Dress for (Travel) Success

Part 2 in the Question/Answer series with Mr. Chris Beer...

The inquiry we're addressing today:

How do you choose what to wear when travelling? Do you go for fashionable, or practical, or try a mix of both? Do you find it difficult to dress fashionable in other parts of the world where the sense of fashion is ahead of what we have in North America, or do you just go with whatever and not care whether it's fashionable or not, since you're on vacation anyway?

Travel and fashion, 2 things that should be of instrumental importance in everyone's life! (haha) However it's a shame they don't always go hand in hand.  My general belief is that a couple fancy get-ups are important to have if you're going to a wedding/bachelorette on the road, but otherwise COMFORT IS KEY.

Those Jimmy Choo 4" stilettos may be to die for, but if you're wearing them to climb the Eiffel Tower, you're a tool. (Not to mention you might actually die for them in that case as you go tumbling down the stairs...)  Unless you already know you're going to be driven from door to door and doing very little walking on your trip, start your clothes packing by selecting 2-3 pairs of your most comfortable pairs of shoes and build the rest of your travel wardrobe from there.  Start with the pair of shoes you plan to do most of your walking in, this will likely be a pair of runners, sneakers, comfort shoes etc.  Then consider a pair that can potentially be dressed up a little if required, comfy flats or black loafers/boots.  Depending on the length of the trip you might want to bring a 3rd pair, ie. for a formal event if you're attending one, or sandals/open-toed shoes if you have a range of destinations where some places might be warmer.  Do not bring a new pair of shoes to wear for the first time on a trip, especially if that's the shoe you plan to do your walking in.

Layering options is a good way to build your travel wardrobe.  Current fashion trends are giving us more and more options to layer stylishly.  That Wonder Woman t-shirt of yours is fun & casual on its own with jeans, or with a hoodie over it; a cardigan instead of a hoodie and you're off to pub looking geek-chic; wearing it under a blazer is plenty trendy; and if you happen to forget your pjs it's still comfy enough to sleep in. (I'm not suggesting you wear that t-shirt 5 times btw, ew...  Those are just some options.)  Try to pick items of clothing that will match with multiple things, thus giving you options on the road.  I'm a visual person, so I like to make a list of tops and bottoms I want to bring and play connect the dots to check my choices.  Like so...

The more lines each item connects to the better.  Also when it comes to bottoms, stick with the practical. You'll likely pick up some item of clothing in your travels that you'll want to wear right away, and the majority of the clothing out there is not going to match with your purple acid wash bellbottoms. (Actually that sounds ghastly, if you own a pair of those you should probably burn them)

When it comes to fashion vs. practicality, I think there's a lot out there that can be both.  If your closet doesn't lend to that kind of thinking, then you can always look at your travel research (I think I mention "research, research, research" in every blog I write hehe) to help decide.  Where are you going?  If the daily temperature is going to be -15C then screw fashion and pack your warmest sweaters!  What do you plan to do there?  If all you're going to do is hike through parks, go to museums, and ride rollercoasters then there's not much need for a button-up shirt.  However if you're going to see a musical, check out a fancy restaurant, or go clubbing, you'll need something a little classier than your "I'm with stupid" t-shirt.  I have no patience with ironing so formal events aside, no matter how trendy I get with my wardrobe, you will not find me packing any type of clothing that needs ironing.  You can also take into consideration whether you're likely to do much shopping on your trip, and what kind of things you'll buy.  I've gone to New York City with just the clothes on my back and an empty suitcase before, and I tend to arrive in Hong Kong with very few personal toiletries and accessories because I'll load up when I'm there.

How to keep up with the fashion forward or do you even try?  I guess that's a matter of personal preference.  I do try to keep up with fashion, noting the difference between countries and cities.  Sure it's great if you can grab pieces from the closet that you can rock in Paris, but no one's forcing you to go to Holt Renfrew for a new wardrobe before you depart.  I'll try to bring my most fashion-forward clothes to places like Paris & London (so to appear only one season behind at most ;) ) but some cultures like Japan have such unique styles that there's really no hope of blending in.

I'll leave you with a short point form list of my personal travel clothing essentials:

-clothes that require no ironing

-comfort is key

-I will never leave home without a hoodie

-practical bottoms - blacks and blues

-lots of layering options

-sneakers for walking <3!

-a few key accessories that match with almost everything

-pair of Birkenstocks whenever possible

-pashmina

-solid colour purses (easier to match with clothes than patterns)

-as few jackets as possible (because they're heavy) so pick a versatile one

Happy comfy, stylish travels!

Euroventures 2011 - Salzburg

 View from the Salzburg Fortress

The train I took from Venice to Salzburg was an overnighter.  Having had a bad experience with a sleeping compartment on a previous train journey (Paris to Zurich), I decided to book regular seats this time.  I was on an OBB train and if you can sleep on a plane, you'll be fine in a seat on these trains.  Each compartment sits 6 but most were not full, our compartment ranged from 2-5 people through the ride and it was prob one of the most occupied compartments.  The train had power outlets for the window seats, 4 overhead storage shelves, 4 coat hooks, 4 pull-out tables, personal reading lights and one controllable overhead compartment light.  A pretty sweet set-up if you can manage to score a compartment to yourself.

Arriving in Salzburg at 4am was pretty brutal.  Luckily my hotel - the Hotel Lasserhoff - had a 24 concierge and they let me stash my bags there, as my monster bag had no hope of fitting into one of those lockers at the train station (another reason to pack light!) For those not familiar, Salzburg is a smaller city in Austria whose claim to fame is being the birthplace of Mozart and home of the family Von Trapp (whose story we know from The Sound of Music).  It's very friendly and safe, but also quite small.  I had cut across the historic center twice by 6am and wasn't nervous once about wandering deserted streets in the dark in a foreign city.

Check-in wasn't until 2pm so after ducking into a McDonald's (which opened at 6am and had free wifi) for a not-so-exotic breakfast, we walked through the beautifully groomed Mirabell Park, where you might recognize the fountain from The Sound of Music. Clearly this stop was going to be about Mozart trivia and Sound of Music filming locations.  Tourist Information and most tourist sites open at 9am, almost everything is within walking distance.  So the first order of business was to obtain a 'Salzburg Card' which, for €34, entitles you admission into all museums/historic sites/public transportation for 2 days.  While some places make not be your top priority to visit, it's certainly a load off the mind and wallet knowing you can visit and travel to where you like.  No regrets that you opted for a cheesy tourist trap or took the wrong bus (which I did! haha) because it's already paid for.

Some highlights for me included the Salzburg Fortress (Hohensalzburg Castle), which we hiked up to on foot after visiting a couple Sound of Music sites at the foot of the hill (a ways from the funicular).  Holy crap that was one steep trek!  And even after setting foot within the fortress walls, we were greeted with more (you guessed it) stairs and slopes!  I haven't huffed and puffed so much since I was in San Francisco!  The museum info indicates that Salzburg Fortress has never been taken by force -- it's no wonder!  What army would be crazy enough to advance up that slope wearing full armour and carrying weaponry??!  Needless to say, the views at that height were spectacular and well worth the effort of the climb.  Plus I took the funicular down. :P  A much more pleasant stroll was had at Schloss Hellbrunn, a whimsical 17th century Archbishop's summer palace with extensive gardens featuring a number of trick fountains.  In the park is also the gazebo from The Sound of Music where the number '16 Going On 17' was performed.

Doors are kept locked to keep dorky tourist from leaping bench to bench impersonating Liesl Von Trapp.

I didn't realize it at the time but the souvenirs are actually much better in Salzburg than in the capital Vienna (Wien) so if you're stopping in both cities, get your souvenirs in the former.  Also if you're a chocolate lover, have some Mozart balls.  There are stores in the historical center that sell nothing but, also different manufacturers with different priced products that taste comparable.  I'm not very well-knowledged on the different companies, but Mirabell is a common manufacturer with products at a medium price range.  I noticed that the Billa (supermarket) sold bags significantly cheaper than at the specialty/souvenir stores.

My hotel also added to my positive experiences in Salzburg, so I can't complete this blog without giving a shout to the Hotel Lasserhof - 5 mins from the train station, 10 mins from the centre of the city.  Affordable rates, free wifi, friendly concierge at 4am (who stowed my bag, offered me a map and circled key landmarks for me etc.), spacious room, and one of the greatest complimentary breakfast buffets I've had in my years of travel.  I left every morning with a belly full of toast/waffles/eggs/meats/yogurt/cereal/veggies/fruit/juice/tea (and that's just the stuff I eat, there was more), which goes a long way when you're walking all day.

I was in Salzburg for 2 full days and made good use of my time starting early each day - especially the first morning.  Tourist attractions tend to close early so it's a good idea to take in a concert or longer sit-down dinner to stretch out your day.  I had tickets to Cirque du Soleil (Allegria in an arena... perhaps I'll do a blog on Cirque shows around the world another time) one evening and dying of exhaustion the other evening.  Despite that, I felt like I got through most of what I wanted to see in a day and a half and spent a couple hours on the 2nd afternoon traveling to the edge of town (which is a 20 min bus ride away haha) to check out a Desigual outlet (one of my favourite fashion retailers), wow, now that's an outlet store!  They had a ton of stuff but sadly none of it was all that spectacular on me.

What a beautiful city Salzburg is!  Truthfully, it doesn't warrant a repeat visit, but it's so lovely that you just might want to stop in again.

Evenings/Nights Well Spent...

I've already drafted a number of blurbs on my travels, just trying to organize my photos so that I can also provide some visual aids with them.  In the meantime I've been messaged with some inquiries -- Yay questions!  I don’t reiterate this often enough but if you ever have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I don’t consider myself a pro in any way, but I’m plenty opinionated so will likely have some kind of a reply for you. 

 

Today’s inquiry comes from Chris Beer, who just returned from a week’s getaway in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Pretty nice there this time of year if I remember correctly.  He asks:

“What do you do with your evenings, when you're travelling? The time between dinner and bedtime, when most of the stores are closed and it's too dark to go sight seeing?”

Check out a noodle bar that turns into a club at night?

Nightlife greatly varies from country to country, some spots are no-brainers – ie. Las Vegas, while others really leave you scratching your head (I imagine Victoria would be one of them!)  Also options vary depending on the type of trip you’re taking and who you’re travelling with.

When I’m in bustling cities like Montreal/New York/London (England) with friends the nights are always packed, meals are often eaten a little late, and there’s always a trendy new bar to check out.  I don’t believe in travelling in packs night and day when I’m vacationing with friends, I firmly believe in doing different things in smaller groups, with your partner only, or even by yourself; but come nighttime that is when you gather to catch up on each other’s day, compare stories and purchases, and have a bit of food and drink together.

On trips where I am alone or travelling with folks who may not be up for a lot of nighttime activity, that’s a slightly different ballgame.  While I do adapt to the different cultures, if left to my own devices while on the road, I prefer to dine around 7 or 8, get back to the hotel between 9-11, and go to bed around 1am.  I’m also happy to check out late night activities, just not every night.  Some countries you’ll find the gaps are easy to fill…

The Spanish eat dinner around 10pm, so many stores will be open pretty late.  Even if you go broke at the El Corte Ingles (like I usually do) by 8pm, there’s time to wander back to the hotel to drop off your bags before making your way back out to dinner at 9:30.  In the major cities of Asia, stores open until 10 or 11pm so you can always do your shopping after you eat.  Most North American malls are open until at least dinner time, so shop until 7 or 8 then go eat, then check out what the nightlife has to offer.

Ok, so maybe you loathe shopping and want me to stop forcing you to go into malls… with a little planning ahead on your sight-seeing destinations it’s not hard to fill up a day.  Make a list of places you’d like to visit, map them out if you’re inclined.  Do a little research to see which ones close the latest and order your destinations to maximize your hours.  Again, this is prob easier to do in some cities than others, but since Chris just came back from Vancouver let’s use that as an example...  (Sorry if my suggestions are a little generic, it's been 9 years since I've been there) It’s your vacation so no need to rise that early, let’s say you’re ready to go out at about 10am, the Granville Island market will be open so head over there to look around and get some brunch.  In the afternoon you could stroll along Robson/Granville, or transit to Burnaby to check out some galleries, or go spend the afternoon in Stanley Park including the Vancouver Aquarium (or a combo of those if you’re efficient with your time), as the sun begins to set and the tourist spots close, head down to the waterfront to check out the view then over to Gastown to see the clock that everyone seems to make a fuss about (ok, I guess it is kinda cool).  By now most stores are closing but Chinatown is still open, stroll over there to check out the scene, the ugly historic bell, and maybe even have yourself some dinner.  After some food, if you’re not staying very far away, stop in at the hotel to drop off any purchases you’ve made during the day, your camera if it’s a large one, and freshen up.  Nightlife starts up pretty early in Vancouver, so come 9pm there will be a number of bars and lounges to check out.  Alternatively you can go take another peak at the view of the water at night, or go to a movie, or even to a Canucks game if they're playing and your wallet can handle the ticket prices.  One of my favourite bookstores Granville Books is sadly no longer there, but a quick search on the web indicates my other fav Golden Age Collectibles (which is the equivalent of Toronto’s Silver Snail) is still there and open until 9pm almost every night.

I think the common things to do in the evenings while on vacation usually include:  going to shows, concerts, bars, clubs, or the movies.  Some cities may have night walking tours, ie ghost tours or mystery tours.  Sometimes attractions will even have special night time events – ie. Alcatraz Prison has a night tour and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum has evenings events every Friday night.

This is a brief breakdown of what I did every night after the sun set while I was on vacation:

Night 1 – jet lag, went back to the hotel after dinner

Night 2 - full dinner starting 7:30/8pm then walked home slowly losing my way once (haha)

Night 3 – train departing at 9:30pm so I was at the station after dinner

Night 4 – Been up since 4am, I was barely awake to eat dinner much less go out after

Night 5 – Cirque du Soleil show

Night 6 – stayed in for the evening

Night 7 – early dinner then a Vienna opera performance

Night 8 – 7pm dinner at Ra’mien Bar, walked around the Ring to check out the marathon & party at Hofburg Palace, hour long stroll home after

Night 9 - full dinner around 8pm then leisurely walk back to the hotel

Night 10 – organ concert at 7pm, dinner after, then an overnight bus

Night 11 – 7-ish dinner in Old Town Square then the Torture Museum

Night 12 – early dinner in Lesser Prague, long walk to Old Town Square for souvenir shopping, then black light theatre show.

Night 13 – shopping until 8pm, bought supermarket food and cooked a really late dinner at the flat

Night 14 – shopping until almost 8pm then had a combo of store bought and self-prepared food for dinner

Night 15 – on a plane home :(

So you can see there was a good mix of things to do, no late night shopping and sadly the Budapest Castle Labyrinth is currently closed (that was one of the creepy night time things I had planned).  There were no djs or bands performing that I had to go see, and I opted to sample local wines in the comfort of my own hotel/flat instead of going out to the bars.  Nothing that kept me out extremely late (it wasn't that kind of trip), which gave me a chance to start my days earlier instead.  For the nights I got in early, I would spend my time doing one of a few things:

-planning my itinerary for the next day

-packing things up as I was often travelling the next morning

-catching up on social networking and news from home for the destinations where I had access to wifi

-watching The Big Bang Theory (I put 3 seasons onto my tablet, had I any movies I would’ve watched those too)

-reading A Game of Thrones (I have the entire series on ebook loaded to my tablet & iphone)

If anyone has any suggestions for Chris about what to do at night when traveling you are most welcome to post in the comments, I will ensure he receives your input.

Euroventures 2011 - Milan

Now here is an example of a greater part of a day lost to travel.  The Czech Republic doesn't appear to offer any efficient train routes to Italy, and one of the cheapest flights I found leaving Prague flew into Milan's Malpensa Airport.  I decided this was a good idea because Milan was the only major destination left in Italy (after booking my initial flight into Venice) that I have not visited, plus, hello...fashion capital! (Also the only one of the big four I've never visited).  So I booked the mid-day flight on Easyjet.  This was my first time flying Easyjet, and I have to say it was a lot more humane that Ryan Air!  There was still no assigned seating but that's not a big deal, and this time I didn't fear for my life during the landing.  I'd been doing well physically through the trip, but for some reason felt a bit groggy during the flight, so after we arrived I was moving a little slower.  I get the feeling we arrived a little late, I was moving underwater-like as I hauled my ass onto the inter-terminal bus at Malpensa (that was the longest ride from one terminal to another I've ever taken by the way, I had to check a few times to make sure I hadn't mistakenly left the airport!) to go catch the train into Milan, a train that came every 30 mins I should add and I just missed one when I got there... all in all it took us until past 4pm to get to Ivy's flat.  Poor woman waited hours for us and her calls to my iphone weren't coming through.  She remained the greatest of hosts though, helping me haul my lead weight of a bag up to her 3rd floor flat (that's the equiv of the 4th floor in North America) and showing us around the flat.  She has a truly wonderful place, it's cozy but not cramped and had everything I could ask for in a vacation flat.  She's even got a good selection of teas and coffees in the cupboard and a washing machine in there!  It's right by the train station so it does require a short metro ride to the centre of the city, but since we were arriving and leaving Milan from said train station and we were only there for 2 nights it made sense to stay by the station.  If you're ever in the same boat, I would strongly encourage you to book a stay at Ivy's flat, if I ever wind up in Milan again I'm definitely staying there.

It was close to 6pm by the time I set foot in the square to marvel the gothic architectural wonder that is the Duomo di Milano, the 3rd/4th largest church in the world.  Much as I love the Baroque interiors I saw in Vienna and other religious adornments in other cities, I have to say nothing excites the church-architecture geek in me more than a gothic church.  Call it a weakness for flying buttresses haha. I can prob tell directions better from looking at an old church than by the sun/moon.

As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't do all my research on Milan.  Even with the guidebook that was sitting on Ivy's dining table, I didn't read as carefully as I could have.  The Duomo, Castello Sforzesco, The Last Supper (where tickets were sold out for the day that I was able to go) and shopping streets aside, I wasn't armed with any info on Milan.  Luckily my shopping ventures took me past the Colonne di San Lorenzo, which I recognized from skimming Ivy's guidebook to be Ancient Roman remains (they're 16 Corinthian columns dating from the 5th century when Milan was the capital of the Roman Empire, the columns were constructed from parts dating back to the 2nd & 3rd centuries...AMAZING how long they've survived and the fact that you can just go up and sit on em). What I missed out on was the San Lorenzo Maggiore, the church right next to the columns that also dates back to the 4th century (despite having been repaired and parts rebuilt) with a rich history of its own.


All was not lost though, I made up for all cultural shortcomings with additional shopping destinations!  Milan isn't called a fashion capital for nothing, after Singapore and Manhattan, I think Milan has the highest concentration of fashion retailers out of all the cities I've visited.  My only criticism would be for the disappointing selection and general store decor at Custo (another Barcelona label whose clothing I admire, and can sometimes even afford).  The Custo store in Soho, Manhattan is far superior.  I did buy myself the intended souvenir...a pair of leather boots specifically marked "Made in Italy", they are the new love of my life.

It's hard to say if I'll ever be back in Milan, I certainly have no objections to this bustling city and loved Ivy's flat, but unless travel between two other destinations takes me through here, I likely wouldn't go out of my way to re-visit.  I think that if I'd done my homework and managed to get tickets to see The Last Supper, two full days would've been adequate to take in all the highlights of Milan.


The final day of my trip was spent making my way back to Venice to catch my flight home.  Having ridden on Trenitalia trains before I was pretty confident I'd get to where I was going -- that almost wasn't the case though when I stepped off the train at Venice Mestre for a few seconds before I realized we were still one stop away from the stop I wanted - Venice Santa Lucia! Haha.  It's just a short boat ride, but still, that would have made a difference in time & money.


At Santa Lucia we got stuck behind a tour group stopping in for the day at the Left Luggage queue, but Venice is small so there was still time to wander back to the Rialto Market to blow the last of my euros on Venetian masks and gelato.  Walked through San Marco square one last time (and crossed the Academia and Rialto Bridges twice each... I tell ya Venice gets smaller and smaller the more familiar you get with it!) before making our way to the airport and home to Toronto.

Euroventures 2011 - Venice

In just over a week I've covered Venice, Salzburg, Vienna, and Budapest.  I'm now in Prague facing some lodging challenges, but the bulk of this blog was drafted on my last night in Vienna:

I'm on a train to Budapest in the morning (now that I've figured out which U-Bahn stop the station's actually at) where I've booked myself into an Ibis hotel for a night of basic but standardized comfort that is supposed to include wifi so I will hopefully be able to upload this then. [This did not happen due to wonky wifi at the Ibis City Budapest]

To sum up Venice in one entry wouldn't do it justice, so these are only highlights.  I'm also shying away from details about the sights as I feel descriptions without the accompanying photos is somehow incomplete.
Venice is charming but strictly for sight-seeing (and maybe engagement photos haha -- for those who know me, you might recall that I would like to have wedding photos taken at Versailles palace in Paris.) Don't show up with heavy luggage and expect the average street to be half the width of your driveway.  Once you drop off your bags at your hotel and get used to what qualifies as a street though it's an immensely fun place to get lost in, and not the least bit scary to be wandering pitch black alleys between old buildings (as the saying goes "don't try this at home kids").  By my third day I had sought out the narrowest alley in Venice - measuring 2 feet wide and leading straight into the water.  I also checked out a restaurant - Pasqualino's - that my friend Nelson (who was just in Venice one week before me) recommended, as well as another seafood restaurant for some smoked swordfish carppacio and probably the best salmon spaghetti I've ever had (if you follow the signs from San Marco to Rialto or vice versa, you will wind up passing through a small square that are all seafood restaurants).

GPS is both a life-saver and a huge frustration while in Venice.  While jet-lagged and disoriented, it helped me get 95% of the way to my hotel (which google maps said was a 12 min walk!  Yeah, if you live in Venice, maybe...) however because the steeets were so closely spaced and GPS can only detemine your location up to x meters, I was walking back and forth one street away from my hotel while google insisted that Ihad arrived at my destination.

Weather in Venice was lovely, high 20s (celcius) with all the water making it feel just slightly cooler.  The city featured more tourists than locals and Italian was not at all the common tongue to be heard while walking down the streets, however visitors and locals alike were very polite and full of smiles.  My hotel, Ca Centropietre, was situated on a pretty quiet street not far from the Academia Gallery and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (the latter of which I preferred better).  My washroom featured a fold-down bidet, which I regretfully forgot to take a picture of.  It was all that was available when I was booking accomodations, it was fine but I feel like I could have done better for that price.  It is worth noting that they did provide a complimentary continental breakfast.

Venice is worth seeing for yourself, I would recommend it for adults of all ages.  It's strictly about the sight-seeing, but you won't be disappointed.  There are folks who would be happy to stay much longer but I think 3 days was exactly the amount of time I needed to see everything that I wanted to see.

Lost in Venezia

2 days on the road and I've already broken a couple travel rules and likely run up a mad data roaming bill!
I was 2 blocks away from my apartment and already realized I'd probably packed too much. Just becuase your bag isn't stuffed to the brim doesn't mean you should start putting extras in, aside from the sundress for Venice of course, that has served me well strolling the sunny canals. My over-packing was confirmed once reaching Venice itself, I always say there's a reason you backpack through Europe and that goes doubly so for Venice. The sheer number of steps you have to go up and down to navigate the bridges will drive you insane if you're dragging even a wheeled sports duffel like mine.

It took me a day to get used to the difference in street widths, here if you stand in a street, stretch your arms out to either side and your fingers don't the buildings...you're on a major street! Today I sought out the narrowest alley in Venice, which is part of Calle Varisco and it is two feet wide! If you're a bit bigger than me you might have to turn sideways to get down the street. I'm also amused that one wrong turn leads you to water, no gates, poles, or any other object or markings, you just land right in the canal. Or that a seeming normal-sized bridge will lead solely to someone's front door.

My other no-no is buying difficult to transport souvenirs, arguably I break this rule pretty often since I like to collect shot glasses in my travels... I only wish I'd stopped there with the Murano glass (don't worry, it's just a delicate-shaped figurine, I haven't bought a vase or anything)

As for the roaming bill, well when you're sleep-deprived, jet-lagged, and have to make 24 turns during a 12 min walk to your hotel while navigating bridges with your heavy bag... you turn on your GPS and google maps pretty damned fast! Get lost a couple more times while gerting acquainted with the city and suddenly that's a lot of data you've just used :(

Those are just the stumbles though, I'll cover the highlights after I visit the Doge's Palace and St Mark's tomorrow. In the meantime go find yourself some ameretto gelato! Trust ;)