Category Archives: Travel
Contest: Win Tumi Travel Gear
While you shop gifts this holiday season for friends, loved ones or yourself (no judgement, I do it each year too), take a break and visit the Facebook page of luxury travel brand Tumi for to enter its holiday giveaway for a chance to win stylish gear for your next trip.
Eye candy men’s gear prizes the past couple of days have included the Drexel Envelope Brief in Earl Gray and the trendy Lejeune Backpack Tote in the new white and black colorblock scheme (both pictured above). Win other and similar Tumi gear by entering each day here until Christmas.
Stayed tuned for more contests to enter!
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10 Of The Best International Gay Ski Weeks For 2014
January kicks off gay ski-week season, when thousands of queer guys and gals hit the slopes—not to mention hot tubs—all over the world. For NewNowNext.com, I’ve put together a list of some of the best wintery retreats, offering miles of fresh trails, apres-ski cocktails, pampering, parties and memories to never forget. See five of the gay ski weeks selected below, with the full set on NewNowNext.com:
Aspen Gay Ski Week
January 12-19
Aspen, Colorado
The 37th edition of the first and most famous gay ski festival hosts a week of skiing, snowboarding, parties, concerts, drag and more. Enjoy cocktail and dinner events, music with country-pop hottie Steve Grand, comedy with Mario Cantone, a downhill costume parade, theme parties and daily hot-tub gatherings starting at 3pm. And while Colorado has yet to legalize marriage equality, Aspen Gay Ski Week is sponsoring a group civil-partnership ceremony in downtown Aspen on January 18.
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My City: Paris Musts From The Founders Of Misterbnb & MyGayTrip
Travel like a local with Vee Travels’ My City features, which highlights the must-dos in a major city or neighborhood from men all over the world. In this edition, we explore the Paris with Matthieu Jost and Marc Dedonder, the founders of Misterbnb (the gay men’s Airbnb-like website) and MyGayTrip (popular gay lifestyle resource in Europe), who share their favorite places to dine, relax, shop and go out.
Misterbnb
France natives currently live in different neighborhoods in Paris, Matthieu and Marc launched Misterbnb earlier this year, now with offerings from London to Tel Aviv and Valencia to New York.
The apartment rental website, for short stays to vacation or long-term, was created to help gay men find stays with other members of the community to make sure they’ll be staying with open minded people and city (plus gay scene) insiders who’ll know where to go. While we shouldn’t live in a bubble where we communicate or socialize with only members of the community, when traveling and opting to stay in a stranger’s apartment (or if you’re the one hosting), knowing that one another is gay can help build some confidence in a way. Also, in case you are wondering who the fellow above is, it’s French model Johan Akan (a Misterbnb brand ambassador).
Paris of course if one of the top cities on Misterbnb. See Matthieu and Marc’s selections to visit below:
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Travel Inspiration: Bogota, Colombia – La Candelaria & Monserrate
Following last week’s Travel Inspiration photo series with Cartagena de Indias, be inspired to hop on the next flight to venture down to Colombia to experience the metropolitan life of Bogota (four hours from LAN Airlines‘ Miami hub). Below, enjoy a set of over 30 images of Bogota’s oldest district, La Candelaria, and the surreal mountain escape of Monserrate (pictured above)—just a cable car away.
Picture yourself in place of my accompanying travel bag on this journey, the Bleecker Legacy Weekend Tote, shown in a couple of the photos below, and make sure to check out my story on luxury travel in Colombia for Latina.com.
Bogota, Colombia:
As the oldest part of Bogota, La Candelaria is full of history and character. The architecture of the old houses, churches and buildings has Spanish Colonial and Baroque styles, and the neighborhood is home to hostels, universities, libraries and museums. Among the museums, I got to visit the Botero Museum (containing the full-figure works by painter/sculptor Fernando Botero, and works by Monet and Picasso from Botero’s private collection) and the Gold Museum (housing 36,000 pieces in gold, wood, shell and stone organized in its three floors).
But before venturing to these and the streets of La Candelaria, the first stop in your journey should be Monserrate, a mountain part of the Andes Mountains at over 10,000 feet above sea level. Monserrate is both a pilgrim destination and tourist attraction where you’ll find a 17th-century church, restaurants and countless souvenir stands with native crafts, herbal remedies, food, drinks and more. You can climb to the mountain top, but a quicker (and more restful) way is by a cable car or cliff railway.
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Gift Guide: Passport Covers & Cases For International Travelers
The holiday shopping season is among us, which means it’s time to start thinking gifts. Each week I’ll be posting a set of gift ideas with the topics of travel, grooming, tech and winter fashion that’ll work for friends, family or even to pickup for yourself (or to add to your wish list). This week is all about international travelers and their passports.
A passport cover adds a stylish personality to the basic passport, while also adding extra sleeves for cash or credit cards. For multi country journeys and big shoppers, a case is the perfect organizer for several tickets, receipts for tax refunds (if the city you’re visiting offers it when you leave) and to hold all your euros, pounds or pesos. See our top five this season below:
Kenneth Cole – Paglietta Leather Travel Case
The textured midnight blue leather travel case from Kenneth Cole can hold 10 cards in their own slots, includes a zipper pocket on its left side and bill compartment on the other, and has a pen loop so the user always have a pen or pencil handy ($90, Kenneth Cole).
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5 Weekend Travel Grooming Essentials For Cartagena
Photographed at the Tcherassi Hotel in Cartagena, Colombia
After picking out a weekend travel ensemble for Cartagena, your bag and other accessories to bring along, grooming is the next step. Cartagena is surrounded by the Caribbean waters, so sweat, the heat and hair tangles were kept in mind when selecting the following. They are also also under 3.4 ounces:
Weekend Travel Grooming Essentials:
- Fight Odors – Dove Men+Care Antiperspirant, for 48-hour odor and wetness protection that’ll come in handy with any flight transfers and the humidity ($6).
- To Cool Off – Epicuren Colostrum Hydrating Mist, a refreshing mist with life-supporting immune factors, growth factors, amino acids and nutrients ($36).
- A Light Fragrance – Lacoste Eau De Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc, woodland fruit scent that’s one of my personal favorites ($39).
- To Keep Hair In Check – Leonor Greyl Eclat Naturel, smooth and light styling cream for dry hair that reconditions and detangles ($46).
- For Tired Eyes – Clinique Men’s Anti-Fatigue Cooling Eye Gel, hide the evidence of any wild nights (or red eye flights) with this roll-on that brightens tired-looking eyes by combating puffiness and dark circles ($28).
Tell us some of your weekend grooming essentials in the comments below Read the rest of this entry
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In The Bag: Traveler’s Global Style Accessories For The Weekend
Photographed at the Tcherassi Hotel in Cartagena, Colombia
Accessories that can work anywhere in the world are essential for a traveler to showcase a global style, especially for the weekend when you are packing light and need an easy transition back to your day-to-day routine. Once you’ve picked your travel companion—for this trip to Cartagena, Coach’s Bleecker Legacy Weekend Tote ($658) for its modern heritage design and spacious body—its time to pack the necessities for your journey. So what do you bring in the bag?
The Bleecker Legacy Weekend Tote has a fabric lined interior with a large zip-pocket on one side and two open smaller pockets on the other (each fit a iPad Mini), a zip-top closure, and a small exterior pocket for your smartphone
If you’re only going to be traveling for a short time, no need to bring that laptop of yours obviously, but if you need to get some sort of work done or you need to catch up on your shows while in transit, a tablet is the way to go. However for any international trip, the first thing you need before that is to style up your passport:
Passport Cover – Men In Cities
From Yuvi Alpert’s Men In Cities (an edited, limited collection of accessories each month with each item costing the same price), this beige Global Nomad Passport Cover ($40) has a vintage inspired charm to it. With two large pockets on each inside flap—one for a passport end and the other for your ticket—and a smaller pocket on the right flap (not pictured).
With the mini earth imprint on the cover, it’s a testament to Alpert’s simple and stylish designs
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Travel Inspiration: Colombia’s Cartagena de Indias
Forget everything that immediately comes to mind when you think of Colombia. The country has been improving its image, especially in many major cities of business and travelers (with tourism tripling since 2006). On a trip for Latina.com, I got to experience the relaxed Caribbean city of Cartagena de Indias (Cartagena for short) and the thriving metropolitan life in Bogota.
Continuing our Travel Inspiration photo series, see select images that’ll make you want to hop the next flight to Colombia. Both Cartagena and Bogota are accessible by a two-to-four hour flight from LAN Airlines‘ Miami hub, depending where you go first.
To accompany me, I selected the handsome and strong Bleecker Legacy Weekend Tote from Coach which proved to be perfect for any weather as we experienced tropical rain the first day in Cartagena, sun with high humidity the next, and Bogota’s unpredictable weather patterns brought a little of all the elements. Picture yourself in its place in a couple of the photos below, and stay tuned for the post on Bogota as well.
Cartagena, Colombia:
A rainy morning, our journey starts high above all of Cartagena in Cerro de La Popa, a convent that attracts tourists for being the highest peak in town and providing spectacular city views at just under 500 feet above ground. Read the rest of this entry
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Travel Essential: Niche For Men Deodorizing Face And Body Wipes
Photo via Niche For Men
Whether you’re traveling for city to city for work or living a city life of crowded subways and streets, there are times you’re going to break in unanticipated sweat—and who has time for that?
If you don’t have a moment for a quick shower (or there isn’t one available nearby), Niche For Men are male face and body deodorizing wipes to help you fight the sweat and the unpleasing smell and feeling associated with it. Individually packaged, each wipe folds out to hand towel (9″ x 11″) and is infused with ginseng, aloe vera, soothing oils and a masculine scent.
I tried out one of these bad boys after a long day in the city that had me hopping to different showrooms, attending a press preview and shooting street style. While I didn’t break in too much sweat, I did a bit, and felt gross from being around so many people on the subway and train back to Stamford. I pulled out a wipe from its slim, tearable case and wiped the oils off my forehead first, and started to feel fresh again. I continued with the rest of my face, neck and arms, and just like that it was as if I showered and sprayed myself with a light cologne. The wipes are also reportedly strong enough to clean you up after long work outs.
Think of Niche For Men as a backup shower you can keep in your fitness or carryon bag, office desk drawer or even your back pocket (as the wipe is folded down to 3″ x 4″ in the packet). Starting at $3 for a set of two wipe packets.
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#BeShady This World Sight Day With TOMS
Taking part in World Sight Day (October 10th), TOMS is putting forth its #BESHADY campaign in support and awareness of this annual day created to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired.
Wear your sunglasses indoors to show support, and when asked by others why you are wearing sunglasses while reading a magazine, in a restaurant or as you shop, you can tell them it is for the 285 million people who are visually impaired or blind. Upload selfies to Instagram with the hashtag #BESHADY.
TOMS, which also helps restore or save the sight of a person in need with every eyewear purchase, has released a limited edition pair of sunglasses for World Sight Day. The Phoenix Gold Mirror ($55) comes in an amber tortoise frame and ear pieces in solid white and sky blue. You can style up the sunglasses with a fall essential denim jacket (this one from H&M), and colors such as charcoal or olive always pair nicely with denim or torte.
Follow Vee Travels and Andrew Villagomez on Twitter and Instagram: @AndyVeeNYC
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