Travel Beauty :: 4 Products You've Never Heard Of

[trip style = any]

Have a vacation coming up and want to look your best for the trip? Here are some unique products that will get you gorgeous and glowing in no time! {left to right}

Get Your Complexion In Shape: Ladi Avokanto by Sponge Skincare I can't say enough about this amazing product with a very cool name. Made with pure organic olive oil and avocado oil, this potent oil serum is chemical-free and really does create radiant skin. Start using it a few weeks before your trip, day and night. Sponge is an impressive company from Greece that was started by a doctor who created these natural products for his pregnant patients. The entire line is hypoallergenic and uses powerful organic plants and herbs.

Get Your Lips, Nails, Elbows and Feet (plus a million other things) In Shape: Egyptian Magic Cream This miracle balm softens ANYTHING and even helps heal stretchmarks! It's natural and made primarily of olive oil, beeswax and honey, and has a thick, rich texture. Use to heal cuticles, soften hands, get smooth lips, soften dry cracked feet---you name it!

Get Your Hair In Shape: Huile D'Ales Intense Hydrating Oil Treatment There's something very serious about anything that comes in an ampoule, and this is no exception. This super-hydrating oil treatment is applied to dry hair and can be left on anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. I left it on overnight and was very impressed with the results---my hair was so soft and felt so healthy. Plus NO parabens, phthalates, sulfates, or any harsh chemicals. Sexy vacation hair is only an ampoule away!

Get Your Skin In Shape: Skin Trip by Mountain Ocean I came across this delicious coconut oil-infused lotion at my favorite beauty store in Los Angeles, Larchmont Beauty Center. It's made by a family-run business and is totally organic and natural. It smells like a just-broken coconut {not that artificial scent} and hydrates the skin like nothing else. Slather it all over the body after your bath or shower and I guarantee you'll have baby-soft, beach-ready skin in no time.

{Want more travel beauty? Get your fill the third Wednesday of every month. Lauren, our travel beauty expert, is already whipping up her next concoction post!}

Related {Travel Beauty} In-Flight Essentials Q&A with 3floz Founder Olive Oil-Inspired Skincare

Travel App Tuesday :: 5 Nominees

Have you heard of the Webby Awards? They honor the year’s best work in websites, interactive advertising, online film & video and mobile. A panel of judges chooses five nominees per category and the public votes on the winner. Companies covet Webby nominations and they've become a pretty big deal in the digital world.

One of the major categories is Mobile & Apps, and within the Travel section, five apps were nominated. It just so happens that Trip Styler has featured all of the nominees {but one} as part of Travel App Tuesday, which means it must be a great source for the latest and greatest travel apps {insert cheeky smiley face here}! Here are the apps nominated for a Webby this year:

• airbnb {unique vacation rentals app} our review here
• Conde Nast Traveller City Guides {Paris, Barcelona, Rome & NY}
• Kayak {meta travel search app with a billion helpful add-ons} our review here
• Trip Journal {interactive travel journal with stats, maps and sharing capabilities} our review here
• Tripit {trip itinerary management app} our review here

Though these apps are not the be-all-end-all of travel apps, each is pretty skookum. As I mentioned in our Best Apps of 2010 round-up, the two I'd recommend for any trip style are Kayak and Tripit. If you want to rent an island, stay in a plane-turned-home or shack up in a London flat for a few weeks, airbnb is great and I love that app! Trip Journal is fantastic if you're headed on an epic journey and want to share your trip with family and friends in ways that make you look like the intrepid traveler you are. Finally, I haven't used Conde Nast's City Guides, but I will when I go to NYC in a few weeks, so stay tuned.

When I vote for one of the these five travel apps, surprise, surprise, I'll choose either Tripit or Kayak. The other apps are all worth downloading, but Tripit and Kayak are the most useful of the esteemed group, as in, I do not travel without them.

— Get more travel tips & updates like this by subscribing to RSS or email, liking us on facebook or following us on twitter. —

Other Travel Apps Every Tuesday we feature a new travel app. Don’t forget to peruse the other 70+ travel apps we’ve reviewed from travel first aid, to luxury and boutique hotel finders, to border waits and trip itinerary management. Here are the most recent:

• Whistler Blackcomb Live
• Room77
• mileBlaster
• HipMunk
• Mad Libs

Travel Essentials for any Trip Style

[trip style = any]

There are a few items that make always make an appearance on my packing list, regardless of the trip style. Whether it's a weekend away, a sunny send-off or a European sightseeing excursion, I've put together a list of packing necessities that make it into my bag 100% of the time. Aside from cash, sunglasses, bathing suit and documentation, here are my travel essentials for any trip style. What are yours?

Travel Essentials for any Trip Style An Extra Bag A little white cloth bag always takes up residence in my purse for day-to-day shopping, but it has also come in handy while traveling. I've used it to protect my behind when sitting on the grass in front of the Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa, as well as an overflow bag for extra clothes or Tar-Yay {Target} purchases while weekending in the US. For longer journeys, I throw my Longchamp Le Pliage bag into my carry-on as a plane-to-pool tote or I-shopped-more-than-expected bag...

Pashmina I've said it a million times before and I'll say it again: a big scarf or pashmina is a lifesaver while on the road. Use it to keep warm, add an extra pop of colour or style to an outfit, or as an in-a-pinch blanket when the plane's recycled air is a little too cool. I even have a friend who used hers as a serong and beach towel while in South East Asia. In that case, maybe you'd have two, one for warmth and style and the other for beach.

Lip Stain I'm a big lip gloss fan---my friends will confirm this---but when it comes to packing for any trip style, a lip stain will go in my bag first. Why? With lip tints you can lightly apply a natural-hued colour for day and with a few more passes, a more intense colour at night. In other words, one lip stain allows multiple day-to-night looks. And when the colour lasts for 4 - 8 hours, you don't need to worry about re-application. My current go-to tint is $6 stain from Joe Fresh. Add a little vaseline to the mix and you're good to go...

Vaseline What doesn't vaseline do? It's the travel beauty workhorse, acting as an intense moisturizer for dry hands, feet and elbows, an on-the-road under-eye moisturizer and brightener {especially helpful for combatting the plane's dry air}, an eyebrow sculptor, lip gloss, etc....

Nail Buffer For long trips, manicures are out. After 5 days my once red nails go from class to trash. Since gels or acrylics don't work for me either, any trip longer than a week requires a buffer {available at any drug store}: a great way to keep nails looking smooth and naturally shiny---almost like you've applied a coat of clear polish. Before you go out at night, re-buff nails with the "shine" side for a natural glam look.

iPhone/Macbook Air I put these two electronics into one category because they are both essential and both computers. And aside from an off-the-grid camping trip, they are my faithful travel companions. Here's why: my iPhone allows me to send and receive texts and phone calls {if needed}, connects to wifi for email and simple internet usage, takes pictures and stores apps {my first travel 'love'}. My brand new 11" Macbook Air is small and light enough to throw into my purse, and helps out when my iPhone's 2" screen just doesn't cut it.

Disposable Slippers I'm a take-my-shoes-off-on-the-plane kinda gal and the only way to make that classy is to bring washable slippers along for covering socks or bare feet. They are also helpful when your hotel doesn't provide slippers. Trip Styler Tip :: Next time you're at a hotel that offers slippers, take yours home and transition them into your travel slippers. Despite their disposable nature, hotel slippers wash well.

Emergen-C A little over a year ago I started traveling with little packets of Emergen-C {available at most drug stores in Canada and the US} to help keep my immune system strong for times when flights, time zones and uncomfortable hotel stays negatively impact my sleep. So far, taking one a day while on the road has worked well for my travel health. I take the packets with water at least a week before I leave and during my trips.

Gum / Pearly Whites Clean teeth and minty breath make you feel fresh. Instead of schlepping out my toothpaste and brush while in a plane bathroom, at the airport or after an intense meal, I use Pearly Wipes {a circular, super thin pad soaked in baking soda, salt & peppermint oil} to freshen and whiten my teeth. Bonus: Pearly Wipes come in a mini travel-friendly compact. Follow this up with a mint or gum and you're good to go.

Wipes Wipes are a girl or guy's best friend for travel. I once used them after a 4-hour downhill mountain biking journey in Peru to remove head-to-toe dirt when my hostel's shower didn't work. Aside from use on big adventures or while camping, they're great for keeping hands sanitized and doing mock showers on long traevel days.

Hawaii :: Outside The Resort Ribbons

[trip style = beach + sun]

Yesterday it was snowing in Vancouver. It's ironic that the white stuff had to be helicoptered to Vancouver's mountaintops for last year's Winter Olympics in February, and now we're getting snow at sea level in April. I hear the weather is odd in other parts of Canada and the US too.

To get your mind off the weather's fickle fumbling, here's a little sun 'n sand inspiration from a recent reader question:

The Question Can you suggest a tropical, seaside destination that's not too touristy or cheesy, where my husband can surf and I can stay in a beautiful room and sit poolside with my baby. No Hard Rock Cafes or malls allowed. We're willing to spend money but don't want to do the top-end Four Seasons thing. Any suggestions?

The Answer MAUI There is a town called Paia on the road to Hana, that's small and down to earth. It is very organic {it actually has an organic food store}, with local bakeries and unassuming boutiques. The people you see there are motor bikers, barefoot  hippies and others who've purposely chosen a slower pace of life. It's the antithesis of diamond-encrusted the island's other resort areas, but don't be fooled by its low-key vibe, in Paia, the wealthy people act and dress like everyone else.

One great feature of this small town is it's only a 5-minute ride from the airport and Kahului should you want to buy baby supplies, do a bigger grocery shop, etc....

Flanked between sugar cane fields and the North Shore, it's also close to Ho'okipa beach {famous surfing and kite-boarding area} and near Mama's Fish House, a destination restaurant and seaside hotel. The restaurant is a little pricey {lunch is cheaper than dinner}, but combine the aloha beach vibe with fish caught within about 12 - 18 hours, and you'll be sold. The umbrella drinks help too.

Staying in Paia - Mama's Fish House - VRBO vacation home & condo rental site - Hotels in town and around

Getting there - Hawaiian Airlines flies direct year-round from Seattle - As I've mentioned in my recent low season travel trend piece, flying to Maui from Vancouver is very reasonable in the spring. Case in point, this month a one-stop Air Canada flight is $404 return {taxes in} and a direct WestJet flight is $551 {taxes in}.

OTHER LOCATIONS

• Napili, Maui. Off the beaten track, more local than touristy and one hour from the airport.
• Kihei, Maui. Very local with a few snowbirds and vacationing families. I've stayed there a bunch and find it's a good balance point between doing Maui high/low with Wailea within five minutes away.
• North Shore, Oahu. Check out Turtle Bay Resort, where "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was filmed. Though this hotel is resorty, it feels out of the way.
• The island of Lana'i. There are only three hotels on the island. Four Seasons owns two of them {one beachside and one in-land} and compared with other Four Seasons, both hotels have very good rates.

[photo by @tripstyler]

Travel Trends :: Your Extended Backyard

[trip style = weekend getaway]

During the economic slowdown, every travel publication was touting closer to home travel as a way to still enjoy getting away, without spending epic dollars for an epic trip. More recently, the go local trend has influenced everyone from foodies to travelers to embrace treasures within 100km {or so}, versus seek them out in the rest of the world first. As always, there's a time and place for local weekend getaways and international globetrotting, but this week's travel trend comes from close to home: it's a call to explore your own backyard, literally.

Recently a new site launched by a BC resident for BC residents, encouraging local travelers by way of discounts and inspiration to travel near versus far. backyardbc is its name and local travel is its game. Aside from Hotwire's go local search, I'm glad someone has brought this type of program specifically to BC. With hotel options spanning across the province and catering to different trip styles and budgets, it's fun to browse what's available and see what grabs you---just don't start with the website's "Vancouver, Coast & Mountains" region, the results are a little leaner than other areas.

As the site brings on new hotels, the offers will get more diverse, but for the time being I encourage you to start your backyard search with Vancouver Island, one of the site's 6 searchable regions. With just over 20 hotels spanning from Tofino to Victoria, the options are discerning. Here are a few gems I found:

• The rustically elegant Wickaninnish Inn {$40 off Best Available Rate (BAR)}
• The remote April Point Resort and Spa {15% off BAR}
• The woodsy seaside Tigh-Na-Mara Resort {10% off BAR}
• The mod & green Parkside Victoria Resort and Spa {10% off BAR}
• The quietly confident Inn at Laurel Point {10% off BAR}

Trip Styler Tip :: with all this talk of locals rates, don't be shy to ask hotels in BC or Washington if they have preferred rates for BC residents. Many do, but just down publicize it.

PS - Local blogger Miss604 and backyardbc are running a joint promotion giving away one hotel stay every Tuesday for the next 10 weeks. Don't miss it.

{Travel Trends are posted 3 times monthly on Thursdays. For other trends including low season travel deals and unique reward programs, subscribe by RSS or email, like us on facebook or follow us on twitter.}

[photo via backyardbc of April Point Resort & Spa]