Blog Archives
Must Have For The Smart Traveler, Tumi’s Alpha 2
Kicking off our new Must Have series, Tumi welcomes an upgraded collection to the luxury travel brand. The Alpha 2 line is a collection of 19 products smartly designed for a lighter and spacious journey with each trip taken, and if you’ve owned a piece from the previous Alpha line, you’re in for over 30 upgrades to the design—depending on the style selected. Noticeable upgrades include:
- Tumi’s lightest ballistic nylon, which they introduced 30 years ago are known for.
- Reinforced frames with heavy duty, lightweight stitching and impact resistant corners.
- Newly designed 360° wheels that are recessed into the body of suitcases to provide more stable navigation and a little extra room in the interior.
- Three height options for the lightweight, aircraft-grade aluminum handle.
- A durable and stealthy Lever Lock Expansion System, which can securely provide two-stages of expansion—with up to two and a half extra inches of packing space. #winning!
Pictured above is the Extended Trip Expandable 4 Wheeled Packing Case, selected for its two toned color option (to make an extra statement while traveling) and as it is one of the luggages with all the upgrades. Though if the color choice becomes available for the International Expandable 4 Wheeled Carry-On option, that would be my pick a the must have from the collection. See more of Extended Trip option below:
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Travel Inspiration: Adventure Outside Of Quito, Ecuador
Recognized by National Geographic Traveler as 2013’s Best Destination, Ecuador offers the Andes mountain range, the Galápagos Islands, relaxing farmlands and large cities with more than just native shopping and restaurants. Among these cities is the capital Quito, which I recently had a chance to explore its diverse offerings and see how its history is preserved, but for the adventurer, you’ll want to go just outside of the city.
Quito, Ecuador:
First a couple city musts. Filled to the brim with religious and artful history, and as it should be since the whole city is UNESCO World Heritage site, the historic center of town is where a first timer would want to start his or her visit. Here you’ll find colonial plazas, museums, monasteries, convents and churches, including the gold-studded Iglesia de la Compania (below).
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Saving On A Last Minute Luxury Stay With HotelTonight
If you’re a spontaneous traveler, you probably have the mobile booking app HotelTonight downloaded to your iPhone already, but If you haven’t yet you should right away to check out some of the fantastic last minute deals across the major cities and towns across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Mexico.
When I went to London this winter on a press trip I was able to add a couple extra days to the trip and used one to try out the app first hand. Before flying out, I searched the week before and the days leading to my departure to see what my options could be and where I might be staying. Hotels marked ‘Hip’ and ‘Luxe’ (other hotels categories include ‘Basic’, ‘Charming’ and ‘Solid’) ranged from the Heathrow airport area for $100-$150 for hotels such as the Radisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow, the west side near Earls Court for around $200-250 for hotels such as the Belgraves – A Thompson Hotel, and Central London and SoHo for $200-$350 for hotels such as The May Fair.
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7 Gay Sports Bars To Visit
With the Super Bowl this Sunday, I thought it would be great to share an article for NewNowNext I wrote on some of the best LGBT sport bars to visit across the country if anyone still needs to make plans to watch the game or for any last minute travels:
Hi Tops
Hi Tops (above) must be doing something right: Eater SF ranked this newcomer the second-best sports bar in the city, gay or otherwise. The casual Castro saloon wins over locals and visitors alike with an attitude-free aura and menu of bacon burgers, fried-chicken sandwiches, corn dogs and homemade warm pretzels. Swing by Thursdays for Gym Class and get free whisky shots from jockstrap-wearing bar babes. A double win!
2247 Market Street, San Francisco, CA
Crew Bar + Grill
A Chicago favorite for its array of American and Tex-Mex eats (make sure to stop by during $1 Taco Tuesdays), Crew Bar & Grill is a straight-friendly watering hole showcasing sports on more than 20 screens. Weekly parties include pop-music and karaoke nights, and every last Friday of the month there’s a popular jockstrap contest. If you ‘re new to the Windy City, join the Beer God club: Try all of Crew’s dozen-plus beers on tap and get your picture on the wall, a free “Beer God” t-shirt and discounts on imperial, 20oz, pints for a year.
4804 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL
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South America Travel Inspiration Photos For 2014
More travel should be on everyone’s resolution list for life, but if you’ve made it one of your 2014 goals, I’ve put together a travel photo slideshow for Latina.com that will surely cause you to experience wanderlust.
I lurked through LAN airlines’ hashtag of #OnlyInSouthAmerica, and picked out 20 of the best photos shared by LAN, fellow travelers and two from myself that’ll make you add countries such as Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina and more to your bucket list.
See the slideshow here, visit back soon to see photos from my trip to Ecuador in the fall.
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In The Bag: Accessories For London Travel
In this edition of Vee Travels’ In The Bag series, essential accessories for travel in London. Shot in one of the luxury personality suites of The Savoy, these accessories are based on a blue color scheme, that also mix winter accessories with unique tech designs. Just in time if you’re headed to London early next week for the spring/summer 2014 menswear collections at London Collections: Men.
Backpack – Tumi
The Tumi Lejeune Backpack Tote ($445) is very versatile, and the camo pattern option got me several compliments during my time in London last month. Wear as a backpack or use as a tote with the backpack hide-a-way straps and its military-inspired, cord top handles Offering four pockets on the outside (three zips and two open), inside you’ll find several pockets (a large zip, large open and small open pockets) with an orange color scheme.
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Gift Guide: 12 Luxury Carry-on Travel Bags You’ll Want For Yourself
Continuing Vee Travels’ gift guide series, this week features luxury carry-on bags that’ll make anyone very happy to receive as a present this holiday, but you’ll probably want to pick one or more of these up for yourself to bring along on your next flight or train ride.
Tumi – Alpha All In One Duffel
Bold use of white and orange are paired with the trendy camo, Tumi’s Alpha All In One Duffel lives up to its name with the functionality to split into four smaller bags. The three exterior compartments each detach from the main duffel and convert to a messenger/brief, a crossbody bag and a tote (which opens up from the section on the right below), leaving a slimmer and sleek carry-all to use on its own as desired. ($495, Tumi)
Mulberry – Small Clipper Leather-Trimmed Canvas Holdall
A small holdall, it makes up for size with its eye-catching blue canvas body. Trimmed with a brown resilient leather and two handles, the shoulder strap is of course detachable. ($950, MR PORTER)
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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.
Vee Travels 