Blog Archives
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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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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Outfit: Jet Setter Style In Cartagena Featuring @Coach
When packing for a Caribbean city like Colombia’s Cartagena, a booming tourist destination, it’s good to make sure you pack (or are wearing) attire that is versatile. You can dress down as you transition to the humid weather and for a relaxed look, or you can dress up for a meeting if you’re visiting on business or for a special night during your holiday with a significant other.
Accessories are important for any traveler, especially if you love style, and they can help you put together outfits for your trip. The most important one is your bag, so I went with the handsome and strong Bleecker Legacy Weekend Tote from Coach in olive for its modern heritage design and spacious body.
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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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Travel Download: YPlan App For Last-Minute Events In New York
Pharrell Williams performing at the YPlan release party in the Bowery’s Finale – Photo by Andrew Villagomez
After making a big splash across the pond in London, the YPlan app sets its sight on the Big Apple now. Created for those who find themselves with free nights and wanting something last minute to do, with an array of options further than dining or concert events a Tech Crunch points out, the app provides 10 to 15 curated events for users to select from. Users also have options for the next night and a couple events later in the week, and subjects range from theatre to nightlife and sports to comedy. Making the app suitable for not only locals, but travelers to New York as well.
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My City: Model Colby Melvin’s Los Angeles Favorites And Nightlife Picks
Photo via Paul Boulon
Model Colby Melvin is best known for his popular work with Andrew Christian, which included video segments such as the Road Trip series and a photo session that had him drenched in paint in a collaboration with The Underwear Expert. A self proclaimed goofball, his fandom grew quickly on the web, and he’s been working on developing his own entertainment group, Colbra, with his fiancée and fellow Andrew Christian model, Brandon Brown (below). As an LGBT activist, Colby is also always sharing news and entertainment reads on his social media accounts and website, and partaking in events to raise money for gay causes.
Photos via Facebook
He’s originally from the Deep South, but has made Los Angeles his new home the past year. If you find yourself in Colby’s neighborhood, the gay mecca of West Hollywood, he’s provides us some of his favorite spots and musts dos throughout LA:
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A Picture’s Worth And Travel Inspiration For First Timers To London + Paris
A hundred years old, the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is undoubtedly cliché. However, we can’t deny that it still holds true for photographs that are laced with memory and depth.
While we have our smartphones to snap our daily happenings, the quality and detail of photo that comes from an actual camera still trumps the lens of an iPhone. A camera is also like a third eye that can provide a different perspective to what you would normally see, especially if your digital camera still has a viewer, and can create truly beautiful shots.
I remember my first trips to both London and Paris back in winter 2008 and spring 2010, respectively. In full tourist mode, which I at times still find myself during each visit, I snapped hundreds of photos of iconic cities to always remind myself I was there (since at the time I didn’t know if I would be able to go back). Read the rest of this entry
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5 Cocktails To Enjoy Before Summer Ends
In the final days of August and into the Labor Day holiday weekend, we can start to think about the final days we’ll be sporting our favorite swimwear and certain seasonally garbs.
However, since we’re still likely going to have a few hot days thrown our way before summer is officially over, one thing we don’t have to say goodbye to just yet is our summer cocktails. Technically we never have to, but certain drinks only taste better after a hot day or lounging out by a pool during that last minute getaway.
Enjoy five different cocktails below: Read the rest of this entry
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WeHo’s PickUp Trolley Line
As an alternative to driving or cab-ing it to the bars and restaurants in West Hollywood, take advantage of the new WeHo PickUp trolley service—and don’t worry about “cuddling and breakfast” for the ride.
Starting August 16th, the free trolley bus (decked out in a bright yellow paint job and pop-art) will operate each Friday and Saturday night from 8:00 p.m. to 3 a.m.; circling WeHo on Santa Monica Boulevard between Fairfax and Robertson for 20 stops along the four mile route: Read the rest of this entry
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