TS's Experience Whistler :: Giveaway

[trip style = weekending + spa]

{Editor's Note: This month we're doing a three-part series on extraordinary, year-round experiences in Whistler, BC. To give you a literal taste of what we're talking about, we're excited to announce a trip style = weekend + spa giveaway!}

The Giveaway {a $575 value}

• 2 Scandinave Spa Whistler Scandinavian bath access passes {valid Sunday - Thursday, until Aug 2, 2012}
• 2 nights at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler {valid until Dec. 15, 2011, subject to availability, non-transferable, double occupancy}

How To Win

1. If you haven't already "liked" the Trip Styler FAN PAGE on Facebook, you must do so {note, liking this post doesn't count for entry}
2. Share the following italicized message with your friends by clicking the SHARE link under any Trip Styler post on FACEBOOK: I have entered to win a two-night Whistler getaway at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler & two Scandinave bath passes via Trip Styler. Join the fun, details here: http://goo.gl/RfPwF
3. Complete your entry by leaving a comment on any TripStyler.com WEBSITE post telling us you've entered! {ie - see 'leave a comment' link below}

Bonus Entry 1 - Join our daily {m-f} email list and activate your email {top right}. New sign-ups only please. Bonus Entry 2 - Retweet the following on twitter: I entered to win 2 nights @FairmontWhistlr & 2 @ScandinaveWhis bath passes in #Whistler {Via @tripstyler} Enter: http://goo.gl/RfPwF

Details Open to residents of Canada and the USA 21 years or older. Entries will be accepted Oct. 18 – 26 {until noon}, 2011. Winner will be chosen via random.org and announced after noon PST on Oct. 26. After prizing notification, winner has two days to make contact.

[photos by @tripstyler & @FairmontWhistlr]

From The Archives :: Going The Distance With Air Miles

[trip style = budget conscious]

{Editor's Note: this how-to air miles guide was originally published in April, 2010. It's been given a total refresh reroute for the present day.}

Air Miles = Happiness Using air miles is a wonderful thing. Most savvy travelers try to accumulate miles with one or two major airline alliances and redeem them to fly for free {other than taxes}. If you're a frequent flier, growing your miles is a breeze; if you're a casual traveler it can take 2-5 years, but when you book that free flight, it's worth the wait! Once you have a 747-worth of air miles, the best way to use them is: a} go as far as you can within your points allowance, and b} opt for a {free} stopover.

Go The Distance If you could fly from Vancouver to Calgary, or Vancouver to Montreal redeeming the same amount of air miles, what destination would you choose? When cashing in on your air miles for a vacation, why not go as far as you can? Air mile reward charts are all about the big picture. They don't present different mileage amounts for flights from Vancouver to Calgary versus Vancouver to Montreal, it's just 25,000 points {approximately} for domestic travel. Full stop. Therefore, when booking a flight with your air miles, go the distance!

Stop For Free Last summer I booked a cross-Canada trip to Ottawa, Montreal, New Brunswick {NB}, Nova Scotia and PEI with my Air Canada Aeroplan miles. Instead of using my air miles to take short trip, I opted to maximize them and fly to NB with a week stopover in Ottawa. Making the stop in Ottawa did not require additional miles. This air miles redemption trick also works for many US carriers, so if you're redeeming your air miles, why not kill two birds with one stone and stop somewhere you've always wanted to go for free! {Note, airlines only allow stopovers if they are generally between your arrival and departure point.}

Booking Travel With Air Miles & Maximizing The Distance

• Travel the farthest you can within your available points.
• Do your homework. Once you know how far you can go, check to see if there are blackout dates, etc…
• Find out your airline’s air miles stopover policy.
• Book in advance for your preferred dates and destinations. Airlines only reserve a small amount of seats for air mile passengers.
• Embrace the web. Most airlines now charge an extra fee for air miles bookings made over the phone vs on the web.
• Even if you book your entire flight via air miles, taxes still apply.

[graphic by @tripstyler]

New Uses For Common Travel Items

[trip style = any]

Any time a typically packed item can double in the program while traveling, it's a win. Fewer packed essentials means a lighter bag and less fussing at the destination. And let's be honest, who wants to root through an overpacked bag in their room while a destination is waiting to be explored!

Here are a few new uses for common travel items. Let us know if you have any to add!

Baking Soda Make a paste with water and use as a facial exfoliator or as an extra whitener and gritty helper for teeth cleaning.

Vaseline If you scuff your leather shoes while traveling, dab a little vaseline on the area and smooth. Watch the scuff or nick disappear. See more uses for Vaseline here.

A Shoe Use to open a bottle of wine when you're sans corkscrew. Here's how {note, video is in French, but actions speak louder than words}.

Baby Powder Sprinkle in flats or loafers before and after use to freshen shoes and deodorize feet. If you're travelling with a lot of whites, baby power can be used as a stain guard in conjunction with your hotel room's iron. Add a dash of baby powder to the garment's underarm area and iron over it to create a protective barrier against staining. See more uses for baby powder here.

Film Canister I know 99% of us are digital now, but if you can get your hands on a film canister, use it as a mini nail polish remover kit by cutting up a sponge, soaking it in polish remover and placing in the canister. When you want to remove polish, just rub nails with the sponge and close back up for reuse.

Socks Wrap around shoes, especially those with heels to protect both shoes and clothes from being stabbed or pulled.

Shower Cap Use as a shoe bag so your garments don't come in contact with the dirt, germs and sand your soles pick up.

Zip Lock Bags Gets your liquids through security as well as protects your phone or camera pool or beachside.

Bubble Wrap This one is a little far fetched, but I thought it was an excellent compact packing idea when I read about it in Real Simple. Take a piece of bubble wrap the length and width of the unstructured necklaces and bracelets you're traveling with and lay the jewelry on top. Roll it tight to create a padded, on-the-go jewelry organizer. When you open it up, nothing will be tangled. If you don't have bubble wrap, use a sturdy scarf for the same effect. Bonus, place it in a Zip Lock bag for extra protection.

Oven Mitt If you're a last-minute gal who does your hair at the 55th moment, bring an oven mitt to place your still-warm straightener or curling iron into before packing up. Singed clothing crisis averted.

Related Content Double Duty Travel Beauty  Don't Travel Without Using Hotel Room Amenities like MacGyver Going Away? Packing and To Do List

[Images sourced from web]

A Nouveau Trip Styler!

Earlier this summer we announced a few changes at Trip Styler, some of which we introduced in June, some of which were coming. That time has come and our back-to-school shopping included a new website!

At some point this week, you may have noticed Trip Styler looked a little different. Though we're still deeply in love with our old design {to the point of wanting to frame it for sentimental purposes}, we wanted to create something that enhanced your user experience, communicated our growth and provided more space to share important news at the top of the site! In addition to the nouveau aesthetics, we've also added new features.

New Features

• TS Recommends - Behind every trip style is a travel tip and resource. Trip Styler Recommends was created to connect aspiring jetsetters with the best online tools, so trips can be booked quickly and efficiently. TS Recommends houses our fave resources organized by trip style and budget. Check back in a few weeks to see the list of recommendations grow even more. And while we're on the topic, we wanted to make sure you knew about the 50+ hotels we've reviewed here.
• Press - Profiling our guest editor spread in NET-A-PORTER's mag and interview with Toursim Vancouver, check our all Trip Styler's press in one spot.
• Pinterest - Have you heard of Pinterest? If not, it's an online pin board where you can create virtual photo boards of images you source from the web, other pin boards or snap with your smartphone/camera. We're a little obsessed, so check out our boards in progress and follow us. We pin everything from trip styles to cabin decor, so it's a mixed bag of goodies.
• Trip Styles - We've distilled our 16 different Trip Styles by category for awhile, but we wanted to make sure you knew! Have an upcoming trip? Search by trip style or destination via our main navigation bar.

Coming Up

• Fridays are back! - This summer we held back from publishing any content on Fridays since we knew you didn't want to read about travel, but actually take off early from work to travel! Starting next week Fridays are back and trip styled with an updo. The last Friday of every month will still be the ever-popular Fashion Friday, while every other Friday we'll feature a Trip Styler-worthy accommodations {hotels, resorts, camp/glamp sites or vacation rentals} so you can learn about all the fabulous places we read and write about every day! We're going to call it Roam+Board, get it?

Not Stopping Here We're always thinking of new ways to enhance Trip Styler, so expect more goodies over the next few months. Also, let us know if there's any other travel lifestyle topics you'd like us to cover and we'll do our best to incorporate them.

Finally, nothing can happen without a great team, so I'd like to thank Kate for designing the new site and Ben for programming it! I'd also be remiss not to mention Alvin, who has also done a huge amount of coding work for Trip Styler over the past year and a half!

Safe + happy travels this long weekend, Trish

Removing Travel Wrinkles From Garments

[trip style = any]

{Editor's Note: It's Travel Beauty Month. This week we're giving away FIVE Oxygenetix Oxygenating Moisturizers, enter here.}

Whether you're weekending, backpacking or heading to a posh private island, nobody's clothing is immune to wrinkling while travelling---unless of course you use a LV trunk to hang garments... Since most of us like to travel a little lighter than that, creased clothes are a traveler's way of life. Getting the wrinkles out is what sets you apart from the pack!

Even with all the right packing tricks---rolling or the fold-once method with tissue and dry cleaner bags---like aging, a few creases are bound to appear even in the most savvy traveler's suitcase! Who wants to go out with a polished outfit looking like it's been tie-dyed by your luggage? That's no way to travel!

How To Remove Garment Creases In Your Hotel Room {when the dryer or steam cycle isn't an option}

1. Out - Take everything out of your suitcase or travel duffel right away; before your meeting, the pool, or the hotel bar! Hang items you want refreshed in the bathroom, ready for when you take your next shower...{Note: If you're city-hopping, I know it is annoying to pack and re-pack, so in this case, prioritize removing only your crease-prone garments.}
2. Hang - Once your clothes are hanging at the end of the shower rod {away from water splatter}, give them a steam bath or sorts. The more you shower, the more the moisture will lessen travel-induced crinkles.
3. Spritz - Lightly wet your hand or use a mini spray bottle to moisten lightly creased parts of the garment. Slap or shake it out.
4. Release - Early this year I tried Downey Wrinkle Releaser and was shocked by the results. It actually makes scrunched fabric smooth! As a result, I now keep a travel-sized spray in my clear toiletries case every time I go away. Note, always test on a small, less noticeable part of the garment before heavy use! {Trip Styler Tip :: make wrinkle release spray yourself by placing one part fabric sofener to 10 parts water in a small spray bottle with a light mist nozzle. Test the concentration until you find the perfect mixture.}
5. Hot/Cold - Use two items most resorts, hotels and motels always have on-hand: ice and a hairdryer. Start with a bucket of ice and rub a few pieces on top of the garment where creased, use the hotel hairdryer to dry and straighten up the area. Note that a straightener works well for relaxing smaller areas with significant creasing.
6. Towel - Use a damp towel---preferably a new one you just showered with or slightly wet---and place on top of the garment for 10 minutes. Fight wrinkles like you really mean it by placing the towel on the bed, the garment on top and rolling it up for 10 mins.
7. Iron - If all else fails, or maybe this is your preferred method {imagine that}, whip out the hotel iron and go for it like you're June Cleaver!

Do you have any garment de-wrinkling tips to add?

Related Using Hotel Room Amenities Like MacGyver 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

[image created by @tripstyler with photos sourced from the web]