A Luxury Travel Blog

The Denver Art Museum is the only venue in the United States for the internationally acclaimed exhibition Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective. It will be on show at the museum from 25th March to 8th July 2012.  This retrospective of the designer’s 40 years of creativity features a stunning selection of 200 haute couture outfits along with numerous photographs, drawings and films. These illustrate the development of Saint Laurent’s style and the historical foundations of his work.

Organised thematically, the presentation blends design and art to explore the full arc of Saint Laurent’s career from his first days at Dior in 1958 through to the splendour of his final runway collection in 2002.  Highlights include The Gender Revolution galleries where visitors will see how Saint Laurent bent (and sometimes broke) the rules of what women were expected to wear impacting on the wardrobe of today’s modern woman; The Yves Saint Laurent and Women section, displaying the clothing of the historic women who wore and supported Saint Laurent, including Princess Grace of Monaco, Catherine Deneuve and Paloma Picasso; The Last Ball section, featuring exquisite evening dresses from the glory days of haute couture complete with a red carpet; and The Colours of Yves Saint Laurent gallery, where guests will enjoy vibrant examples from his collections and hundreds of fabric samples

During his 40 years of designing, Saint Laurent (1936-2008) revolutionised the female wardrobe by borrowing the tuxedo, the trouser suit, shorts and the safari jacket from men’s clothing, transferring these symbols of power from one gender to the other. He empowered women with this new form of clothing, turning traditional menswear into haute couture. Saint Laurent reflected women’s changing role in society ahead of any other designer, setting the styles of the day. The show premiered in Paris in 2010 at the Petit Palais, Musee des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on 20th January 2012.  A number of Denver hotels are offering YSL packages – guests who purchase the VIP hotel packages will receive two tickets valid for any date and time along with an audio guide for the exhibition for each room booked. The tickets also allow guests to enter the exhibit at the next available time slot, bypassing any queues.

Although arguably not as famous as the Lonely Planet books, Moon Handbooks have been in production for over 30 years and are renowned for their wide appeal, from families through to solo adventurers.  Landing on my desk recently was their guide to Tahiti written by David Stanley.

The first thing to note is that the author is a travel writer who has travelled extensively and spent a considerable amount of time in the Pacific. (He’s also written Moon Fiji and Moon South Pacific.) Indeed, he’s visited well over 200 countries and it’s clear that the research he carries out is meticulous.

There is extensive background information on the history of the various islands, some insights into the culture, as well as practical information on the sights not to be missed and the best places to stay for a variety of different budgets. The maps and pictures – an essential ingredient of any good travel book – are very clear, albeit mostly in black and white.

Tahiti isn’t actually somewhere I’ve ever been, but this book – now in its 7th edition – nevertheless makes for very enjoyable reading and certainly whets the appetite for making a trip there one day.  If on the other hand you are already booked to go, I’m sure you’ll find the publication invaluable.

The holidays are only a few weeks away and if you’re still looking for a special gift to give your world traveler we’ve got you covered. Here is our list of the top luxury travel gifts from world-class luggage to a portable talking translator. They are the perfect gifts for your favorite traveler (or a well deserved self indulgence).

LUXE City Guide Chest

Ensure your luxury traveler gets decadent insider tips on to what’s hot in cities around the world with sleek and chic LUXE city guides. The miniature travel guides are filled with witty banter and the respective city’s most exclusive venues. There are great recommendations on everything from the best boutiques to bistros and even things to avoid. The chest is a chic addition to any library and you can customize each box with your own mélange of cities. $125, available via LUXE City Guides and Amazon.

Goyard Luggage

The crème de la crème of luxury luggage Goyard has been on the helm of luxury travel accessories for years. Give your luxury traveler the gift of a lifetime with a Goyard luggage set that is handmade and hand painted with the finest craftsmanship money can buy. The monogram of interlaced chevrons is a must have for first class. $940+, available via Goyard.

Michael Kors iPad Case

Let your favorite traveler carry their iPad in style with this luxurious iPad case from Michael Kors, aptly named “The Jetsetter”. The case protects the iPad while providing cutouts for complete functionality and a zip compartment with a zip pocket, three pen slots, cell phone pocket, open pocket, and six card slots. $150.00, available via Michael Kors.

The Lingo Xplorer Talking Translator

We all know how hard it is to travel to foreign lands without knowing the language. This little device will help you translate directions, restaurant orders and requests in a flash. It not only translates but also speaks words and common travel phrases in 52 languages. $250.00, available via Brookstone.

Marc Hagins is a Partner at Music and Commerce.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

I recently received a printed copy of Dan Poynter’s Air Travel Handbook – a goldmine of information for the travel enthusiast and, in particular, the frequent flyer. It’s not really the kind of book that needs to be read from cover to cover but instead is easy to dip in and out at any point and learn anything and everything you want to know about air travel.  Its coverage really is extensive, covering everything from packing to making the most of airline frequent flyer programs.  A huge amount of research has gone into compiling the publication, and the book is packed with references to further online sources of information.  For this reason, I would suggest you opt for the eBook rather than the printed edition as you’ll be able to click on the links rather than have to copy them from the book into your browser. The author, Dan Poynter, is clearly a seasoned traveller – he is a licensed pilot himself, travels almost 10,000 kms every week and has completed more than 20 round-the-world itineraries.  That alone should be make him a pretty good authority when it comes to flying!

I have recently been lucky enough to acquire a number of items from the FB Collection.  Founded by Harry Brantly and Max Leese in Rio de Janeiro in 2005, this beachwear collection exudes quality and style.  Among the collection are beautiful, brightly-coloured (£85) or patterned (£95) linen beach towels. These towels are so soft and lightweight yet apparently resistant to sand and seawater. At 175 x 140cm, they are still a good size for a beach towel yet won’t take up too much space in your luggage.

Also in the FB collection is a range of men’s swim shorts. These trunks come in two lengths – Transcoco or the slightly longer Leblon line (pictured here in yellow) – both priced at £115.  Alternatively, you could choose from the patterned Copacabana edition (also pictured here), priced at £135. These are ultra-lightweight, made with 100% Italian cotton, and with a distinctive Brazilian tailored cut.

Last but by no means least are the FB Frescobol bats. Hand-crafted from beautiful wood, they come with a  sack that can store both bats and the balls, and that has an outer zip pocket ideal for stowing away your wallet, keys and money safely. The set is a steal at £110 for such beautiful quality and would serve as a great Christmas gift for that special someone who seems to already have everything.

Pictures courtesy of FB Collection.

Condé Nast Traveler today announced the results of its 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards, ranking the best cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and resorts worldwide. The awards appear in the November issue (on newsstands from 18th October 2011) and are derived from the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice survey. This year, a record 28,876 readers cast a combined eight million votes on thousands of properties and destinations around the world. The list also highlights a few firsts:

· The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong, was named the top hotel in the world.
· Charleston, South Carolina grabs the number one spot in Top Cities in the U.S.
· After only two years since the grand opening, Chicago’s Elysian Hotel is named top hotel in the U.S.
· Despite a tough year for Japan, Kyoto claims title as Asia’s top city for the first time.

Top Cities: United States

1. Charleston, South Carolina
2. San Francisco
3. Santa Fe

Top Cities: Europe

1. Florence
2. Barcelona
3. Rome

Top Cities: Asia

1. Kyoto
2. Bangkok
3. Hong Kong

Top Cities: Africa/Middle East

1. Cape Town
2. Beirut
3. Byblos, Lebanon

Top Cities: Canada

1. Quebec City
2. Vancouver
3. Victoria, British Columbia

Top Cities: Oceania

1. Sydney
2. Queenstown, New Zealand
3. Melbourne

Top Cities: Mexico

1. San Miguel de Allende
2. Oaxaca
3. Mérida

Top Cities: Central/South America

1. Buenos Aires
2. Cuzco
3. Antigua de Guatemala

Top Islands: Caribbean/Atlantic

1. Bermuda
2. St. John
3. Nevis

Top Islands: Oceania

1. Bora Bora
2. Great Barrier Reef
3. Moorea

Top Islands: Asia

1. Maldives
2. Bali
3. Phuket

Top Islands: United States

1. Maui
2. Kauai
3. Kiawah, South Carolina

Top Islands: Europe

1. Bozcaada and the Turkish Aegean Islands
2. Mykonos and the Cyclades
3. Madeira
3. Mallorca and the Balearics

Top Resorts: Asia

1. Ayana Resort & Spa, Bali
2. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
3. Four Seasons, Chiang Mai
3. Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan

Top Resorts: Mexico

1. One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos
2. Rancho La Puerta, Tecate
3. The Tides, Riviera Maya

Top Resorts: Africa

1. Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh
1. Safari Lodges at Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa
3. Kirawira Luxury Tented Camp, Tanzania

Top Resorts: Europe

1. Hotel Caesar Augustus, Capri
2. Perivolas, Santorini
3. Park Hotel Kenmare, County Kerry

Top Resorts: Hawaii

1. Travaasa Hana (formerly Hotel Hana-Maui)
2. Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
3. Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk

Top Resorts: Atlantic

1. The Reefs, Bermuda
2. Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos
3. One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas

Top Resorts: Middle East

1. Burj Al Arab, Dubai
2. Ritz-Carlton, Dubai
3. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi

Top Resorts: Oceania

1. Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, New Zealand
2. Four Seasons, Bora Bora
3. Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa, French Polynesia

Top Resorts: Mainland U.S.

1. Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Coast, California
2. Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain, Avon, Colorado
3. Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina

Top Small Resorts: Mainland U.S.

1. Keswick Hall at Monticello, Virginia
2. Mii Amo, Sedona
3. Amangani, Jackson Hole

Top Resorts: Canada

1. King Pacific Lodge (Rosewood), British Columbia
2. Emerald Lake Lodge, British Columbia
3. Long Beach Lodge Resort, Vancouver Island

Top Resorts: Caribbean

1. Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis
2. Jade Mountain, St. Lucia
3. Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia

Top Resorts: Central/South America

1. Four Seasons Resort Carmelo, Uruguay
2. Xandari Resort & Spa, Costa Rica
3. Kanantik Reef & Jungle Resort, Belize

Top Cruise Lines: Small-Ship Lines

1. Seabourn
2. Silversea
3. Windstar

Top Cruise Lines: Medium-Ship Lines

1. Crystal Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
3. Disney

Top Cruise Lines: Large-Ship Lines

1. Celebrity
2. Princess
3. Royal Caribbean

Top Cruise Lines: River Cruises

1. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
2. Grand Circle Travel
3. Viking River Cruises

Top Foreign Airlines

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Virgin Atlantic
3. Emirates

Top U.S. Airlines

1. Virgin America
2. JetBlue Airways
3. Hawaiian Airlines

Top Small Airlines

1. OpenSkies
2. Porter Airlines
3. Air Tahiti Nui

Top Hotels: Southern Europe

1. Hôtel de Paris, Monte Carlo
2. Il San Pietro di Positano, Italy
3. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet

Top Hotels: Northern Europe

1. Mandarin Oriental, Prague
2. Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne
3. Regent Berlin

Top Small Hotels: Europe

1. Palazzo Sasso, Ravello
2. Château de La Chèvre d’Or, Côte d’Azur
3. Villa San Michele, Fiesole, Tuscany

Top Hotels: Central America

1. Lapa Rios Ecolodge, Costa Rica
2. Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua Guatemala
3. Inn at Robert’s Grove, Belize

Top Hotels: Oceania

1. Observatory Hotel, Sydney
2. Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay
3. The Langham, Auckland
3. Westin Sydney

Top Hotels: British Isles

1. Culloden House, Inverness, Scotland
2. Chewton Glen, Hampshire
3. The Halkin, London

Top Hotels: Caribbean/Atlantic

1. Peninsula House, Dominican Republic
2. The Caves, Jamaica
3. Eden Rock, St. Barts

Top Hotels: Asia

1. Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong
2. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
3. The Peninsula, Tokyo

Top Hotels: Africa

1. Steenberg Hotel, Cape Town
2. The Saxon, Johannesburg
3. Cape Grace, Cape Town

Top Hotels: Canada

1. Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, Cambridge, Ontario
2. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City
3. Hôtel Nelligan, Montreal

Top Hotels: Mexico

1. Las Mañanitas, Cuernavaca
2. La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo
3. Casa de Sierra Nevada, San Miguel de Allende

Top Hotels: United States

1. Elysian Hotel, Chicago
2. 21c Museum Hotel, Louisville
3. The Peninsula, Chicago

Top Small Hotels: United States

1. Colonial Houses, Williamsburg, Virginia
2. Fairbanks House, Amelia Island
3. Fearrington House Inn, Pittsboro, North Carolina

Top Hotels: South America

1. Hotel Fasano, São Paolo
2. Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires
3. Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt, Buenos Aires

Top Hotels: Middle East

1. Park Hyatt Dubai
2. Al Faisaliah Hotel (Rosewood), Riyadh
3. Four Seasons, Doha

When it comes to your honeymoon, it’s always a good idea to prepare way ahead of time. That way once you get there, all you have to worry about is lounging, relaxing and celebrating your recent nuptials. In terms of destination, the majority of today’s honeymooners opt to go to warm and sunny luxury beach resorts. If you fall under that category, you’ll need plenty of gorgeous swimsuits, cover-ups and accessories to make you feel romantic and sexy. For any honeymoon beach getaway, you’re sure to take plenty of photos to remember your trip, so you’re going to want to look your best. Read on for all the essentials for a romantic luxury beach getaway.

Swimsuits

As a rule of thumb, anything white is perfect for a honeymoon. Not only is white the color for brides in many Western countries, but it also symbolizes purity, grace and innocence. Melissa Odabash is one designer who always features gorgeous bikini sets that evoke a sense of romance and sensuality. On the other hand, Brazilian brands like Despi and ViX specialize in sexy yet sophisticated swimsuits with gorgeous embellishments that pop beautifully against your skin. Finally, Sauvage is perfect for fashionable brides who crave that glamorous beach-chic style; featuring sparkling Swarovski crystal details, Sauvage swimsuits are elegant and perfectly chic for a beach honeymoon.

Cover-Ups

If you’re planning a honeymoon beach getaway, most likely you’ll be staying at a resort. You’ll need a lot of cover-ups and dresses, as they will most likely be your typical daytime outfit of choice at the resort. Think tunics, kaftans and dresses in fabrics that are lightweight and flowy. Both Debbie Katz South Beach and 6 Shore Road make breathtaking cover-ups in an assortment of styles. All styles feature unique details and embellishments, and are made with breezy, luxurious fabrics. In addition, Melissa Odabash makes gorgeous ready-to-wear resort pieces that work perfectly as cover-ups or as an outfit all themselves. In any of these designers’ styles, you’ll look and feel sexy, sensual and perfectly romantic on your honeymoon.

Accessories

Every woman knows that it’s all about the detail and certain accessories can really make or break an outfit. For any honeymoon beach getaway, make sure to bring at least one pair of flip-flops. Havaianas and Ipanemas are two brands that are affordable, comfortable and feature a variety of colors and styles. In addition to flip-flops, hats are essential for a honeymoon beach getaway, as they help keep the blazing hot sun out of your face. In terms of style, go for a floppy hat; not only are floppy hats fun, but they also add a sense of elegance, mystery and high fashion to any beach ensemble. In terms of jewelry, you want to keep it simple, so either go for a chunky bracelet or a necklace. Cocobelle makes gorgeous accessories, including beautiful beaded cuffs and belts, perfect for pulling your entire beach look together.

And finally, the number one thing not to forget for any honeymoon beach getaway is the honeymoon lingerie. Choose styles that compliment your body type and get to sizzling!

Susan Bodack is the Director of Social Media Marketing at InStyleSwimwear.com.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

Vertu, a manufacturer of luxury mobile phones, has announced further details of its enhanced concierge service. Designed to be the perfect companion for the luxury traveller, they now have three levels of concierge at the touch of a button.

Firstly their Concierge Classic service provides the customer with round the clock access to a team of lifestyle managers. Vertu Concierge Dedicated provides the user with a dedicated lifestyle manager and nominated support team, and finally the newest addition Vertu Concierge Ultimate. This service is tailored to each customer and may range from assistance with a one off project to provision of a full time personal assistant for a designated period of time.

As well as the updated services Vertu has also increased the number of their City Briefs. Not unlike a typical guide book, the city briefs are detailed reviews of the latest restaurants, bars, museums and much more in almost all major cities. Where this service differs is the speed at which they are updated many guide books feature the most ‘hip’ restaurant of the time but by the time of printing usually the scene has passed on. Vertu with the help of their Brand Ambassadors ensures their customers are the first to hear of any new happenings. Most recently singer/songwriter Seal has added his views to London, New York, Paris, Aspen and many more.

Seal recommendations for fantastic food with a view include Montagna at the Little Nell offering breathtaking views of Aspen Mountain and Imago at the Hassler Hotel for panoramic views of Rome.

While basking in the sun is undoubtedly relaxing, today’s smart sunbathers understand the dangers associated with the sun’s rays. But rather than smothering sunscreen all over your body, what if there was an easier way to protect yourself on a warm-weather vacation?

Look no further than Mott 50, a stylish new clothing collection that absorbs the sun’s rays before they reach your skin.  The brand boasts a full range of skirts, tees, polos, tunics dresses, pants and jackets for women, t-shirts and polos for men, and a range of hats for both sexes.   What’s even better? A percentage of proceeds from the protective skincare line is donated to cancer research.  Talk about the perfect pieces to pack for a beach vacation!  Prices range from $35-$145.

Rachel Greenberg is the Founder of Suitcase Secrets.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

While the annual holiday is for most of us the highlight of the year, the return home can be a daunting prospect. Not only are we hit with the reality of returning to work but there’s also a host of mundane tasks that need to be tackled. In addition to adjusting our body-clock, processing the holiday snaps and exchanging any leftover spending money, there is usually a huge pile of washing and ironing that needs to be seen to. The average 4 person family returns from holiday with around 10kg of dirty washing. Washing, drying and ironing 10kg of clothing can take around 9 hours which is in essence, an entire day’s work.

However there is an alternative to knuckling down and bringing on the post-holiday blues with a full day of washing and ironing. Your Holiday Wash offers a unique new service – they will collect, wash, dry, iron and return to you a full holiday’s worth of washing within three days, all neatly folded and in a secure box.

The service was developed and launched following a survey of average holiday makers; 52% of which stated that dealing with the piles of dirty clothes that return with them after a week or two in the sun is their most dreaded post-holiday chore.  The aptly named Your Holiday Wash saw a gap in the market for a service that could make the transition from sun and sand to the 9-5, easier.

Their aim is to make the service as well-rounded and complete as possible. Each customer is provided with an environmentally friendly laundry bag which they can take on holiday with them, placing all dirty clothing directly into the laundry bag. Your Holiday Wash will even separate the colours and whites, thereby nearly eliminating the need to consider the washing or how it will be handled upon the return home.

What’s more, understanding that collection and delivery from a home address is not always convenient, Your Holiday Wash is able to provide the exact same service to a work or office address.  They will even send a text to your phone once they’re on their way with your clean and fresh laundry, with the convenience of delivery up to 9pm so you don’t miss the return of your holiday wardrobe.

While having your washing dealt with and delivered directly to you is undeniably a fantastic way to reduce the depth of the post-holiday blues, there are a few other steps that can be taken which should help ease the transition back into the routine of daily life:

1. Start planning your next holiday

Whether this means simply starting to save, or whether it’s hopping online and reading about all the fantastic places that you’d like to visit, starting to think about the next trip away will provide a welcome distraction from everyday life and should help retain that holiday feeling.

2. Do things that remind you of your holiday

If there’s a song you listened to many times abroad, put it on before you head off to work or while you relax in the evening. Alternatively, remake a meal that you enjoyed whilst abroad or enjoy a night in a restaurant that serves the food of your destination. You could even throw a holiday themed party, complete with summery cocktails and beach games – whatever it may be that will help keep you in the holiday mood.

3. Keep the holiday feeling

Look through your holiday pictures with family and friends, share your holiday adventure and keep that holiday feeling going for a bit longer.

Whatever you choose to do to keep yourself in the holiday spirit, there’s no harm in seeing what Your Holiday Wash can offer. Not only will their service remove some of the stress and strain that comes with a return home, but those nine hours spent washing can be left to the professionals, leaving the holidaymaker with an extra day to relax and rejuvenate.

With all the new smart phones out that are almost constantly connected to the internet, looking for updates to apps, checking for email, or many other features that they have. This can end up costing you a fortune, so we have taken a look at the best options for you data hungry travellers.

T-Mobile

Surfing on your phone, in countries in the EU will cost you £1.50 per megabyte (MB) of data, the equivalent of about 15 of your holiday snaps being uploaded onto Facebook. This is if you are on holiday in Europe, whereas outside of the EU you can find yourself being charged £7.50 per MB of data, that’s 50p per uploaded photo.

Vodafone

Vodafone offer a much more confusing service allowing you to pay for data at £2 a day for 25MB in selected EU countries and 5MB in other countries in Europe. This would cost you about £14 if you’re going away for a week, or you can opt in to a contract add on for £10 a month where you get the same data usage a day. This is the best option as you can opt out of the service after just one month’s usage.

If you haven’t opted in for data traveller it will cost you £1 per MB up to 5MB, then £5 for every 5 MB’s used after that, if used in Europe. For everywhere else in the world it will cost you £3 a MB up to 5 MB and then £15 for every 5MB after that. Confusing.

3

Three are less permitting when you are abroad and perhaps want to check the scores of your football team on your mobile, costing between £1.28 and £10 per MB depending where you are and what “data band” you are under. Countries in the EU and selected other European countries come under band 1 costing £1.28 per MB.

Data Band 2 has countries such as Australia, USA, Cyprus and South Africa and will cost £3 per MB. Data Band 3 covers all the other countries apart from the last seven and costs £6 per MB. Data band 4 has the seven countries costing a whopping £10 per Mb, that’s a nugget for around 5 emails pushed to your phone, the seven countries on this extortionate blacklist of data charges are; India, Thailand, Canada, Croatia, Kenya, Malaysia and Oman.

Orange

Orange has chosen to hide the different band and rates at which they charge, but you can find out what they charge for the specific country you are visiting and is dependent on the cost plan you are on. What they also have in place, is a “data limit” of 16MB a month so that when you are travelling abroad, matter where you are in the EU you won’t come back to find £44 added to your bill for data usage. Seems like a nice touch, but since they make it hard to know, I’ll list a couple popular destinations and put their price with Orange.

Spain, France and various other EU countries – £3 per MB
South Africa, Australia, Seychelles and other Tropical Destinations outside of the EU – £8.

O2

The quite interesting data roaming rates from O2 are by far the easiest to understand, they charge £3.07 per MB in Europe and £6 per MB in the Rest of the world, but it’s not this that is the most interesting point. They have a £40 charge limit for the month, but once you reach that, they will stop charging you and you can use up to 50 MB. It is a lot of money, but if you are planning to use your phone a lot, then this option is by far the best as you will hit your £40 limit after around 13 MB of data usage, and this service means you will get the next 37MB of data effectively free of charge.

Conclusion

Data charges abroad are confusing, but aside from the frustratingly large charges for staying connected in a world where it is demanded of us, there are some deals that are worth taking. Vodafone’s “Data Traveller” is by far the best service, giving you a flat fee for the usage abroad, as long as you don’t go over the data limit for each day.

Dee Bhasin is Product Manager at Sanctuary Spa Holidays.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

Waiting at baggage claim as a sea of same-looking suitcases roll past can often lead to confusion — and at the very least anxiety.  But luxury travel brand Tumi has created a stylish way to tell your suitcase apart from all the others.  Enter “Accent Your Alpha”, a chic customization service that allows customers to spruce up their bags with colored components.

Parts of the bag that can be personalized with a pop of color include the monogrammed leather patch at front, luggage tag, add-a-bag hook, bag guards, zipper pulls and zippered pouch — so ideally you should be able to tell your bag apart from all others at any angle.  Customers can have red, pink, green, blue, silver or brown accents applied to their bags upon purchase at Tumi stores.  For those frequent fliers who already have a Tumi bag (or two, or three!), just bring it back to the store, buy the coloring kit for $50, and Tumi will put all the extra touches on your staple suitcase.

Leave it to Tumi to come up with a sleek and simple solution to baggage mix-up woes.  It seems so perfect in fact, it’s hard to believe they’ve only just started this service!

Rachel Greenberg is the Founder of Suitcase Secrets.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

Even though most of us will never be ridiculously rich, we can travel and live like famous celebs with just a few tricks and tips. You don’t need to break the bank to rub elbows with the rich and mighty, just get rid of the Hawaiian shirt and other giveaways and get ready to live like kings.

Designer goods

The days of standing on the other side of the glass from designer bags and other couture items are over. Now you can wipe the drool from your chin and instead belly-up to the keyboard. Online companies like Bag, Borrow or Steal offer designer and couture items for a monthly fee. The only catch is that you have to return them at the end of the month. In the meantime though, you can dress to impress.

Private chefs

Private chefs are a luxury that only the uber rich can afford to have full time, but even modest budgets can afford to have a professional private chef cook for a dinner party. Fees vary, but for your buck you’ll get a chef to do the menu planning, shopping, cooking, serving and cleanup. Having a chef cook for your next dinner party will impress everybody and have them thinking you live like a star.

Vacations

Vacation rental services allow you the chance to travel like the ultra rich. Celebs and stars rent luxury villas and homes for maximum privacy when they travel, and you can too. In the off season, many of these homes become quite affordable, and if you split the costs between a group of people you can vacation in the same home as Madonna or Shaq. Besides, hotels have a lot of grossness and bad juju associated with them.

Celebrity grooming

Haircuts, manicures, pedicures and other grooming done at high-end salons and spas can easily run into hundreds of dollars. The trick is to sign up as a model for aspiring stylists. You’ll be in the hands of a student but under the direct supervision of an experienced stylist or technician. This way you can get top dollar treatments for very low cost.

Designer clothes for less

The trick to dressing like the rich without paying top dollar is to pay attention and be diligent. Bargain sites like Overstock, Amazon, BlueFly and others will sell designer labels at greatly reduced prices. You may not get the exact color you wanted, but with prices at least 50 percent cheaper, do you really care? The best deals go fast, so the best strategy is to browse often and jump on a deal when you see it.

Even though you may be slaving away at your 9 to 5, you can look, dress and travel like the rich. These few simple tricks will help you get some of the perks that are available only to those with fat wallets, and you won’t have to tell a soul your secret as you show up to work with a new designer handbag each month or when you jet off to some exotic island on your vacation.

Jennifer Williams is a freelance travel writer and author of All Over Tech.

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Are you still wondering about what to get your wife or girlfriend who already has everything this Christmas? If so, then spare a thought for the BagPod which has been Highly Commended by the Giftware Association.  It’s the brainchild of Swedish born Marianne Sparrenius-Waters of RedDog Design Ltd., based in Abergavenny, Wales, UK. It’s essentially a bag that fits snugly inside a handbag.

Now, before you start wondering “why on earth do you need a bag inside a bag?”, picture this scenario: you’re about to go out for the evening; you’ve got dressed and it’s time to go – only all your ‘things’ are inside the handbag you were using during the day and now you’re wanting to go out with a different handbag. Of course, you find yourself desparately rummaging around for the items you want with you.

The idea of the BagPod is that it holds all your key essentials already, whether that be your glasses, your keys, your iPhone, your lipstick or whatever. Anything that you always want with you, you put in your BagPod and the rest of the handbag can be used for other, less essential items.  So, instead of all that rummaging, you just take out the BagPod and transfer it from one handbag to another, and you’re good to go.

So simple, yet one of those ideas you wished you’d come up with yourself! The BagPod has a total of 10 separate compartments, one of which is zipped, and a leather strap/keyring to keep your keys secure. It also comes in a multitude of colours so it can match or contrast with a range of different coloured handbags. It can be bought with a canvas or leather finish but we recommend the luxurious leather which comes in 3 sizes (small, medium and ‘business’) and with a lovely, soft velvety finish inside.

Prices for the leather version start from £69.95 and a list of stockists can be found here.