Crushing On :: ZEbag Wine Carrier

[trip style = wine tasting]

I have a crush {pun intended} on the ZEbag Wine Carrier. A stylish, organized and French companion for your next wander into wine country. With spring's warmer weather and rows of rolling, emerald-green vines awaiting; the hills are alive with grapes, and we COULD NOT be more excited.

The ZEbag carrier starts as a stylish, hexagonal tote and opens as a flat, on-the-go wine rack with six triangular pockets---cubbies really---for your latest pinot and chardonnay purchase. Use the handle to hold your trip style = wine tasting arm candy, or hang it in your hotel room {or home} after a long day of sipping. Bonus, in addition to its good looks, it has brains too holding 11 bottles when flat and storing wine on its ever-important side to keep the cork from drying.

{Trip Styler Tip :: If it's a hot day, don't leave wine in the trunk of your vehicle or tasting charter. You don't want a bursting bottle or red wine reduction.}

Made in four colors {black, red, khaki and grey} with a durable, lightweight fabric, the only conundrum will be how many to buy. One just isn't going to cut it; a visit to wine country usually yeilds more than six bottles. Find the ZEbag on Amazon for about $50.

PS - Don't dig the grape? The ZEbag also carries spirits---perfect for my grandpa's 'traveling bar.'

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[photos sourced online]

Tokyo

[trip style = urban]

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When faced with a 10-hour layover in Japan what do you do? Last week, I found out.

The tired part and studious of me---that had just flown through the night from Bangkok---wanted to nap in the JAL Lounge relaxation room, then get a head start on writing. The traveler in me wanted to forget the dizziness, head bobbing and stomach ache associated with zero sleep, and explore a new city, especially one as COOL as Tokyo! The traveler prevailed.

Six Hours In Tokyo {The stars definitely aligned, the day was perfect: sunny and 17 degrees C with a slight breeze!}

{Central Tokyo, near Shibuya---a popular shopping and entertainment district.}

{Karaoke!}

{Bikes 'n blossoms. So lucky to be in Tokyo during Hanami---aka flower or cherry blossom viewing.}

{Entrance to Meiji Shrine, near Harajuku!}

{Located inside an urban park, sake art on the path leading into the Meiji Shrine.}

{Asakusa Shrine.}

{Bikes are locked from the back, apparently it's illegal to lock your bike to something in Japan.}

{Lanterns and the Tokyo Sky Tree, aka tallest tower in the world at 2,080 ft high.}

{Narita Airport Express. Takes approximately 50 mins from the airport into central Tokyo and costs $30 one-way or $71 return including a $19 Suica train/subway card.}

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[photos by @tripstyler]

Luxe For Less In B+ Destinations

[trip style = budget conscious + luxe]

{Editor's Note :: Stay tuned for a follow-up piece on B+ hotels---just as nice, sans the globally recognized brand name.}

"A", as in "it" destinations command A pricing. Take: - Wailea in Maui, - NYC in New York, - Miraflores in Lima, - Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong.

Stay in an A area of an A city and you'll pay the price. Sometimes it's what we want as far as convenience, and it's possible to save on the hotel with discount booking sites like Priceline or Hotel Tonight, however, to save an extra dollar or 75 of 'em, B can be best!

Consider the area just on the outskirts of A to achieve a luxe experience for less. B+ destinations can save you a ton of money because they have less international acclaim and less marketing dollars devoted to promotion. This doesn't mean they're a second-class choice or an inferior tourism option, just not as visible in the shadow of their successful sibling!

Some Brilliant Bs

• A = Manhattan, NY. B+ = Brooklyn.
• A = Seattle, WA. B+ = Bellevue.
• A = Newport Beach, CA. B+ = Laguna Beach.
• A = Palm Beach, Aruba. B+ = Eagle Beach.
• A = Serengeti, Tanzania. B+ = Masai Mara, Kenya.
• A = Sydney, Australia. B+ = McMahons Point {North Sydney}.

What are some of your "Brilliant Bs"?

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[photo by @tripstyler taken in Aruba]

Travel Beauty :: In-Flight Miracle Masks

[trip style = any]

{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!}

Most of us don't have an extra 20 minutes to apply a face mask each week, although the benefits of face masks can be HUGE. What better time to pamper your complexion than on a plane---you have the time and with the ultra-dry plane air, your skin could definitely use a boost. Here are my current two favorite masks; I hope you take the time to beautify in-flight soon!

{Trip Styler Tip :: wear these masks while everyone is sleeping and the plane's lights are off. You'll be the only one who wakes up looking refreshed.}

SK-II Facial Treatment Mask, $90 {for six masks} The price tag is steep for six applications, but each mask is drenched in a rare SK-II exclusive yeast complex called Pitera---an ingredient discovered in an Asian sake brewery. The workers, who handled this yeast daily, had the ultra-soft, youthful hands! So, the cost is well worth it! The 100% cotton mask is pre-cut to fit the face and all you need to do is press the damp mask onto your skin and relax for 20 minutes. After just one treatment, your skin feels tight, soft, replenished and overall healthier. Walk down the jetway like you've just had a facial in the sky!

Chantecaille Jasmine and Lily Healing Mask, $79 I love Chantecaille and stumbled upon this mask while browsing the beauty department at Bergdorfs. With a calming blend of rose water, chamomile, lily and Vitamin B5, this mask is soothing and helps reduce redness, inflammation and irritation. No need to make a mad dash to the plane's lavatory 15 minutes before landing, add a pop of lip gloss and leave it on your face until you get to your hotel! It smells so fresh and leaves your skin dewy and radiant---just the way you want to look when deplaning!

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[product photos sourced online]

Tech Tuesday :: Tingo

[trip style = any]

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"You just can't lose" is the unique selling feature of new hotel booking site Tingo.com, built to refund customers after they book if the price of their hotel drops before their stay. With no online forms to fill out, the refund is done automatically.

In case you're worried that a site offering automatic hotel stay refunds is sketchy, Tingo's legit. Its sister company is Trip Advisor.

How It Works Tingo functions like any other travel booking site. Enter your destination and dates, and this hotel booking engine will render a series of matching results gathered from Expedia. In a recent search for hotels in LA, 75% of the results were eligible for money back, while 25% were just typical hotel rates---no bells or whistles {see below}. For example, if you book a "money back" hotel one month in advance of your arrival date, and the price lowers one to three times, you'll get a refund every time. And no, you don't get charged extra if the price goes up.

What do you think of this hotel booking/refund concept? Will you use Tingo?

PS - did you know that a service like this exists for flights too? It's called yapta, except the onus is on you as the consumer to ask for the refund once yapta tracks the price of your flight.

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[Images via Tingo.com]