Ava Pierce: The Blog - Lounge. Rant. Find your inner bitch.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Travel stuff to avoid

Today's Annoyance: Inept management
Mantra of the Day: There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror. - Orson Welles

OK, so you know how I'm always sharing my favorite things and travel tips? As one would expect, there are lots of things that you should avoid while you're traveling.

Air India, for one, couldn't be farther from my list of faves. A travel seat-mate a few trips ago mentioned how awful the airplanes and service can be (roaches, rats, awful smells, etc.). Then, wouldn't you know it, I read this article in the New York Times about how some Air India pilots flight attendants got into a fight during a flight. Wow! It's bad enough dealing with rude passengers, people snoring, crying babies, chatty seat-mates and cramped quarters. I can even handle surly flight attendants...but, fighting pilots and flight attendants!?! That's taking things in the wrong direction, people! Is anyone surprised that the airline is expected to lose more than $1 billion this year?

For more travel vendors, places and experiences to avoid, check out The Titanic Awards. Reading this blog makes me thank my lucky stars for my relatively flawless travel adventures.

Wishing you the most fabulous travels possible,

Thursday, November 5, 2009

JSTD: Tourism bureaus

Tourism bureaus are awesome resources before and during your trip. Many can offer hotel suggestions, maps, lists of great local restaurants and things to see, plus lots of discounts. Find them at the Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory.

Jet Set Tip of the Day sponsored by:

The ultimate travel experience...outer space

Today's Annoyance: That we can travel to space yet not solve Earth's traffic problems
Mantra of the Day: In this unbelievable universe in which we live there are no absolutes. - Pearl Buck

Beginning in 2012, you'll be able to hitch your wagon to a star...or, at least, you'll be closer to do it than you are now. That's when Galactic Suite will begin accepting reservations for its space resort. For you jet setters who are bored of traversing our tiny little planet, now there's space tourism.

You'll spend two weeks on a tropical island for the astronaut training program, then you'll be hurled into outer space, traveling at 28,000 kilometers per hour. Just think, you'll orbit the Earth 15 times a day so, you'll get to see the sun rise every 45 minutes! (I'm wondering what kind of serious jet lag results from this endeavor.)

Sounds scary and super-cool at the same time!

[IMAGE: Courtesy of bornrich]

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

JSTD: Live to eat, eat to live

Find cultural recipes as well as restaurant and food shopping recommendations for locations around the world @ Chowhound.com. Use their forums to share your travel finds, too.

Jet Set Tip of the Day sponsored by:

Ava's Faves: Custom-made luxuries

Today's Annoyance: Forgetting to adjust the clocks after daylight savings time
Mantra of the Day: It is impossible to overdo luxury. - French proverb

I'm a big fan of custom-made products, especially if they're super luxurious. A few weeks ago, I listed a few websites where you can create your own clothing, accessories and home goods. I recently found a few sites where you can kick things up a notch and customize some of your more fabulous "necessities":

Anna Lunna is an online atelier for some of the most fabulous custom-designed boots that I've ever seen. You choose your boot style, heel height, leather type and color. Once you place your order, they send you a measurement kit and Voila! - six weeks later, you are your Anna Lunnas will be inseparable.

Blue Nile gives you the chance to custom-design your new best friend - diamond jewelry, that is. How fab will you feel wearing an extra special ring, earrings and pendant? And, it only takes a couple of days between order and delivery.

Maison Guerlain will create your very own fragrance. You even get to name it and personalize the bottle! (Even the website is dripping with luxuriousness.)

Can you imagine receiving any of these items as gifts? (not-so-subtle hint implied)

Peace, love and luxury,

[IMAGE: Courtesy of Anna Lunna]

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

JSTD: Recharge your gadgets on-the-go

So many gadgets, so few outlets. What's a jet-setter-in-training to do? Get a universal charger, that's what. IonHub, Callpod, PowerTraveller, Solio (a solar-powered charger!), and BlueLounge offer portable chargers that should definitely fit your budget and carry-on.

Jet Set Tip of the Day sponsored by:

Safety pins are the newest fad accessory?

Today's Annoyance: The dwindling standards of our educational system
Mantra of the Day: We wore our safety pins on the inside of our clothes. - Tina Weymouth

Here I was thinking that safety pins were cool as a resource to quickly repair tears, fallen hemlines and other such wardrobe malfunctions. Little did I know that they don't need to be carefully hidden while they're at work. I can now wear them boldly and I can even bling them out a bit:

Vivienne Westwood safety pin necklace $1,540

It has happened with zippers, why not safety pins? I get a shiver just thinking about it but...is velcro next?

[IMAGES: Courtesy of E! Online, Refinery29]

Monday, November 2, 2009

JSTD: Keep your jewelry straight

Oh what a tangled mess we create when we effortlessly toss our jewelry into our luggage! Avoid this by investing in a jewelry case. LuggagePoint and eBags carry a wide assortment of travel cases for our precious valuables.

Jet Set Tip of the Day sponsored by:

Giveaway winner for the Night + Day Cool Cities Travel Guides

Heather M., guess what? Random.org selected #1 so, you're this week's giveaway winner! Send me your contact info (to ava AT avapierce DOT com) by Wednesday, November 4, 2009 @ 11:59 p.m. ET.

Major gratitude to Pulse Guides for sponsoring the giveaway! And, of course, big thanks to all of you for participating.

Best wishes for a week of nothing less than absolute fabulousness!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Ava's Be Fabulous Blogroll for November 2009

Today's Annoyance: Ungrateful people
Mantra of the Day: Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day. - Robert Caspar Lintner

Be Dazzling (jewelry sites)

* Best Damn Jewelry
* The Jewelry Blog
* Precision Gem Blog

Be Fashionable (clothing and accessory shopping)

* BagBliss
* The Daily Obsession
* Fashion Hippo

Be Featured (fun reading)

* Girls' Guide to the World
* Upgrade: Travel Better
* WebFloss: High Class Living on a Middle Class Budget

Be Green (eco-friendly travel & related products)

* 3 Green Angels
* Earth Love
* thedailygreen

Be Healthy (health and exercise)

* Health in Life
* Live a Delicious Life
* VitalJuice

Be Positive (for positive mental fabulousness)

* Il Cantone: An Open Door to Your Own Happiness
* Share Your Positivity
* Think Positive! Blog

Be Pretty (beauty and makeup)

* Beauty Addict: A Little Obsessed with Makeup
* Beauty Snob
* Makeup Loves Me

Be Ready (jet set/travel-related products)

* Corporate Travel Safety
* Jet-Setter Travel Gear Specialists
* Loop

Be There (travel and social event links)

* Club Planet
* Juli B
* Secrets of Paris

Be Wealthy (finance and money management)

* MainStreet
* The Oblivious Investor
* Women's Institute for Financial Education

The Be Fabulous Blogroll is...you guessed it...in the left column for the rest of the month. Be grateful every day in every way!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Tis the season to be spooky...

Friday, October 30, 2009

JSTD: Family adventures

Your jet-set days don't have to come to a screeching halt because you have kids. Follow the advice of Eileen Ogintz @ TakingTheKids.com and turn your kids into junior jet-setters!

Jet Set Tip of the Day sponsored by:

Thursday, October 29, 2009

JSTD: Find a room at an inn

Prefer the quaint accommodations of a bed and breakfast over mega chain hotels? Use BedAndBreakfast.com to search and book any of 7,000+ locations around the world.

Jet Set Tip of the Day sponsored by:

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

JSTD: Be a weather girl

It doesn't matter the time of year; always check out the weather forecast before you leave. Mother Nature doesn't always abide by seasonal rules. Accuweather is my fave weather site but any will do.

Jet Set Tip of the Day sponsored by:

A bra that should definitely see daylight

Today's Annoyance: That a bra could cost more than a villa
Mantra of the Day: A lady is one who never shows her underwear unintentionally. - Lillian Day

A $3 million bra! I know it's art but part of me thinks that if I owned such a thing (which would be a gift to me from someone else, of course), I might just decide not to wear a blouse that day. (What kind of skirt or pants would one wear thought?) The other part of me thinks that I would wear a t-shirt over it, with some jeans and stilettos.

Would you wear it? If so, with what?

[IMAGE: Courtesy of Victoria's Secret]