Travel Trends :: Bed Bug Proofing Your Hotel Room

[trip style = any]

One unfortunate travel trend that never seems to go away is bed bugs. They are everywhere, from campsite yurts to hostels, and 3-stars to ritzy retreats. Bed bugs are travelers too, spreading on birds, bats, humans and suitcases to name a few culprits. They also travel well given their ability to live for 6-12 months without food.

The Nature of the Beast Though bed bugs are everywhere, and their infestation levels go in ebbs and flows, being in Australia's Whitsundays {think multiple backpackers on party boats with bunks} and NYC recently reminded me it was still a big problem, and will forever be a problem. It's the nature of the beast. Like Lauren mentioned yesterday in her Travel Beauty feature, I too saw big groups of protesters outside hotels. These people weren't kidding around, they even had a Macy's Day parade-sized bed bug prop. As the scene was intended, it made my mind wander and my body itchy just thinking about it.

About two years ago I got serious about the prevention and detection of bed bugs, going through a routine every time I check into a hotel room, stay in a yurt, etc... Here are some precautions I use based on the wisdom of others who have experienced the bugs and written about them before me:

Bed Bug Proofing Your Hotel Room

• Before you even book, check to see if the hotel you're thinking about reserving has been listed in the Bed Bug Registry {a user-generated site noting bed bug detection areas in Canada and the US}.
• When you enter your hotel room, lock the door and place your luggage on a stand in or near the bathroom---not near the bed, furniture or curtains.
• Even if you're tired, don't throw your belongings---even an innocent little scarf---on the bed or a chair.
• Immediately conduct a 2-minute investigation of the room to look for reddish brown bugs the size of a small apple seed and droppings the size and appearance of pepper flakes. Note that bed bugs like to hang in groups.
• Check: on and behind the bed's headboard {I always start with this, and get eye level with it in order to see critters more accurately}, foundation, box spring and dark crevices as well as the furniture.
• If you think you spot bed bugs, smell the area. They are known to have a musky sweet scent like almonds.

Dealing With Bed Bugs

• If you think you see bed bugs, speak the hotel immediately, and DO NOT accept a room near the potential infestation site.
• Get the BedbugLogic Protection & Treatment Spray like Lauren talked about yesterday in her Travel Beauty post to remove any bugs you think may have got near your gear or clothing.
• Once you get home, if you still suspect bed bugs, vacuum and steam clean your suitcase {not in your house} and wash clothes and dry on the dryer's hottest setting to kill all stages of bugs.

Finally, I will leave you with this: when you travel with a carry-on, there is less chance for it to come in contact with other bags {and bugs!!!} if it is always with you.

[photo by Medill DC]

Travel Beauty :: Beauty Bars Around the World

[trip style = urban]

Being the beauty junkie that I am, I look for small beauty boutiques in every city I visit. Nothing gets me more excited than discovering unique products, especially in far-flung places. Here are some of my favorite beauty haunts I hope you visit one day! {Beauty bars pictured left to right, top to bottom.}

Larchmont Beauty Center {Los Angeles, California} I first discovered this beauty haven on a visit to LA and fell in love. I ended up moving to LA---and living around the corner from this boutique---so it pretty much became a weekly stop for me. This store is small, but somehow fits the most incredible range of beauty products I've ever seen. From big brands like Bliss Spa, Nars and Kerastase to lesser known brands like Yon-Ka and This Works, to cheaper drugstore products---you can find it all here. Fred, the owner of the store, knows his stuff, as do all the staff. Bonus: this boutique is a celeb favorite, the above picture is Christina Ricci leaving the store.

Neal's Yard Remedies {London, England} The location for this fabulous green beauty bar is an eco-chic gal's paradise. The bright colorful courtyard in Covent Gardens is hard to find, but once you do, you'll love what you see. Enjoy Neal's Yard Dairy, Salad Bar, Bakery, Bookshop and of course Remedies---my favorite. The yard, which has been dubbed "London's Secret Garden", came to be in the late 70s when an organic food store opened and was so successful that other ethical businesses joined. Neal's Yard Remedies has it all, from herbal potions you can concoct yourself {speak to one of the beauty experts and tell them what you're looking for}, to delicious bath and body products and cosmetics. All organic of course. I used the Wild Rose Beauty Balm daily when I lived in London.

Carthusia Perfumes {Capri, Italy} I stumbled upon this amazing perfume factory and store in the center of Capri on my honeymoon. Carthusia dates all the way back to 1380, when a queen visited the island of Capri and asked the Father of the Carthusian Monastery to create a bouquet of flowers for her. The water within which the flowers had been placed acquired a scent of the notes and this eventually became the first perfume of Capri. The same methods once used by the Carthusian monks are still employed for the production of the perfumes today, using all local ingredients from the island. All the scents are lovely, but my favorite is the Aria de Capri, which I bought as a solid perfume. Its fresh scent blends peach, jasmine and mimosa blossoms.

The Organic Pharmacy {Beverly Hills, California and London, England} This organic pharmacy was created by a homeopathic pharmacist from the UK. Every item they sell is organic and made with non-toxic ingredients. Not only do they sell their own range of standout products, they also custom-blend herbal remedies based on your needs. The pharmacy itself is stark white and clean looking, just like a typical European pharmacy, but the products are a lot more interesting. I love the Carrot Butter Cleanser, it's thick, rich and luxurious, and leaves your skin feeling incredibly soft. They also do some beauty treatments at the pharmacy, I did a pre-pregnancy scan to find out how balanced my body was before I got pregnant. Very cool and interesting. Sign up for their free newsletter online to get really helpful information on organic beauty and new products.

Les Ateliers de la Souris Verte {Paris, France} I stumbled upon this beauty boutique and classroom totally by accident, and was instantly charmed by how adorable it was. Customers can buy pre-made homemade beauty products or sign-up for a class to learn how to make their own. Everything is natural and made with pure ingredients. Products are formulated with rich essential oils and natural fragrances, and range from bath and body, to hair, to skincare and baby care. They serve French cheese and wine during classes---I can't imagine a better way to spend an evening in Paris!

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Trip Styler Loves BedbugLogic Protection & Treatment Spray On a recent trip to NYC I noticed there were crowds outside several well-known hotels with signs saying bed bugs had been found there---not what a guest checking-in wants to see! In no time I was looking up bed bug registries online and googling bed bugs to learn more about them. With all this bed bug buzz {try saying that 5 times fast!}, I was pretty excited to hear about a product that is "scientifically proven to knockdown 100% of bed bugs in seconds" and "conclusively render 96% of bed bugs dead after two sprays"...I was sold. Seeing as I'm always traveling back and forth from NYC, BedbugLogic Protection & Treatment Spray destroys bed bugs within seconds of contact with natural, biodegradable enzymes and essential oils. The formula isn't harmful to humans, animals or the planet and is 100% non toxic. Just spray on hotel linens and you can be sure that if any bed bugs did exist, they have now moved on to a better place. The spray comes in the following sizes: 2oz ($6.25), 8oz ($18), 24oz ($32), 32oz ($38) and 1 gallon ($78) and is available on Amazon.com and BedbugLogic.com. Obviously, I'd recommend the 2oz size for travel! - Lauren

{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} Travel Beauty Hair Tips from Celebrity Stylist Michael Shaun Corby 4 Products You’ve Never Heard Of In-Flight Essentials Q&A with 3floz Founder Olive Oil-Inspired Skincare

[Photos public domain]

Travel Apps :: WindowSeat

[trip style = any] I love planes with personal seat-back entertainment consoles. You can watch what you want when you want, play games and check the flight's status. Sadly, the information in the status area is never as comprehensive as I'd like it to be, and some planes don't even have personal screens. Quelle horreur!

Enter the WindowSeat app. Without the need for GPS or a network connection, it acts like a tour guide and pilot status report in one. Using your iPhone as a flight tracker, it shows you what's below, gathers the flight plan for your journey and maps the route.

Testing this app on a virtual flight from Seattle to Sacramento, it was easy to find and start the flight, and tap points of interest below to learn about places like the Oroville Dam {the tallest earthen dam in the US}. If the captain makes an announcement about updated time of arrival or ground speed, these settings can both be updated within the app to achieve a more accurate reading.

Right now this app only works for flights within the contiguous USA {ie - sadly not Alaska or Hawaii}, but hopefully its database will expand to include the rest of the US and more countries like Canada. For now, it's a decent download if you travel a lot within the US.

Details

• $2.99
• no wifi connection required
• available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Android is in the realm of possibility, but not confirmed
• Track any commercial flight throughout the U.S.
• WindowSeat calculates your position and anticipated arrival time based on the assigned route and airtime of your flight
• Update your position based on your flight’s actual status, and WindowSeat recalculates your time
• View images and read descriptions about the points-of-interest you pass below
• If your flight has wifi, let friends know where you're at in the flight

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Other Travel Apps Every Tuesday we feature a new travel app. Don’t forget to peruse the other 75+ 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:

• High-End Camp Cooking
• Vancouver Street Food
• livingsocial escapes
• Free Wifi Finders
• Hail a Taxi

Jetset Jingles :: Camping

[trip style = camping]

Summer just came a knocking at my door, and that means warm weather, long days, and my favorite kind of quick summer getaway: camping. There’s nothing like rounding up a group of friends or the fam, packing up the car and hitting the road to find the perfect campsite.

Along with a tent, a Coleman stove and bug spray, you can't go camping without music. Nothing beats sitting around the campfire relaxing to someone strumming your favorite lazy-day tunes on a guitar. But if you’re anything like me and can’t actually play the guitar, I’ve created the ultimate camping playlist for you to take with you on your next venture into the great outdoors.

I can almost smell the marshmallows roasting... Happy Listening.

Song List 1. Beautiful Day - All That You Can't Leave Behind 2. Soak Up the Sun - The Very Best of Sheryl Crow (Digital Version) 3. Sweet Home Alabama - The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd 4. Something Like That - A Place In the Sun 5. Fishin' In the Dark - More Great Dirt: The Best of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Vol. 2 6. Three More Days - Till the Sun Turns Black (Bonus Track Version) 7. I Won't Back Down - Full Moon Fever 8.Free - Donavon Frankenreiter 9. I'm Yours - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things 10. Better Together - In Between Dreams (Bonus Track Version)

Playlist

Related Travel Apps :: High-End & Easy Camp Cooking 6 Free Camping Apps

{Jetset Jingles publishes once monthly and is mixed and mastered by Nicole, amateur DJ by night and movie maven by day.}

[photo by nstoik]

Summer Vacation Ideas :: Budget

[trip style = budget]

Some people are really good at planning in advance, and others, not so much. I fall somewhere in the middle, though my friends would probably say I'm a planner. This post is for the late-blooming, or aspiring travel planners who want to go away this summer, but haven't gotten around to planning anything!

One of this month's 3-part features is Summer Vacation Ideas. Today we're looking at Trip Style = Budget ideas, next week we'll explore Trip Style = Luxury Summer Escapes, and the following week Trip Style = Weekending to extend your business or personal/family-related trip. Enjoy!

Budget Summer Vacation Ideas trip style = camping By now, serious campers have already reserved the A+ spots at campgrounds for a weekend or two in the 8-10 weeks we have the pleasure of calling summer {in many parts of North America and Europe}. The good news is, the first-come-first-serve or B+ spots are still available for online reservation! If you absolutely cannot handle putting up a tent, why not try a yurt? Some beautiful places to camp near Vancouver are Tofino {Bella Pacifica} and Washington {Deception Pass}. Cost: from $250 for a weekend, including camping fee, food and gas.

trip style = wine touring How could you not want to immerse yourself in cascading rows of fresh grapes and sip wine in an air conditioned tasting room? Venturing to the vines in summer is toasty but tastes so good. There are a multitude of wineries one could do as a day trip around Vancouver or Seattle, or a weekend trip to BC's Okanagan Valley, Washington's Walla Walla Valley, Oregon's Willamette Valley or California's Napa. Cost: from $50 for a day trip to $1000 for a 3-night tour including hotel, food, gas and tastings.

trip style = road trip Ahhh the summer road trip. So many memories---some I'd like to remember and others I'd like to forget {like the year we traveled sans air conditioning.} Nowadays cars have built-in DVDs, satellite radio, dual-zone a/c, cup holders and other doodads to ensure a peaceful journey. So take advantage of summer 2011, and hit the road Jack to uncover off-beat destinations {like the Old Country Market with goats on the roof---no joke---on Vancouver Island} you might miss when flying in and out of major cities. Cost: from $350 for a weekend including hotel, food and gas.

trip style = {desert} sun The desert is overwhelmingly hot in the summer, but if you like heat, frequent dips in the pool and misters, the prices are low!  The winter escape artists have left, leaving hotel and vacation rental availability that would be harder to get or cost-prohibitive in the high season. Case in point, the Colony in Palm Springs is on Jetsetter {travel flash sale website} this week for $115/night. Cost: from $1100 for flight, 3-night hotel, food rental car and gas.

*Where applicable, all cost estimations based on two people and $100/night hotels, modest car rentals and mid-range restaurants.

PS - Aside from our regularly scheduled content, don't miss next month's feature: Off The Beaten Path Escapes!

[images by @heatherlovesit and @tripstyler]