Tech Tuesday :: Promo Codes

[trip style = any]

Notice how any time you check out online---be it for a flight, hotel stay or jacket purchase---there's a promo code input box?

It's a love/hate thing. I love these little blank boxes when I have a discount code to insert, and hate them when I'm checking out sans 10%, 20% or 30% discount. Urg, savings of what could have been.

The Solution Google to the rescue. For example, if you're about to click "buy" on an Air Canada flight to London and you see an empty promo code box; stop! Open a new window and Google "Air Canada promo codes." When I do this type of search , 60% of the time I score relevant promo codes through sites like RetailMeNot. The worst case scenario is the code you find and insert doesn't work. A for effort and only one minute of your day is lost!

Why Using promotional channels like website landing pages, email, Twitter and Facebook, airlines and hotels are always publishing semi-secret discount codes. Take 10 seconds to Google "<insert airline or hotel name here> promo code"  and you could save yourself a good chunk of change, especially if you're about to buy an international flight or multi-night hotel stay.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

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More Tech Tuesday Trading Airline Points The Six-Week Rule {When to buy airline tix} Liftopia Dashboard To Wall Hotel Tonight

[img by @tripstyler]

IMG_FRI :: Bora Bora

[trip style = beach + sun]

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"The most captivating natural beauty I've come across was in Bora Bora, the sand was like flour and the water was so clear you could see down to your feet perfectly." -Marisa

Earlier this week we interviewed Marisa for our monthly The Savvy Traveler column. This NY-based jetsetter works hard in PR to play hard in distant destinations like Spain, Brazil or Istanbul, allocating every available ounce of her vacation time to travel. She gushed most about Bora Bora, so I thought some IMG_FRI photos would be a welcome end-of-the-week distraction.

On my radar: Le Taha'a Island Resort and Spa, a Relais & Chateaux property with a constant position on the Condé Nast Gold List, a 10-minute helicopter ride from Bora Bora.

[photos via la taha'a]

Roam+Board :: Nira Alpina

[trip style = ski + spa + luxe]

{Editor’s Note: I've seen this chic ski resort making the rounds over the past few months and can't get its location and design out of my head. I haven't been here, but am hoping to stay {and ski} in the Swiss Alps in the nearsighted future.}

What Following the cascading lines of the hill, every room in this recently minted ski-in, ski-out mountain resort features floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto a private patio.

With panoramic views of the Engadin Mountains and Lake Silvaplana, the 70-room Nira Alpina hotel and spa layers Swiss spruce, Italian stone, traditional touches and contemporary lines in its modern chalet design.

Access the ski hill via a private walkway to the Corvatsch cable car station and get lifted 3300 meters to the mountain's highest point before shredding 350km of ski terrain below.

Soothe tired muscles in the sauna and steam room, and wind down at hotel's swish piano bar beside a crackling fire. Romantic après anyone?

Where Perched at the highest point in the small village of Surlej, five kilometres from St. Moritz, Switzerland. Fly into Zurich and ride the train for four hours past high-reaching glaciers and soaring bridges. PS - Bluebird days are a dime a dozen with the region's average 322 days of sun per year.

When Like any mountain resort town, there is a distinct sport-induced seasonality: winter skiing {Dec - Apr} and summer hiking/biking {Jun - Oct}. The rest of the year is rest and reno time for locals.

Who/Why You're a skier/snowboarder with a leaning toward luxury seeking your next mountaintop experience.

Cost From $330/night in winter, and $250/night in summer. Includes wifi and breakfast.

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More Roam+Board Rockhouse – Jamaica Hotel Bellevue – Near Seattle Rolling Huts – Methow Valley {WA} Golden Rock Inn – Nevis The Ace NYC – New York The Viceroy – Palm Springs Sorobon Beach Resort – Bonaire From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos via nira alpina]

Portlandia

[trip style = urban + weekend getaway]

Over the next few days I'll be trip style = weekending in Portland, aka Portlandia for those in the know. If you're a regular Trip Styler reader, you're probably aware that I heart the gritty city with a deep NYC & LA kinda love. What other city has more bikes parked in front of restaurants than cars? What other city pours bourbon in the vast majority of all its cocktails? What other city puts bacon on their doughnuts?

PS. Have you seen the series Portlandia with SNL's Fred Armisen? If you've ever been to Portland, or want to go, it's worth a watch.

Some images of my favorite things:

{To Start: Coava & Stumptown Coffee.}

{Whenever I travel by car "locally", my dog @nachoking comes along. Hotels like Fairmont(s), Ace(s), Westin(s), Kimpton(s), etc...all welcome dogs.}

{Voodoo Doughnut, for waistline purposes, a once-a-year indulgence. Maple bacon and oreo peanut butter.}

{To finish: butterscotch pudding at the Irving Street Kitchen.}

Related
Spotlight Portland {part deux}
Spotlight Portland {part one}
Ace Portland
Vancouver to Seattle Must-Stops

[photos by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: Rolling Huts

[trip style = weekend getaway + camping & glamping]

{Editor's Note: As we mentioned on Monday, in addition to Travel Beauty, Roam+Board is now publishing every other Wednesday! Your mid-week just got a little more dreamy, we *hope.* Re: this property, I've never stayed here, but I hope to in the next year.}

What If quiet was a sound, you'd find it at Rolling Huts. Tucked into the Methow Valley between the North Cascades mountains, a herd of six warming huts stake a claim on the farmland below. Boxy bungalows with basic kitchenettes, wood-burning fireplaces and platform beds host your trip style = glamping + weekend getaway.

Replace your morning commute with a 6km cross-country ski to the nearest espresso bar and TV watching with stargazing. This is a place to mentally unplug and surround yourself with nature.

I first came across Rolling Huts in Sunset Magazine {<---Love} in an article about "The West's best romantic getaways", and though getting far, far away from it all at a property bathed in minimalism won't be everyone's version of a sultry weekend, you'd have no choice but to cozy-up in your cabin with hot cocoa!

Where Methow Valley, Washington; six hours from Vancouver, four hours from Seattle. During winter the WA-20 Washington Pass connector is closed, so you take a slight roundabout route to arrive. In the summer take 2.5 hours off the above-mentioned travel times.

When Year-round. Cross-country ski in winter, explore nearby towns in shoulder season, and hike and bike in summer.

Who/Why Modern, sparse architecture is your thing, or want to clear your head. You like to get away from it all, and don't mind a communal potty/shower barn that's a few steps from your pad.

Cost Cottages from $125. During holidays add a $10/night. Huts comfortably sleep two, and can be configured to sleep four. $25 pet fee per stay. Includes wifi.

More Roam+Board Golden Rock Inn - Nevis The Ace NYC – New York The Viceroy – Palm Springs The Parker – Palm Springs Sorobon Beach Resort – Bonaire Kura Hulanda – Curacao Hotel Kakslauttanen – Finland The Met – Vancouver Custom Hotel – LAX Bitter End Yacht Club – BVI Sleep On The Water – London A Woodsy Hideaway – Big Sur, CA

[photos via Rolling Huts]