Films That Inspire Travel

Before I travel somewhere new, I like to get my hands on movies set in my destination. Before Barcelona, Vicky Cristina Barcelona; before Stockholm, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

A great film can inspire us to travel to a place we never thought to explore. It can also satisfy our wanderlust when we can't get away.

I've selected 17 films with a strong sense of place. Some focus on the journey, others on the destination. Sit back and watch, be inspired, then get off the couch and see these places for yourself.

Europe
For a delightful Parisian dreamscape ... Amélie (2001)
For a pilgrim's journey ... The Way (2010)
For an epic night in Vienna ... Before Sunrise (1995)
For a hilarious con through the French Riviera ... Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
For a movie that shows the beauty of Italy even in b&w ... Roman Holiday (1953)
For a quintessential British rom-com ... Notting Hill (1999)
For a little seduction and Spanish guitar ... Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Asia
For a colorful stay in the twilight of one's life ... The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
For a transformative and offbeat train journey ... The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
For an unlikely friendship in an unfamiliar land ... Lost in Translation (2003)
For an epic adventure to Petra ... Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

The Americas
For an 80s action-adventure through Colombia ... Romancing the Stone (1984)
For an appreciation for Pinot Noir ... Sideways (2004)
For a cross-Canada journey by vintage motorcycle ... One Week (2008)
For a midcentury modern thriller ... North By Northwest (1959)
For a place to call home ... Away We Go (2009)
For a love letter to Downtown Los Angeles ... 500 Days of Summer (2009)

What movies have inspired you? Let us know and you might see your favorite film in a follow-up post.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

[images via imdb, collages & top image by @heatherlovesit, map via maps-kid.com]

Hotel Travel Quirks

[trip style = any]

Hyatt Place hotels surveyed 1,000 travelers on their secret behaviors, favorite amenities, frequently forgotten items, breakfast preferences and in-room fitness or spa rituals. We love a good infographic and we love to trade travel tips, so we're taking the opportunity to share our own quirks and rituals on the road. Do you sneak in a quick workout or smuggle an extra meal from the continental breakfast? Do you roam around in the buff or jump on the beds? Let us know if you have any quirks and rituals of your own.

- Do not disturb! Chief Trip Stylist Trish rarely has her room cleaned to give housekeeping staff a break and to avoid tidying her room to have it cleaned.

- I always place my suitcase off the floor on the luggage rack, while Trish keeps her clothes and cords in small piles near her suitcase so she doesn't spread out too far and forget things when she checks out. 

- Upon arrival, after taking photos of the untouched room for Instagram and Trip Styler, of course, Trish checks for bedbugs behind the mattress. She does this no matter where she stays because creatures don't discriminate between 1 and 5 stars.

- The survey showed that 1 in 5 adults conduct work calls in the nude or in their underwear, with males more likely than females to take business calls in their birthday suits. 

- Trish embraces both jungle and arctic temperatures; she cranks the heat during the day, but sets the A/C between 68 and 70 at night.

- In a recent interview for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Dame Judy Dench revealed that she travels with a bath plug since an extended stay at a New York hotel when she couldn't figure out how to operate the bath.

- It's not surprising that free WiFi is the most-desired amenity for travelers. It's almost always free at 3-star business hotels and boutique hotels geared at the social media set. To score free WiFi at major brand, high-end hotels, look into joining their rewards programs, like the Fairmont President's Club or Starwood Preferred Guest program.

- Most hotels don't offer toiletries worth taking home, but W hotels offer Bliss foaming face wash plus lemon and sage hair and body products, Ace Hotels provide Malin+Goetz and Rudy's Barbershop products and Faimont properties supply Le Labo. Stock up on soap!

- Trish is a crazed fan of in-room Nespresso. Is there anything better than arpeggio roast in the morning? Speaking of European-style perks, seek out and take advantage of hotels with complimentary happy hours for a pre-dinner tipple. 

- An amenity missing from this survey is reasonably-priced parking in urban areas. Check Trip Advisor and Yelp for nearby parking deals when hotel parking is too pricey, or price out the potential benefit of a hotel just outside town with free hotel parking plus daily downtown parking.

- I'm guilty of often omitting pajamas and leaving behind phone cords. But the good news is that hotels often have a drawer FULL of iPhone cords, so it pays to be nice at check-in in case you need to borrow a cord or two. And you can always go without pajamas...

- Most hotels, like most airlines on long-haul flights, provide free amenities like toothbrushes and razors at the front desk. 

- Mr. Trip Styler exercises in his underwear to avoid sweating through his clothes. I assume he's planking and crunching in his room, not the gym...

- Unless she's in Nairobi, Trish likes to start her day with a run to get to know the area. If she's staying at a Fairmont, she takes advantage of their Fairmont Fit program, which provides workout wear to President's Club members. For more healthy travel tips, check out our Healthy on the Road archives.

- I pack sheet-style or sample-size hydrating masks and apply them the night I arrive at my destination. Drop by the local Sephora or department store for a mask sample if you forgot to pack your own.

- When the hotel coffee isn't of the locally roasted variety, Trish and Mr. Trip Styler seek out the coolest nearby coffee shop for their caffeine hits. Their staff are often a valuable resource for restaurant suggestions and local happenings.

- Many hotels offer complimentary fresh fruit in the lobby or the breakfast bar. I always grab a couple extra punches of Vitamin C for the road.

- If you find yourself in Southeast Asia, the Middle East or Europe, take time to indulge in the near-heavenly breakfast options, normally included in your hotel rate.

- While traveling in Croatia, I stayed at a hotel that charged $100 more per night for double occupancy over single occupancy, for the same room type. One day, I went down to the gorgeous breakfast buffet and the next day my friend went down. We each packed a little extra in napkins for our friend. Breakfast is just not worth $100.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Using Hotel Room Amenities Like Macgyver
Face Masks for Frequent Flyers
Kinderhop :: Making Hotel Rooms Work
Healthy on the Road :: Underwear Exercises
Healthy on the Road :: Forethought & Discipline

[infographics via hyatt place, top image of tara stiles via nypost]

Jetset Style :: Aloha Wear

[trip style = beach + sun]

Who's to blame for the Hawaiian shirt's bad rep? Tommy Bahama? Magnum P.I.? Dads everywhere for their dressed-up vacation look? Kitsch is back, and this time it's not just for dads or the tropics. If we believe GQ Magazine, Oahu might be the new capital of fashion.

Chief Trip Stylist Trish, who's currently camped out on Maui, has seen her fair share of island fashion. She met a couple on the ferry to Lanai last week who own more than 50 matching sets of aloha wear. They loved visiting the Islands so much that they moved to Kauai, where they match their palm fronds and hibiscus flowers in peace every day. And aloha, as it happens, translates to peace.

Trip Styler Tip: Look for Trish's favorite locally designed beachwear brand, Otaheite Hawaii {see photo above}, at their flagship store in Wailea, in boutiques across the Islands and online.

Now for a little history lesson: Made iconic in the 1950s when Elvis took Hawaii—and the rest of the world—by storm, the Hawaiian shirt goes further back than America's tiki craze. Hawaiians went without shirts altogether before missionaries came to the Islands and introduced them to bark cloth shirts and muumuus. Then, when the tourists came in the 20s, small tailors made them custom pattered shirts to bring home as souvenirs, and Hawaiians began to wear the shirts for special occasions. In the 30s, a native Hawaiian with a Yale business degree became the first mass producer of the shirts and gave them the name by which they're still called by locals today, aloha shirts.

Say "Aloha" to aloha wear.

Men
Clockwise from top left: Gitman 3-D short sleeve shirt, Burkman Bros hawaiian scenic printed shirt, Sandro printed poplin shirt, Gitman aloha camp shirt, Freemans Sporting Club slim-fit floral-print shorts, Ovadia & Sons palm-print shirt

Women 
Clockwise from top left: Mara Hoffman cutout tie back dress, Brave Soul hawaii tropical 2-piece set, Ted Baker tunic dress, Otaheite Hawaii hulali mini, Daisy Street crop top, House of Hackney giant canvas tote, Mikoh printed bikini

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Jetset Style :: The New Tunic
Jetset Style :: Kimonos
Jetset Style :: Summer Swimwear Trends

¡Hola Barcelona!

[trip style = urban + beach & sun]

Mention Barcelona to Europeans and the response will be Ahh... Barcelona! I love Barcelona! The beach, the food, the city... Mention Barcelona to North Americans and the response will be Watch out for pickpockets! I traveled to the largest city on the Mediterranean Sea with high hopes and street smarts, ready to conquer the city on my own before meeting up with friends. Follow along for my Do / Eat / Stay recommendations.

DO // Walk along the waterfront and out to the beach in La Barceloneta.

DO // Neighborhoods so charming that I didn't mind getting lost in them: El Born, Barri Gòtic and El Raval. Explore the Ciutat Vella {old city} by foot and always remember to look up.

El Born

DO // Visit Gaudí's Park Güell to experience art nouveau architect Antoni Gaudí's curvy mosaic masterpiece/public park.

Casa Trias, Park Güell

DO // Don't miss the architectural centerpiece of the city, Gaudí's La Sagrada Familia, and if you plan on going inside, buy tickets ahead. The detail will blow your mind! No wonder it's still a work in progress.

Six-story human tower {castell}, Catalan festival

DO // All Gaudí all the time? Marvel at the mind of Spain's most famous architect inside Casa Batlló and Casa Milà.

DO // Trek up to the highest point in the city for incredible views and amusement park rides at Mount Tibidabo. Best reached by bus or metro and 1901-built funicular. Bonus points for re-enacting scenes from Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Sagrat Cor church, Tibidabo

EAT // Bar Lobo is a fun indoor/outdoor restaurant with memorable fried eggplant and tuna tataki near the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art {MACBA} in El Raval.

EAT // "Come for one and stay till two" as the expression goes at one of the city's cheap, cheerful and tiny cava bars — El Xampanyet in El Born or Can Paixano {La Xampanyeria} in La Barceloneta.

EAT // Luzia is the perfect hideaway off Las Ramblas for delicious cava sangria and tomato salad.

EAT // Café Cometa is a colorful rest stop for a coffee or a juice in Sant Antoni.

STAY // I stayed at the budget-friendly and stylish Praktik Garden in the Eixample neighborhood. It's close to the metro, shopping street Passeig de Gracia and Gaudí's Casa Batlló and Casa Milà.

Things to know

• Many residents speak only Catalan and Spanish
• Aerobús is the easiest way to travel between the airport and the city centre
• The best times to visit are Spring and Fall
• The city is very walkable with a good transit system
• Be vigilant with your wallet/handbag in busy tourist areas
• Many shops are closed on Sundays
• Dinner is traditionally eaten after 9pm
• If you have time, leave the city limits to visit Monserrat or Sitges or Figueres and Cadaqués
   

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Hola España
Spotlight :: Amsterdam

[images by @heatherlovesit, 12hrs.net, airbnb.com, parcguell.cat, sagradafamilia.cat, lapedrera.com, anekdotique.com]

Jetset Style :: The New Tunic

[trip style = sun + urban + any]

With Spring right around the corner from the Winter of our discontent {to quote Shakespeare}, it's tempting to go overboard with optimism and bring out bare arms and bare legs too early. Thankfully, functional Spring fashion is all about transitional pieces to bridge the gap between Winter and Summer. What to wear when it's not warm enough to go bare? Enter The New Tunic.

My trip to California in February took me between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, where the days were hot and the nights were cool. The beauty of The New Tunic is that I could wear it as a short dress by day, and then over white jeans by night. It's not only the perfect piece for Spring, but also for vacations where the climate changes or the trip crosses over from sunny destination to urban setting {Palm Springs > Los Angeles}.

To avoid a "Mom in the Hamptons" tunic look, pair an oversized shirt dress over slim pants or wider cropped jeans. Choose a boxy tunic that hits a few inches above the knee. Works with or without a belt, with footwear that ranges from gladiator sandals to low-profile sneakers. If you need an extra layer, top with an oversized scarf or jean jacket.

Left to right: Kowtow geometry dress, Smock by Mohawk General Store shirtdress, Rachel Comey brighton dress, Apiece Apart leandro dress

Left to right: Aritzia Wilfred Free stone dress, Jesse Kamm imperial tunic, Rachel Comey clovis dress, & Other Stories cotton shirt dress

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Jetset Style :: Spring Fashion
Jetset Style :: Jean Jackets
10 Days > 2 Cities > 1 Carry-On

[photos at top via stockholm street style, style.com, pinterest]