Tanning Is Out

[trip style = sun]

{Editor's Note: In addition to the below tanning tips, also see my interview about playing it safe in the sun with The Canadian Cancer Society! What an honour to collaborate with such a worthy cause!}

I travel to a lot of sunny places {though there are still a bazillion destinations I'd like to see}, but I'm far from a bronzed miracle and proud of it. Here's an excerpt of questions I'm often asked when I come home from the tropics: Friend: Weren't you just in Hawaii? Me: Yes. Friend: Where's your tan? Me: It's muted, I wear A LOT of sunscreen.

The Canadian Cancer Society and I have been recently chatting about sun safety, and when I heard about the Tanning Is Out campaign, I wanted to support the plea to raise awareness about the dangers of sun exposure and tanning bed use, given my passion for sun protection and obsession with hats and sunscreen.

A Speech I remember doing a speech about sun safety in grade 4. Looking back, it is always something I've been interested in, but it wasn't until I was 25---and about to leave for my honeymoon in Jamaica---I started taking it really seriously. I cringe when I think about my early Trip Styling days in university, spending my 'reading breaks' in Honolulu. I would hit the tanning bed pre-trip, spend 8 hours of the day on the beach sans sunscreen, and rationalize that my almost florescent red burn would turn into a tan... My teenage and 20-something self should have taken my grade 4 self's basic instructions...

One Fine Day One event that forced me to get serious about sun protection was the discovery of Melasma on my face---a skin disorder where sun exposure causes symmetrical dark marks on the skin. Luckily, the larger, freckle-like splotches fade with creams, but the best way to manage it is with highly limited and strategic sun exposure {see more below}---a sometimes tricky task for an outdoor-loving and sun-seeking Trip Styler.

Opportunity & Responsibility With opportunity comes responsibility. Whether it's spending time outside enjoying The West Coast's glorious summer weather, jetting off to a sun-drenched island or even skiing at the top of Blackcomb {we can't forget about sun protection in winter}, I don't take the opportunity to be under nature's heat lamp lightly. I try to enjoy it responsibly using the following precautions:

• Face - Apply broad spectrum protection 30spf in winter/70spf in summer, or anytime I'm in a literal hotspot.
• Body - Apply a minimum of 30spf sunscreen before and at regular intervals during sun exposure.
• Hat - I keep one with me at all times---in my purse, the car, and in my suitcases---and don it when I run, or am out and about. I just purchased a hat with an 8" brim to wear when I'm in the desert or tropics. It is very chic, aside from the fact that it's the size of a child's umbrella!
• Time - Yes, I spend time in the sun, and LOVE relaxing by the pool or beach, or out on the water, but I do so wearing 30 - 50spf sunscreen and often spend the peak hours {11am - 4pm} sipping umbrella drinks in the shade.

I used to be embarrassed about my white face, but now it makes me happy knowing I'm following dermatologists and beauty experts' MOST IMPORTANT anti-aging rule: wear sunscreen daily {even if it's cloudy}. And if I'm feeling really pale, there's always bronzer, self-tanner, a spray tan or creams with a light shimmer to the rescue!

PS - if you like musicals, check out this entertaining 3-minute Tanning is out video. Also find more information on the Tanning is Out campaign on its website and Facebook group. {Including their logo, conceived by heather, our travel fashion contributor.}

{photo by @nate_fri, taken of 70 spf-adorned @tripstyler wearing a hat, cover-up and sunglasses on Wilson Island in Australia}

Lantern Mania

[trip style = sun & camping]

{Happy 4th of July to our US readers. Enjoy the festivities and fireworks! After a fun weekend in Bellevue, today I'm celebrating in Seattle with some Canadian and US friends on a boat: trip style = cruising---well, sailing actually. Thank goodness we recently published our seafaring style guide, Buoy Oh Buoy for Fashion Friday.}

Lately, I've noticed a lot of lantern lip service: between friends, on twitter and blogs, and on the big screen. I'm wondering if it has something to do with evening summer parties, camping or the movie The Green Lantern? A combination of all three perhaps?

When I was a kid, a lantern was a craft we made in Brownies {like Girl Scouts} with scissors, a paper bag and a votive. We would cut out star and heart shapes in the bag, place the votive inside and voila: a lantern that could be used to light a dark path at night. These rudimentary lanterns were fun, and still are, but it seems in North America we are either ahead or behind the times {depending on how you look at it} in comparison to Thailand and Poland. They have flying lanterns, like mini versions of hot air ballons.

Summer Lantern Loving Camping Lanterns Thankfully, 99% of all modern camping lanterns no longer use a combination of glass and fire to light the way. Nowadays, cranks or batteries will do the trick. As one of my favourite camping necessities, lanterns do everything from the light the path to the potty at night, to gather people around the picnic table to play cards. Aside from beach bonfires, they are a summer essential for anyone who enjoys trip style = camping & glamping.

The Green Lantern Instead of releasing lanterns into the sky, BC native Ryan Renolds is the lantern in the sky. Playing a superhuman, he is bestowed with a mystical and glowing ring that gives him otherworldly powers in the summer blockbuster movie, The Green Lantern.

The Hangover II The Hangover II is pretty raunchy, but the last scene is serene and mystical. The release of flying fire balls surrounded by paper cylinders {sounds like a recipe for disaster, but looks gorgeous} into the dark of night leaves you longing to attend a destination wedding in Thailand.

Poland On June 21st the Polish people celebrated the shortest night of the year, with an impromptu, Facebook-organized gathering releasing over 11,000 glowing orbs into the night sky. See the twinkling video below. EMBED-11,000 Lanterns Floating Over Poland - Watch more free videos

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

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 Trends :: Summer Vacation Ideas :: The Add-On

[trip style = multiple]

Vacation add-on: Extending a work or family/friend trip for extra travel benefit.

A trend that comes and goes with the state of the economy and rising fuel prices: the vacation add-on---both part of our regular Travel Trend Thursday feature, as well as the third installment of our three-part Summer Vacation Ideas series {see parts one and two below}.

Pay Less Do More Savvy travelers use vacation add-ons to maximize their travel at every opportunity, especially when the destination is appealing. Similar to booking trips with airline mileage or hotel points, extending a work or personal trip is a great way to pay less and do more. Whether your work is already paying for your flights and hotel anyway, or you're paying for a family event or destination wedding, doing a little more while there---or using it as a jumping off point to explore nearby areas---is worth it.

Add-Ons About one-fifth of the trips my husband and I take are add-ons---a way to travel with less budgetary impact. This year we've added time to work trips in LA in November, Scottsdale in February and NYC in May. I have friends and family who are also very good at vacation add-ons too, and have used work trips or family trips to add time in places they want to see, as well as discover destinations off their radar. Trips to Santa Barbara become trips to Vegas, trips to Denver become trips to Colorado's mountain resorts, trips to Boston become trips to New York, trips to Cape Town become safaris and trips to Victoria become trips across Vancouver Island.

How To Maximize the Add-On Trip

• Plan ahead
• Decide: is it best to tack a few days before or after the work or family-related trip? If so, what best suits your work schedule?
• Do you want wifi? If so, find a hotel that offers it.
• Consider this: if you're taking a ferry or car and staying in a hotel, then most of the journey is already paid for---both for you and your companion---aside from the extra nights.
• Can you use hotel loyalty points or travel credit card kickbacks to extend your stay versus making an out-of-pocket payment?
• Is there a nearby retreat or city you've been dying to explore?
• Are the flights cheap to bring a companion with you, or are you able to use points to fly them free?

Good Trip Styles For Vacation Add-Ons

• trip style = active & adventure - plan a few days of hiking or biking.
• trip style = beach - spend a weekend at a nearby beach town.
• trip style = cruise - near a cruise port? Book a 3-night cruise.
• trip style = safari - near the wild? Book a nature tour or safari.
• trip style = sightseeing - take some extra time to explore the area's important sights.
• trip style = ski - pre- or post-trip ski? Sounds good to me.
• trip style = spa - relax for a few days at the spahhhhhhh.
• trip style = urban - pound the pavement in the your destination or a nearby city.*
• trip style = wine tasting - if you're lucky enough to be near a wine region, well, that's an obvious add-on :)

*Don't rule out nearby cities for your vacation add-on. For example, if you're in LA, take the train to SF; if you're in Ottawa, take the train to Montreal; if you're in Honolulu fly to Kauai etc...

Don't Miss Summer Vacation Ideas :: Luxury Summer Vacation Ideas :: Budget

PS – Aside from our regularly scheduled content, don’t miss next month’s feature: Off The Beaten Path Escapes!

[photos by OKC + @tripstyler]