8 Ways To Extend Summer

[trip style = any]

Yesterday I had an end-of-summer freak out until I realized nature's heat lamp usually blasts heat into late-September AND we're getting into a CRAZY  period for booking cheap fall travel. Here are some local and international ideas to keep the summer sun shining into the fall:

1/ Don't write September off for fun in the sun. Even though every rule in the book is telling you to change everything from the colors you wear to the foods you eat after labor day, resist the urge and stay in the summer state of mind. Fall-schmall.

2/ Sizzling shoulder season. We've written about low season travel deals at length in the past. Travel at a trip style = budget-friendly price for a trip style = luxury getaway. Here are just a few of the deals that have come across my desk in the past day: - Fairmont Mayakoba {Playa Del Carmen, Mexico}: $199/night includes a DAILY $100 dining credit! Book by Aug 23 for stays through Dec 20. - Hawaiian Airlines: Seattle to Maui from $351 return. Book by Aug 27 for travel through Dec 15. - Parker Palm Springs: $169 for stays Sunday - Thursday. Book by Aug 23 for travel Sept 3 - 27. Fall shoulder season usually lands between Sept 3 and Dec 20 in most sunny destinations. Check your destination of choice for some of the year's best deals.

3/ Daycation: book a spa treatment and sit at the pool {like I did Monday}. Most hotel spas allow guests to sit by the pool pre- or post-treatment without an added fee.

4/ Plan a endless summer party. Keep the dream alive with a salmon bake, oyster-shucking fest, beach BBQ or Mexican fiesta!

5/ Visit a tiki bar. It's summer year round in the South Pacific.

6/ Plant yourself on a patio from happy hour until sundown.

7/ Plan an impromptu night away {by monitoring the weather report}. Sunny skies ahead? I hear a hotel pool calling your name. Have you heard of Hotel Tonight? This indispensable travel app is our fave way to book a hotel at the last moment.

8/ Wear white beyond labor day. It's no longer uncouth, plus, when the snow starts falling you can sport a monochromatic look.

[photo by @tripstyler taken in Vancouver at the Westin Bayshore]

A Sky-vival Kit

[trip style = any]

Flying two or three hours is no biggie. Between the water/pop service, one bathroom break and a magazine, you're almost there. Anything over six hours requires a sky-vival plan at 35,000ft. From head to toe, here's how to assemble to ultimate kit:

{See our full story Fodor's Travel including details on how each essential was selected and where to buy it.}

1. Dry Shampoo 2. Eye Drops 3. Sunglasses 4. Smudge-Free Eye Mask 5. Moisturizing Mist 6. Noise-Canceling Headphones {bonus: they double as ear plugs} 7. Collapsible Water Bottle 8. Portable Toothbrush 9. Scarf/Wrap/Blanket 10. Hand Cream 11. Sanitizer 12. Moisturizing Sox

Other Musts {not pictured above} - Pen for customs forms - Tide 'anti-stain' Pen for spot-cleaning that coffee spill - Gravol in case you encounter some bumps

[graphic by @tripstyler]

Fashionable Flashpacking

[trip style = any]

I resent the idea that flashpacking is associated with hostels, polar fleece and Crocs {which I'm not dissing, except for Crocs---not even at the campsite people!}. Flashpacking's roots rest in backpacking, romanticizing an upmarket version sans the bulky bag, clanging pots and pans, and extras. Just the essentials. The problem is, the word flashpacking doesn't really describe minimalist, tech-focused hostel-hopping---maybe it should be called technopacking?

At Trip Styler, we think flashpacking means packing fast and fashionably. Period. Who has time to plan outfits for hours and stuff 10 dresses, six pairs of pants, 15 tops, seven pairs of shoes, an ionic hairdryer, and the kitchen sink into a bag and THEN pack and repack on a trip? Not me, not you and certainly not yo momma!

Less is more on the road, and less does not equate to zero style, hence the above graphic---just think of the exponential outfit possibilities.

Fashionable Flashacking HOW-TOs - make a list: I like the Kayak app's packing list feature {which I reuse and re-interepret for every trip} - plan your outfits in advance and tackle 'em from head to toe - seek in-season outfit inspiration via your fave fashion blogs, or check our monthly Fashion Friday column - mix basics and patterns so it's easy to hide stains - always keep your travel toiletries stocked and ready to go - edit shoes down to essentials---max five for a carry-on! - use accessories like belts, scarves and jewelry to re-imagine basics

Related Fitting 50 Garments Into A Carry-On Q&A With “How To Pack Like a Rock Star” Author Packing 103 // Packing 102 // Packing 101 Size Matters Travel Essentials for Any Trip Style High Rolling :: To Roll or Lay Flat? A Summer Weekend Packing List The Art of Carry-On Travel Going Away? Packing and To Do List

[Photo by @tripstyler]

Luxe For Less In B+ Destinations

[trip style = budget conscious + luxe]

{Editor's Note :: Stay tuned for a follow-up piece on B+ hotels---just as nice, sans the globally recognized brand name.}

"A", as in "it" destinations command A pricing. Take: - Wailea in Maui, - NYC in New York, - Miraflores in Lima, - Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong.

Stay in an A area of an A city and you'll pay the price. Sometimes it's what we want as far as convenience, and it's possible to save on the hotel with discount booking sites like Priceline or Hotel Tonight, however, to save an extra dollar or 75 of 'em, B can be best!

Consider the area just on the outskirts of A to achieve a luxe experience for less. B+ destinations can save you a ton of money because they have less international acclaim and less marketing dollars devoted to promotion. This doesn't mean they're a second-class choice or an inferior tourism option, just not as visible in the shadow of their successful sibling!

Some Brilliant Bs

• A = Manhattan, NY. B+ = Brooklyn.
• A = Seattle, WA. B+ = Bellevue.
• A = Newport Beach, CA. B+ = Laguna Beach.
• A = Palm Beach, Aruba. B+ = Eagle Beach.
• A = Serengeti, Tanzania. B+ = Masai Mara, Kenya.
• A = Sydney, Australia. B+ = McMahons Point {North Sydney}.

What are some of your "Brilliant Bs"?

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[photo by @tripstyler taken in Aruba]

Cleaning A Hotel Room {aka: Sanity In Sanitizing}

[trip style = any]

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I'm just going to put this out there: thinking about the hundreds---maybe thousands---of people who have previously stayed in "your hotel room" doesn't exactly inspire cleanly confidence. So, I try not to think about it and enjoy the treat that is a hotel stay.

Recently I was reminded of hotel room "hot spots" that tend to be missed in the between-guest clean-a-thon: doorknobs, remote controls and phones. I realize worrying about this is a slippery slope, but it made me ponder giving these germy gems a quick wipe-down.

Sometimes it's best NOT to know if there's germs, and so I have a love/hate relationship with investigative reports like this ABC primetime piece on hotel room sanitation misses. When in doubt, sanitize with a wipe or ask the hotel to come and spot clean. Otherwise, avoiding surfaces like the hotel room carpet {by wearing your own packable/washable slippers, which I never travel without}, and door handles/elevator buttons {with the back of your hand or elbow}, is a hygienic habit.

Full disclosure: Having been in cruise ship and camp situations where there was a supervirus outbreak, I'm a slight germaphobe {my friends are currently nodding their heads and smiling}.

Sanitize & Check {a one-minute blitz}

• Breeze over doorknobs, the phone, the remote control and the toilet bowl handle {& light fixtures if you're feeling keen} with an antibacterial wipe
• Perform a quick bed bug check {here's how}
• Before you drink out of the glass in your bathroom, wash it with soap and water
• And because you can't sanitize the carpet, bring travel slippers you can wash post-trip
• When in doubt, ask the hotel to come and re-clean. I had to do this not once but TWICE at an ultra-luxe resort in Australia....luxe doesn't always equate to more clean!

Related Travel Etiquette For Hotel Guests Using Your Hotel Room Like MacGyver KinderHop :: Making Hotel Rooms Work With Kids

[photo by @tripstyler taken at the Marriott Aruba]