Jet Set vs. Gypset

Teen Vogue

I've been thinking a lot about traveling lately (well..... I am always thinking about traveling but more then I usually do). In H&M's annual magazine they had an interesting article on how to achieve the jet setter style and what places to travel too. One term which is thrown around several times in the article is the term "gypset" or the combination of gypsy and jet set. Those who gypset avoid the typical places where the jet set travel to, think the French Riviera or  Saint-Tropez, and head to more exotic places, such as Morocco or India. One of my favorite paragraphs in the article was, "For the gypset, the modern version of the jet set, the focus is less on luxury yachts and expensive hotels, and more on freedom, mobility and adventure. On having the courage to go. The goal is to discover new cultures and meet as many exciting, creative people as possible- and come home with a bagful of fresh fashion inspiration." For me this quote really encompasses my feelings about travel- that the goal is to discover new cultures and meet new people. Although, gaining fashion inspiration through travel is always an added bonus! As much as I wish I was jet setter or a gypset, I really don't see either happening any time soon. For now all I can be is an explorer of the world, no fancy title needed. Besides, just because one doesn't or can't call themselves a jet setter or gypset doesn't mean they don't want to discover new cultures and places; we are all looking to learn, be inspired, and have fun!
Jem

Baggage Claim

One of the most important things about being an organized traveler is where to put all the objects which are essential for a flight. My carry on bag has to be light weight, roomy, include lots of pockets for my nic-knacks, be able to zipper the opening, and have long enough straps so they do not cut into my shoulder. I may sound picky when it comes to the perfect travel bag but my theory is you have to be. If you don't have the "perfect" carry on bag it can really cramp your style and make for an unpleasant trip. I mean, you don't want to be running towards your gate and then all the sudden, the bag which you were swinging behind you dump out its contents out, all because it didn't have a zipper. Not only could that be embarrassing but it could also make you late for your flight. So I have compiled a few images of some of the perfect travel carry on's and cute accessories to go with them.

L.L. Bean might not be the store which you conjure up in your head when you hear the word "tote bag," but it should be. Lets be honest, L.L. Bean does not always sell the cutest apparel or bags, however, I have found a few over the years which are both functional and good looking. My mother swears by these tote bags when she travels (she tends to use her medium sized one as a carry on). The website even has a page where you can customize your tote, by picking out the color's for the bag. Besides looking pretty, these tote bags are made out of heavy duty cotton canvas, which means they last a long time.

If you are looking for a stylish bag which will fit your travel needs, look no further than Urban Outfitters. I found several bags which could make adorable carry on's when looking on the stores website. Instead of using a tote bag, why not use a backpack? Urban Outfitters offers several different style backpacks, many of them come in multiple colors as well. One of my favorites is this backpack; it looks rather roomy, has several pockets, leather detailing, and looks good! What more could you ask for?

While searching on Amazon (I love this site, it conveniently places almost everything under one roof) I found some really nice luggage tags. I think these would be a great upgrade from my current method of identifying my bag by tying a bright ribbon on the handle of my suitcase. Lets face it, this current method, isn't always the nicest looking. I particular like this "Ciao" by Tepper Jackson luggage tag. It certainly would make almost any bag be easy to spot while at the baggage claim!

So tell me, what type of bag do you like to use as a carry on? Do you have any suggestions as to good brands I should look at when investing in a good travel bag?
Jem

Summer Dreams

Paris, France (http://www.nyt.com/)

Can I be here right now? Instead of in school? Yes? Okay! Sounds like a good plan to me. I wish I could be lounging outside a cafe in Paris reading a newspaper, instead of sitting in a computer lab working on homework. Thank goodness schools almost out! So tell me... what are your summer plans?

Jem

Road Trip

The rock tunnel we drove through at one point during the trip

This past summer I went to California for two weeks with my younger sister and mom, it was just a "mother-daughters trip." Meaning my dad wasn't invited, not that he minded, seeing as he was sailing in Canada during our trip. One of the highlights of the vacation was our little road trip from San Francisco to Yosemite. We rented a car and drove for about four hours. We had so much fun blasting music from the radio (a mixture of old school rock and roll and the pop tunes always playing on the radio), having really deep conversations, and seeing the scenery. The drive from SF to Yosemite is probably one of the most beautiful routes I have ever traveled by, a lot of  the roads we took were surrounded by pastures with cows grazing on the grass and once we got closer to the mountains all the roads became very curvey and steep. I sat in the front for much of the drive on account of my anxiety when it comes to mountain passages (I get very nervous looking out the window and seeing the edge of the mountain so close). Other than my occasional panic attack, the drive was great. It was an experience I shall never forget because it was our first mother-daughters bonding trip and we certainly made the most of it, stopping off at vantage points on the drive to Yosemite to take in all the beauty and snap pictures. I highly recommend getting in the car and taking a road trip some time this summer, whether it is with your family, or friends because an enjoyable time will be had by all.
Jem

The Classy Traveler

Wow! I haven't posted in a long time, my bad! Running two blogs at one time is a lot harder than I thought it would be. But anyways, enough of my excuses. Whenever I am preparing for a trip I look for inspiration for what to wear when while traveling. Even though I may be spending my days walking around and seeing the sites, doesn't mean that I have to forgo my style. Much of my inspiration comes from old photographs of people traveling. It seems to me that people were classier back when the airline industry began to take off. They had a certain respect for traveling and arriving in style. This could be because only the wealthy could afford to travel, so therefore they would naturally always want to look their best. Now days, almost anyone can afford to travel, which means not everyone is so aware of their attire.
One of my goals when packing is to create outfits which do not scream, "Hi! I am an American tourist, look at me disrespect your culture!" I tend to pack classic clothing items such as; polo shirts, cardigens, a wrinkle free dress, a nice pair of jeans, blouses, moccasins, a trench coat/or a nice jacket, and for jewlary a pair of simple earings (such a pearls or my blue Murano glass earings from Italy), or a nice long necklace. I think the reason why many people don't bother dressing nicely while en route to their destination is because they want to be comfortable while on a seven hour flight, which is completely understandable. My solution to this problem is to wear a simple dress (usually a jersey knit fabric) with tights, scarf (for warmth on those cold planes) a cardigen, and flats. Sometimes I mix it up by wearing jeans with a simple tee shirt, cardigen, a scarf, and flats. I also replace the scarf with a necklace sometimes, although I always store a scarf in my carryon, incase it is needed.

Travel by the fairytale featuring Marc by Marc Jacobs bags
These two outfits are typical of what I would wear when traveling (although I did take some liberties by making these clothes my "dream" items). So what do you typically wear when traveling by plane?
Jem

Ways To Keep Entertained When Flying

I love flying (do you think I would name my blog, The Frequent-Flyer, if I didn't?), but sometimes the flight feels like it is draging on forever. This is why I always pack in my carryon a few things to keep me entertained. Some of these things on my list are not things you can pack, yet they are great ways to keep yourself amused.

1. Read a Magazine- I tend to bring one or two magazines in my carryon bag because they are lightweight (although not always, I mean some Vogue's weigh a ton of bricks!), and I love how easy they are to read. If you didn't pack a magazine ask the stewardess if they have any lying around. Once on a flight from Germany to America, I managed to occupy myself with a German edition of Elle magazine for about four hours of the flight. Although I couldn't read much of the articles, since it was all in German, I still was able to understand a few words which were similar to English. Most of my time was spent oogling all the clothes displayed in the magazine though.
2. Talk To Your Seatmate- Another good way to entertain yourself is to chat with the person sitting next to you. I must caution you though, don't strike up a converstation if the person looks uninterested, they are reading, listening to their IPod, or they are trying to sleep. Anyone who starts talking to someone doing any of these activites, has automatically labeled themselves the "annoying traveler," you know the one who talks too loud, or reclines their seat back too far. If the person is not doing any of these activites then feel free to talk to your seatmate, who knows the two of you could end up having a great conversation!
3. Sleep- If you are on a long haul flight, you are bound to get sleepy at some point right, unless of course you are a vampire. I try to sleep on most of my six or seven hour flights, although I am one of those people who have a difficult time doing this. So if I cannot fall asleep I tend to just lay in a state of daydream, trying to catch a few Z's.
4. Look Out The Window- Look at the clouds passing by or at the ground below, do you spot a swimming pool or two? This is a great way to amuse yourself when flying over land, I wouldn't recomend doing this over water though, it is not a pleasent feeling. I find it interesting to have a birds eye view of everything, the world looks so different from this angle.
5. Write- Journal about how excited you are for your trip, whether or not the guy sleeping next to you has a snoring problem, or anything else which interests you. I find that writing in my journal is one of the nicests ways to spend a plane ride. It is also very relaxing especially if you are a nervous traveler, it helps to clear your mind of all your worries.
6. Listen To Your IPod- Put your IPod on shuffle, and just listen to the music, or you could do this while.... day dreaming!
7. Day Dream- I like to dream up endless possiblities of what is in store for me (if I am heading to my destination). Sometimes these are insane dreams; such as seeing Daniel Radcliffe in London, others are just wondering what it will be like to relax on the beach with a good book and a drink on hand. I tend to think of day dreams as a movie playing out in my head, only something which I can watch, so don't worry if something seems outlandish, it is only for your enjoyment!

Do you have any other suggestions for keeping yourself entertained on a long flight?
Jem

Travel+Food=Memories

I think some of my best travel memories have centered around eating food. The food which is typical to a certain area can tell a person a lot about the history and culture of a region. When you combine good food, a beautiful location, and loving the people you are with; happy memories are bound to ensue. So without further adieu, I present a few photographs where travel and food are the main subjects.

Pompeii, Italy

I swear, this must be the biggest lemon ever! My friend Jill

bought this lemon when we were in Pompeii seeing the ruines. The lemons

were sold in a little stand near one of sites, and apparently, from what

I understand they cost about ten American dollers, if not more. Although, I

think the price is totally worth it, since the next night in our hotel room in

Florence we devoured the whole thing. This type of lemon is sweet,

not sour like most, and it tastes best when its cooked (which our guide told us)

or with suger sprinkled over it. Since we did not have access to a kitchen

we chose to eat it with surgar. Yummm... This photograph, shows

just the beginning of our little "lemon adventure" as we affectionately

liked to call it. Our "lemon adventure" encompasses all our struggles

to find a knife to cut it open (it has a tough skin) and the madness

which occured as we were eating!

Fresno, California

My cousins are ranchers in California and grow cotton, grapes,

and their most abundent product, almonds. The photograph above

depicts almonds from their ranch, lying on the ground after they

have been shaken from the almond trees. While visiting the ranch

we were able to take the almonds off the trees and eat them.

 Never have I tasted anything so fresh and watery.

Almonds straight from the tree taste a lot better then the store bought (like most foods), and 

they also have more of nutty flavor. This is one of my faveourite "travel & food"

moments because it is so special to see where the food you

 are eating comes from.

Paris, France

This photograph was taken during my weekend sojourn

to the city of lights. My auntie, uncle and I were eating in

this super fancy, very typical "French" restarunt, complete with

waiters in black ties and white suit jackets. Although I

choose not to eat any of the sea food on this very large plate (other then

to sample a peice of shrimp) this photograph contains many special moments.

It reminds me of my first (and hopefully not last) trip to Paris and all the

fantastic sites I saw, and all the yummy food I ate.

Jem