It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

[trip style = sightseeing]

One of my favourite things to do when I travel is walk through a city or town's neighborhoods. I love seeing how people live. Whether my walks have taken me into the densely populated city of Tianjin, China; the picturesque and swanky Mira Flores in Lima, Peru; the tower-filled residential Honolulu, Hawaii; or foot-access-only towns in the mountaintops of the Dominican Republic, these localized encounters have enriched my experience with and understanding of a place.

{It’s Travel Beauty Month, so don’t forget to comment on our blog to win a great travel skincare set from Skoah. Details here. Contest ends TODAY end of day...}

I've categorized this post under local and sightseeing because walking in local, non-tourist neighborhoods always gives a real sense of a destination's beat, and in my humble opinion, sightseeing is at its best when you see the real sights of the area you're visiting.

If I have any goal with this post, it's to inspire travelers to engage in a few neighbourhood walks on their next trip. It's healthy, educational and worldview broadening all at the same time!

Have you ever neighborhood walked while traveling? Do you have the same experience?

Neighborhood Pics I haven't been very good at documenting my neighborhood walks in my fave destinations, but here are a few recent shots:

{Attempting to power walk in Laguna Beach, CA along a cliffy beach road}

{On the same walk as above, loving the Hawaiian-style home on this corner lot overlooking the Pacific Ocean }

{Walking through the  fabulous maze that is Venice--I don't even know where I am in this pic}

{Walking through Riomaggiore in the Italian Riviera}

{Not walking, but biking around the Habitat 67 neighborhood in Montreal}

{Gelato store we walked to one night when visiting friends just outside downtown Ottawa}

{7.45am, Madrona Neighbourhood, Seattle}

{Same area as above, taken in Spring on an early Saturday morning walk with my husband and dog @nachoking}

Travel Apps :: Disneyland

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I spent last Friday at Disneyland.  I didn't plan on playing make believe on my trip to Cali, but when the Park was only 20 mins from Newport, I felt I had to. Plus, I'd never seen the newish California Adventure Park nor the Bellagio-like World of Colour show. Disneyland Apps There are a lot of Disneyland apps you can pay for, but save your money, they aren't really worth it. Between the two apps below, plus Disney's mobile site, you're good to go. Just make sure your phone is fully charged!

Disneyland iGuide - Parktastiq Covering all the attractions and dining option in both parks, Parktastiq helps you make the most of your time at Walt's original playground with maps, park schedules and hours, ride statuses and wish/completed list. With all info organized in list form by park, then land, finding info is easy and quick. FREE

Disneyland California Mini Guide This map-based app includes Disney and California Adventure maps showing rides, attractions, restrooms and dining (with wait times) on the map. This app is best for a visual learner. Because it's kinda easy to get lost in Disneyland and California Adventure, having the option to consult the map on-demand is REALLY helpful. FREE

Mobile Sites Available on all smartphones, these multi-layered sites are helpful as far as timely and accurate info, but aren't downloadable so require multiple 'clicks' to get the info you need. Given Disney doesn't appear to have wifi, that's a lot of data roaming if you don't have a US data plan. m.disneyland.com

ps - if your smarphone's batteries get low, go old-school and grab a brochure with a map inside at the Park's entrance.

Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed

• Ultraviolet Rays
• Wine Touring in BC
• Air Canada
• BC Ferries Tracker
• 6 Free Camping Apps
• Epicurious
• BorderWait
• OpenWays
• TripIt
• Trip Advisor
• StayHIP
• Trip Journal
• Bug Spray
• CameraBag
• Convert Everything
• GateGuru
• Kindle for iPhone
• Packing Pro
• Skype
• World Fact Book
• AAA/CAA Savings
• Royal Caribbean
• Medical Concierge
• Near Me BC
• Postman Postcard
• 2010 Guide
• Nat’l Geo World Atlas
• hostelworld.com
• kayak first class
• flight control (game)

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Newport in a Nutshell

[trip style = beach, sun & sightseeing]

It was 6.10pm. Landing in California last Thursday, my eyes fought with the sun pouring into the plane's window, and I peered out to what appeared to be a giant lifeguard station. How apropos. Welcome to California I thought. Turns out, the lifeguard station was actually the Long Beach Airport. Only in California do they build airports to look like lifeguard stations. Immediately I relaxed and remembered one of my favourite jingles: I'll be out there having fun, in the warm California sun!

{It’s Travel Beauty Month, so don’t forget to comment on our blog to win a great travel skincare set from Skoah. Details here. Contest ends Wednesday, August 18.}

A Chocolate Welcome I love welcome treats, and though they are not a regular occurrence in my hotels rooms, it is nice when they are there. While staying at The Fairmont Newport Beach they kicked it up a notch with a treat laden with a white chocolate surf board perched in faux brown sugar sand. As if the welcoming couldn't be any better, there was an orange tree on my balcony.

Close to it All Most people opt to stay near the beach in Newport (which I've done in the past at the Balboa Bay Beach Club), but I stayed at the Fairmont because of my philosophy that it's good to collect points with one hotel group. I knew the property was in Newport's business district, but I didn't know the hotel was only 10 mins from South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island shopping centers, 12 mins from the Beach and 20 mins from Disneyland. There was even a shuttle if you didn't feel like driving. See my detailed review of the Fairmont Newport Beach here.

Disney The morning after we arrived, we daringly chose to indulge in Disneyland during high season. Normally, I try to avoid high season at all cost, but we were only 20 mins away, so thought we should give it a try. After all, aside from my magical gr. 4 visit with the fam, the last time I was there was gr. 11---only a few years ago!  See Disneyland Tips & Tricks here.

Shop After a 12-hour encounter with the happiest place on earth, we were ready for a day of relaxation. But first, like any sane Canadian visiting the US, we hit the shops at South Coast Plaza. After an almost too successful encounter with the mall, we retreated to the hotel for some R + R. Sunning on our balcony, I got distracted by the still-maturing orange tree. I wanted to pick off a fruit and stick a straw in it for some fresh juice, but refrained because I wasn't sure if the tree was largely decorative or for guests to ponder picking off fruit. I'll never know.

Back to Reality A little bit hungry from not eating that orange, upon the recommendation of my dear friend who lives in LA, we dined at Roy's (Hawaiian fusion cuisine). The staff's constant alohas and soft ukulele background music gave me a triple shot of Hawaiian Isles relaxation. Funnily enough, rather than ordering a mai tai, I savoured a glass of California wine. At that moment, it hit me. Both my wine glass and my cup overfloweth smelling, swirling and tasting the natural beauty of the beachy location and the novelty of an orange tree in a close-to-it-all town. To me, this was Newport in a nutshell.

Recommendations Shopping South Coast Plaza - this giant mall has everything, including discount retailers like Loehmann's and Norstrom Rack. Fashion Island - the people watching is amazing---oh and the shopping is good too. Shopping with a view of the ocean, it doesn't get more OC than this...

Eating Roy's - if you want to channel your inner Aloha eat here. If you want to channel your inner accountant, eat during happy hour Sun-Fri 4.30-6.30pm for $5 drinks and appies. Rose's - we drove by this place on Sunday morning and stopped in our tracks. Our instinct was right, the line-up extending out the door was no mistake, the baked goods and breakfast bagels looked and tasted incredible. For the record, I've never seen a bigger cinnamon bun (probably 20cm in diameter). I was too chicken to eat it---one day when I'm not on a beach vacation.

Do Balboa Island- walk or bike around Balboa island and gaze at the unique homes, browse the quaint shops and indulge in their famous salt water taffy and chocolate-covered frozen bananas. I did this once before with my LA friend mentioned above, but apparently it doesn't get old.

[photo credit: all photos my own, except for the night shot of Fairmont, © Fairmont Newport]

Avoid Extras with Allegiant Air

[trip style = budget conscious]

Flying discount carriers like Allegiant Air can be a good thing when you pay the advertised rate. However, if you're not savvy when purchasing your seat, there are multiple hidden fees that creep up unless you know how to navigate the booking process.

{It's Travel Beauty Month, so don't forget to comment on our blog to win a great travel skincare set from Skoah. Details here.}

I can't tell you the amount of people who told me they got a good rate with Allegiant, but ended up feeling duped because they got charged for extras. If you even select a few of the extras, the price can skyrocket into the realm of legacy carriers or higher!  If you're trying to keep the price of your trip in-check, the extras aren't necessary, and here's how to avoid them:

Allegiant's Main Extras

• checked bag ($14.99 - $35 per bag and per segment)
• seat pre-selection ($11-14 per segment)
• priority boarding (Approx. $7 per segment... Only available if you've pre-selected your seat)

Keep the Price Low With Allegiant, purchasing your flight is a multi-step process--one that can be simplified and made more efficient if you know when to say NO to extras. After you select your flight's destination and dates...

1. Hotel: you'll be asked if you want to book a hotel. Say no, there's a small "no thanks" link at the bottom of the page.
2. Car: same deal, say no to rental car with the small "no thanks" link at the bottom of the page.
3. Scooter: who asks about a scooter rental? Same instructions as above.
4. Passenger Info: fill in the required fields to move forward.
5. Confirmation: this page is multi-function showing total trip cost, flight confirmation details and seat selection. Don't bother pre-selecting your seat, you can do that at the airport. Use the small link "remove all seat selections and priority boarding." When you click on this link, there will be a sneaky pop-up window encouraging you not to remove seat selection, but clicking it will ensure any priority boarding and seat selection is removed and you can advance for the same price.
6. Payment details: now you get to pay.

Other Tips

• Carry-ons are free with no weight limit and you're allowed two (ie - bag + personal item)
• If you want to ensure there's enough space for your carry-on on the plane, sit in row 15 or higher.  Planes are boarded from the back, forward. Because of the price of checked bags and Allegiant's mostly short-haul flights, most people bring carry-ons so overhead bins fill up fast.
• Fill up a water bottle after security or buy a bev on the plane. Everything on board, including water, is for purchase.
• Most allegiant planes board at small airports in the open air, so if it's raining you may want an umbrella to protect yourself from a soggy ride.
• If you really want to pay for priority boarding (which is not worth it) then you can check-in online, otherwise, you'll line-up and check-in at the airport.  (Pre-selected seating is required to purchase priority boarding)
• The seats on Allegiant's planes don't recline. It is likely they will on the planes that will go to Hawaii.

[photo by cliff1066]

Travel Trends :: Minis

If at all possible, packing fewer, smaller items simplifies travel. I'm not suggesting you jet-off avec the clothes on your back and a bikini/speedo in your pocket---although that does sound great---but packing fewer and more thoughtful double-use items saves time and money in baggage fees while you vagabond.

Thankfully, beauty companies have responded to the packing lighter trend minifying their essentials so they can be easily slipped into a ziplock bag for a swift and non-confrontational encounter with airport security. <relief> For our second Travel Beauty Month post, we're featuring beauty minis.

Beauty Minis Skin Skoah's Holiday Travel Kit provides everything you need for glowing skin (kleanser, tonik, face skrub, face kream and face mask), and you'll love its cucumber-infused scent. Just toss the items into your clear ziplock and you're good to glow---I mean go.

Fragrance Unless you've got an ultra mini perfume tube that you're sure won't leak, I suggest going with two practical travel options: a) a roll-on perfume, like this one from DKNY (bonus, it comes with two scents!) b) a solid fragrance, like this natural gardenia-scented one from Pacifica

Make-up Don't let travel win over your face. Drinking water can only do so much. That's where Benefit's travel-friendly Realness of Concealness kit comes in, packed with their bestsellers to enhance, plump, brighten and erase the effects of travel.

Hair Say goodbye to watered-down versions of hotel shampoo & conditioner-induced bad hair days, and bring along Alterna's travels-sized Caviar minis instead. PS - this product was our first Travel Beauty giveaway and we just noticed it was mentioned on Sephora's Am to Pm Beauty email yesterday!  Our lucky winner got a hot product.

Mini Beauty Resources 3floz.com Love mini toiletries? You'll never have to worry about your beauty products being too large for the plane, but rather which ones to choose! Check out this online boutique carrying luxury name-brand beauty & grooming products all 3 fl oz or less.

Sephora My fave destination for everything beauty has an entire section devoted to plane-friendly travel called Beauty Minis.

Your local Drugstore Stock up on your mini travel essentials like toothpaste, etc...

Related Content Travel Beauty Month :: Dry Shampoos

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