Healthy On The Road :: The AM Workout

[trip style = any]

{Editor's Note :: Happy early Easter. In celebration of the upcoming holiday, we'll be taking Good Friday and Easter Monday off, resuming our regularly scheduled content on Tuesday, April 10th. In the meantime, check Trip Styler's Instagram (happy day; now available on android devices!) for pics from my current trip in Thailand.}

The early morning workout. Some people swear by it, others swear at the thought of it. My husband, for one, is not a fan; he claims that he’s not designed for morning exercise and is adamant he feels way more energetic and motivated at pretty much any other time of day.

But here’s the thing, regardless of when you feel most able to summit your highest peak, most of us will face an increasing number of demands as our day moves along. And once you're poolside with a bev….exercise???...maybe tomorrow.

So allow me to give you some inspiration to accomplish this life-giving daily discipline BEFORE anything else, making it the first thing on your daily travel itinerary. I guarantee it will make your vacation 100% more satisfying. Why? Because it’s a part of our most primitive nature: wake, hunt/gather, eat, rest. Your metabolism will be kicked into gear, your blood will be pumping giving you more energy and clarity, and you will feel better in your bathing suit.

Tips: Make The AM Workout Happen

• Don’t torture yourself with the “when will I workout today?" question. If you’re at a resort, find out when the gym opens and what classes are offered {cardio, aqua, yoga, pilates}. A plan is empowering and so worth it.
• Lay out your workout clothes the night before.
• Pack some energy bars such as the whole food energy bar by Vega, to have a simple pre-workout breakfast before you leave your room.
• Accountability. If you’re traveling with a friend or a partner, ask them to commit to a morning workout routine with you.

{When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy on the Road, published the first Thursday of every month.}

More Healthy On the Road… Four Travel Immune Boosters Give The Pool A Chance – A Workout In The Water Make Any Trip Style Healthy The 20-min Exercise Itinerary Healthy DIY Plane Snacks Hotel Room Exercises {You can do in your underwear}

[photo by @tripstyler taken in Palm Springs' Indian Canyons trails]

Roam+Board :: X2 Kui Buri

[trip style = beach + sun + affordable luxe]

{Editor’s Note :: April's destination focus is Thailand, and this is the first of a few features we'll post this month. PS - I am at this resort RIGHT now and it's TS approved!}

What Sun-bleached and wind-swept boardwalks connect X2 Kui Buri's 23 villas with an inky mosaic-tiled pool, open-air restau-bar and sweeping unmanicured beach with a fresh catch of fishing boats dotting the shore. Seriously secluded, it's raw, modern and its brand of chic is unravelled sans jewels, hairdos, resort wear and this season's it lip shade.

The X2 zigs where other resorts zag. Check-in and check-out times are flexible. Instead of a big bouquet of flowers at reception, there's a floor-al arrangement of green stems arranged in alternate directions. A beach bag with two oversized yellow towels awaits guests in every room.

Rectangular concrete villas are constructed of local stone, each with private, outdoor rain showers and apropos touches like in-room issues of Wallpaper* magazine {Thai edition}. Bring all your essentials because this place is off the charts--and the grid.

Where Just past Hua Hin, Thailand, beside a small fishing village, 3.5 hours from Bangkok. A one-way car transfer costs $150.

When High season spans November to February due to cool and balmy weather---by Thai standards---{33 degrees C "feels like" 45} with lower humidity and clear skies. Shoulder season is mid-September to October and mid-March to April with hotter weather and less predictable precipitation. Low season is May to August due to ultra-hot and rainy conditions, but usually you get a bit of warning before a short-lived torrential downpour!

Who/Why You like to be connected while away from it all---your version of getting off the grid. Dwell magazine takes center stage on your iPad and "clean lines" are your only architectural lines. Scenesters beware, this ain't no Koh Phangan full moon party; nightlife includes watching the sunset, waiting for the stars to appear and dining al fresco.

Cost Villas start at $130/night in high season. Includes wifi, a champagne breakfast and a jazz-meets-chill-meets-elevator-music soundtrack.

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More Roam+Board Ecopod Boutique Retreat - Scotland  The Saguaro AZ – Scottsdale Arizona Biltmore – Phoenix Llipimpac Guesthouse – Cusco, Peru Postcard Inn At Holiday Isle – Florida Keys Nira Alpina – Switzerland From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos by @tripstyler]

The Savvy Traveler :: Marissa

[trip style = active & adventure + wine tasting + beach]

Marissa is a loyal student of any task she takes on---be it fashion design, tai chi, triathlons or travel. After a recent e-introduction to this 29-year-old traveler, I was impressed by her energy, drive and the personal challenge she set to visit 30 countries by the time she's 30. A serious athlete her whole life, she doesn't let jetsetting slow down her pace, in fact, the local forms of working out she picks up along the way only add to her active lifestyle and fuel ideas for her business. Nine to five she's a fashion designer who studied in Italy and at the Parsons School of Design in NYC, and has since founded her own line of activewear. Now at the helm of BORELLI Design she creates apparel inspired by her life on the go. Meet April's Savvy Traveler, Marissa, and find her online on Twitter and Facebook!

1/ Your top 3 trip styles and why?
[trip style = active & adventure] I have trouble relaxing, even when I’m on vacation. The best places I’ve visited so far for fitness and adventure are New Zealand; Moab, Utah; Vietnam {hiking the rice patties in the hilltop village of Sapa is a killer workout} and Lake Tahoe, California.

[trip style = wine tasting] I never pass up a wine tasting trip. In Napa we stop by two to three wineries post spa at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn or Indian Springs Resort.

[trip style = beach] Out of the 29 countries I’ve visited, so far 23 have involved a day or week at the beach. Anguilla and Captiva Island {off of Florida} have the softest sand I’ve ever felt. My mind is clearer and more creative when I’m near the water. I run or walk along the beach daily in San Diego.

2/ How do you stay in shape while traveling?
I stretch while waiting to board my flight or do squats in the hallways. My favorite way to see a new place is to explore on a run or a hike. I see getting lost in a destination as a good thing, and often find local gems off the beaten path. I refuse to go to the gym while traveling. Instead I try out the local workouts, for example, in India I took a yoga class and attended Laughing Club {works all the muscles in your belly while teaching you why Indian people are so happy}.

3/ What is the ONE THING, you won't travel without?
A Borelli scarf. It's the most versatile accessory I own. On the plane I use it as a scarf or a blanket---airline blankets are useless and scratchy. If I'm at the beach, its built-in SPF 20 provides sun protection. Post hike or waterfall jump I throw it on as a skirt or dress and it dries in minutes! While I'm away, I wash it in my hotel room's shower or sink and lay it out to dry. The more you wash it the softer it becomes!

4/ Last trip, next trip & what destination{s} are on your radar?
Last trip: Cabo San Lucas. We stayed at the Villa La Estancia for a week. I took the SUP (stand up paddle board) out daily and we celebrated my 29th birthday dancing on a boat at sunset.

Next Trip: Belize. Four days in a resort, three days at a yoga retreat. I will be researching textiles for Spring/Summer 2013 and attempting to relax.

On my radar: Completing the 30 by 30 challenge in Iceland. I’m excited to hike a glacier and volcano in the same day.

5/ Either/or...
Beach or pool? Beach, no question. The perfect combination would be a hot tub in the sand after a swim or wakeboarding session.

Mojito or margarita? Mojito. We grow our own mint because we like as much and mint and lime as the tongue can handle, with just a pinch of sugar.

Big or boutique hotel? Boutique. The smaller the better. In Mykonos we were the only people at the hotel and were invited to dine with the owners! It felt like our own home.

Walk or cab? I rarely take cabs, even when I lived in NYC.

Checked bag or carry-on? A bright red Swiss Army carry-on I picked up in London. I spent five weeks in New Zealand, Australia and India with only a carry-on!

More Savvy Travelers
Jason, Living To Travel
Shaun, Packing Like A Rock Star
Christina, Taking Care Of Biz

{If you know anyone who should be featured in our once-monthly The Savvy Traveler series, drop us a line!}

[photo c/o marissa]

Cleaning A Hotel Room {aka: Sanity In Sanitizing}

[trip style = any]

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I'm just going to put this out there: thinking about the hundreds---maybe thousands---of people who have previously stayed in "your hotel room" doesn't exactly inspire cleanly confidence. So, I try not to think about it and enjoy the treat that is a hotel stay.

Recently I was reminded of hotel room "hot spots" that tend to be missed in the between-guest clean-a-thon: doorknobs, remote controls and phones. I realize worrying about this is a slippery slope, but it made me ponder giving these germy gems a quick wipe-down.

Sometimes it's best NOT to know if there's germs, and so I have a love/hate relationship with investigative reports like this ABC primetime piece on hotel room sanitation misses. When in doubt, sanitize with a wipe or ask the hotel to come and spot clean. Otherwise, avoiding surfaces like the hotel room carpet {by wearing your own packable/washable slippers, which I never travel without}, and door handles/elevator buttons {with the back of your hand or elbow}, is a hygienic habit.

Full disclosure: Having been in cruise ship and camp situations where there was a supervirus outbreak, I'm a slight germaphobe {my friends are currently nodding their heads and smiling}.

Sanitize & Check {a one-minute blitz}

• Breeze over doorknobs, the phone, the remote control and the toilet bowl handle {& light fixtures if you're feeling keen} with an antibacterial wipe
• Perform a quick bed bug check {here's how}
• Before you drink out of the glass in your bathroom, wash it with soap and water
• And because you can't sanitize the carpet, bring travel slippers you can wash post-trip
• When in doubt, ask the hotel to come and re-clean. I had to do this not once but TWICE at an ultra-luxe resort in Australia....luxe doesn't always equate to more clean!

Related Travel Etiquette For Hotel Guests Using Your Hotel Room Like MacGyver KinderHop :: Making Hotel Rooms Work With Kids

[photo by @tripstyler taken at the Marriott Aruba]