A Cinque Terre Adventure

[trip style = sightseeing]

{Editor's Note: My fellow travelista Bianca is serious about a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g Italian. She has a blog about Italy, has lived throughout the boot, and not surprisingly, shares her life with an Italian gent. She recently told me about an Italy-bound trip she's putting together this summer and I had to share it---and would go if I could! I mean, really: daily morning workouts with a fitness guru, personal shoot with Vogue Italia-contributing fashion photog, consult with a personal shopper, wine tasting in the Cinque Terre, and cooking classes in a 17th century villa...are you dying yet? If you're interested, she has three of 10 spots left.}

Where & When June 3-9, 2012 in the Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Italy.

Details Aa chance to go to Italy with the friend you didn't know you had. It's not a stuffy tour, but rather a get together on the Italian Riviera with a team of people to inspire, teach and entertain you in a relaxed and ultra-fun environment.

Cost $2470.00 {with a $200 early booking discount---otherwise $2670}. Details.

Includes Six nights in a boutique hotel in the Cinque Terre, daily morning fitness classes {or sleep in and drink coffee on your veranda}, six dinners with wine, six breakfasts, three lunches, photography session with Milanese fashion photographer, shopping trip with a personal shopper, Italian cooking class in a 17th century villa, guided market-to-table culinary workshop, wine tasting of the Cinque Terre wines with sommelier, wine cantina visit, day trips to Portovenere, Manarola, Vernazza, Monterosso, Levanto and Genoa, welcome cocktails, a farewell party, collection from the train station upon arrival in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre park and trail passes, ground transport. *What's not included: Airfare to Italy, transportation to Riomaggiore, cocktails and alcohol beyond what is mentioned, three lunches, health and travel insurance.

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More IMG_FRI Conquering Phoenix's Camelback Mountain Arizona Spring Training Baseball Tipping Etiquette Infographic Harrison’s Secrets Portlandia Honolulu

[photo credit: ho visto nina volare, Lomoody, MMChicago, Lomoody (2),kruder396, supermuch, Werner Boehm (3), Villanova (2), supermuch, Villanova, Werner Boehm]

Conquer & Plan

[trip style = any]

{Editor’s Note: Enter to win a travel set from Shaffali Skincare, inspired by Ayurvedic herbs aromatherapeutic essences including French lavender, Croatian sage, Italian orange blossom, and Egyptian geranium! Contest ends Wednesday, Jan 25th, 2012.}

"Test your fears. Do something you’ve always wanted to do...and you’ll be surprised how quickly all will be illuminated." - Dan Levy

I recently read an article in Flare Magazine {a Canadian fashion mag} by Dan Levy, TV host and son of actor Eugene Levy, about getting out of your comfort zone and conquering fears. Dan's kryptonite was anxiety and after almost becoming blind from the physical stress of his ailment, he made a bold move and moved to London to face and conquer his challenges and gain independence.

Among other things, it made me think of how exploring new frontiers---as simple as trying a new restaurant or as complicated as taking your first multi-leg trip to Rio---relates to travel. Not every trip has to be a soul-searching retreat where you dine on tree bugs and drink spring-fed water, but I can honestly say I've learned something---good or bad---from every trip style I've ever taken, conquering fears in the process.

Since we're still in January---a time where people tend to resolve to make changes and plan ahead---I thought the idea of aligning our goals/resolutions/fears, and of course budget, with travel planning seemed apropos. Perhaps the reason Dan's realizations struck such a chord is because the message is not far from Trip Styler's mission: to inspire different types of travel---from luxe to budget and glamping to urban---and grow from every experience.

The Skinny - take an inventory of your goals, fears and resolutions - dream where these might take you via trip styles or destinations - plan ahead and budget to see what's doable - make it happen and tell the story

[photo by @tripstyler]

Aloha 2012

After a busy two-week holiday hiatus, we're back; ready to tackle and toast 2012. Cheers! Here are the details:

This Month There's only three weeks left in January, so to make up for our time off, we're packing it {pun intended} full of goodies, including: a rock star Savvy Traveler, why didn't I think of that packing techniques, dazzling Dallas, mod Honolulu, bangin' Bellevue, plus all our regular columns of trip stylin', travel lifestyle content!

This Year Destinations The locales we visit are always a combination of planned and spur-of-the-moment trip styles, so although we're not exactly sure where 2012 will take us, we're looking forward to visiting Honolulu {this weekend}, South East Asia, Arizona, Europe, LA and *hopefully* Russia.

New :: IMG_FRI Fridays just got a little more simple. In addition to our once-monthly Fashion Friday, we're going to focus in {pun intended} on uber-cool travel images from around the world---images that will enhance the stories we're already telling or pave the way for future features! Think more pics, less prose.

New Day :: Roam+Board Mid-week, life can get stale, so we're making hump day fresh! Our popular Roam+Board column, showcasing hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals in oft- and less-visited destinations, will move to Wednesdays in addition to Travel Beauty on the third Wednesday of every month.

Surprise, Surprise There's also a few top secret projects we're working on, which we can't wait to share with you shortly. Stay tuned.

Connect Stay in touch and share the world with us! Extend your Trip Styler journey with the following touchpoints:

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[photo by @nate_fri of @tripstyler in gladstone, australia]

December Gift Guide :: Cool Christmas Finds

Earlier this month we promised travel-themed Christmas gift guides and ideas, and like Santa's elves, we've been working overtime to make sure it happens!

Last week we wrote about a website dedicated to local activities in 63 cities in North America as our "experience gift"; this week we're featuring wall art for Instagram enthusiasts and the cool Christmas finds below; and next week we'll highlight our travel beauty picks. Before sugar plums start dancing in your head, here's a list of things to buy for others ... and hope others buy for you!

Trip Styler Holiday Gift Guide 2011

1/ Turner Mountain one-day ski rental When a ski pass isn't enough, rent an entire mountain, in Montana! Cost: $3,000 {but if you get 30-60 of your closest friends together, this is a steal ... not to mention a great time}.

2/ MAPTOTE {+ bandanas/napkins, baby onesies, wine totes} A lightweight, worldly and carry-anything tote{s} with your favorite city printed on the front. Cost: $17 + shipping

3/ Bon Voyage by Jetsetter A 227-page coffee table book with 24 bespoke travel itineraries and drool-worthy photography to the hippest destinations du moment. The cost also includes a private travel consultation from one of Jetsetter's experts! Cost: $199

4/ HG2 Guides Street-savvy, pocket-sized and tres-cool travel guides from Miami to Verbier. So pretty, you might just want to stare at their bright, embossed covers, but it's what's inside that counts. Cost: $10 + shipping from the UK

5/ American Fashion Travel: Designers on the Go {via Amazon} Jetset with some of world's most fashionable jetsetters. Designers like  Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang and Tory Burch share their collections of personal travel photos, scrapbooks and reveries. Cost: $30 + shipping

6/ Flux Productions Leather Goods {*found at Brooklyn Flea, buy via Etsy} Heavy-duty, hand-made, unisex totes and backpacks. Cost: designs from $110, item shown $380 + shipping

7/ Vapur Anti-Bottle {via Chapters Indigo} Foldable, freezable and washable water bottle. Cost: $13.99 + shipping

8/ Travalo Tiny, refillable, lightweight, spill-proof perfume atomizer. Cost: $15.99 + shipping

9/ Roll Up Travel Charger {Restoration Hardware} Charge most electronics at once, including Apple and Samsung, and do so in style. Cost: $33.99

PS. Don't miss 2010's Christmas gifts for travelers!

[images sourced via web]

A Christmas Staycation

[trip style = staycation]

staycation \\ stay-ca-tion \\ = a vacation spent at home or nearby; blend of stay and vacation, noun.

We are entering the most expensive travel period of the year: Christmas and New Years. During this time, most tropical and urban resorts/hotels jack their regular high-season prices by an additional 50% - 60% to cash in on vacationers willing to pay a premium to travel during the holiday break. Wait to depart on Dec 31st or the first week of January and prices plummet {comparatively speaking}.

Christmastime is also one of the best times of year to trip style = staycation. The lights, the cheer, the winter activities and the pop-up exhibitions invite people outwards and outdoors to experience their city or town on a whole new level---the kind they don't have time or energy to explore in their day-to-day life!

Christmas Staycation Ideas

• ice skating/hockey outdoors – on a lake, river or an open-air rink in the city...and hot chocolate
• tobogganing or snowshoeing...and hot chocolate
• skiing and après'ing
• winter hiking or walking...and hot chocolate
• christmas bake-a-thon...and hot chocolate
• shopping and eating out
• playing tourist for a day, visiting local sites you've never had the chance to see, or revisiting the ones that are uber-decorated for Christmas
• going on a photo safari
• spa day
• movie and popcorn day/night
• theater night — see what’s playing on the local stage
• making a gourmet meal at home and inviting friends to share it
• throwing a theme party
• games night
• cozying-up on the couch, drinking your favourite tea or coffee, and reading in front of the fire {if you're sans fire - find the channel that continuously plays a crackling fire on your tv}
• finding a spot to have an outdoor fire and doing a winter wiener and marshmallow roast...with hot chocolate
• going on a day trip to a local town and poking around or buying local ingredients for dinner
• last but definitely not least: helping the homeless through a local organization or by getting some friends and family together to make sandwiches and hand them out

[tree img by etsy (wall graphic decal)]