Tech Tuesday :: FlightBoard

[trip style = any] Aside from people watching at Heathrow, one of my favourite airport pastimes is looking up at the flight status boards that decorate and inform airports around the world. Where and when in and outbound flights are headed is like reading a page-turning book you just can't put down.

Recently, an app was launched that not only displays flight status reports for over 4000 airports and 1400 airlines worldwide, but does so mimicking the timeless design of the Charles de Gaulle airport status screen.

FlightBoard turnes your iPhone, iPad or Android into a real-time arrivals and departure screen, provided you have a data plan or access to wifi. It's not cheap, starting at $3.75, but I guess that's the relatively small price you pay to monitor flights from Seattle to the Seychelles. Don't worry, we'll get there one day.

Other Flight Status Apps In October of 2010, we wrote about a few other flight status apps, one of which is FlightTrack {$4.99}. As it turns out, FlightBoard is made by the same company. The two apps function in a very similar way; one just looks and operates like it would at Charles de Gaulle. If free apps are more your bag, casual jauntsetters will appreciate the FlightAware app.

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More Tech Tuesday Summer Travel Gadgets [1/2] Summer Travel Gadgets [2/2] Travel Apps :: Royal Tour Travel Apps :: Tiffany's New York

Wine Touring 102

[trip style = wine tasting]

The sand and rocks that make up the soil in BC's only desert offer the most optimal conditions for growing grapes. Within this plot of land, there's a micro area called The Golden Mile, known worldwide for its production of fine wine. {More on this region Thursday}.

I spent the latter part of last week partaking in one of my favourite trip styles, wine tasting, exploring the Okanagan's Golden Mile. Only in wine country for 2.5 days, I had to take advantage of my surroundings quickly and efficiently, yet slowly and savoringly to enjoy the fruits of the winemakers' labour! On the second day of zipping from one winery to another as if in a pinball machine, I was reminded of some basic wine touring 101 lessons I learned and wrote about last year, as well as some new insights I picked up for the next time you partake in trip style = wine tasting!

Wine Touring 102

• See Wine Tasting 101: basic guidelines and etiquette for tasting anywhere from Napa to the Naramata Bench.
• Map out where you want to taste in advance based on how much time you have, the geography of the area, what wines you already love and where other wineries suggest you sip and swirl.
• Don't try to do too many wineries at once. You won't have the same interest and attention span at the end of the day to properly appreciate the wines you're tasting.
• Plan time for lunch, whether you eat at a winery's restaurant or pack a picnic in a cooler you leave in the car.
• Bring lots of water and crackers with you to re-hydrate and ensure something is in your stomach at all times.
• If it's a hot summer day, seek solace in the tasting rooms from 12 - 3pm and relax the rest of the day.
• When tasting wines from white to red, always have at least 3 sips of each wine you taste. The first cleanses the palate, the second offers a first glimpse of the taste, and the third is the full effect.
• Talk to wine tasting hosts as if they are your friends, most are good with people and know a lot about wine.
• Take notes. What wines did you love, how is the wine best enjoyed, what wine making philosophy did you love, etc.
• Make note of what wines you can buy at wine shops versus only at the winery.
• Doing sequential tastings at multiple wineries tunes your taste buds to what you like and dislike.
• If there's a tasting fee, most wineries will wave or refund it with a minimum wine purchase.
• Hire a shuttle, limo or car service if you're planning on seeing more than a few wineries and not planning on using the spittoon.

Did you know? The bulk of the flavour in wine comes from the inside the grape, just under the skin.

Related Content
Wine Touring 101
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Travel Apps :: Wine Touring in BC

Off the Beaten Track :: Magic Carpet Ride

[trip style = glamping + active & adventure] {Photos: Ryan B. Robinson/Downtime Photo}

{Editor's note: This month we’re doing a four-part feature on the Pacific Northwest's off the beaten track destinations. See below for this month's earlier selections that sit in the shadow of bigger, fancier or legacy locales. This week we’re taking a magic carpet ride off the grid.}

Driving up BC's Fraser Canyon Highway, you pass through tunneled mountains, and when you emerge back into daylight, it's as though you've teleported to another time. Shops like "Barry's Trading Post" with "your one stop shop" written in script underneath, and your phone proclaiming the dreaded NO SERVICE signal make it more than apparent you're going off the grid. And what better way to spend a summer weekend?

Last weekend I drove three hours from Vancouver to overnight in a Moroccan-themed tent beside a frothy, raging river. I was a guest of REO Rafing's whitewater rafting, glamping and camping operation. After driving over the wide and chocolate milk-like Fraser River---which is lucky given the only way over used to be via a one-car, elevated cable tram---you reach a 14.5km half-paved, half-rocky residential-meets-logging road which escorts you down a semi-steep incline to REO's base camp.

The carefully selected headquarters are literally beside the Nahatlatch River, serving as a strong and constant reminder of what you're about to conquer the next morning. You can camp or glamp, but given my love for all things glamping, I glamped. The two nicest tents on the property are named after their themes: "Country" and "Moroccan." Luckily, I scored one of them and settled under a silky overhang into a carved wooden bed with linens and beaded pillows that made me want to break into song like Jasmine from Aladdin.

If I were Jasmine, I'd ride my magic carpet down the Nahatlach, but I was without Aladdin and his carpet, so the next morning, after a suiting up like a seal and listening to a 20-minute safety talk, my raft guide Mark instructed us on the ups and downs of charging class 3 and 4 rapids. In my humble opinion, we needed him more than he needed us. Like many of the other REO guides, he'd be rafting for 13+ years, so I was more than willing to battle one of BC's wildest rivers with him at the helm.

He yelled commands and each paddler on the eight person raft repeated them so the other members could hear the instruction over the roar and splash of the whitewater rapids. Paddle, back paddle, hold on, get down, on the job and high-five were a few rafting terms we became more than familiar with during our mastery of the 20km/hour wet rush. Crashing atop an overzealous wave, a member of our raft did a backwards somersault off the raft and became one with the river. No problemo. We were trained for this, and her rescue was quickly expedited by two willing men at the front of the raft. If she were to have stayed in the water for any length of time, there was a whitewater safety kayaker---who attends every river dance---to sweep her off her feet {and back into the raft}.

To say the Pacific Northwest's weather has been a little angry this year is an understatement. July has been more like Jul-ebruary. Driving up to REO in some of the worst rain we've had this summer, I was reminded that river rafting in BC---which incidentally has the most navigable sections of raftable river in the entire world---is the perfect cure for a wet summer. You're going to get wet anyway and there's always a hot chocolate and hot tub waiting at the end!

What to know

• REO has been in operation for 29 years and has a pristine safety record
• Because of the unseasonably cold and wet spring, this summer has delivered optimal whitewater rafting conditions throughout BC
• Overnight whitewater rafting packages start at $219/person
• If you want something a little closer to home, check out REO's Whistler options
• See my detailed review of REO on Trip Advisor here

Photos {Photo: Ryan B. Robinson/Downtime Photo}

{Photo: Ryan B. Robinson/Downtime Photo}

{River rafting is a signature adventure in British Columbia that attracts guests worldwide. For more information, or to find a safety certified member company anywhere in the Province, go to http://www.bcroa.com/find-bc-river-rafting-tours.}

Other Off The Beaten Track Features Lodges and Cabins Spotlight on Bellevue, WA

[Rafting photos by Ryan B. Robinson/Downtime Photo, grounds photos by @tripstyler]

Travel Beauty :: Q&A With tarte cosmetics Founder

[trip style = sun + sightseeing]

{Editor's note: Trip Styler's travel beauty expert, Lauren Hilton-Hochhauser, chats with beauty queen and founder of tarte cosmetics, Maureen Kelly, to find out her top picks for travel beauty.}

Maureen Kelly, founder & CEO of tarte

What are your top 5 beauty products you always take on vacation?

• SPF! I love Burt’s Bees chemical-free sunscreen SPF 30.
• Dry shampoo — I’m on vacation and not washing my hair as often. Klorane’s gentle dry shampoo with oat extract is great!
• A natural, travel-friendly perfume. I’m interested in trying Intelligent Nutrients bug repellent perfume spray. What a genius idea?!
• I’m always carrying a tarte LipSurgence™ lip tint in our latest shade.
• You’ll never find me without our pure maracuja oil. I have a travel-friendly size that’s always in my carry-on. In addition to using it in the evening, I love conditioning my cuticles and the ends of my hair with it. {Editor's Note: tarte's maracuja oil is an elixir that instantly absorbs into the skin, delivering a high dose of essential fatty acids and vitamin C to hydrate.}

What are the best makeup looks for a beach vacation? What about a sightseeing vacation?

• When I’m going on a beach vacation (which is my all-time personal favorite trip syle), I’m all for the motto “less is more” in the makeup department. Who wants to look all done up when swimming, surfing or playing volleyball?! Not me. That’s why I opt for a tinted moisturizer with SPF (our smooth operator™ is the best), waterproof mascara and a dab of SPF lip balm in a pale pink hue.
• During my last trip to Italy, where I did a lot of sightseeing, I was sure to wear long-lasting makeup that was budgeproof and, dare I say it, sweatproof. To be certain my makeup didn’t move, I prepped my skin with tarte’s clean slate natural primer. Then I applied our Amazonian clay waterproof concealer to areas that needed it most (under my eyes after that long flight). Next, I added some bronzer and our Amazonian clay 12-hour blush on my cheekbones for added glow! I finished my look with our gifted Amazonian clay smart mascara to lengthen and condition my lashes. And finally a little tint on my lips (so it looks like I have color without trying).

What are your tips for looking and feeling good on an airplane?

• I always carry a travel-sized bottle of Caudalie beauty elixir — I’m constantly spritzing my face to keep it moisturized and refreshed.
• When flying I try to let my skin breathe; therefore, I wear less makeup.
• That being said, I never fly without mascara — it’s the one thing that makes me look awake! Sometimes I switch to a waterproof version in case I fall asleep…can’t have smudging.

Love this interview? August is our second annual Travel Beauty Month; in addition to your regularly scheduled content, we'll do one travel beauty piece per week, including industry secrets, interviews and giveaways!

{Want more travel beauty? Get your fill the third Wednesday of every month. Lauren, our travel beauty expert, is already whipping up her next concoction post!}

Related {Travel Beauty} Beauty Bars Around The World Travel Beauty Hair Tips from Celebrity Stylist Michael Shaun Corby 4 Products You’ve Never Heard Of In-Flight Essentials Q&A with 3floz Founder Olive Oil-Inspired Skincare

[Photos courtesy of Maureen Kelly]

Summer 2011 Travel Gadgets [2/2]

Each summer, I look forward to seeing what's on editors and bloggers' travel gadget lists. Some items are silly, and some are useful. For example, take the Opena can-opening iPhone case we profiled last week; the Aussi duo who created it have been mentioned internationally for their simple but useful product, and have pre-sold thousands of units. All this success, and the product isn't even due to hit the market until August. As a continuation of last week's gadget picks, here are a few more for your summer travel:

Scrabble Flash Cubes trip style = various There's a whole new way to look at Scrabble. You're traveling light and don't have extra space for the board and the letters, but you must take the game with you, after all, it's part of your vacation ritual. Enter Scrabble Flash, a smaller, digitized version of the same game. Comes with 5 smartlink letter tiles and a little black storage box. Cost: From $20.

Pet Cam trip style = various This isn't your typical nanny-cam-in-a-teddy-bear sitting on a shelf in the corner of a room, because Fido would sniff that out, jump up, grab it and pull it apart! Thank goodness the Pet Cam is petite and discreet. Mount the device and check-in on your pet via computer or smartphone. This little system is also great if you're traveling with your pet and need to duck out for a second, but want to make sure your furry friend isn't piddling, chewing or barking. Cost: From $70.

Jo To Go trip style = camping & glamping, road trips, etc... Forget stopping for coffee, there's barely time for a pee break on the first leg of your summer road trip. You were up late packing, and up early the next morning loading the car, so who has time for coffee? Good thing your passenger can brew you a fresh pot in the car {or at the campsite} with Coleman's Portable Propane Coffeemaker. Powered by a 16.4oz propane cylinder, 10 cups of your fresh brew arrive in T-18 minutes. Caution: hot. Cost: From $90.

Kammok trip style = camping & glamping, etc... I first learned about the Kammok a few weeks ago and thought its bright orange, oversized, hang-a-n-y-w-h-e-r-e design was brilliant. Along with its fancy python straps for a secure, above-ground hang-10 experience, it can be folded up into a tiny compact compression bag and taken on any trip style, except maybe to the Ritz Kapalua {unless you walk off the grounds and hang it elsewhere}. Bring it in your carry-on, hiking or to the South Pacific because it only weighs 1 pound! The Kammok is available for pre-purchase here. Cost: From $55 {$85} to pre-order.

[photos of products, graphic by @tripstyler]