Instagram :: The Ultimate Travel Tool

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Not just a snap-py tool to follow friends, swoon over glamor shots of far-flung locales or ogle latte art, Instagram is one of my favorite travel tools. Lately I've been chatting with my travel friends about how we use it as one of our go-to galavanting guides, so I wanted to give you the quick and dirty deets. Use it the right way and suddenly, a picture turns into a plan.

Trip Styler Tip :: O-B-V-I-O-U-S-L-Y TripStyler's on Instagram

How To Use Instagram As Your Travel BFF 1. Hashtags Whether it's a tourism organization, hotel or restaurant, travel-related businesses are harnessing the power of hashtags to build up a user-generated database of 'real people' photos. For example, if you're interested in a place you want to visit, say Canada, search the #exploreCanada hashtag for inspiration. Maybe you decide a tour of BC is your best bet; in this case search #exploreBC. The list goes on. To find the hashtag associated with your destination, airline, restaurant or shop du moment, go to the username and see if they mention a hashtag in their profile, or search possible hashtags to find the right one. The example above is a shot I took in Osooyoos, BC in the early fall, which I hastagged #exploreCanada and #exploreBC.

2. Geotags A few weeks ago, I was getting a coffee at Koffi in Palm Springs when I spotted a hotel I've always wanted to check into: The Horizon Hotel. A midcentury gem in all its clean-lined glory, I decided to walk in and self-tour the property. Naturally, I took a photo while there {above}, instagrammed and geotagged it. Interested what the rooms look like on the inside, I clicked the hotel's geotag and started scrolling though scores of snaps. This five-minute photo safari only confirmed my desire to stay, revealing details like private showers and complimentary breakfast in bed. **Looking through geotagged photos is easiest when you post a photo, geotag it, then go back to your feed and click on the geotag to look at everybody's snaps for that location. If you're not at the place associated with the geotag and want to search its geotag, find the associated hashtag or username, then search through the photos to find the geotag.

3. Personal Recommendations You can search your Insta-muse's photos two ways: 1/ follow their Instagram day-to-day; 2/ click on their photo map to see where they've gone and what they like.

For example, I follow Sunset Magazine on Instagram. The mag's Insta is updated by the editor who lives in Seattle, so many of the photos are of cool spots in the PNW. As a result, I get a lot of recommendations about where to eat around the Emerald City from Sunset, like in the photo above {a relaxed coffee/bike shop beside some of Ballard's hottest restaurants}. Thanks Sunset. I'm a little more plump Insta-knowing you.

[photos via @tripstyler]

Saint Nick's Travel Tips

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{Editor's Note: Today marks our last post of 2012. Over the holidays we're taking a break in our flight schedule to put down the pen, stay put (for 10 days at least!) and savor the reason for the season. In a recent communique from air traffic control I was told we could resume our regular route Monday, January 7th. Until then, I'll update Trip Styler's Instagram and Editor's Diary intermittently. See you in the New Year, and from all of us on the Trip Styler crew, happy holidays wherever your journey takes you.}

Santa's the master traveler. A frequent flier, logistics expert and packing whisperer wrapped in one sugar plump package, we can learn a lot about travel from the jolly jetsetter:

1/ Keep calm and carry on. Santa never gets his knickers in a knot about delays or weather setbacks, and he has the world's CRAZIEST travel schedule.

2/ Travel in Technicolor. You don't see Father Christmas toting a boring black suitcase from the North to South Pole {and back}. Instead, his packages are clad in bows and ribbons. Trip Styler Tip :: always identify your suitcase---checked or carry-on---with some sort of color to separate it from the other gazillion monotone bags.

3/ Stay nourished. Père Noël loves him a fancy feast and doesn't let his transcontinental trot interfere with eating well at every stop. Though his sweet tooth can get him into a little trouble over the holidays, I'm sure he trades some of his cookies for Rudolf's celery sticks to stay healthy. Point is: treats may tempt us over the holidays, but remember to balance them with healthy fare.

4/ Know before you go. Airports around the world have different regulations as far as how many carry-ons you can tote, and what's permitted on the plane. Confusing, I know. Check the regulations where you're flying so your extra bag or prized tweezers aren't snatched by security. Think of it this way: Mr. Clause has to do his due diligence too, he doesn't give a child in Aruba a snowsuit and a child in Alaska a wakeboard...

5/ Always be prepared. Weather can get iffy in the winter---and Santa has to fly in an open-air sleigh. Add in volumes of holiday travelers and you've got the perfect storm {pun intended}. Plan ahead: get the right travel insurance coverage, prepare an airport delay kit, AND dress right for the airport---we're talking layers upon layers of style essentials.

{For more of Santa's travel tips, see the full article I wrote in Fodor's.}

Ho Ho Ho, Meeeeeeeeee-rry Christmas. xoxo, The Trip Styler Flight Crew

[graphic by @tripstyler with a little help from clipart]

Hotel Cleanliness :: The Dirt You Won't Believe

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Whether you pay $30 for an upscale hostel in Peru, $100 for a room via Priceline or $1000 for a posh villa in Australia, your room's cleanliness *should be* devoid of dirt, after all, you're p-a-y-i-n-g for a clean room {among other things}!

Most of my friends know I'm fairly germ-aware, and given that I travel all the time among a revolving door of people with DIFFERENT standards than me, I'm crazy careful what I touch {and DON'T touch} and where I put my stuff while on the road.

Last Friday night I appeared on CBC Marketplace {the Canadian equivalent to NBC Dateline} to discuss my grimiest hotel stays---one of which was a room with mold at JFK; two months later the hotel was condemned(!) and torn down---and what I do to make sure a room is Trip Styler clean. Regardless of my role in the episode, you've GOT TO watch the half-hour episode online. The findings will likely change the way you interact with hotel rooms.

In the episode CBC investigators and Guelph University microbiologist Keith Warriner tested 810 items in 54 hotel rooms {from budget to luxe} across the country. Their findings only confirmed the two-minute cleanliness sweep I do in every hotel room and the hygienic habits I *try* and use while traveling. Here's a refresher:

Hygienic Hotel Room Habits

• Don't touch hotspots like door handles, light switches, TV remotes or phones. *Try* and use your elbows instead.
• Only trust the comforter if it's wrapped in two just-washed sheets {this practice is very common nowadays at most 3* and up hotels}.
• Bring washable slippers so your feet don't touch the carpet or bathroom floors.
• Bring alcohol-based wipes to touch up high-touch zones: toilet seat, faucet, counters, hair dryer, etc...
• Place bathroom toiletries on a towel instead of directly on the bathroom countertop.
• Never use the in-room water or wine glasses without washing them first.
• I've said this before and I'll say it again, to avoid bed bugs {as much as possible} do not place luggage on the bed, an ottoman or a chair, and check for the critters on the headboard and mattress.
• Above all, wash hands frequently.

PS - If you read TS regularly you know I have nothing but respect for hotel housekeepers. They do SUCH a hard job, and are often pushed to the limit with the amount of room cleans they must complete on a daily basis. As I wrote in Hotel Guest Etiquette, please don't leave your room in a big mess and make their job more arduous!

Related Sanity In Sanitizing Bed Bug Proofing Your Hotel Room Travel Etiquette For Hotel Guests Using Your Hotel Room Like MacGyver KinderHop :: Making Hotel Rooms Work With Kids

[photo of CBC Marketplace episode]

iPhone Map Trickery

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When we travel to the US or other international cities it's nice to know how to get from A to B with ease, BUT without a local SIM or international roaming package {$$$}, we have to depend on a physical map or locals' directions. Though this isn't a bad thing---I always carry a back-up map and I'm a huge fan of talking with locals---it's nice to get digital, GPS-enabled directions too, right on the comfort of your own iPhone.

Walking Here's where the iPhone trickery comes in: if you enter where you want to go on your iPhone's built-in map while in a WiFi zone, your phone's built-in GPS will take it from there---even when you bid adieu to WiFi! For example, I needed to get from my hotel to a park this weekend in Seattle {Bellevue, actually}, so while I was connected to WiFi at my hotel, I enabled my current location {photo 1 above} and entered my destination to initiate the map's direction feature {photo 2 above}. Once I left the WiFi zone at my hotel, my phone continued tracking my GPS location showing directions and a blue marker following me between my hotel and the park {photo 3 above}. Note that although my phone appears to have data given the AT&T symbol, I have it set NOT to roam in the USA.

Trip Styler Tip :: you can use this feature for walking, driving and transit, but I don't recommend it for driving as it can get confusing when cruising on foreign, fast-moving roads.

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Driving Since we're on the topic, my preferred means of navigating the spaghetti-strappy highways and byways in the US is to use my iPhone's TomTom GPS app WHICH DOES NOT RELY ON DATA or WiFi. Solely using your iPhone's built-in GPS, enter your destination---be it a hotel, restaurant, park or the like---and TomTom the Tominator will give you step-by-step instructions on how to get there. Tom's a star; he's NEVER failed me and I ride with him a lot! --> Find it via the Apple App Store for $49.99. {One of the BEST travel investments I ever made}.

*Android users {you lucky dogs}: a few months ago Google Maps came out with a feature called Offline Maps, meaning you can save select maps to your phone and your Android's GPS will show where you are with a blue dot.

[Photos taken from my iPhone of Apple Maps in iOS 6, but I also tested a second iPhone running iOS5 and Google Maps. The same steps apply.]

How To Sleep Well When Traveling

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There are two travel sleeping camps; those that sleep well in hotel beds and those who toss and turn. On the road, I spend part of my time in the zzzzzz camp and part of my time in the restless camp, yet the more I travel, the better I'm becoming at counting sheep. Good night!

Experience has taught me that sleeping well is probably the single most important factor in warding off potential sickness. The second I lose a lot of sleep, I'm down, which is why traveling so much, I've become a little obsessed with this topic.

A few years ago this became very clear when I spent four days in Italy before flying to Africa. After losing sleep on my flight to Italy and failing to get any shut-eye on the plywood-esque beds in the Cinque Terre, my body broke down and I got a t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e cold. Once in Nairobi, I slept for 14 hours the first night, and my health was on the up and up from there.

Here's some travel sleeping strategies I've learned over time, plus a few tips from a "getting the best sleep ever" article I recently read by Dr. Oz: 1/ Wear ear plugs. This eliminates any rogue noises you're not used to in a hotel. 2/ Check your pillow when you check-in. A bad pillow can mean the difference between a great and grappling slumber. 3/ Regulate the room's temperature before nodding off. Generally I know to set all hotel thermostats between 70-72F before bed. 4/ Wear sox to bed. According to Dr. Oz, insulating your feet regulates your body's temperature diverting heat away from your core to your feet. When your center is cooler, it slows down your metabolic processes giving your brain the internal signal it's time to drift off---or stay asleep! 5/ Ix-nay on the TV, iPad, iPhone-ay. Dr. Oz also advises turning off all screens 90 minutes before bed, because each contains a blue light which suppresses melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone. 6/ Leave the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door so you don't get an AM knock-knock before your body wants to wake-up. 7/ If you're in a new timezone and want to jump into it asap, light and darkness are huge factors in our body's ability to sleep and wake, so make sure your room is totally dark at night. 8/ Finally, double check your hotel alarm clock is set to off. On recent trips I've been woken up more than once due to the previous guest's setting.

[photo by @tripstyler, taken at the Hotel Monaco (which I recommend) in Portland]