Sunday Night Armchair Travel

[trip style = staycation]

Each Sunday this fall, fasten your seat belts and sit back and relax for two hours of armchair travel in one night! Sure to transport you from the comforts of your couch to the craziness of destinations like Caracas, travel vicariously through the ladies and gents from the Jet Age and eager-beaver, round-the-world racers. Here is your Sunday night, in-flight entertainment:

Pan Am ABC - Premiers Sunday, September 25th, 10pm We've been waiting a long time for Pan Am! I first told you about the show in April when it hadn't yet been given the official go-ahead from flight control network execs, but with a steady landing the coffee, tea or me era is making a comeback! I can't wait for a window into the days of glam galavanting, smoke-filled cabins, Pucci-designed uniforms and bottomless in-flight cocktails.

The Amazing Race CBS - Premiers Sunday, September 25th, 8pm Phil and 11 soon-to-be travel-savvy teams are back at it for the show's 10th anniversary year. Vegas cocktail waitresses, a father-son boating duo and young cancer survivor and his girlfriend are just some of the teams recently announced for season 19. Phil recently told People "I'm not sure we've ever had a season like this where there are so many proven athletes," which includes former Olympic snowboarders, former NFL player and 60+ year old triathletes. We'll find out soon if there's an equal international playing field!

PS - There's a new Canadian travel show starting September 15th at 8.30pm in BC called Restless Josie. Combining adventure travel with some of the world's most dangerous sports, Josie interviews and films leading athletes on and off their jobs surfing, freeride mountain biking, rodeo events, kite boarding, rock climbing and wakeboarding in different locations.

Related Posts A Pilot About Pilots Shows That Make You Want To Go Travel Trends :: Retro Travel

[photos abc + cbs]

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Tech Tuesday :: Hotel Tonight

[trip style = weekend getaway + budget conscious] If you travel to or within the US and like to A} save on hotel stays and/or B} procrastinate, then you need to know about this travel app. Its name pretty much sums it up. Hotel Tonight allows users to book hotels at the last minute---after 12pm to be exact---for that evening until 2am. Some hotels can be booked for one night, others will allow a five-night stay.

Hotel Tonight came about in late 2010, but I've been waiting to feature it until the functionality, number of cities and offers were robust enough to make it worthy of your screen's precious space. This is now and the app holds a permanent position in my iPhone's travel folder.

With 22 cities and counting, Hotel Tonight offers three hotels per city unless it's a large and/or major vacation destination like New York or San Francisco, in which case there will be three hotels per "area." Each hotel is categorized as hip, modern, elegant, classic, boutique or basic and includes the price after tax as well as photos, a map and info {essentially, a short review written in bullet points for the time-starved, spontaneous booking!}. If you think the last-minute savings will only be offered on tired, 2-star airport hotels, think again. Even 4-star hotels need to fill space.

Are the eleventh hour savings actually cheaper than Kayak, Expedia or Hotwire? Would Trip Styler's editorial team use it? Yes and yes. On Saturday I played around with a few cities and compared Hotel Tonight's prices to other major online travel agencies, and in every case Hotel Tonight's prices were better. The best part: it's not even a blind booking scenario, you know what you're going to get and don't have to scroll through a zillion hotels to decide which one you're going to book. FYI, book early on weekends, as in, between noon and 4pm, because deals can sell out.

We love this free app so much that we've added it to Trip Styler Recommends.

More Tech Tuesday Getting There Direct Airline Alliance Apps Google Hotel Finder

Getting On Board With Fall Travel

If you're an avid reader of Trip Styler, you know that our editorial team is ga ga for fall travel. The crowds leave, sales start and you get to escape the wind and rain---though right now that's a far-flung thought on the West Coast since our summer started in August.

Staying true to form, this fall I'm headed to LA, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Palm Springs, NYC and Dallas and can barely wait to hop on a boat or plane to each destination. Eyeing all the fall travel sales right now, here are some ideas to spark your vacation planning:

Trip Style = Weekend Typically, when we think of fall weekend getaways within 2 hours of the city, crisp air and cozying up in a cabin or hotel comes to mind. Yet the current and projected weather is more akin to outdoor fire pit with a glass of wine than indoor fireplace with a hot toddy, so it's like summer just got a hall pass and labour day isn't going to happen until Oct. 15th. Until then, wear your whites! {Trip Styler Tip :: A triple-threat---luxury, wine and weekend getaway---hotel that comes to mind is the Willows Lodge in Woodinville, WA. Just 20 mins from Bellevue, this luxury wine country inn is also home to the Victorian-style Herbfarm Restaurant, recipient of AAA's 5 Diamond Award and National Geographic's #1 Destination Restaurant in the World---think French Laundry, but closer to Vancouver.}

Trip Style = Cruising Last summer I wrote about the joys of Repositioning Cruises, aka when a cruise ship repositions from one port to another. Usually a change in season is the BEST time to investigate this trip style as major cruise lines shift their routes, and take guests along with them for a one-way journey at discounted rates. Sometimes there are stops along the way, sometimes it's direct, but one thing's for sure, the price is almost always a steal. {Trip Styler Tip :: Check RepositioningCruise.com for a ton of major route changes from Vancouver to San Diego and LA, Denmark and Italy to Florida or Honolulu to Sydney, plus a buffet of other options. A 3-night itinerary from Vancouver to LA can be booked for $99+.}

Trip Style = Urban Early to mid-fall is one of my favorite times to see Europe. The sun is {usually} still out, the leaves are falling and there's a fall fashion buzz in the air! Plus, Europeans take their big summer breaks in August, so crowds are less intensive. Cities like Paris, London, Barcelona and Copenhagen are easy to get to and fro and each offers their own unique flair. {Trip Styler Tip :: Both WestJet and Air Canada are having significant fall sales right now {until Sept 13th + 15th} for most destinations worldwide. In the US, major airlines are also jockeying for the lowest price on domestic and international routes.}

Trip Style = Beach Until November 15, most resorts in the Caribbean are in the hurricane season's most volatile period, so why not try other sunny hotspots like California, Mexico {Pacific side}, Costa Rica, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, or as far away as South East Asia. {Trip Styler Tip :: Getting there, same as above.}

Trip Style = Staycation + Spa If you can't get away for a weekend, do something ultra relaxing and escapist for one day. Take yourself out of your regular environment and head to the spa. Whether it's a complete package or a single treatment, book it so you can float into the evening in a relaxed state---either for a hot date or perfectly simple night in.

Related Low Season Pep Talk

[photo credit: willow's lodge, destination360, the guardian, asia1asia]

Roam+Board :: Glen Oaks Big Sur

[trip style = active & adventure + weekend getaway]

{Editor's Note: Last week we introduced Trip Styler's new look and told you about a new feature we'd be starting this Friday called Roam+Board! R+B will publish almost every Friday, as Fashion Friday continues to hit the runway once a month. Showcasing hotels, resorts, vacations rentals and glamping in oft and less visited destinations, with cool features and a focus on design, R+B will cycle through a variety of trip styles from the approachable to the aspirational. Enjoy.}

What Picture Glen Oaks Big Sur as your woodsy weekend hideaway or road trip retreat. This series of forest cabins with green sensibilities and thoughtful design, warms guests with fireplaces, Pendleton Woolen Mills blankets and feather duvets.

Where 150 miles from San Francisco and 300 miles from LA off Hwy 1 {Note: no ocean views}.

When Because the outdoorsy cabins are set in a redwood forest, retreating to Glen Oaks any time of year is a cozy escape. Spring and summer will be warmer.

Who/Why For those who want to read a book by the fire, enjoy the quietness of the forest and do a little hiking on the side.

Cost The smallest cabins start around $200/night {Includes wifi, but no TV, so leave the remote control - and Fido - at home}.

[images via Glen Oaks Big Sur]

Weekending in Victoria

[trip style = urban + weekend getaway]

There's a certain je ne sais quoi in the air at the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Some might call it the chilled-out island lifestyle, others might call it romance or passion-filled living. This could be why Amazon.ca crowned Victoria as Canada's most romantic city, due to the copious amounts of romance novels, sex and relationship books, romantic-comedy DVDs and Michael Bublé CDs purchased by residents on a per capita basis. All I know is the moment I got off the hour-and-a-half ferry ride from Vancouver, my mind, body and soul had somehow decided to take it down a notch and relax. Weekending at its best!

British Columbia's capital reminds me of a polished and highly educated business woman by week and cabin gal by weekend, who appreciates a good romcom in her free time. The city centre is manicured, historic, easily walkable and hip, whereas the outlying areas are beachy, casual and beg to be biked, ran and kiteboarded. People don't race, ride and board Victoria's seaside and country roads because they have to; it's because they want to. This passion-filled living is evidenced by the most Canadian national athletes per capita of any city in Canada. Even the Harbour Ferries take an activity-oriented break from their usual commute to perform a weekend water ballet {more on this below}.

As much as Victoria is fit, it's also chilled-out. Whether re-caffeinating at a coffee shop or refueling at a pub, there's always a hint of patchouli in the air. This scent, usually found in the presence of hippies, serves as a fragrant reminder of the slower-paced island lifestyle that balances the task-oriented, government-filled buildings throughout the capital region.

Victoria's je ne sais quoi can also be attributed to its location. This relatively small, walkable city is surrounded by ocean, farms and wineries, and locals have come to know today's catch, artisan cheeses and fresh produce as the rule, not the exception. I've never had just-caught halibut, just-made Havarti or just-picked haricot beans I didn't like in Victoria. The bar is high, making this weekend destination the perfect escape for romantics, exercise fanatics, foodies and everyone in between.

Trip Styler Tip: Take advantage of spring's blossoms and fall's colors and visit in early May or late September. Fewer crowds, warm weather and lower rates await visitors just outside the summer peak season.

Do

• Watch - Harbour Ferry Ballet - Intended to show the agility of the little pickle-shaped ferries, captains convene and dance in perfect formation. This unconventional ballet is in its 20th year! Every Sunday at 10:45am from May to September.
• Sip - Afternoon Tea - Taking tea and crumpets to a whole new level, The Fairmont Empress' Afternoon Tea is a celebrated tradition that started when the hotel first welcomed guests in 1908. The refined ritual offers seatings from 12 - 4:45pm daily.
• Walk - Beacon Hill Park - Stroll Beacon Hill Park's gently rolling hills and bridged streams. Don't miss a morning or evening walk along Victoria's multi-kilometre waterfront.
• Browse - Chinatown - Covering only two city blocks, Victoria's Chinatown--the second oldest in North America--is packed with tradition, art, live-work spaces and alleyways, the most famous of which is Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in Canada.
• Shop - Still Life - With a ladies boutique on one side of Johnson Street and a men's boutique on the other, try on the curated and casual clothes in a teepee dressing room. Sorry men, you'll have to settle for a traditional changing room.
• Pick up - Rogers' Chocolates - You can't visit Victoria without being lured into Rogers' Chocolates for at least one coveted treat. It's no wonder the chocolate is so good - they've been working at it since 1885.

Eat

• Coffee - Habit Coffee and Culture - The coffee is smooth, the decor minimalist and the staff cool.
• Baking - Willie's Bakery & Cafe - Founded in 1887, this historic eatery offers generously portioned baking and hearty take-away and eat-in plates with a casual inside and secluded sunny patio.
• Breakfast & Brunch - Lady Marmalade - With foods like aged white cheddar and spinach waffles churning out of the kitchen, one meal at this moderately-priced, central and funky bistro will make you want to come back for more.
• Lunch - Red Fish Blue Fish - Set in a converted storage container, there's something to the Ocean Wise fish and chips served on the boardwalk hugging Victoria's waterfront. With line-ups often 50+ people long, it's become both an institution and a spectacle, featured on the Food Network's Eat Street.
• Dinner - Brasserie L’Ecole - With a new menu daily focusing on wholesome food with French flare, this restaurant welcomes guests in an old Chinatown schoolhouse.
• Drinks - Bengal Lounge - Drink cocktails and eat curry on tufted leather chairs under the glare of a Indian tiger, cooled by the breeze of vintage brass and tasseled fans, while listening to the sounds of a jazz trio.

Stay

Downtown Victoria has an abundance of hotels to choose from, but the city's ivy-covered landmark property is The Fairmont Empress. Staying at the Empress makes you feel like you're participating in Victoria's bustling past and present all at the same time.

Related
30 Hours in Victoria