Vacation Selfies 2.0

[trip style = any]

Selfie: is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or camera phone held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. (Wikipedia)

There's a new selfie in town, and version 2.0 doesn't show an extended arm, a too-close view of your nostril or a pouty face that looks as though you're saying "prune." 

If you want a frame-worthy vacation photo, hotels such as the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea offer a photo concierge whose name is, no joke, S. Miles. If you're not staying at the Four Seasons and aren't traveling with a photographer in your entourage, you have more options than you think as far as standout single, couple or family photos. 

The new vacation selfie is unique-to-you, artsy and free. Instead of waxing on about HOW TO take cool photographs, I'll show you.

What you need
- the self-timer built into the camera in your iPhone or Android {which can be set at 3 or 10 seconds} 
OR
- a mini tripod such as this GorillaPod
OR
- a remote such as this HISY Bluetooth Remote
AND/OR
- a camera with self-timer   

Vacation Photos 2.0

1. Keep your eyes peeled for uncommon backdrops 

2. Let nature create a natural frame

3. Play with silhouettes

4.  Plain backgrounds work well, too

5. Shoot in the moment

6. Seize the day when the light is just right

7. Get to an ideal photo-op spot before the crowds arrive

Trip Styler Tip: If you'd prefer to link up with a photog with all the right snap-happy gear, check out Flyphotographer, a website that connects you with carefully-selected shutterbugs in 150 destinations worldwide. 

[photos by @tripstyler taken on my iPhone and my Olympus]

Roam+Board :: Grand Velas Riviera Maya

[trip style = luxury + beach + food + wine + spa]
 

What
Me gusta la Riviera Maya, Mexico's Caribbean coastline stretching from Cancun to Tulum. While I've stayed in a few hotels dotting this sugary shoreline, there has always been one stark-white and palm-topped resort that intrigued me: Grand Velas Riviera Maya. 

Then the Trip Styling stars aligned. In partnership with Air Transat {Canada's leading holiday travel airline}, I arrived at the AAA Five-Diamond all-inclusive last Saturday to drink in everything from handcrafted margaritas to the green-tiled jungle pool—so gorgeous it's used as a backdrop for photoshoots and videos—to the 90,000-square-foot spa stocked with enough hydrotherapy gizmos and treatment rooms to be its own boutique hotel.

Divided into three distinct enclaves: Grand Class {adults-only + beachfront}, Ambassador {beachfront} and Zen {jungle-chic}, the 205-acre resort manages the almost-impossible task of feeling like an edited and exclusive escape, except with the bells and whistles you'd expect from a property built with a $250-million price tag and a three-to-one staff-to-guest ratio. 

Couple this with a round-up of restaurants—one helmed by the winner of Iron Chef Canada (2014)—24-hour room service; dedicated butler service; rooms bigger than most NYC flats touting travertine tile, jet tubs, private balconies, no-holds-barred minibars {a Snickers a day is good for you, right?}; and your view of an all-in vacation will be forever redefined. 

Trip Styler approved.

Where 
Grand Velas Riviera Maya is a 35-minute ride from the Cancun Airport, and a seven-minute ride from Playa Del Carmen. Ole. 

When 
The weather is sun-soaked year-round. Note: Summertime is humid, and there's a slight possibility of tormentas due to the Caribbean's hurricane season {June - October}. But really, I'd go any time. Because, Mexico. 

Who/Why 
You only stay where glossy mags do photoshoots.

What to Wear
Pull out your beachy best; here, what you wear to the pool is as important as what you don at night.
Jetset Style :: Comfort Class //  Jetset Style :: Linen Love // Jetset Style :: Top 10 Travel Essentials

Cost
The all-in cost hovers around $930 CAD / $700 USD per night and covers e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, including your own bottle of private-label reposado tequila. 

Trip Styler Tip: I used the resort's babysitting service {$18 usd/hr for a min of three hours} which calls upon certified caregivers who also work at the resort in other roles. I was REALLY impressed. Baby Styler was smitten by his sitters.

Photos

Related 
Roam+Board :: Terme Manzi Hotel & Spa {Ischia, Italy} 
Roam+Board :: RIMBA {Bali}
Roam+Board :: Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle

[photos by Grand Velas and @tripstyler]`

Travel Apps :: Splitwise

[trip style = any]

You're on vacation with friends for a week. You paid for the hotel. Friend A drove and paid for the gas. Friend B paid for lunch, but only for himself and Friend A. Friend C bought all the groceries and she paid for them in a different currency. Friend D only joined the fun for four days. If no one moonlights as a genius mathematician, how will you settle your expenses without spoiling your vacation? Enter Splitwise, the app that takes awkwardness and confusion away from the equation of friends + money + travel.

How it works
Start a new group, name the group {i.e.,"Don't mess with Texas"} and add group members {you, Holly & Sam}. Then add individual expenses and the group members involved in each expense {i.e, bike rental & hotel in Austin}. Each group member can log in and add their bills, and then the app magically calculates what everyone owes. Bonus features: You can even add notes to expenses and settle up via PayPal.

Trip Styler Tip: If you're looking for an app to split restaurant bills, download Plates. It integrates with Splitwise, calculates tax and tip and splits shared dishes.

Download Splitwise for iOS or Android devices, or log in from your computer {$$ = Free}.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Travel Apps :: PackPoint
Real-Time Translation

[austin images by kevin vandiver & nick simonite] 

That Travel Meal :: Swedish Cinnamon Buns

[trip style = food + wine]

I'm packing my bags for Sweden next month, and if there's one indulgence I'm already dreaming about, it's kardemummabulle. This Swedish treat isn't just fun to say; it's also fun to eat.

Bullar {buns} are a quintessential component of fika, the Swedish afternoon coffee break. You'll typically see both kanelbulle and kardemummabulle in Sweden, with the only difference being the addition of cardamom in the dough. Fika is so central to Swedish culture that it's both a verb and a noun. In Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, the authors write:

"Ska vi fika?" {Should we fika?} means "Let's take a break, spend some time together, slow down." Fika isn't just for having an afternoon pick-me-up; it's for appreciating slow living. To truly fika requires a commitment to making time for a break in your day, the creation of a magical moment in the midst of the routine and the mundane.

In a post about Stockholm's hippest hood last year, I suggested that a worthwhile activity would be to stop by every bakery in town for comparative taste testing. I stand by this suggestion, but you don't need to fly all the way to Sweden to enjoy their iconic treat. You don't even need to go to Ikea. Here's my favorite recipe for making them at home.

Kardemummabulle

Dough
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter {about 1 stick}
- 1.5 c milk
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 4.5 c all-purpose flour
- 1/4 c sugar
- 2 tsp cardamom seeds {crushed via coffee grinder or mortar & pestle}
- 1/4 tsp salt

Filling
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 c sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed

Topping
- 1 egg, beaten
- Pearl sugar

Trip Styler Tip: Look for cardamom and pearl sugar in your local gourmet market.

Can't view the video? Watch it here.

Instructions

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the milk. Heat until warm to the touch {about 110°F}. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in 3 tbsp of the warm milk/butter mixture. Stir and let sit for a few minutes until bubbles form on the yeast. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cardamom and salt. Yes, fresh cardamom smells like a fancy Nordic spa. Don't become too relaxed; stay on task! Add the yeast mixture along with the remaining milk/butter.

Work the dough with your hands to form a ball. Transfer to a flat surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 3-5 mins. The dough is fully kneaded when you slice into it with a sharp knife and see small air bubbles. Return dough to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, place it on your kitchen table and allow it to rise about one hour until it doubles in size. Do not take your eyes off the bowl for the full hour. Just kidding; that would be torture and cinnamon buns are the opposite of torture.

Grease a large baking sheet or cover it with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Set aside. Make the filling right before the dough finishes rising. Using a fork, cream the butter together with the sugar and spices until you get a spreadable paste.

When the dough has finished rising, place it on a flat, lightly floured surface. Roll it out with a rolling pin to a 13x21-inch rectangle. Place the rectangle on the counter with the long side facing you. Spread the filling on top of the rolled-out dough all the way to the edges. With a butter knife, mark three equal 7" sections in the dough, then fold the outer thirds one at a time on top of the middle section, creating three layers. Rotate the dough so the long side once again faces you and roll out the dough slightly. Cut 1-inch strips; you should have 18-22 strips.

Twist each strip into a rosette shape twice around your thumb and two fingers, pulling the end through the middle. There is no magic formula for this! Cover buns with a tea towel and allow them to rise for 40 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 435°F. Once the buns have risen, brush them with the beaten egg and sprinkle them with pearl sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes until they're golden on top. If you don't have pearl sugar, sprinkle the buns with granulated sugar as soon as you remove them from the oven.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
That Travel Meal :: THE Italian Cocktail
That Travel Meal :: Pok Pok Som Thai Basil Gin Rickey
That Travel Meal :: Best-in-Show Burrata at Ava Gene's
That Travel Meal :: Chevre-Prosciutto-Pear-Arugula Pizza

[images by @heatherlovesit and recipe adapted from fika: the art of the swedish coffee break by anna brones and johanna kindvall]

Travel Beauty :: Makes Scents

[trip style = any]

Do you purchase a new fragrance for every trip? I read that tip in the Paris Review recently and fell in love with the idea. The writer was quick to point out that she wasn't suggesting we purchase an expensive bottle every time we go to a cousin's wedding, but instead that we dignify a journey with its own scent.

Whether you select a new rollerball in the airport duty-free or carefully choose a scent to match your destination, this practice will allow you to create a unique sense memory for your trip. Our sense of smell connects to the part of our brain that deals with memory, motivation and emotion, which is why a scent will evoke a memory more so than any other sense.

I've selected five fragrances that originated in or were inspired by the cities to which they're attached. The first three are unisex and the next two are intended for women and men, respectively, although worn by both {I love Spicebomb even though it's from the men's department}. I'm off to Europe next month and I'm already contemplating my options: seductive and spicy for Barcelona or fresh and woody for Stockholm? With so many hours in airports, I may do both!

Trip Styler Tip: Perfumer Frédéric Malle suggests that when selecting a new fragrance, you should try on one or two and then walk around the store for 20 minutes. After that it will have settled and you'll have some confidence in whether you like it. If it still appeals, it will do for a long time; if it irritates, it will never stop.

Stockholm
Byredo Gypsy Water
Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Pepper, Juniper Berries, Incense, Pine Needles, Vanilla, Sandalwood

New York
Le Labo Santal 33
Notes: Sandalwood, Cedar, Cardamom, Iris, Violet, Ambrox, Leather, Musk

Capri
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Arancia di Capri
Notes: Orange, Mandarin, Lemon, Petit Grain, Cardamom, Caramel, Musk

Paris
Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady
Notes: Oriental Rose, Benzoin, Cinnamon, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk, Frankincense

Amsterdam
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb
Notes: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Cinnamon, Pink Pepper, Lavandin, Chilli, Saffron, Elemi, Vetiver, Balsam Fir, Tobacco, White Leather

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Roll-On Essential Oils for Travel
Best Fragrances for Trip Styles
Face Masks for Frequent Flyers
The Do-It-All Cream

[images by @heatherlovesit & @tripstyler except paris photo via ignant.de]