TGIT {& Exciting TS Changes}

[trip style = weekend getaway]

TGIT - Thank God It's Thursday. Thursday is the new Friday---at least it is with Canada Day, eh! Looking ahead, there are three major summer long weekends in Canada starting tomorrow: Friday, July 1st {Canada Day}, Monday, August 1st {BC Day or equivalent} and Monday, September 5th {Labour Day}. That's one extra day off per month!

Planning All this talk of long weekends made me recall an e-chat I had recently with a lovely gal I met from the UK while traveling in Australia. The topic of summer came up, and I was impressed by two trip style = {extended} weekend getaway trips she's taking in exotic waterfront locales in Europe. Knowing summer can get crazy busy, she had pre-planned two trips she wanted to take, and I applauded her for this.

Summer always creeps up on us, and this year that was the case for me. Talking travel with her reminded me how: a} unless you're intentional about pre-planning, all your weekends can get swallowed up with projects or the like, b} summer accommodations book fast, and c} pre-planning ensures you do what you want, when you want.

In a few weeks I'm going to the interior of BC to trip style = wine tour & spa, and I have nothing booked. {My bad!} Though I'm sure something will work out, I have to get on it. There's a time for spontaneity, but in the two to three months that actually cater to summer travel, being laissez faire about travel planning isn't your best bet---unless you're camping in the bush {ie. not at a campground} or sleeping in your car at a US Walmart.

If you still need some summer trip styling inspiration, check out these ideas: Luxury Budget Conscious {& fabulous} The Add-On

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PS - Over the next few months we are making some exciting changes to Trip Styler. Here's a teaser:

Summer Love This summer we're trying something new, knowing you're likely to slip away a little early for the weekend on Fridays. We're dishing up our daily trip style tips Monday - Thursday, except Fashion Friday, because "Wardrobe Wednesday" just doesn't have the same panache...

Design One day in the next few weeks you'll visit Trip Styler and notice something different. After a year and a half of dishing daily trip style tips, we've learned a lot more about our audience, so we're hard at work on a new website design to reflect your preferences and Trip Styler's growth!

Savvy Traveler In July we're launching "The Savvy Travler", a once-monthly interview with a travel expert or celebrity. We ask and they tell: fave trip styles, gadgets and tips. Expect experts in all different areas of travel from pilots to pirates. Just kidding about pirates, but if I could get an interview with Johnny Depp Jack Sparrow, that would be awrrr-some.

Stay tuned for a full list of updates when Trip Styler is re-launched in the coming weeks. Until then, expect all the same trip styling tips for your travel lifestyle!

Safe travels this long weekend, Trish

[Image by @tripstyler of pictures sourced from the web]

Midnight in Paris

[trip style = staycation]

"I just want to walk beside the Seine with a baguette under my arm." - Gil, Midnight in Paris

This summer, if you can't board Air France direct to the City of Light, see Midnight in Paris instead. It's Paris at its best: in the sun and in the rain, in present day and in La Belle Époque, in a Lexus and in a horse-drawn chariot.

I admit, I meant to see Bridesmaids last night, but got to the theatre a little late and Midnight in Paris was playing next. For once, my tardiness rewarded me in the best way possible. I walked out of the theatre with a huge smile on my face because I'd just taken a mini European vacation. For 94 minutes, I felt the uneven ground under my feet beside the Seine, the wind in my hair while standing on Pont Neuf and the musty smell of old furniture while popping my head into antique shops in one of my favorite cities in the world.

As entertaining as it is, it's also a history lesson---the kind you wish you had in school---as the movie flip flops between present day and times of old. The historical figures who show up in the movie will blow your mind---some of whom I still need to look up on Wikipedia. The film follows Gil, a California screenplay-writer-tuned-novelist on a family trip. He's immediately taken with Paris and wants to live out his idea of a romantic lifestyle, writing from a rickety desk in an old apartment with a skylight. However, his fianceé thinks this is a silly notion. While walking alone at night, he gets transported to another time, a time he longs to be a part of when all his literary heroes lived in gay Paris.

If you can't get away this summer, and the romantic Parisian vacation you long for involves a blanket, grassy field and bottle of French wine, go to the best French bakery in town, buy a baguette and some melt-in-your-mouth brie cheese, and discreetly bring them into the movie. When your 94 minutes in Paris are up, don't stop the francophile fun---go to your city's best macaron shop and savor the petit delicacies with a cafe au lait! Now all that's missing is the French music, but an iPod can take care of that!

[photo collage by @tripstyler of pictures sourced from the web]

Travel App Tuesday :: Royal Tour

[trip style = varied] If you like the Royals and armchair travel, this app's for you.

Will and Kate are beginning their first official trip as husband and wife in Canada on Thursday. And no, their not-so-secret honeymoon in the Seychelles didn't count as business. For the record, I could not be more excited for Their Royal Highnesses to visit to Canada, and wish I was going back to Ottawa this year to see them at the July 1st celebrations!

Not surprisingly, the app for that was created just in the nick of time by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Documenting the young couple's ultra-packed, Canadiana-filled, 9-day visit to cities in Ontario, Quebec, PEI, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, Monarch-lovers will be able to view the itinerary, look at pictures and video, check the #RoyalTour Twitter feed, RSVP for public events via Facebook, as well as send e-postcards about the trip.

Note, the app is mostly a portal to online resources like the Royal Tour website and the Flickr page, but having a Royal reminder on your phone is a great way to keep up to date with Wills & Kate.

Details

• Free
• Available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
• Wifi connection is required to take full advantage of the app's links and resources
• If you're not using an iphone, there's a mobile site

— Get more travel tips & updates like this by subscribing to RSS or email, liking us on facebook or following us on twitter. —

Other Travel Apps Every Tuesday we feature a new travel app. Don’t forget to peruse the other 75+ travel apps we’ve reviewed from travel first aid, to luxury and boutique hotel finders, to border waits and trip itinerary management. Here are the most recent:

• What Makes True Love {Tiffany's NYC Guide}
• WindowSeat
• High-End Camp Cooking
• Vancouver Street Food
• livingsocial escapes

Size Matters

[trip style = weekending] With airlines continuing to jack up prices for checked baggage, and carry-on allowances getting more scant, traveling with the right type and size of carry-on can increase your packing space and provide peace of mind. Any time I'm travelling on an airline with stingy or overly strict carry-on requirements, or on a summer road trip, I bring a flexible bag instead of a structured carry-on, here's why...

Why Carry-On Type And Size Matter If an airline ever has any suspicion about your bag’s size, it will be tested in either the carry-on ‘cage’ or with a measuring tape. And if your bag’s wheels stick out even 2 cm beyond the guidelines, too bad so sad. Not only is your thoughtfully packed carry-on going under the plane, you may even get stuck with a fee. After leaning 'the hard way' from an experience with Allegiant Airlines, from now on, if my carry-on does not exactly fit with the airline’s baggage requirements, I will always travel with a flexible bag (like my preferred Longchamp Le Pliage), so it can be moulded and punched into place if selected for a sizing test.

Flexible Bags a) Maintain the convenience of carry-on travel. b) Allow you to pack to the fullest knowing that if required, the bag could be forced into the airline’s carry-on configuration. c) Are lighter than structured carry-ons, allowing you to maximize the weight inside the bag! d) Provide travel {and packing} confidence.

Tips

• always favour bags in darker colours, they stand out less and seldom attract a ‘random measurement.’
• know your airline’s baggage sizing requirements, and be able to quote them if your bag is in question---being confident and assertive helps.
• if you think there’s any grey area between your measurement and the airline’s measurement of your bag, bring a smaller size or buy an unstructured bag to cram into the measurement cage, if requested.
• when buying a carry-on, look for long and lean versus short and wide. wider bags ‘appear’ bigger.
• most airlines allow a max carry-on size of 45″ total, or 22″ x 14″ x 9″.
• don’t forget about weight, many airlines' max carry-on weight is now 25 pounds or less, and again, if you bag looks big, it will be weighed.

Trip Styler Tip :: Flexible, dark-coloured, duffel-like bags are also great for summer road trips, weekending at the cabin or boating. They can be crammed into small spaces like a crevice in your trunk or boat, and beaten-up a little enroute. Your casual weekend clothes won't mind, just remember to pack your toiletries extra well, or keep them with you.

Related Packing 103 Packing 102 Mastering the Art of Packing {Packing 101} Travel Essentials for Any Trip Style High Rolling :: To Roll or Lay Flat? A Summer Weekend Packing List Go-To Carry-On Toiletries Travel iPhone Apps :: PackingPro The Art of Carry-On Travel Going Away? Packing and To Do List

[photo: Longchamp Extendible Le Pliage bag from Neiman Marcus in the US, and here in Canada.]

Fashion Friday :: Buoy Oh Buoy

[trip style = cruising/sailing]

"The mate was a mighty sailing man, the skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day for a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour." - The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle

I believe in strategic friendships. Ideally, we should all build a repertoire of the following friends: mechanic, lawyer, cabin owner, nurse, accountant and boat owner. Any seafaring vessel will do, but there's a sense of romance and adventure to a sailboat. If you're lucky enough to have a friend with a sailboat, or if you're taking a vacation on the high seas {like Trish just did in Australia}, I have a few nautical fashion suggestions that will serve you well from Cape Cod to Catalina.

I confess that I'm often guilty of a more is more approach to fashion, but less is more when it comes to maritime fashion---whether literal or referential. One stripe or anchor too many and you'll forever be known as the Captain {or worse yet Tennille}.

Referential nautical fashion musts: Breton stripes, rope and toggle details, boat shoes, rolled pants, sailcloth bags or classic Lands' End monogram bags and a colour palette of red, white, blue and gold.

Literal nautical fashion musts: non-slip footwear, windbreaker, aviators, a hat that won't fly away and extra layers for warmth.

Now what to pack? Men (clockwise from top left) Rogues Gallery baffin sweat, Paul Smith microcheck classic fit, J.Crew bowery cotton-linen in classic fit, Rogues Gallery sea worthy tee, Sperry Top-Sider authentic original leather boat shoe, Native Shoes miller shoe

Women (clockwise from top right) Red Flag Design aum_recycled sailcloth original tote, J.Crew toggle cardigan, Bensimon vintage lace-up sneakers, Rachelleceline twist knot earrings, Topshop coral stripe bandeau bralet, Marc by Marc Jacobs stripe and anemone scarf, Topshop tandem white deck trainers, Juicy Couture striped dress with shoulder zip, J.Crew 5" chino short, Lizzie Fortunato palace in pondicherry necklace, Chance classic tank

More Fashion Friday Festival Style Tribal Inspiration Spring Mini Break Resort Wear Cozy in the City

{Fashion Friday posts are published on the last Friday of every month and written by fashion blogger Heather.}

[photo by @heatherlovesit]