Find Your Calling

[trip style = benevolent] {video is below}

Three weeks ago I did the opposite of what 99.9% of travelers do in Mexico {read: sip salt-rimmed margs on the beach}---I revisited a place that completely changed the course of my life.

When I was 15, I had the opportunity to visit San Felipe {a little town at the top of the Baja} on my spring break to help build a clinic. The project was significant because the fishing town is isolated and only reachable via a a three-hour, straight-as-an-arrow highway from Mexicali. Without a proper clinic in town, people were dying on the side of the road while trying to reach Mexicali for acute care.

Along with a team of teens from Vancouver, BC, I chiseled concrete, dug trenches and painted to help give the residents something everyone should have access to, but many in the world do not, basic medical care.

I went down with the idea that I'd help the 'poor people' in Mexico. After all, they lived differently than me: in houses constructed with plywood scraps, built on sand, and surrounded by fences constructed of barbed wire and prickly cactus. I could NOT have been more misinformed. I have the locals of San Felipe to thank for changing what I care about, how I spend my time and how I spend my money. To them, I am FOREVER grateful.

Expedia recently got wind of my story, so I went back to San Felipe with a camera team. It is my HIGHEST honor to have revisited the place that disrupted my worldview and changed my course. The just-launched two-minute video is part of Expedia's new campaign: Find Yours.

Eighteen years ago, I found my calling---something I do quietly behind the scenes, but is probably one of the most important parts of my life---find yours.

Can't view this video?

ps - stay tuned, behind-the-scenes photos of San Felipe to come on Friday! And, one other video has been made about Dave & Deb finding their harmony, check it out!

Roam+Board :: A BC Wine Country Escape at Hester Creek

[trip style = weekend getaway + wine tasting]

{Editor’s Note :: Two months ago I flew up to the Golden Mile Bench in Oliver, BC with a bunch of sommeliers to surround myself in all things wine country at Hester Creek Winery. I'm a big fan of the place---the people, the location, the Villas and the 2007 merlot. The 2007-built Hester Creek Villas are Trip Styler Approved!}

What
Hester Creek Winery had me at their cascading slopes of syrah and chardonnay. When I found out there was six Mediterranean villas, I was sold. Twist my rubber arm to stay and sip not just IN wine country, but AT a winery.

Resting high on the hillside above the hustle and bustle of the winery, one glance out the window and my soul begins to settle. Hester's villas are each positioned so you never forget you're surrounded by grapes. Arched entrances, Italian porcelain tile and a colour scheme of pinot blanc and cabernet merlot punctuate the nouveau-Tuscan design.

My steaming coffee in-hand, I open the double doors to my patio's black iron bistro table and pillow-topped loungers, and decide happy hour isn't just about a glass of cab franc in the afternoon, in wine country, it's every moment. Cheers.

PS. If you need any convincing to visit BC's wine country, in this short video, Kim Cattrall asks you to stop by.

Where
In Oliver {South Okanagan}, BC, Canada's westernmost wine country and the self-proclaimed wine capital of Canada. By car: 5 hours from Vancouver. By plane/car: fly into Penticton or Kelowna and rent a car from there for the 1-2-hour journey.

When
Late spring, summer and early fall are the ideal seasons to visit. The desert landscape, cooled by "air drainage" {wine speak for cool air rushing along a downward slope}, makes the temperatures hot-to-trot but bearable.

Who/Why
You're looking for a lifestyle escape among the vines. Something with character, bunched in with grapes. A place you can dine al fresco under a vine-tangled terrace, listen to a summer concert in the vineyard or take an executive chef-led cooking class.

Cost
Rates start at $225/night in mid-winter and top out at $295/night in the summer high season {closed November 1st-Feb 9th}. Prices include a welcome bottle of Hester Creek wine {naturally}, breakfast in your room or on your patio, wifi and parking. No pool or hot tub, but cool down or heat up in the soaker tub. Fido will have come on your next vacay, pinot isn't good for pups. Over weekends there's a two-night minimum stay.

More Roam+Board
Fairmont Banff Springs - Banff
Thompson - Beverly Hills
The Sorrento Hotel - Seattle
The LIT! Bangkok - ThailandH
otel De La Paix - Thailand

[photos taken by @tripstyler when a guest of Hester Creek, bottom right photo via Hester Creek]

KinderHop :: Pack Less With Kids In Tow

[trip style = any]

{KinderHop is published on the second Wednesday of every month and written by Trip Styler’s Seattle-based kid ‘n family writer, Keryn.}

Traveling with children is often greeted with a groan. Once you add kids to your travels, you'll certainly be checking several bags and toting several carry-ons. Not true! With a little extra planning and prep, you can get all your child’s stuff into your suitcase. After all, kids are tiny and so are their clothes---for a little while at least! {At which point they graduate to their own "mini" suitcases...}

8 Ways To Pack Less With Kids In Tow

• DIAPERS: Only pack enough diapers to get you through the first two days. Buy the rest upon arrival at your destination. Don't be afraid to buy diapers abroad. Recognizable brands are available in a lot of countries, and the local brands work just as well in a pinch. You may have to guess at the size, but they are still super absorbent and are much easier to buy there than lug in half a suitcase across the globe.
• LAUNDRY: Plan on doing laundry when you get there. Pack enough clothes for half the trip. General rule: more tops than bottoms.
• SHOES: Two---okay, maybe three---pairs of shoes is more than enough. One sneaker and either boots/booties {cold weather} or sandals {warm weather}.
• LAYERS: Dress your kids in layers. They will get max use out of the clothes you pack, and you can mix 'n match for exponential outfit possibilities.
• REPEAT: Don’t worry about your child wearing the same thing twice. As long as it’s clean, no one will notice.
• LIMIT: Limit the number of toys. You will be out exploring most of the time. That is entertainment in and of itself. Bring a small bag of toys for the plane, train or car ride to your destination. If you need more upon arrival, pick up some local toys as souvenirs.
• RENT IT: Look into baby gear rental agencies. There is no need to haul a crib, car seat and stroller across the globe if you can rent them once you arrive. Many rental companies are very affordable {ie: crib = $25-35/wk} and will stock more items than you'll ever need. For example, I'm renting a crib this weekend when I travel with my baby to Colorado.
• SIMPLE: Above all, keep it simple. If you don’t use it at home, most likely you won’t use it on the road.

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More KinderHop Family-Friendly Big Island Making Hotel Rooms Work With Kids KinderHop – Meet The Columnist

[Photo by keryn]

Crush :: Clare Vivier Carryalls

[trip style = any]

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We love Clare Vivier handbags at Trip Styler HQ. I've toted one of her Italian leather bags around the world with me for the past two years, and multiple countries and climates later, it's still taught, structured and fabulous. {...And capable of fitting a water bottle, my MacBook Air, iPhone, pashmina, documents, magazines and a pair of flats into its seemingly exponential space!}

The LA-based purse designer's casual and cultured cases, clutches and carryalls go beyond the typical black and brown leather staples, and invite women {and men} into a kaleidoscope of color year-round with bold hues like melon, charcoal navy and lava pebble.

Her colors are cool and designs dapper, but it's the functionality we adore too. Working in French television, Vivier noticed a lack of functional yet stylish laptop cases, so she took matters into her own hands, and a few years later her bags are worn by Fancophiles and Cali gals from coast to coast. And herein lies our love for the brand, so many of her bags perform double-duty---aka a laptop case doubling as a clutch---an e-s-s-e-n-t-i-a-l for travel fashion.

Our Fave Double-Duty Bags 1/ flat clutch, 11.5" x 7, $143 2/ foldover clutch, 11.5 x 11.5", $156 3/ oversized clutch, 17" x 11.5", $191 4/ grand pochette, 5.75" x 9", $173 *Use each to store a netbook, iPad or laptop by day, and as a clutch by night.

Find Clare Vivier handbags online, at the Vivier and Bentley Store in Silver Lake, CA {a stand-alone store opening up later this month} or in Canada at Holt Renfrew.

[photos sourced online via claire vivier]

Luxe Canadian Rails

[trip style = luxury + sightseeing]

It started with a toast and went seriously uphill from there, chugging from sea level to a soaring 4540ft.

A few weeks ago, I literally walked on a red carpet leading toward my coach aboard the Rocky Mountaineer---touted as one of the "top 5 trains in the world" by Conde Nast Traveller---for a bucket list journey in my own backyard. Meandering past frothing rivers, glassy lakes and snow-coned peaks, I was briskly reminded that I live in a place sought out by both seasoned and trip-of-a-lifetime travelers for its wild open spaces.

Under the warmth of the sun peeking through my glass-domed coach, the trip style = luxe train started its engine, and with a lurch---almost making my sparkling peach bev fly forward---set off. Beginning in Vancouver's urban landscape, I though I knew what to expect from my looming trip into the Canadian Rockies. I'd been before, heck, I'd even hiked 'em. Looking back, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Consuming the constantly changing countryside at a pace our modern world associates with Old World, and studying it via 360-degree side-to-side and top-to-bottom views, allowed me to view my Canadian surroundings through the eyes of a goggly-eyed tourist, seeing snow, craggy peaks and 500-pound grizzlies {again} for the first time.

On my safari in Kenya's Masai Mara, a tear rolled down my face at the first sight of a family of elephants roaming the plains, and that awe-inspired feeling---the kind that confuses every one of your senses---is how everyone on my train car felt when they saw mountain goats navigating the cliffside and bear cubs foraging for food near the tracks. In the Mara, elephants, lions and rhinos roam freely, and in Western Canada, the same is true with a different set of safari-worthy subjects.

On the Rocky Mountaineer, you co-exist with nature while dining on exec chef-prepared meals and drinking Okanagan chardonnay, or in one jolly gentleman's case a few seats behind me, about 16 G&Ts. {I wish I could hear HIS trip stories, maybe Canadian grizzlies breathe fire?} At one point, I remember rushing to my coach's outside viewing area to snap the scenery, camera in one hand, wine in another. At that moment, a smile came to my face. I was relaxed, well fed and wonderstruck, in my own backyard.

Know This

• Riding the rails in style comes at a pret-a-porter price, so if you'd like to test drive the train, start with the Vancouver to Whistler ride from $149 one-way/$259 round trip.
• There are three classes of service: RedLeaf, SilverLeaf and GoldLeaf. Silver and GoldLeaf each enjoy glass-domed coaches, which I recommend for optimal nature viewing.
• Rocky Mountaineer offers four seasonal routes from April to October: the two-day First Passage to the West (Vancouver-Kamloops-Banff), the two-day Journey Though the Clouds (Vancouver-Kamloops-Jasper), the two-day Rainforest to Gold Rush (Whistler-Quesnel-Jasper), and the half-day Sea to Sky Climb (Vancouver-Whistler). Routes can be done in reverse or combined.
• Prices start at $850 per person for the two-day First Passage to the West {trip described above}. This includes the train journey and an overnight hotel. If you want to go for the GoldLeaf, prices start at $1900.
• Rocky Mountaineer and its union are currently involved in an ongoing labor dispute. This does not impact service or schedule.

[photos by @tripstyler, taken while as a guest of the Rocky Mountaineer]