Beach & Sun, Cruising, Food & Wine
Trish McCloy
On Camera: Expedia x Disney Cruise Line
On Camera: Expedia x Disney Cruise Line
Beach & Sun, Food & Wine, Luxury, Spa
Trish McCloy
Why Ischia, Italy is A MUST for your Go-List
Why Ischia, Italy is A MUST for your Go-List
Beach & Sun, Luxury
Trish McCloy
On Camera: Transat Luxury Collection x Trip ...
On Camera: Transat Luxury Collection x Trip Styler
Active & Adventure, Beach & Sun, Food & Wine, Cruising, Luxury, Spa
Trish McCloy
Photos :: Best of 2015
Photos :: Best of 2015
News Flash
Trish McCloy
Introducing: The Trip Styler Store
Introducing: The Trip Styler Store

Beach & Sun

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Slideshow :: Best of 2014

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TripStyler2014Best

[trip style = all] 

I know, I know; today we *should* be focusing on post-travel detox juices or healthy getaways to jump-start TS 2015, but in the name of zigging where others zag, and *hopefully* inspiring your 2015 travel plans, we're taking a step back before we move ahead.

Reminiscing about 2014 over the Christmas holidays, I was struck by how I'm keen to re-visit a bevy of the hotels and destinations that colored my year-in-travel. Waking up in Mexico on January 1st, and clocking my last set of air miles when visiting California in early December, 2014 saw me take about 40 trips.

Some were big, some were weekenders. Some were luxe, some were rustic. Some were zen, some were busy {with the addition of Baby Styler to the TS crew}. True to the Trip Styler mission, we covered every category of trip styling: active+adventure, beach+sun, food+wine, weekender, glamping, urban, luxe, steals, spa. 

Here's the best of the best. Stay + play details in each photo. 

PS - I case you missed it, Trip Styler Sis went all Scandi on me, and wrote travel guides to Denmark, Finland and Sweden. 

[photos by @tripstyler]

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10 Days > 2 Cities > 1 Carry-On

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10daysCarryOn

[trip style = urban + sun]

Last week I jetset to LA, Palm Desert and Palm Springs with Mr. and Baby Styler to escape the West Coast rain and give Baby Styler his first taste of travel {see sitting poolside in a mini speedo}! 

{It was Baby Styler's first flight! We purposely chose a short ride as his first flying experience so we could test his reaction to the skies. I was very nervous how he'd react to take-off and landing; thankfully he was a dreamy traveler.}

Not wanting to give up my obsession with traveling light now that there's there's a baby in tow, all three of us brought carry-ons for our 10-day, multi-city, multi-trip-style trip. While there we experienced every weather pattern {save for snow} from torrential downpours in LA to hot days in the desert to cold spells at night. My small-batch packing got me through all of it, and not once did I feel like I needed to run to the store to pick up something I'd missed.

One jacket, two scarves and a blazer kept me warm during cool Cali nights. I wore my warmer tops, jeans and booties in downtown LA. And in Palm Springs I packed jean cut-offs, tanks, flowy pants and pool cover-ups that double as tops. All in all, I felt I had almost too many options!

Moral of the story: Packing light is easily doable for 10 days, multiple climates and various trip styles. If you bring an edited wardrobe and wear the big stuff on the plane, you'll zip through the airport, unpack and pack up faster and spend less time figuring out what to wear. 

What I packed
- 1 jacket {wear on the plane}
- 1 kimono-blazer* 
- 1 long and lightweight kimono {wear with jeans, shorts and to the pool}
- 1 sweater {wear on the plane}
- 4 tank tops {1 cropped, 1 jersey, 2 fancy}
- 4 tops {2 flowy blouses, 1 chambray, 1 Tulum Embroidered Top*}
- 2 necklaces* 
- 2 scarves*
- 1 dress
- 3 pairs of pants {2 jeans, 1 flowy}
- 2 bathing suits
- 2 pairs of shoes {sandals, booties (+ one pair of washable slippers)}
- 1 purse
- 1 clutch
- 1 pool bag
*items that can be purchased in the Trip Styler Store. Reminder, 20% off everything thru December 24th, use Promo code: TSholiday2014. 

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Trip Styler Packing Tips
- wear big stuff on the plane {I wore my jacket, scarf, sweater, chambray, jeans, booties} 
- bring clothes in a complimentary color palette that can be paired together
- big scarves are a great alternative to bulky sweaters 
- limit your shoes, and wear the biggest pair on the plane
- bring a fold-flat tote as a pool bag, or to stuff things into when you're moving hotels or need an extra bag 

{photos by @tripstyler}

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If The Shoe Fits

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PoppyBarleyInterview

[trip style = sun + urban + adventure]

I recently met some fellow travel connoisseurs whose custom-fit footwear company was inspired on the road. As a lover of shoes and sojourning abroad, I had to share Justine and Kendall's story and show off their ethically made soles {I have a pair (below) and wearing them is like walking on air}. 

classicanklebootiejeanblue

While shopping along the boho-chic blocks of Bali's Seminyak stretch, Justine popped into a leather goods store and settled on a pair of boots. Unfortunately, they didn't have her size {normally making the shoe purchase a no-go}. "No problem, I’ll measure you and make you a custom pair!" the cobbler said as he pulled out a measuring tape. A week later, the idea for Poppy Barley came to her while thinking about her experience in the shoe shop: "Why can't women everywhere have the same custom experience?" 

When Justine arrived home from the tropics, she and her sister Kendall {below} set their sights on pairing the traditional business of handcrafted shoemaking with a modern-day online twist. That was 2012. Today, Poppy Barley receives orders online {and at pop-up shops}, a dedicated team of craftspeople hand-make the shoes at a studio in Mexico, and the finished product is shipped to customers all over the world. 

JustineAndKendallPoppyBarley

Trip Styler Tip: Custom-fit footwear is the ultimate personalized Christmas gift. Buy a gift card, or sneak someone's measurements and send in the order. If the shoe doesn't fit, they remake them. 

OrderingShoesPoppyBarley

Curious how Poppy Barley continues to pair travel and shoes, we asked co-founder Justine how she settled on Mexico for her company's production, how she extends her work trips for pleasure, and which shoes she doesn't leave home without.

PoppyBarleyLeonStudio

What drew you to Mexico for shoemaking?
We chose León, Mexico for its rich history in manufacturing footwear. For the last 400 years the city’s main industry has been shoemaking—giving us the deep talent pool of artisans we need to build a scalable custom footwear company, and a short 36 kilometre supply chain. Further, because Mexico is relatively close to Canada and the USA, it makes product development trips and shipping easier. Plus, our product falls under NAFTA, so it's duty-free!

PoppyBarleyStudios
ShoesForPoppyBarley

How often do you go to Mexico for work?
I go to León three to four times per year. Most of the time, I stay at Nueva Estancia, a simple yet styled hotel with all the fixings close to where I need to be for work. On my last trip I tried AirBnB, which gave me a deluxe apartment for $75 per night {I could have brought the whole Poppy Barley team}. At least once per trip, I make a point of eating out at Argentilla, one of León's poshest eateries drawing the who’s who of the city. León has a lot of Spanish, Italian and Argentinean restaurants due to the immigrants who have come to work in the footwear industry. After my first trip I realized that you have to make a special request for Mexican food, otherwise most people go out for Italian food. {They eat Mexican food at home!}

Leon, Mexico

Leon, Mexico

Do you ever extend your Mexico work trips and tack on a vacation?
Yes, so far I have visited Guanajuato {45 minutes from León} and San Miguel de Allende {2 hours from León}. Both are colonial-era towns that achieved great wealth in the 1850s due to the region’s silver mines, and as such, left an amazing heritage of Baroque architecture. The towns are set in valleys framed by mountains and have narrow and steep cobblestone callejones {alleyways}, shady plazas dotted with monuments and cafes, pastel-hued buildings and techni-colored flowers. Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende were re-discovered and settled in the 1930s and '40s by artists and writers from around the world; now they are home to students, retirees, and creatives. 

Guanajuato, Mexico

Guanajuato, Mexico

What trip styles do you favor?
My ideal vacations combine the Urban and Active/Adventure trip styles. I love to explore, and I get bored quickly on the beach. For my last big trip my husband and I traveled to Turkey, spending time in Istanbul, hiking the Lycian Way, and wandering the underground cities in Goreme. My next trip is a work-play combo heading back to Guanajuato and San Miguel, but this time I am bringing my husband!

Carry-on or checked bag?
Checked. I hate the rush to board the plane to secure room in the overhead containers for my carry-on. 

chealseabootpoppybarley

Which shoes always accompany your travels?
My go-to travel shoes are the Poppy Barley Black Python Classic Point, the Poppy Barley Chelsea Boot {above right} and my running shoes.

[photos via poppy barley]

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Roam+Board :: RIMBA

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RIMBAJimbarabBali

[trip style = luxe + sun + beach]

What
Set back from Bali's verdant cliffs towering over the Indian Ocean, RIMBA Jimbaran Bali is a 282-room excuse to call your boss and tell her you're extending your vacation. If she protests, you might want to quit and stay awhile.

Completed in late-2013, the gleaming-white high-rise hotel struts a sleek aesthetic mingling clean lines, modern Balinese touches, and wow-factor like a crescent-shaped infinity-edge water feature jetting out beyond the lobby. Fronting the structure, six outdoor swimming pools—many with sunken sunbeds—cascade as if they were terraced rice paddies to create a styled stay that won’t leave you indebted to your credit card.

Starting at $159 a night, the luxe-for-less price tag is a mega-steal because this five-star stunner is 10x the architectural muse as hotels in the $300-$500 range.

Trip Styler approved.

Where
Jimbaran, Bali: An upscale hotel area perched over cliffs rising up from the Indian Ocean. RIMBA is 10 kilometers/7.4 miles from Ngurah Rai International Airport {DPS}, and is a 20-minute drive by cab or private driver.   

When
Cozied up near the equator, the weather in Bali is consistently hot 'n heavy year-round hovering around 30ºC/85ºF.  The major "when-do-I-go?" consideration relates to precipitation levels. Rainy season lasts from October to March covering the region in humidity and short-lived torrential storms. Bali's dry season—aka the best time to visit—runs from April to September and drenches the island in its signature vitamin D.

Who/Why
Modern hotels amuse your art and architecture leanings, and you feel right at home when other guests are sporting Karen Walker sunglasses and reading Contemporist dispatches on their tablets.        

Cost
Rates start around $159/night and include hotel-wide WiFi, bottled water, a free shuttle service within 190-acre AYANA Resort including its beach, pools, restaurants, and priority access to the famous Rock Bar.

Trip Styler Tip: Heading to Bali? Check out my need-to-know tips in the Expedia Viewfinder.

Photos

Infinity pool extending the lobby's reach.

Infinity pool extending the lobby's reach.

Submerged lounge.

Submerged lounge.

One of six pools.

One of six pools.

Not your average pool chairs.

Not your average pool chairs.

High design details at every turn.

High design details at every turn.

More pool.

More pool.

Where I spent my time {because of the rocking chair-style lounges}.

Where I spent my time {because of the rocking chair-style lounges}.

Rooms, each with their own unique driftwood sourced from nearby shores and carved by local artisans.

Rooms, each with their own unique driftwood sourced from nearby shores and carved by local artisans.

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Preggy Styler

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PreggyStyler

[trip style = any]

Editor's Note: Have you checked out the online Trip Styler Store? Stop by for handpicked finds from around the globe. 

In case you missed last week's surprise there's-a-new-Styler-in-town-post, I've added a new member to the TS flight crew: Baby Styler.

To say that Baby Styler is well traveled is an understatement. Logging almost as many miles as an airline captain, he jet-set and road-tripped to more destinations in my womb than I visited in my first 20 years on planet Earth {too bad he couldn't start collecting frequent flyer miles nine months ago...}.

While I was a little {read: a lot} nervous to travel with him in my belly when it came to common considerations such as turbulence, adverse reactions to foreign foods or constant mountain-to-tropic climate changes, I got the go-ahead from my doctor for every trip, so I went. Since I travel frequently and am acclimatized to the lifestyle, I was fortunate enough {and very careful} to avoid any major issues on the road {unless you count the time I came within one meter of a boa constrictor in West Bali} though I always made sure I had access to medical care in case I suddenly needed it.

Doing every trip style—active/adventure, beach/sun, weekend away, food-focused, glamping, urban, steals, luxe, spa—over the course of my journey into babydom, I learned that traveling while pregnant is not about what you can't do {i.e. food restrictions, drink restrictions, spa restrictions, exercise restrictions, etc.} but tweaking the trip styles you love to fit your preg 'n' traveling comfort level. 

Here's how I made each trip style work during my womberlust:

  • In Tokyo at one of the best sushi restaurants in the world, I chose the vegetarian omakase menu over the raw fish menu. 
  • In Northern Thailand, I had a facial instead of a massage at the spa. 
  • In Bali, I lounged under a palm tree versus in the direct sun. 
  • Also in Bali, I consumed fresh-pressed fruit juices over poolside cocktails.
  • In Mexico, I stayed in a shorefront glamping hut with air conditioning instead of one naturally cooled by the beach breeze {because midday temps reached 41 degrees C}.
  • In Kuala Lumpur, where temperatures hovered in the 43-degree-C range, I stopped into malls and restaurants every 30 minutes to cool down, rest, re-hydrate and nibble while exploring the city on foot.
  • On a road-trip from Vancouver to San Francisco, I became well acquainted with Washington, Oregon and California's highway-side rest stops.

Preggy Styler Photo Gallery

[photos by @tripstyler]