirates flight via Seattle, we wanted to dive deeper into the destination. In the New Year we'll showcase more marvels, but for now a picture's worth a thousand words...

I have SO MUCH to report on Dubai, I'm not even sure where to start. At the risk of taking up your entire morning with a 5,000-word essay, I've opted to be your tour guide through a city that juxtaposes modernism with tradition, sand with skyscrapers, souks with malls, and mega monuments with everyday structures.

An international hub of record-holding proportions, I give you Dubai in 30 photos.

The Burj Khalifa

At 160+ storeys high {nearing a kilometer in height}, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure in the world.

View from the top overlooking the Gulf Coast.

The Observation Deck, 124 floors up.

The elevator took one minute to soar skyward. Aside from your ears popping, you don't even feel the rapid elevation change. General admission tickets cost 100 Dirham {about $30 usd} and can be purchased online or at the entry desk in the Dubai Mall. Trips up to the Observation Deck sell out quickly, so if "The Burj" is a must-do, online ticketing is recommended. Immediate, VIP'ish entry costs 400 Dirham {about $110 usd} and will get you to the top tout suite.

Directly below are the world's largest mall {The Dubai Mall} and the world's largest dancing fountain {The Dubai Fountain}, a Bellagio-style musical water feature, but bigger, of course. With water propelled 150m {equivalent to a 50-storey building} into thin air, 25 color projectors and nearly 7,000 lights, the choreographed aqua extravaganza is best viewed at night.

Looking up another three dozen floors from the Burj Khalifa's observation deck.

The Spice and Gold Souks

About to take an abra {boat} across the Dubai Creek.

My abra captain.

Views from the creek.

Day-to-day life outside the Spice Souk.

Vendor at the Spice Souk. I purchased camel milk chocolate at this stall.

Scenes from the Souks.

Visiting the Jumeirah Mosque

Traditional homes outside of the mosque.

Skirting skyscraper shadows, the Jumeirah Mosque is the only mosque in Dubai open to non-Muslims. The tour guide joked {with more than an ounce of seriousness}: "Please take photos, we want to spread the word about Islam." Tours lasting approx 1.5hrs are available Sat, Sun, Tues and Thurs at 10am.

All women entering the mosque must wear headscarves and dress conservatively. I transitioned my everyday scarf---which you need in Dubai for the heavily air-conditioned interiors---to a head covering for the tour.

The intricate interior.

The Desert

Aside from dipping my toes into the Persian Gulf and scaling the Burj Khalifa like Tom Cruise {just kidding, I took the elevator}, venturing into the Arabian Desert was my top priority in Dubai. At once vast and voluptuous, the dunes---illuminated in magenta hues at sunset---are a sight to see and a treat to touch.

If you don't have a BFF in town to show you around, numerous tours and desert safaris can be booked through Emirates' on-the-ground tour operator, Arabian Adventures. The private dune and dinner safari is recommended for those who want to see the desert in {solo} style. *Sand dune drives can aggravate motion sickness; however, your driver can adjust the impact if you start to feel sick.

[Photos taken by @tripstyler while a guest of Emirates in Dubai. Note: all portraits taken with individual permission.]

Emirates SEA --> DBX Nonstop

[trip style = luxury]

Emirates is one of few airlines in the world to bring fabulous back to flying.

I'm not sure if it's the rose-red lipstick or the swish scarf hats {worn by the female flight attendants}, or the flight network that spans across six continents from Seattle to the Seychelles, but for the past 10 years I've held Emirates in the sky-highest regard. They are the Rolex of roaming, and since March 2012, the most opulent means of reaching the Middle East from the West Coast.

Last week I was invited to fly Emirates for the first time in seat 9D between Seattle and Dubai. Going forward, unless I fly in Richard Branson's private jet---which I imagine must have a Champagne-filled hot tub---95% of air travel will fail to compare, even after my biz class brush with JAL earlier this year.

Before I get into the chic deets, flying Emirates isn't reserved for Mercedes G-Wagon-driving DINKs {double income no kids} and diplomats. It's within reach. A typical economy fare from Seattle to Dubai, the virtual gateway to all Emirates destinations, is around $1,200, a very competitive price for the 14.5hr transcontinental flight. The brand new, ultra-long range Boeing 777-200 takes off daily. Emirates' Dubai-bound birds also fly from Toronto {3 times weekly}, San Francisco, LA, Dallas, Houston, NYC and Washington DC.

Flying Emirates Business Class
Because I love peeping at different airlines' photos of First and Business Class, I thought I'd share snaps from my flight. If you book Emirates and have the chance to upgrade, do it. Otherwise, know this: economy on Emirates is like Delta or Alaska's domestic upper class {think actual cutlery, big screens, etc.}.

Seattle to Dubai Business Class seats

About to settle into my mini-pod for the flight between Seattle and Dubai, approx $8,000 return. A flute of Moet & Chandon is promptly offered; I oblige.

A 17" widescreen TV with 1,200+ channels of on-demand entertainment awaits, as does a game of Tetris {for those who love the mind bender with a strangely addictive soundtrack as much as me}.

Lie-flat seats in business class

Lie-flat seats extending 78 inches rest in mini-pods with basic privacy dividers. As I was about to fall asleep, I learned every business class seat is given a spongy, full-length mattress and pillow to help tired fliers count sheep. When the cabin lights are dimmed, the ceiling turns into a starry sky, like a planetarium.

Two meal services are provided on tray tables draped in linen with china tableware. It's important to note that the meal quality, even in economy, is fresh and extraordinarilyy well executed. Led by a Canadian chef, the Dubai-based Emirates in-flight catering facility crafts 120,000+ made-from-scratch meals per day for flights bound for their 128 worldwide destinations. For the freshest bites, meals are made within the same day and delivered to each flight less than two hours before take off. After my three-course cuisine in the clouds, I was given two Godiva chocolates.

All passengers are given female or male-specific Bvlgari toiletries with a perfume/cologne, face cream, hand cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, brush and comb combo, mirror, towelette and tissues.

Emirates' Business Class Lounge in Dubai

Finally, the Emirates Business Class Lounge at Dubai Airport {DBX} is massive---Super Bowl-sized, really---and includes a spa, a quiet area with leather loungers, multiple food and beverage dining options, and cushy seating.

First Class Suites
I snapped photos of the First Class Suites aboard my flight {which cost approx $14,000 return} before the section filled up.

Emirates' first class suites

On-demand beauty

On-demand drinks

Closed-door suites

[Most photos by @tripstyler (some courtesy of Emirates) taken while on a trip to Dubai sponsored by Emirates]

KinderHop :: Gifts For Families On The Go

Christmas gifts for families on the go

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KinderHop is published once monthly and written by Trip Styler’s Seattle-based kid ‘n family writer, Keryn.

The winter holidays are here and with it comes the stress of picking out just the right present for everyone on your list. Kids usually have a mile-long list---from here to the North Pole---of toys they would love to find hiding under the tree, yet most are not practical for travel. When it comes to hopping on a plane and exploring a new spot, compact is key. After all, you need room for a few changes of clothes in that bag you are carrying. From my traveling troupe to yours, here are my festive finds for families on the go:

Trip Styler Tip: Want more gift ideas? Check out our annual traveler gift guide published on Friday.

1/ iPad or Kindle Fire :: If suitcase space is limited, this is your go-to travel gift for any family hitting the road. No need to pack the case of DVDs; simply download your child’s favorite movies. Added bonus: include your child’s favorite picture books and apps saving even MORE space. A few of our favorite toddler apps Monkey Preschool Lunchbox, Teach Me Toddler, Tozzles, and Angry Birds. Cost: $329 // $199

2/ Ergo Sport Baby Carrier :: The must-have baby item for any child under age three. When you need your hands free and baby just wants to snuggle down, this is the perfect carrier. Its neutral design makes it easy for dad to enjoy a little baby bonding time, while it's also gentle on mom’s post-baby back {distributing the added weight evenly across her hips and back}. Cost: $115

3/ FlashKids Spanish Flash Cards :: Small and compact flash cards are great to have on hand when little brains need some stimulation. These cards come with English translations and fun pictures, so if you have a little one still learning their first language, you can use the cards for English and/or a second language. Alternatively, wait for their native vocabulary to build and then use the cards again to add new words in your destination du jour's language. Ole! Cost: $3.95

4/ Zig Zag City Guides :: Rome is brought to life in this imaginative card series transporting you and your family through the streets of la dolce vita. A pop-up map lets your child take the lead in your adventures while they complete activities on the back of each card---how to order gelato, search a map of the Vatican City or learn how to prepare for plane travel---and discover fun facts about some of Rome’s most amazing sites. Even if you aren’t headed to the Eternal City, this is still a great way to introduce your child to a new culture. Works of art or educational tool, you decide. {Guides also available for San Francisco. Paris and NYC coming soon.} Cost: $28

5/ World Travel Pouch Puzzle :: Encourage kids to unplug with a travel-inspired map-slash-puzzle. Work their brains and fine motor skills as you explore where animals live across the globe. The small, resealable pouch makes it easy to pack in a purse or carry-on bag and brought out when little minds need some extra entertainment. Cost: $5.99

[photos sourced online]