Free Travel 101

[trip style = budget conscious]

{Editor's Note: Happy Halloween. Don't miss our 2011 round-up of the best jetset costumes!}

If you're a fan of free travel---and I don't know anyone isn't---following last month's Going The Distance With Your Air Miles, we're doing a two-part series about free travel. I know, it's a h-o-r-r-i-b-l-y cheesy title. Maybe we should have called it gratuit travel instead? French makes everything sound better!

Today we look at strategy and accumulation techniques used by free travel fanatics, and on Wednesday at exchanging air miles/travel points and too-good-to-be-true mileage redemption reward chart loopholes.

{Note: Three years ago I started getting serious about travel rewards points and air miles accumulation. Since then I've taken a ton of 'free' trips redeeming my Visa's travel rewards points as well as my air miles {from airlines}. Case in point, I'm currently in Curacao (hotel pictured above) because I redeemed my American Airlines miles to fly from Vancouver to Aruba (Curacao is 50 miles east). More on Curacao later this month.}

Be Strategic If you're strategic about air mile and travel rewards credit card points accumulation, you'll travel for free. Period. For example, if you put the vast majority of your spending on your travel rewards credit card, how much and how frequently you spend will determine whether the free trip is local weekend escape, or Tahitian getaway.

Concentrate Applying the same strategy to flying and the air miles gathered at 35,000ft, savvy travelers try to choose one {or two at most} airline alliances to focus their mile accumulation. You'll amass miles quickly if you're loyal to one carrier/alliance. If you always fly different carriers, it'll take years to accumulate enough miles to redeem a 'free' flight.

Accumulate The best way to start accumulating is to determine a} the airline you fly with most and/or b} your home airport's major airline, then always look to them first when flying. It's incredible how much faster you can redeem miles for a free flight when you concentrate your dollars and loyalty to one airline {and its alliance}. Unless you book a super-saver seat not eligible for air miles, most airlines will issue air miles {usually one air mile per 'mile' traveled}. The catch? You must sign-up for their loyalty program and add your loyalty number to all bookings for mile accumulation! Note that no-frills carriers like Allegiant do not issue air miles.

[photo credit: Kura Hulanda Hotel, Curacao]

Fashion Friday :: Global Style

[trip style = urban]

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

There's a reason "tacky tourist" is a popular Halloween costume - throw a coin on your next vacation and you'll probably hit one. It's fun to make fun of tourists in their Merrells and money belts, but tourists can also provide inspiration, or rather anti-inspiration. Similar to how I like to "live like the locals" when I visit a new city, I also like to dress like them. And these days, if you want to know how the stylish locals of the world present themselves, you have to consult street style websites. Whether you're looking for the sartorial flavour of your next destination, or you're just looking for inspiration, let's "peep" at the international style featured on Street Peeper {one of our globetrotting editor's favourite sites}.

More Fashion Friday
Romantic Caribbean
Shoulder Season
Cabin Fever
Buoy Oh Buoy

[Photos by Street Peeper, collages by Heather]

A Jetset Halloween

Halloween weekend is upon us. In celebration of last year's big news about the Chilean miner rescue, one of 2010's most popular, DIY halloween costumes was none other than the Chilean miner---Oakley sunglasses and all. This fall, with primetime's Pan Am taking off {in more ways than one}, I suspect there'll be a lot of 6os-inspired captains and stewardesses strutting down the concourse and into a party near you.

Last year we started the tradition of posting travel-inspired halloween costumes. It went over so well, here are this year's picks for kids of all ages:

Pan Am Glam

An Amazing Race Team {fave teams!}

Venetian Taxi{boat} Driver {Venetian taxi drivers seem to have a classically cool uniform: aviators, dark fitted jeans, brown loafers or sport shoes, white polo shirt, blue crewneck sweater, St. Tropez tan....}

Crocodile Dundee

[collages by @tripstyler of photos sourced online]

TS's Experience Whistler :: F&B

[trip style = ski + weekend getaway + sightseeing]

{Editor’s Note: Until noon PST today, enter to win two nights at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and two Scandinave Spa Whistler bath passes. Takes less than one minute to enter. Good luck!}

----------------------- After ziptrekking at 80km/h over Fitzsimmons Creek and dipping into therapeutic waters in the name of Nordic wellness, we've worked up an appetite. In the last of a three-part Experience Whistler series, exploring the resort's food and beverage marvels should fit the bill {pun intended}! -----------------------

Whether it's an intimate affair or big bash, there's a fete happening in every bar, lounge and restaurant in Whistler. It's a resort; festivities come with the territory. Beyond Whistler's world-class cocktails and cuisine, here are some unique experiences perfect for epic or everyday celebrations!

Bubbly Why pop the bubbly when you can saber it like Napoleon? You and your party are ushered down a narrow stairway to a 20,000 bottle wine cellar to strike the 'lip' off the bottle of Champagne with the blunt edge of a sword! Where: Bearfoot Bistro Cost: There is no fee for this, just buy a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine {which start at $50} and request to saber it!

Take Flight Don a $1,000 Canada Goose down parka and fur hat with ear flaps, and step into an arctic chill known as the Belvedere Ice Room. With 50 vodkas from around the world, the petite ice bar plays host to flights in a -18 degrees Celsius room! Bring gloves. Where: Bearfoot Bistro Cost: One shot is $20, a flight {4 shots} is $48.

Nitro As you can probably tell from the last two experiences at one of Whistler's finest and highly acclaimed restaurants, the Bearfoot Bistro is as much about the food and beverage as it is about the show. For those who like a sweet and frosty finish to their meal, complete the culinary adventure with a simple, yet flashy dessert. A wooden trolly arrives bearing the gift of cream, sugar and nitroglycerine. Churned right in front of you, this high-end take on build-your-own sunday dazzles the eyes and delights the sweet tooth. Where: Bearfoot Bistro Cost: $15 per person, minimum two people.

Lounge Hands down, one of Whistler's favourite spots for après-ski and après-dinner is the Mallard Lounge. Anchored by an oversized fireplace stretching into vaulted ceilings, this open-concept lounge is ski- meets hunting-lodge chic. Weekend entertainment {Thurs - Sun in high season} only adds to the atmosphere. All the artists are excellent. Ask if Colin Bullock is playing; his medleys of popular Coldplay and Tracy Chapman songs, as well as his own singer-songwriter tunes will turn you into a night owl. Where: Fairmont Chateau Whistler Cost: A single malt and glass of wine start at $10.

{Trip Styler Tip :: Don't miss out on Fairmont Fridays, $5 beers and cocktails await. And with the help of Fairmont's exec chef and sommelier, learn to cook the quintessential festive meal and select the best wine pairings for Holiday Cooking 101 (nov 18 - 20).}

Crêpe Crêpe Montagne is a small French crêperie tucked away near Whistler's Celebration Plaza. The crêpes are as authentic and delicate as the design with fresh flowers on every table and bright blue banquette seating. Visit during the holidays when the bistro sparkles. A giant branch towers over guests with gazillions of silver bobbles catching the dim winter light from every twig. Where: Crêpe Montagne Cost: Crêpes start at $5. Open breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don't miss the fondue and raclette!

{Trip Styler Tip ::  Avoid the midday cafeteria rush while skiing Whistler Blackcomb and overlook the ski-scape below with full service dining at Christine's.}

[photo credits in order of appearance: bearfoot bistro (1-3), tripstyler, fairmont chateau whistler, heatherlovesit]

{Disclaimer: Though I wish I had a lifetime Champagne bottle sabering pass to the Bearfoot Bistro, I have no affiliation with any of the businesses listed above. More about our editorial policy.}

Tech Tuesday :: Urban Dig

[trip style = urban + weekend getaway]

One of 2011's biggest travel buzzwords is curated: curated travel flash sales, curated restaurant picks, curated hotel lists. Every online travel site and guidebook have some sort of curated list. Buzzed about or not, the process of creating a niche product, then choosing a small number of hotels, restaurants or activities saves everyone time with immediate hot-spot detection---and I'm not talking wifi!

One urban city guide app that just launched is doing just that: curated lists in cool cities. UrbanDig is a Vancouver start-up with off-track lists---think truckspotting instead of Eat, or hidden art instead of To Do---aimed at the generation X and Y set {or super cool boomers!}.

How it Works When you first download the free app, you have to sign-up. With an almost mandatory social sharing component, it'll ask you to add a picture to your profile so you can follow and be followed. Two-minute sign-up process aside, it's the local picks for Vancouver, LA, NY, Portland and SF {with Austin, DC and Chicago coming soon} that are the app's version fall 2011 ladies booties and mens wingtips!

If you're an urban culture cat, this app's for you.

More Tech Tuesday Travelstormer {Group Travel Planning} Virtual Shopping Get A Callback Google Flight Search Hotel Tonight Getting There Direct

[image via urbandig]