JUST #$%^&*^ GO

[trip style = any]

In a month where most people are thinking about what they'd like to change or accomplish in the year ahead, I find myself confronted by the fact that there's never a convenient time to travel. Life at home a-l-w-a-y-s beckons. Add to this getting stuck on a hamster wheel of trip research and your trip style = ??? gets stalled in Swiss-mode, aka neutral territory.

----> Hello, my name is Trish, and I have a problem: failure to take off.* *which I realize sounds crazy coming from me, but I can get so wrapped up in researching that the big trips I dream-plan either never happen or I take years to get there.

I want to admit this problem---and I realize there are WAY bigger woes in this world---at this early juncture of 2013 because I think other people might suffer from it too. Failure to take off is defined in two parts: a} pondering a trip and never taking it; b} 90% planning a trip yet taking forever {read: years} to commit.

Carpe Diem and just #$%^&*^ go! Commit to a night or two of planning---as in, make a date of it---and then hit the commit button. The first step is the hardest, but remember: there's always time to fill in the blanks leading up to the trip. When my husband and I finally committed to Thailand last year {after months of planning} one of the hotels we wanted wasn't available. But here's the thing: there's always another hotel, another area to discover, another... whatever. If there's one thing I've learned as an over-planner and over-researcher, it's this: when we hold our travel loosely, magic tends to happen.

11.07am, December 28, 2012: I'm currently dream-planning a few trips for 2013, but I find myself stalled, stranded in a virtual airport of options.

7:09pm, January 1, 2013: I'm committing to a trip to South America, either Argentina or Colombia, and I'm just in the process of gathering my last few airline points so I can fly there and back biz class. YOLO {you only live once}.

[photo by @tripstyler]

On The Trip Styler Radar

[trip style = every one!]

On the heels of putting New Year's resolutions into action, here's what's on the Trip Styler flight crew's radar for 2013 travel. True to form, we've covered almost every trip style!

From weekend jaunts to epic trips, what travel plans are you dreaming into reality this year?

Heather - Fashion Friday I ended 2012 with mai tais and surfer boys on my very first trip to Hawaii. It's true what everyone says---it just smells good there! I've been keeping the dream alive and keeping my skin soft ever since by lathering my body with coconut oil. This year I'm heading to Europe for a few weeks of adventure in Spain and Croatia's Dalmatian Coast.

Leah - Healthy On The Road My 2013 travel radar is filled with hot and cold. On the warm front, I'd like to hit up Thailand with my hubby---combo of development work and relaxation. On the cool front, I'd like to take a solo getaway to Tofino, BC with my dog Zuzu and stay in a cozy little surfer shack.

Keryn - KinderHop Our new year started off with a quiet bang as we became beach bums in Kauai---the first trip to Hawaii for the newest member (baby Ty) of our traveling tribe. Later in the year we hope to explore my ancestral roots in England, Scotland and Ireland with a whole lot of weekend trips and a beach holiday in North Carolina's Outerbanks this summer thrown into the mix.

Lauren - Travel Beauty We are heading to Los Angeles (our former residence) in January for a much-overdue trip! Can't wait to see friends and family, eat at some of our favorite restaurants like Il Pastaio, M Cafe, and Izaka-Ya, go to Malibu, see a movie at the Arclight, hike Runyon Canyon and shop at the Grove and the Beverly Center. We're also planning trips to Palm Springs, New York and Florida!

Nicole - Jetset Jingles Aside from my Christmas jaunt to La Quinta {Palm Springs} and my bound over to Maui for New Year's, I'd really like to go to Europe this summer. I'd love to explore Ireland and Croatia and re-visit Spain and Italy. I'm also pining for some extended weekend trips to Chicago and New York in the Spring. Oh, and I can't forget about my annual trip to the Coachella Music Festival in April. I'm all over the map {pun intended} for 2013!

Trish - Chief Trip Stylist I've been dying to gaze at Scandinavia's world-leading design for the past five years, so I've decided this is my Scandi-year. On the complete opposite side of the world, Tahiti is calling my name {when isn't it?}. After just spending some downtime in Palm Springs, I'm headed to Tofino, BC in a few weeks for some winter stormwatching and hopefully a {chilly} surf session. Other destinations on my radar: Oahu's North Shore, Hawaii's Big Island, Quebec's winter Carnaval, Toronto and Argentina.

[photos by @tripstyler @stoikie @walkingontravel @heatherlovesit]

Healthy On The Road :: Toned In Transit

[trip style = any]

When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy On The Road, published the first Wednesday of every month.

Oh, the places you’ll go; oh, the places you’ll move!

Movement: “the act or process of changing place or position or posture.” {via Merriam-Webster}

Change of place is a no-brainer when traveling from A to B. Unfortunately, a lot of that change is accomplished while you sit or stand still in a car, cab, plane, train or tuk tuk. Consider how many hours it takes to get from home to hotel on a short-haul from Vancouver to LA---let alone a long-haul from North America to Asia! Not all time meandering needs to be mindless. Use transit time to tone!

Maybe you already seize these opportunities to do some squats on the spot or wind sprints in concourse A without a care in the world what your fellow travelers think of you {if this is you, I salute you}. However, if you prefer flying below the radar {pun intended}, I've found a great app that will help you sneak in some moves enroute.

Isometrics {for iThings; free} is dedicated to low-impact exercises that can be done anywhere. Tell the app what area you want to work on or where you are and it'll send some moves your way. Every exercise comes with a description, how-to photo---more real-world than something you'd see in Shape Mag---and a timer to track reps. Described as “an entire gym, fitness plan and personal trainer in the palm of your hand”, I'd say it packs a 2013 punch. *Android-ers, check out: Office Exercise

More Healthy On The Road Every Day Is A New Day Eat In Technicolor The 15 Minute 54321 Workout {you can do anywhere!} Keeping Fit In Hotel Hallways The 20-min Exercise Itinerary Healthy DIY Plane Snacks Hotel Room Exercises {You can do in your underwear}

[photo by @tripstyler]

Fash-Packing :: Suitcase Style

[trip style = any]

Sometimes you find a trusty travel companion that "moves like Jagger." I give you the EO Travel Collection by Incase.

Right before I left for Dubai in December, I was gifted this techie-stylish suitcase set I'd been eyeing to test on the road. Based on my research, I was 99% sure I was going to love it---and you would too---but I had to use it {on multiple flight segments from the West Coast to the Middle East} to believe it.

After transporting the luggage set between YVR, SEA, DXB, PSP and LAX, I'm all in, and give it Trip Styler approval. Why? See the details below, but the long and short of it is the bags are at once functional and stylish, speaking to the tech-savvy traveler---perhaps a computer programmer by day and a fashion blogger by night? Note, there are VERY FEW suitcases that turn my propeller, so here's why the EO Travel Collection is sending me to cloud nine:

Fashion The set's coal-black palette is sleek, while the splashes of neon green amp the carry-ons' X-factor without being showy. My fave bag is the hardshell roller {20.7" × 13.8" × 8.7", from $299.95} integrating a hint of black patent {technically it's a durable polycarbonate masquerading as patent}; think business meets pleasure. Transcending the humdrum carry-on, the EO travel rollers take an understated approach to differentiating themselves and maintain my theory that darker-hued carry-ons are much less apt to be weighed and measured by airline employees because they stand out less than a bright red rolley.

Function The usability of the rolling carry-ons, specifically the hardshell, takes me higher. The features I like are: a/ the faux fur-lined tech pocket for a laptop and iPad {with slips for cameras and cords} that zips open flat on the security belt so you don't have to remove all your digi-paraphernalia (!). b/ the internal compartments. For those who crave organization, the interior has multiple layers and compartments so everything has a place, like a closet. c/ the expandability---to the tune of 35%. In my opinion, if you're going to be a carry-on traveler {with a tendency toward shopping, like moi}, having expandability is a MUST. In fact, I'd never travel with a carry-on without room to grow.

Video {Can't see the video? Click here.}

PS - most of the carry-on suitcases in the set say they are suited for three days of travel. I beg to differ. If your trip style is singular {vs a combo}, and you're carry-on obsessed like me, you can use these bags for up to two weeks {see How To Fit 50 Garments Into One Carry-On}. 

[For fashion and function I LOVE the hardshell roller, just take good care of the front end's polycarbonate finish, as it can get ever so slightly scuffed after multiple uses---baby it like you would your black patent shoes and you'll be fine. If you want something that can stand up to multiple bumps and bruises over a five-year period, and maintain its brand new look, consider the roller with a triple-coated weather-resistant front panel.]

[photos by @goincase and @tripstyler]

Postcards From Palm Springs

[trip style = luxe + budget conscious + sun]

Last week I mentioned we’d be taking a break in our flight schedule over the holidays, resuming our regular route Monday, January 7th, yet our Santa photo {from our Santa-Inspired Packing Tips post} is no way to ring in the New Year, so I thought I'd post a trip stylin' update.

Currently I'm on vacation---yep, no meetings, itinerary or late-night blogging sessions---in Palm Springs resting my head in three hotels over seven days: The Parker Palm, The Saguaro {the sister of The Saguaro AZ where I stayed last March}, and the Alcazar Palm Springs which I'm going to be reviewing for Jetsetter.com.

If you'd like to follow along, I'll be posting a bunch 'o postcards {of sorts} on Trip Styler’s Instagram, Facebook and Editor’s Diary.

See you soon, Trish

[photos by @tripstyler]