Posts filed under 'Travel'
Bite me
I’m just back from chillin’ in Napa, Calif., with Oakley ambassadors Katrina Hodgson and Karena Dawn and a bunch of other media and retail peeps. Well, that’s if you can call running a 5k race, hot-air ballooning, bicycling (granted, it only consisted of a few short rides–from one winery to the next) and hiking in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park “chilling.”
K & K have their own company, Tone It Up, in Manhattan Beach, Calif., where they work as personal trainers promoting a healthy, active lifestyle and the ladies could not be sweeter.
But I may have simply been swayed by their deelish Peanut Butter Bites, a raw snack they’d prepped for the group as pre-hike fuel–what the Bites lack in looks, they make up for in flavour, trust me.
Make up your own batch using the recipe from Katrina and Karena’s blog. And check out their travel workout (something I wish I’d been inspired by before my six-hour wait in Denver’s airport).
2 comments May 20, 2010
Mommy dearest
An early wakeup call, long lines at customs and security, followed by my flight being delayed by two hours, which made me miss my connection, resulting in a six-hour wait in the airport for the next available flight, all has me stressing out big time (oh, and did a mention that I think I lost my cell phone somewhere along the way, too?).
According to new research, a phone call with my mom may help by triggering the release of stress-diminishing hormone oxytocin, helping to calm my frayed nerves.
Which is a strategy I’d consider right now…if I had my cell phone handy.
-sigh-
2 comments May 14, 2010
Retail therapy that works
Research conducted at Cornell University revealed that one’s satisfaction with “experiential” purchases, say getting a deep-tissue massage or spending a week of R&R in Saint Tropez, starts out at a high level and increases. This is attributed to our selective memories and how our experiences are entirely subjective.
Spend money on material items, though, and your purchase might make you feel good at first, but it tends to taper off, making you feel less happy in the end. Seems that we tend to second-guess our buying decisions: Could we have gotten a better price at another boutique, for example, or is this handbag as to-die-for as the one your friend just bought.
Something to keep in mind the next time you’re shopping for happiness. And say what they will — I’m still heading out now to pick up these shoes at Banana Republic.
3 comments March 10, 2010
Be happier — by looking forward to a vacay
I’m dreaming of getting away from this dreary grey weather and the daily grind. And so I was particularly intrigued by a new study published in Applied Research in Quality of Life that found that it’s in the time leading up to a vacation that those going away are happier than non-vacationers. Once you’re back home from vacation, your happiness isn’t boosted — although there is a slight rise in your happiness levels for the first two weeks your back home if your vacation was particularly relaxing.
And so I’m throwing myself into planning a vacation in the next month or so. The pic above is now the wallpaper on my computer, and here are just some of the travel essentials I will be packing.
1. Sennheiser‘s brand new PXC-250 II improves on its patented NoiseGard technology to cancel out ambient noise, helping you drown out that crying baby seated behind you on your four-hour flight. (Plus, I think these headphones would be mighty handy escaping the surroundings on public transit every day, too — dude next to me on the streetcar yesterday was drinking a 40-oz beer. For real).
2. And what will I be listening to on my PXC-250 II’s? The new This American Life iPhone app is just $3 and you get access to all of their archived episodes (dating back to 1995!), not to mention view sample clips of the TAL TV show. A girlfriend and I were chatting about how we are both majorly crushing on host Ira Glass, he’s just so everything — funny, intelligent, witty…sigh.
3. I often don’t pack beauty tools like tweezers when I go away…and then inevitably find myself with a broken nail or that one errant brow hair that glares out at me whenever I look in the mirror. My Tagalongs Handywoman’s Kit ($12) solves both of these problems. It comes complete with scissors, knife, tweezers, nail file, toothpick and pen, all packed into a kit barely bigger than a credit card.
4. Somehow tweezers seem too fussy to bring with me on a trip, and yet I do make space in my luggage for a candle — just makes the hotel room a little homier. My new favourite? The Citrus Verveine travel candle ($20) from San Fran-based company Elizabeth W. Could be because I’m a little Vampire Diaries-obsessed lately…although the verveine would keep Damon Salvatore out of my room — maybe I should consider a different scented candle. :)
4 comments February 22, 2010
