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

Bliss

Santorini, Greece

Ahh... doesn't this look like bliss? I have always wanted to the beautiful country of Greece. Right now it is just a little dream, but the important thing is to dream. For without our dreams (travel especially) where would we be?

Jem

Disney World

I just booked my plane ticket to one of the best places in the world, disney! Yes, to some it may seem very corny, but come on, its the place where dreams are made, how can you not love it? I am going to disney with three of my friends for five days towards the end of june, its a graduation gift. One of my friends who I am going with, Ashley, family goes to disney a lot, so I am glad to be going with her because she knows the park very well, plus she's buckets of fun! I am so excited to be going to disney... the last time I was there was when I was seven and I hardly remember any of it. I can't wait for five days of pure fun!
Jem

Maps

I love looking at maps. I can remember when I was little my dad would pull out the maps whenever we would be preparing for a trip and pouring over them for hours. Many of my best childhood memories involved our travel's, pulling over on the side of the road and listening to my parents bicker over which way to go (okay, so that might not be the most fun.... but still its a memory). Now days though you can just whip out the GPS, plug in where you want to go, and not worry about it. Although this has its rewards too sometimes I do miss using a map when I am traveling by car.
Jem

Postcards

The act of receiving and sending a postcard is not lost on me. With Facebook and Email it is easy to send a message to a loved one while away on holiday. This may be a quick and easy way to tell everyone you are okay and you haven't run into any trouble but I think their is an even better way to tell people about your trip. Instead of sending an Email or Facebook message why not send postcards to your family and friends? To some extent I feel that the art of sending postcards has died out so now I am trying to revive it. People feel it is a hassle to buy a postcard, and stamp when they can just shoot out a quick email to everyone for free (unless of course you are paying for computer time). I tend to disagree with these naysayers. I like the idea of being to able to write a postcard/letter while enjoying cup of coffee or tea in a cafe in the location which I am visiting. Maybe this is a romantic idea of what postcard/letter writing should be like, but it is one which I shall always keep to such high esteem. I love, love, love to receive postcards, I think most people do. It is such a surprise to the receiver to find a postcard tucked into their daily mail of bills and magazines. I have had the extremely good fortune of receiving postcards from all around the world, places like; Israel, India, Russia, Bhutan, Peru, and more! It never ceases to surprise me, finding a postcard in the mail, and also to know that it has traveled such a long distance. I think it is neat to be the recipient of a postcard and thinking that it has come from a place which you have never visited and traveled so many miles all the way to your doorstep. It is like receiving a little piece of that country! People are more likely to save a postcard or letter then an email since it shows a sense of caring when a person takes time out of their day to write to you (at least this is what I think) when they could be exploring the sites or partying somewhere! So why not return the favor and start sending postcards to people? It won't just make the receiver feel special but it will also help you tell everyone whats on your mind about this spectacular trip your taking!
Jem

Things To Do In England

On my other blog I just wrote a post on all my favourite things British which got me thinking about my favourite things to do whilst in England. Some of these activities might be typical things a visitor must do while others are more off the beaten path.

1) Traveling by train- I think it is worth taking the train instead of a car if you are planning on going somewhere for a few days. I loved taking the train from Nottingham to London Kings Cross Station (of Harry Potter fame!). The British still understand the importance of travel by train unlike us Americans, it is such a relaxing way to see the country. Sitting, watching the countryside roll by and slowly turn into towns and cities is one of the nicest things you can do for yourself.

2)Chatsworth House- If you are in the Derbyshire area you MUST visit Chatsworth. The Estate is owned by the Duke of Devonshire and much of the house and the surrounding grounds will be open to the public for the summer starting March 14th. Chatsworth is home to such an interesting collection of artwork, literature, and also has a fascinating history. If that doesn't catch your attention, how about this; in the film Pride and Prejudice, with Keira Knightly, the house was used as Mr. Darcy's Pemberley Estate. Several of the films key scenes were shot at the house and they even have a bust of Mr. Darcy to commemorate this!

3)Topshop- Shopping is a favourite habit of mine, even more so when I am abroad. I love finding clothes which I know no one where I live will have this way I will have something unique to remember my trip by. I love popping into Harrods or Selfridges when in London, but come on not everyone can afford these expensive products (tip: if you do want to shop at these stores go during the summer sales its a bit cheaper then), which is where Topshop comes into play. If you are in London checkout the Oxford Circle store- its 5 stores of pure heaven! Although it can be a bit tricky to get around it, its rather crowed, but their are lots of other branches of the store to be found around the country.

4)Grocery shopping at Marks & Spencers, Tesco, or Sainsburys- I know this might sound a tad odd but I really like going to British Supermarkets. I think this might be because they have so much "exotic" products which you can not find in America. From a whole section of Cadbury sweets to interesting ethnic type foods, they have everything! Every time I go to England I visit one of these supermarkets and stock up on Cadbury chocolates some of my favourites include Flakes, Cadbury Milk Buttons, and Cadbury Dairy Milk candy bars. Gosh that last sentence makes me look like a piggly-wiggly, but I bring back a lot of these sweets for my family and friends, they are not all mine to keep!

So what do you think of four of my favourite activities to do while in England? What are your favourite things to do while in the UK?
Jem

Write The Right Way

When ever I travel one of the first things which I pack into my suitcase is my journal. It is really important to me to write down all my adventures as they happen rather then just remembering them, so when I'm old and in my rocker I can look back all my crazy trips! The first time I kept a record of a trip was when I went to England for my cousin Hannah's wedding, four or five years ago. Ever since that holiday I've been able to keep a record of my major vacations from England (again), France, Italy, and California. I choose to write in a magenta colored book with the word Journal written in silver print. Although of course everyone has different preferences when it comes to the place where the write down all their innermost thoughts and ideas. I was perusing the Internet when I found some lovely journals which I would love to write in. If your hunting for good journal, I would check Esty or Amazon. So whether you choose to write in a Mead Composition notebook or a fancy Smythson diary just be sure to keep on jotting down your exciting adventures!
Jem
P.S. I keep wanting to share photographs of the adorable journals I found on the web but Blogger is being annoying and won't let me! Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Pack It All Up

Have you ever been packing for a trip and thought to yourself "what the hell should I bring? (I think for a lot of people packing tends to involve lots of swearing, don't you agree?)" Well have no fear, Jem's here! Haha! I've gotten the whole packing thing down pat, in fact I now find that packing is dare I say it... fun. I am of the firm belief that you ALWAYS create a list of what you need to pack. Lists are your best friend, trust me! By creating a list you are reassuring yourself that you bring everything that is needed while traveling. After perusing the web I've found several websites which create virtual packing list for you but personally I like to write out my lists. I like the feeling of using a pen to check off something once I put it into my suitcase rather then clicking it off on the computer. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. Although if you do like using a web based packing list I would suggest www.travelsense.org/packing/index.cfm. Another suggestion which is kind of redundant, yet I can't stress it enough, is never over pack. I know that everyone stresses not to over pack and only bring the things you definitely need and will use. Don't think up hypothetical situations, it will make you go crazy. So step away from that formal dress! Look at it this way, if suddenly you get invited to a formal party while visiting somewhere its a good excuse to go shopping! Confession: I was once a an over packer myself. Sshhh... don't tell! When I was younger I would try to cram as much as I could into my suitcase, I always over thought every situation. Once I was forced by my mother to par down my clothing choices for a short trip, I swear it revolutionized my traveling life. For example, when I went to Italy a few years ago on a school trip I was one of the only people who's suitcase wasn't over 50 pounds! Which let me bring home lots of goodies! So I've learned such a great lesson... never over stuff your suitcase!
Jem

Join Me On This Little Adventure

I have been itching for awhile now to create a travel blog. So this little blog, The Frequent-Flyer, is devoted entirely to blogging about travel- helpful tips, recommendations for places I've been too, about places I want to visit, inspiration from different locations, and perhaps most importantly about the importance of traveling. I have a lot of knowledge which I want to share with people about my own experiences while traveling. Although I am not considered a "worldly traveler" in some peoples eyes since I have only been to a handful of countries outside of the United States, I still think I have a lot to offer readers. So without further adieu, welcome to The Frequent-Flyer!
Jem