5 DIY Halloween Costumes for Jetsetters

Move over circa 2009 Kate Gosselin halloween wig, there's a new costume fad for 2010! Thanks to Steven Slater (the JetBlue flight attendant who grabbed two beers and jumped shipplane by deploying the emergency slide), travel-themed Halloween costumes are where it's at in 2010. Without further ado, this week's travel trend thursday is devoted to DIY travel-inspired Halloween costumes.

Jetsetting DIY Costume Ideas 1. Pilot I know Matt Damon's recurring role as Carol the pilot on 30 Rock inspired you to be a "doorman to the skies" for Halloween. To create this costume you'll need: - a blue or black suit (preferably double breasted) - a pilot's hat - aviator sunglasses - a stick-on mustache - a pin with wings - safety pins and gold ribbon to affix around bottom of sleeves, shoulders and hat - carry-on suitcase with briefcase attached

2. Flight Attendant There are two types of flight attendant directions you could go with this costume: 50s/60s glam or boring modern-day---unless you work for Singapore Airlines. The modern day FA is pretty easy to pull off, here's how: - basic pant or skirt suit - blouse or dress shirt for men - scarf tied around neck, or tie for men - high heeled shoes with a sturdy heel - carry-on suitcase Bonus: matching hat for ladies, or two beers for men (if you choose to go the Steven Slater route). By the way, have you seen Jimmy Fallon's hilarious song about the incident?

3. Roaming Gnome Travelocity's roaming gnome really gets around with only a few quick stops you'll be able to impersonate him with relative ease. What you'll need for this costume: - a blue robe that sits just below the knee - black boots - black belt (wear high waisted) - white long beard with mustache (cut some off to make bushy eyebrows) - tall, pointy red hat

4. Tacky Tourist Although the tacky tourist costume can be overdone, I suggest you under-do it and make people wonder if you're actually serious or not. If you want to overdo it, here's how: - knee socks - birkenstocks or flip flops - khaki shorts - aloha shirt - massive camera hanging from your neck - sunglasses - grass hat Bonus: find a fanny pack and florescent face zinc

5. Suitcase We bring a suitcase with us every time we travel, but we never think to dress up as one for Halloween. Why not honour our trusty travel companion by going as a boxy carrier on wheels? What you'll need for this costume: - an old suitcase from a second-hand store (cut out the bottom and create arm and head holes) - black leggings - a bunch of ribbons and doodads to attach to every extremity Bonus: find 'fragile' or 'heavy load' stickers to place on the bag, have few undergarments sticking out of the bag and wear roller-skates/blades as the suitcases wheels.

PS - In a move that would later dictate an actual trip style, this post's above picture is of my husband and I dressed up as tacky, safari tourists (see more about our African safari on Friday). We whipped up the costume at 5pm Oct 31st and thanks to some gear my husband had lying around, we later donned our overly khaki attire at 7pm. Photoshop-happy sister was just a bonus.

[photo credits: heatherlovesit, NBC]

Healthy on the Road :: Underwear Exercises

[trip style = any]

Not a fan of the hotel gym? Not enough space to pack your full workout attire? No problem. With this workout, clothing is optional since you don’t even need to leave your room!

The sky is the limit in terms of designing a workout away from the gym. View the following routine as a framework upon which you can incorporate some of your favourite equipment-free exercises. All you need for this workout is a book or binder (preferably of a large size) and a chair or bench. I highly recommend morning exercise, but this routine can be done anytime of the day.

Step 1 Wake up! Splash some cold water on your face, have a small snack (e.g. banana, yogurt, almonds) and get ready to rock out to some great tunes. Music always makes working out more enjoyable. Before traveling, make sure your iPod is loaded with a great workout playlist.

Step 2 Warm up and get your sweat on! Choose one or do a combo of: running or marching on the spot, dancing like it’s your birthday, or even just some good old-fashioned jumping jacks. Do this for 5-10 minutes to get your heart pumping!

Step 3 The Mini Circuit (10-15 mins). I love circuits; they keep you focused and add variety. Beginners perform 1 set of 12-16 reps of each exercise. Modify each move to suit your fitness level. Intermediate/Advanced perform 2-3 sets of 10-16 reps. Try performing one exercise right after another to up the cardio. If needed, take a short rest in between.

• Pushups – On your knees or toes (keeping your body straight).
• Good Mornings – Stand with feet about hip-width apart holding a phone book or heavier book straight up overhead. Keeping your abs braced and knees slightly bent, tip from the hips and lower your torso until it is parallel to the floor, keeping your arms in line with your ears. Lift up and repeat.
• Tricep Dips – Sit on a bench or chair with hands resting next to thighs. Push up and bring your hips out, with your bum just brushing the bench, and keep your knees bent. Bend your elbows and lower your body down (staying close to bench or chair) until elbows are 90 degrees. Push up and repeat. To up the intensity, try straightening your legs.
• Lunges - Unless you're staying in a pod hotel, most hotel rooms accommodate at least a few lunges in a row. Step forward with one foot (don’t let your forward knee go past your big toe), bend your knees and lower into a lunge, bringing both knees into a 90-degree angle. Return to standing and step forward with the opposite leg. Move around your room doing as many as you can.

Step 4 Chill out. Spend 5 minutes doing light stretching and 5 minutes just being still. Stilling your mind and being calm is just as essential as physical activity for starting the day right. Find a comfortable position, close your eyes and breathe.

Step 5 Shower and get going!

Note: if you haven't exercised before, or have any injuries or illnesses, you should consult with your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Healthy on the Road posts are published on the first Thursday of every month and written by our resident health consultant, Leah Munday, owner of OTfit.ca.

[photo by Rance Costa]

A Tropical Experiment

[trip style = sun + beach + weekend getaway] {more pics below}

This past weekend, my husband and I conducted a tropical experiment. We did so during low season in case it was a bust.

The Experiment Fly to the tropics, in our case Maui, for an extended weekend. Leave on a Friday and return on a Monday. Easy getaway options: West Coasters = Hawaiian Islands East Coasters = Bermuda or the Caribbean.

Why We've attempted this crazy or not-so-crazy feat (depending on how you look at it) in the past for 4 nights/5 days, so being curious souls, we wanted to find out if it was possible to pull it off for a weekend. The idea of a short-burst trip filled with sun, relaxation and blue waters is soul soothing, so my goal was to see if it was doable for times when it's hard to get away for more than a few days.

The Verdict The experiment worked. Here are some best practices:

• know your destination well so you can hit the ground running
• only travel with a carry-on bag; time is of the essence!
• relax and don't try to sightsee like a maniac, in fact, leave sightseeing for another trip
• arrange a direct flight with departure and arrival times that aren't going to leave you zombie-like
• figure out if you can handle the time change {if applicable}
• make restaurant reservations before you leave so your getaway is dialed before you arrive

Details Flight We left out of Seattle on a Hawaiian Airlines flight (my preferred carrier for flights to Hawaii) at 10.30am Friday, and returned for the mainland on Monday at 3.05pm. These are great flight times allowing you to enjoy a portion of each travel day at your destination.

Hotel Having stayed at multiple hotels and condos in Wailea, Kihei and Ka'anapali, we chose to stay at the Fairmont Kea Lani because it's within a half hour of the airport, has a great reputation and a stunning location along the Wailea seascape. See my review of the Fairmont Kea Lani here.

Car Car rentals in Maui are close to the main airport, efficient (most of the time) and cheap. Even though we didn't do any major car excursions during our aloha-filled weekend, renting a car for 4 days is cheaper than taking a taxi or shuttle to and from the airport. In addition, our hotel offered complimentary parking, a perk you pay for in the rate, but something most other hotels on the island don't offer.

Restaurants Given we were there on a weekend, we made resos in advance at The Four Seasons Maui's Ferraros and The Grand Wailea's Humu Humu, leaving us with an open evening the day we arrived. Tommy Bahamas Cafe in the Shops at Wailea has a happy hour, or what they call island time, from 4-6pm and 9pm-close. We didn't have time to try it, but it would have been a nice option for Friday night.

Pictures {Looking from the hotel to the ocean}

{Love the Arabian Nights-esque details}

{Tempted to pick one of the bananas on the property}

{Resort's chapel area}

Related Content How to Book a Very Last-Minute Tropical Getaway High/Low Booking a Vacation in Maui

[photos by moi & husband]

The Chicken or the Egg

When you travel, do you book your flight or hotel first?  Why?

Because both transport and hotel need to be booked, sometimes it's hard to figure out if it's the chicken or the egg!

The Chicken Flight First Here are a few reasons why it's generally more accepted to book your flight/train/bus first:

• airfare (transport) prices are always fluctuating, so if you see a good rate, it's best to book
• book your flight first to carve-out and maximize your time away
• there's always a lodging option, even during high-season and big events, though it may require a half hour journey by train or car to get there
• typically, more lodging inventory exists than seats on planes

*A counterpoint: sometimes your trip style calls for booking the hotel first, for example, if you book your hotel on a super-saver deal, or if you book through a private sale or travel auction site. About 4 years ago I booked a room via Sky Auction at the Villa Vera Resort, and had to secure the dates before my flight. Although this scenario is not my preference, you can always find alternative lodging or stay at an airport hotel if the best travel dates are a day or two off.

[image by gradstudent2007]

How to Save on Airfare

I wish there was a magic button we could push to secure the best price for a flight, but sadly this is only a fantasy. The reality of being an amateur jetsetter is having to do a little legwork, which is hopefully simplified due to your daily, faithful devotion to Trip Styler ;). To help you score the lowest airfare for your next trip, here are some tried-and-tested saving methods:

1) Right Timing Almost a year ago, Kayak's chief scientist analyzed data from the millions of daily searches happening on the site. He made some significant and helpful conclusions, one of which was fares were the lowest 15 days prior to departure.  More of his tips are summarized here.

2) Don't Rule Out Spontaneity Another deduction the Kayak scientist gleaned: the last-minute price of a flight was in some cases similar to the 15-day sweet spot. I found this out firsthand last December when I booked a last-minute flight to Maui on Friday night that left Saturday morning. Although this isn't always practical, it shows that there's still room for spontaneous travel!

3) Be Flexible Sometimes our dates aren't very flexible, other times they are. Either way, depending on your trip style or amount of time away, you might have a little wiggle room. Use this wiggle room to your advantage! For example, the price difference between leaving friday night or Saturday morning can be staggering. Therefore, when searching for a flight, always be open to leaving a day--even a few hours--before or after your ideal time, to save money.

4) Magical Midweek I get it, leaving on a tuesday or wednesday is not always feasible, but, if you can plan ahead and pull it off, these magical midweek days are often much cheaper than flying over the weekend.

5) Shoulder to Shoulder This one's a no-brainer, but if you want to take an epic trip, why not travel just before or just after the destination's high season to reap the rewards of lower airfares and greater hotel savings. For example, in mid-August I went to California and stayed at a lovely hotel in Laguna Beach. If I had waited only two weeks later to stay there, my rate would have been 50% less and the weather would have been just as nice!

6) The Sale Rack Airlines are ALWAYS having sales. With the fiercely competitive nature of the airline industry, if one major carrier has a sale, one of its competitors will react and follow suit. If you follow WestJet and Air Canada, you'll find their sales often happen at the same time. If for some reason their sales are not congruent at that moment, it's almost guaranteed at least one carrier will still be having a promotion. One way to make sure you always know about airline sales is to: a) join their email lists b) monitor their Twitter accounts c) check on their homepage or special offers page for details

PS - Victoria's only a hop, skip and a jump away from Vancouver and Seattle, and it just so happens there's a great event happening near the seaside town of Sidney, BC on Saturday, October 16th. Multi-Juno winner and Blue Rodeo frontman Jim Cuddy will be performing at an airplane hangar-come Tombstone saloon. This event, which includes a gourmet BBQ, will raise money for the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation.  Click here for ticket info and other details.

[image by kossy]