Travel Trends :: Summer Vacation Ideas :: The Add-On

[trip style = multiple]

Vacation add-on: Extending a work or family/friend trip for extra travel benefit.

A trend that comes and goes with the state of the economy and rising fuel prices: the vacation add-on---both part of our regular Travel Trend Thursday feature, as well as the third installment of our three-part Summer Vacation Ideas series {see parts one and two below}.

Pay Less Do More Savvy travelers use vacation add-ons to maximize their travel at every opportunity, especially when the destination is appealing. Similar to booking trips with airline mileage or hotel points, extending a work or personal trip is a great way to pay less and do more. Whether your work is already paying for your flights and hotel anyway, or you're paying for a family event or destination wedding, doing a little more while there---or using it as a jumping off point to explore nearby areas---is worth it.

Add-Ons About one-fifth of the trips my husband and I take are add-ons---a way to travel with less budgetary impact. This year we've added time to work trips in LA in November, Scottsdale in February and NYC in May. I have friends and family who are also very good at vacation add-ons too, and have used work trips or family trips to add time in places they want to see, as well as discover destinations off their radar. Trips to Santa Barbara become trips to Vegas, trips to Denver become trips to Colorado's mountain resorts, trips to Boston become trips to New York, trips to Cape Town become safaris and trips to Victoria become trips across Vancouver Island.

How To Maximize the Add-On Trip

• Plan ahead
• Decide: is it best to tack a few days before or after the work or family-related trip? If so, what best suits your work schedule?
• Do you want wifi? If so, find a hotel that offers it.
• Consider this: if you're taking a ferry or car and staying in a hotel, then most of the journey is already paid for---both for you and your companion---aside from the extra nights.
• Can you use hotel loyalty points or travel credit card kickbacks to extend your stay versus making an out-of-pocket payment?
• Is there a nearby retreat or city you've been dying to explore?
• Are the flights cheap to bring a companion with you, or are you able to use points to fly them free?

Good Trip Styles For Vacation Add-Ons

• trip style = active & adventure - plan a few days of hiking or biking.
• trip style = beach - spend a weekend at a nearby beach town.
• trip style = cruise - near a cruise port? Book a 3-night cruise.
• trip style = safari - near the wild? Book a nature tour or safari.
• trip style = sightseeing - take some extra time to explore the area's important sights.
• trip style = ski - pre- or post-trip ski? Sounds good to me.
• trip style = spa - relax for a few days at the spahhhhhhh.
• trip style = urban - pound the pavement in the your destination or a nearby city.*
• trip style = wine tasting - if you're lucky enough to be near a wine region, well, that's an obvious add-on :)

*Don't rule out nearby cities for your vacation add-on. For example, if you're in LA, take the train to SF; if you're in Ottawa, take the train to Montreal; if you're in Honolulu fly to Kauai etc...

Don't Miss Summer Vacation Ideas :: Luxury Summer Vacation Ideas :: Budget

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

[photos by OKC + @tripstyler]

Party Like It's Your Birthday

[trip style = budget conscious + luxury]

Make it a Practice If you're going away to celebrate a special occasion, or if that occasion falls during your getaway, remember to tell your hotel or resort. Whether you're booking a trip style = budget conscious or trip style = luxury accommodation, you should let the property know what you're celebrating. Most hotels would love to enhance your stay with simple touches, so it's worth emailing or calling them in advance with details.

Speak Up Over the past 10 years, I've learned to speak up when there's a special occasion. 90% of the time, hotels will go the extra mile, providing a little plate of cake or chocolates for a birthday, or champagne or berries for an anniversary.

Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams Whether you're staying at a motel or a high-end resort, tell them about your occasion. For example, my husband and I were travelling last month around the time of his birthday. Over a two-night period, we stayed at a simple hotel and then an ultra-luxe resort in Australia's Whitsundays. His birthday fell on the check-out day from one property and the check-in day at the other, so we told each hotel. At the first hotel, my husband simply wrote in a comment field when booking "It's my birthday!" and there was a bottle of champagne waiting for us in the fridge with an accompanying birthday note. At the second resort, I emailed them in advance, and there was another bottle of champagne waiting in the room. Cheers!

They may not always rise to the occasion, but give your hotel {or restaurant} the opportunity to do something nice when you're celebrating a milestone at their property. Over the years, I've been given champagne, wine, fruit plates, signature tea, chocolate, cake, biscotti, etc... Say something---you might even get a room upgrade!

Related It's the Little Things {Special hotel treats} 5 Ways to get the Best Hotel Room It Never Hurts to Ask {Speaking up in your travels}

[photo by @tripstyler]

Travel App Tuesday :: Tiffany's New York

[trip style = urban] Before you think I've lost my 18k rose gold marbles featuring a love-themed Tiffany & Co. app for travel, read on...

Daydreaming about Tiffany & Co. usually involves key necklaces, diamond rings and of course, the iconic little blue box. Now, there's a little blue app for that including a lovely surprise for travelers who favour trip style = urban: a guide to New York. {Also see Trip Styler's guide to NYC here.}

With 21 refined Tiffany-inspired suggestions for couples seeking cocktails and canoodling, magnificent meals, cultured activities and/or grand gestures in the Big Apple, I'm head over heels for the selections. And if you think everything's expensive, think again, much like the everyday and special occasion pieces the NYC-based jeweler offers, the picks follow the same pattern.

I have another trip to NYC planned in the late-fall with my sister, and even though this app is geared at couples, we look forward frequenting suggestions like art and city gazing at the MET's roof-top garden, and having a drink at the deco Bemelman's Bar.

PS - Navigate to The Art of Romance, then Tiffany's Tips: When Love Gets Serious to find 40 ways to better understand and impress your significant other---simple but helpful little reminders.

Details

• free
• no wifi connection required
• available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
• to access the NYC travel suggestions, navigate to "Tiffany's New York" in the app, and view by list or map
• though the app is designed for couples, the NYC restaurant, lounge and things to do suggestions could be used for anyone who appreciates curated suggestions

— 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 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:

• WindowSeat
• High-End Camp Cooking
• Vancouver Street Food
• livingsocial escapes
• Free Wifi Finders

A Love Letter to Vancouver

[trip style = staycation + sightseeing + urban] {more pics below}

{Editor's Note: Vancouver's recently been given a bad rap in the media. Though I travel from Vancouver a lot for Trip Styler, it is my home and I relish returning to my city. For this reason, I want people to know the truth. I'm extraordinarily proud to be from Vancouver and am not ashamed to be a Canucks fan. During last week's post Stanley Cup final kerfuffle, it is so unfortunate the actions of a small few were used to represent the whole. 99.9% of Vancouverites are horrified by the rioters' actions Wednesday night and took to the internet and street to quickly remedy the outburst.

Through social media a giant clean-up party was organized the following morning. Thousands got up at the crack of dawn to clean up the smut from the city, bringing their own garbage bags and brooms. Vancouverites have also put together websites, blog posts and Facebook groups {with 100,000+ fans} in an effort to identify and pass on to Police, those captured on photo and video during the incident.

Finally, Vancouverites literally saw the writing on the wall, and wrote love letters to the city on the plywood boards affixed in place of the smashed windows at The Bay {Canada's oldest department store} in the centre of Vancouver's downtown. There are so many black Sharpie-penned notes, it was hard to find a place to write. {If you would like to write your love note to Vancouver on the wall, but can't get there, do so here.} And in an act that would make the 3M company proud, thousands of Post-it notes were stuck to a Vancouver Police car thanking the force for their dedication, efforts and mutual love for the city. This is my Vancouver, the real Vancouver.

In celebration of the city, here is a post I did last summer about Vancouver, updated with a ton of info and pics for summer 2011!}

Sometimes it’s fun to be a tourist in your own city. It provides the sense of getting away without a road or plane trip. If you want to make the experience seem all-the-more authentic, strap on a fanny pack {kidding}, grab a map, showcase your camera, sport some runners, don a hat and re-invigorate your love for Vancouver.

[Note to Vancouver tourists: most Vancouverites don't escape far from the city in the summer. Unless they weekend in the mountains, lakes or islands nearby, the city is too beautiful and too fun to leave when the weather heats up.]

Do

• Start your day off right at Granville Island. Drink freshly squeezed juice, sip a cappuccino, grab a croissant or doughnut and become part of the weekend-visit-to-Granville-Island ritual.
• Vancouverites are known for embracing outdoor lifestyle. That’s why we live in a place with the ocean and mountains minutes from the city. The Stanley Park seawall is a big part of this. Take advantage of the park’s 400 hectares and cycle or walk oceanside past marinas, lakes, totem poles, forest, boats and beaches. Muster-up a little extra energy and go past Stanley Park into Coal Harbour toward the new Vancouver Convention Centre to check out the green roof and gaze at the larger-than-life art pieces {see pics below}.
• If you’re an arty type, or just want to dip your toes into the city’s blooming art scene, check out The Vancouver Art Gallery, gallery row on South Granville Street or real estate mogul Bob Rennie’s personal art collection (free, open for tours Thursday and Saturday, book ahead) in historic Chinatown. Apparently, Rennie’s collected enough art to host continual, unique 3-month shows for the next 20 years. The gallery design alone is art.
• If all you want to do is relax, spend a day at the Vancouver’s newest and most fabulous hotel spa at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. Pre or post spa session, relax by the outdoor pool and take in views of Vancouver's harbour and the Olympic Cauldron.
• After a long day of traipsing all over the city, chill out and catch a flick at the Scotiabank Theatre downtown.

Eat

• Breakfast
  • The irrefutable local faves for brunch are Yaletown’s oceanfront Provence or Crosstown’s Cafe Medina.
  • For something a little more casual, visit Belgian wafflerie Patisserie Lebeau near Granville Island or Thomas Haas in Kits. Famous for his chocolates, he also makes the best pastries I’ve ever tasted. Seriously. Channel your inner Parisian and sip a cappuccino and savor a flaky croissant, then walk it off along Broadway towards UBC to discover clothing, flower shops, bookstores and restaurants. Don't miss the wood and mirrored ceiling creation.
• Lunch
  • Most of the summer, the city welcomes warm, sunny weather, making locals passionate about dining al fresco. Combine art gazing and eating at The Vancouver Art Gallery’s cafe with a statuesque and flower-filled outdoor patio, or refuel at The Granville Island hotel's Dockside Restaurant on their newly renovated, oceanfront patio.
• Dinner
  • Located in historic {and in Vancouver that means 120 years old} Gastown, Boneta offers an open, funky space and excellent fare. And, do NOT miss one of Canada's most well-known chefs and proud recipient of Canada's Best New Restaurant, David Hawksworth, at his new self-named eatery right in the heart of downtown.
• Dessert
  • This is a bold statement, but potentially rivaling Italy’s gelato, locals flock to Mondo Gelato {renamed “Gelarmony”} for their dose of heaven – I mean gelato. You just must.

Pictures New Vancouver Convention Centre Walkway

The Lego-like orca at the new Vancouver Convention Centre

The slightly ironic rain drop at the new Vancouver Convention Centre

Dockside Restaurant patio

Boneta Restaurant in Vancouver

Hawksworth Restaurant

Related Vancouver's Hidden Gems Vancouver's Must-Eat Markets, Cafes & Restaurants {published in The Daily Meal}

[Photos by @tripstyler]

Summer Vacation Ideas :: Luxury

[trip style = luxury]

Sometimes we need a little inspiration to plan our summer getaway! Last week we talked about trip style = budget getaway ideas, and this week we're flipping the coin and going luxury. And while we're on the topic, don't miss next week's third summer vacation ideas installment about trip style = weekending to extend your business or personal/family-related trip.

Luxury Summer Vacation Ideas trip style = active & adventure I was recently at a Travel Alberta event where I learned about a series of adventures and lodges near Banff hosting heli-skiing in winter and heli-hiking in summer. Canadian much? I couldn't help but take notice when I saw imagery with glacier-fed lakes and snowy peaked vistas combined with woodsy luxe lodges and mountain climbing-worthy gourmet food. Aside from heli-hiking, Canadian Mountain Holidays also offer via ferrata trips {Italian for "road with irons" involving mountain routes with fixed cables, ladders and bridges}---the ultimate outdoor adventure scaling an 8,700 ft. summit by way of metal rung ladders, suspension bridges and narrow pathways... Cost: from $1,730 per person for 2 nights/1.5 days including guided hiking, accommodation, food, wine, gear and transfers.

trip style = spa Around this time last year I ventured into Vernon, BC {about a 5-hour drive from Vancouver} to stay at one of Canada's most unique spa retreats. Its uniqueness originates in Austria, where a member of the family behind Swarovski Crystals financed the $122-million contemporary, hill-top retreat, aptly named Sparkling Hill. The crystal-embellished building made my eyes open brightly with excitement, but the service was not yet up to snuff. When I wrote about it last year, I noted that I would return knowing the hotly-anticipated spa resort would iron out its kinks as time progressed. The beauty of Sparkling Hill is a must-see and the series of sauna and steam rooms a must-try, including the -110 degree Celsius cold sauna. Cost: from $495 for 2 people and 2 nights includes accommodations, parking, wifi, $100 spa credit per person, use of saunas and steam rooms and hot breakfast.

trip style = cruise Whether you cruise out of Vancouver or Seattle to Alaska, Miami or Ft. Lauderdale to the Caribbean or around the Mediterranean, sailing on a luxury liner is a great summer {and mostly all-inclusive sans alcohol} vacation option. I know the idea of being isolated on a boat is scary to some people, but finding a ship that matches your tastes is the key. For example, if you want to go sporty, do Royal Caribbean, if you want to go luxury, do Regent Seven Seas Cruises and if you want to combine yachting and sailing, do Windstar Cruises. And parents, if your kiddies are over 3---or younger in some cases---there is included child care on most ships! A great resource for finding cruises is Vacations ToGo; navigate to their 90-day ticker and browse cruising options all over the world. Cost: from $399 per person for 7 nights, departing Alaska and arriving in Seattle.

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

[images courtesy CMH, @tripstyler & Sparkling Hill]