The Savvy Traveler :: Tiffany

Tiffany's lifestyle and work are the true definition of trip style = luxury. This Southern California-raised blond-haired, brown-eyed jetsetter is on a mission to inspect and perfect stylish hotels throughout North America and the Caribbean for the international luxury hotel guide Condé Nast Johansens. Sometimes her business attire involves donning a favorite Melissa Odabash swimsuit, other times a Thakoon or Mike&Ton dress---it depends whether she's working beachside in St. Barths or around town in Boston, Miami or Vancouver.

She's also connected. Really connected; with 10,000+ Twitter followers {@LuxeTiffany}, as well as a founding member of Luxury Travel Twitter Chat {@luxchat} drawing thousands of luxury travel enthusiasts each month. For all these reasons and more, I thought Tiffany would be the perfect high-end travel ambassador for this month's The Savvy Traveler. If you don't spot her on the beach in The Turks and Caicos adorned with the season's hottest beach cover-up and 'it' nail polish color, you’ll find her in Boston where she’s involved with many animal rescue organizations and the stylish Boston social scene.

1/ What are your top 3 trip styles and why? 
[trip style = luxury + Beach + Spa] I grew up in Palos Verdes Estates, CA and was always a beach kid and a Junior Lifeguard in the summers. I have been scuba certified since 12 years old, and every summer we went diving as a family in the Cayman Islands. I love any vacation that includes relaxing on a white sand beach, snorkeling and diving, an innovative spa treatment and great local cuisine---whether it be at a beach bar or gourmet restaurant. Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos was the ultimate honeymoon.

2/ What items are always on your packing list? 

• Tumi Voyageur Quintessential Tote
• Dianora Salviati cashmere scarf {stylish and warm when on chilly planes!}
• Visine rewetting eye drops to combat airplane dry air
• Clarins sunscreen SPF 30
• Granola bars
• Extra zip lock bags
• Bug spray

PS - I’m not into fancy passport covers. The more worn looking, the better.

3/ Essential travel gadget or app? 
My Tumi Electric Adaptor that works in 150 countries. I travel with an iPhone, Blackberry, laptop and/or iPad and something always needs to be charged. I love staying connected with my Twitter travel friends while traveling abroad.

4/ Hotel or destination that's on your radar and why?
Mustique is one of the best kept secrets around and incredibly private (why it’s so popular with the Royal Family). It’s an island located in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and is surprisingly easy to get to with daily flights from St. Lucia and Barbados. There are some of the most breathtaking villas available to rent, each more beautiful than the next and one hotel called Cotton House. I’m going back next year for the annual Basil’s Blues Fest. I also just returned from Jade Mountain, in St. Lucia, one of the most romantic hotels in the Caribbean. Rooms are called “Sanctuaries” with private infinity pools overlooking the breathtaking Pitons. It has total “Wow Factor.”

5/ Tell us about a cool travel experience.
I was a “Potcake” courier in the Turks and Caicos. 'Potcake' is the name given to dogs in the Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos because locals fed them the caked remains at the bottom of the cooking pot. Potcake Place is a wonderful animal rescue organization that helps rescue, foster and find homes for the Islands' dogs. I couriered a puppy from Providenciales to Boston to its new owners who lived on Cape Cod. What an incredibly rewarding experience, and anyone can volunteer to do this! When I visit a Caribbean island, I always try to make a donation to the local animal rescue organization such as AARF in Anguilla. Every little bit counts.

6/ Best ways to take advantage of luxury travel without spending $1000+/night? 
Travel during the off-season. You’ll find the best rates and deals available in the Caribbean during the summer and no peak season crowds. Also, try using a luxury travel professional. They can sometimes get you perks such as resort credits and spa treatments that you wouldn’t have received if you booked directly. Happy “luxe” traveling!

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

More Savvy Travelers
Lora, The BC & OR Family Travel Expert
Bryce, The Pilot

[photo via tiffany]

The Savvy Traveler :: Bryce

[trip style = various]

When I introduced the once-monthly Savvy Traveler series last week, I promised pilots, pirates and other travel personalities. And though I'm still working on pinning down a {non-evil} pirate, I've secured a pilot!

Bryce flies big planes. He's got wings on his uniform and he wears a hat and aviators when it gets bright. It's in his blood; he comes from a long lineage of pilots. Like "Carol", Liz Lemon's former pilot-fling on 30 Rock, he's a "doorman to the skies". Bryce is also my go-to guy for all things aviation. Given my keen interest in the biz, I'm always asking him a million rapid-fire questions about flying, take-off, touch-down, storms, turbulence, what it's like to be in the cockpit, etc. He's always gracious and indulges my intense curiosity. This is why I'm happier than 18-year-old Frank Abignale Jr. {of Catch Me If You Can fame} dressed head to toe in a Pan Am pilot's uniform, walking through Miami International Airport with an entourage of ladies to feature Bryce in the inaugural Savvy Traveler post. Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts for take-off...

1/ What are your top 3 trip styles and why?
When my wife and I travel, I would describe us as trip style = urban because we enjoy major cities and their food, culture and atmosphere. We also like trip style = active & adventure because we love to get outdoors---whether we're hiking or doing whatever it takes to get a feel for the area we're visiting. We also do last minute trip style = weekend getaway(s) well! If we have one free - especially long - weekend, we are gone! We love weekending in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago, but the one that keeps on getting away from us is Paris. If we can someday do Paris in a weekend, we’d be pretty happy… maybe for our anniversary?

2/ What is always on your packing list?
My Bose noise-cancelling headset. Not just the ones that sit on your ears, but the ones that fully engulf them, not allowing in any ambient noise. It's a great way to escape.

3/ What is your essential travel gadget or app?
My iPhone! I frequent Yelp to find the best restaurants as soon as I arrive in a new city. Then I use Google Maps to take me there. Last week a flight attendant and I were in Regina and found a great café-restaurant called 13th Avenue Coffee House. The 20-min walk was worth it! Bustling, it was full of locals enjoying a street-side patio atmosphere with the evening sun shining. I had a pumpkin curry stew with a house salad. Both were excellent.

4/ What is your favorite destination, hotel or resort anywhere in the world and why?
One of my favorite trips was to Cambodia. My wife and I were there for 3 months volunteering with a non-profit organization working with Cambodian youth. At the same time we would go and explore the country. On one excursion we found an amazing hotel called Veranda, overlooking the ocean and the town of Kep in southern Cambodia. It's situated in a rainforest setting with boardwalks connecting all of the bungalows floating in the jungle canopy. The staff was friendly, the food was amazing and we’d love to go back. This hotel resort added to the already amazing experience we were having in Cambodia. We’ve recommended it to friends, who have stayed there since and loved it.

5/ What has been a cool off-the-beaten-track travel experience?
I was vacationing in Mexico City and stayed at a hotel right on Zocalo Square in the historic part of town. I met a student from Switzerland who was doing his masters in archeology and was in Mexico doing several digs. We hit it off and he took me on a guided tour of several prehistoric sites in Mexico City, as well as the Mexican National Museum Of Anthropology, which has one of the largest collection archeological artifacts anywhere in the world. It was extremely fascinating and gave the trip a depth it wouldn't have had otherwise.

6/ Bonus: Preferred pilot perk?
The {flight} passes we have access to are unparalleled, making most of the world accessible at a low cost. The office view isn't bad either!

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

[photo via Bryce]