Travelers enjoy watching the active Arenal volcano. On their backs: a Kelty Flyway backpack, an Ultimate Destination Jurek Endure waist pack, and ISIS turquoise top & Aqua Rain Shell.

Carry On!

“Carry-on” goes the British call in the face of any challenge. “Carry-on” is also many traveler’s mantra whether it’s about attitudinal stuff in your head or physical stuff in the overhead. Seems like increasingly air travelers are trying to avoid baggage claim delays and possible lost luggage hassles by going all carry-on.

Wheels or straps? More wildlife seen thanks to great guide Tex’s sharp eyes and helpful scope. ALA trains local guides and works with Sun Tours in Costa Rica

The question I pose is “wheels or straps?”  Carry your stuff via straps on your back and shoulders and be hands-free for flexibility?  Or roll it and be “weight-free” on your body?  “Wheels or straps?” applies whether you are master-minding a “carry on” only plan, or are checking in bags and still want an optimal sized carry-on bag.

I’ve been an “omni-directional wheels on small suitcase” traveler the last couple of years, but I had a chance to re-visit the “wheels or straps” carry-on question when I was one of the writers invited on a remarkable Kelty trip to Costa Rica that included trying out different gear, clothes, and travel bags.  I was game to look for other ways to “Carry On!”

River guide Otto oars the Kelty backpacks- both Flyway without wheels, and the Ascender with wheels-that are stuffed in dry bags to forge the class 3 and 4 river rapids– part of the ALA adventure of traveling to and from the Rios Tropicales Eco-Lodge in Costa Rica.

Our one week trip in Costa Rica, customized by the stellar Austin Lehman Adventure (ALA) company,  included river rafting, ocean kayaking, outrigger canoeing, zip-lining, hiking in jungles and second growth rain forests, as well as waterfall rock sliding, hammock swinging,  river floating, and eating at local farms and restaurants.  Plans called for river rafting into the Rios Tropicales Eco-Lodge, not accessible by road or plane, and then going downriver for a road trip to the Arenal Observatory Lodge for volcano watching, then on to the famous Manuel Antonio National Park and the Pacific Ocean for resort and sea time at Si Como No, part of the Greentique Hotels of Costa Rica. That called for some diverse items in packing, and durable, flexible luggage.

 

A lovely hike with Kelty packs to one of Costa Rica’s many beautiful waterfalls. Howler monkeys heard in the canopy.

Kelty has been an iconic name in backpacks for decades. I was curious what their brain trust would create for the adventure traveler. Instead of wheels or straps, we were given both to try out:  The Flyway back pack, and the Ascender series backpack that attaches and detatches from a sturdy frame with inline skating wheels.  Both would be put through some paces on our action-filled trip.

Kelty- For Straps 

“The Flyway” backpack is designed with air travelers and adventures in mind, coupling Kelty traditional back pack features with a separate pocket for wet clothes, dirty clothes, or shoes. The padded shoulder straps have their own pocket to streamline the bag if you want to check it in. I used the Flyway to Carry On, and appreciated how easy it was to pull my laptop in and out of the interior padded sleeve for Airport Security.  Once airborne, when I could use my computer, I also could smoothly pull my laptop out of the backpack while it was in the overhead without pulling the whole bag down (something I can’t do with a small suitcase). My travel pillow was also easy to nab from the side pocket.

Less hang-ups with extra camera gear in the Kelty Flyway backpack on one of the many Hanging Bridges in Costa Rica. Howling monkeys soundtrack.

Once in Costa Rica, the backpack could serve as a comfortable day pack for hikes as well – helpful for

*photo gear awaiting sloths, toucans, monkeys, deer, colorful poison dart frogs, orchids and bromeliads,

*more activities:  towel, sunblock,  and swimsuit for hikes to pristine pools and wondrous waterfalls, a raincoat, dry clothes

*shopping for Costa Rican coffee, cigars, woodcraft, organic papayas

There’s even a rain hood that pulls out of a pocket — good the sudden downpours in the rainy season of Costa Rica

The Flyway sports exterior pockets for water bottles and interior pockets for cards, travel docs and pens.  I wish there was a little secret compartment to hide a passport and money, and that the bag sat better when taken off, but I appreciate its relative comfort and versatility to serve for both trails and travels!

Kelty- For Wheels

Andrew demonstrates how the Ascender series of bags can all use the same frame with inline skating wheels. The new Kelty line debuts August, 2013.

 This August,  Kelty debuts the Ascender 22  series of three travel bags ( a backpack, WR Duffel and  Trunk bag) that can all be attached to an expandable sturdy frame with wheels- not just any wheels, but hardy, in-line skating wheels.

The adjustable frame can shorten or lengthen to hold various new Kelty sized bags We checked out the Ascender backpack which fits with the frame in the overhead bin.  You can also extend the rollable frame to balance the Flyway on top of the Ascender bag to wheel it all through the airport.

The Ascender backpack has an expandable pocket and the frame can accommodate the added height. The bag is no longer a carry on then. I loved being able to pick up gifts for family and friends, put them in the top pocket, and watch the bag grow.

The Ascender bag can also be detatched from the frame and worn as a backpack.  This kind of flexibility makes it a desirable way to roll for trips that ask for squishable luggage — cruises and barge trips with limited cabin space, and outdoor adventure trips where suitcases don’t roll well with the rocks.

For this adventurous, memorable trip, I was glad to be both wheels and straps!

Are you a “Wheels or Straps” traveler? How do you Carry On?

Photographs by Lisa TE Sonne in Costa Rica

 -Lisa TE Sonne for Luxury Travel Mavens

 

The Pierre, a Taj Hotel, seen from Central Park in New York

How would you make a stellar hotel like The Pierre even better? Would you like someone to fill your hotel suite in advance with your favorite flowers, books, foods, beverages and pillows?  Would you like to walk into “your” rooms and be greeted with your choice music and scents, and a butler standing by to unpack for you?    Maybe he could also draw a royal bath for you with herbs, spices and oils to ease away the trials and tensions of travel.

Welcome to the “Taj Royal Attache Services” offered at The Pierre, a Taj Hotel in New York.   The services seem aimed at making guests feel like Raj at the Taj in imperial days of India as well as harkening back to the founding of the legacy luxury hotel on the SE corner of Central Park.

Historic Luxury

Some gems from a history provided by the historic hotel include:

Taj Tea Service in your Suite

*“The new Hotel Pierre is a millionaires’ Elysium, and it really is very beautiful,” declared The New Yorker in an August, 23, 1930 preview piece appearing under the byline “Penthouse

*Founder Charles Pierre wanted his elegant sanctuary “to create the atmosphere of a private club or residence instead of that characteristic of the average hotel. Every convenience will be incorporated into its design and construction.”

*“To serve its socially prominent clientele, the hotel was introducing two new features to the hospitality industry: a secretariat, whose staff members would perform for guests all the duties of a private social secretary, and a committee of chaperones, “companions of unimpeachable character and social recognition for the entertainment of younger persons who visit New York alone.”

Times have changed since the hotel’s early days and chaperones no longer seem a desired service, but maybe you do want someone to take care of theater tickets, sew on a button, and arrange for morning tea service in your suite. The Royal Taj Attache service provides a kind of personal butler-concierage-staff for Pierre guests who book one of the lavish suites and would like some one-on-one service. If you check in to the John Paul Getty suite with multiple rooms of elegance and original art,  and a sweeping terrace with topiary, a well-heeled, well versed Taj attache can add luxurious service.

At the Pierre, a Taj Hotel, you can go to the spa or have the Royal Taj Attache spring some of the spa to you

Your attache can help you best enjoy the great city of New York outside your windows, or let you luxuriate with-in the hotel- whether arranging a candlelight dinner en-suite, a memorable spa treatment,  or making arrangements for you to enjoy a private art tour in the hotel which harbors thousands of pieces.

And then when it’s time to go home, you have someone to pack your bags for you-with tissues between freshly pressed pieces.

“Location, location, location” is combined with “luxury, luxury, luxury.”

 ******

 

For additional Luxury Travel Maven reading:

My husband and I enjoyed a Honeymoon weekend at the Pierre

Enjoying Butler service at Le Blanc

-Lisa TE Sonne for Luxury Travel Mavens

Photographs provided by   The Pierre, a Taj Resort

What are your favorite “Extra Luxury” experiences when traveling?

Beach side lounge chairs waiting for you to relax…. (c)Sonne

To the Caribbean without a passport!  White sandy beaches, 80 degree sea water, and lots of good eating – welcome to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands! The US bought islands from Denmark in the last century, and these tropical vacation spots are steeped with European and African influences, but English is the main language, the mail is delivered via the US Postal service and there’s even an US  “National Park” there with hiking travels not far from an underwater marked snorkel trail.

 

You can be a tourist- see the childhood home of Impressionist Painter Camille Pisarro, the Western Hemisphere’s second oldest Synagogue, the Caribbean’s first Buddhist Temple, and miles of restaurants and shops. You can also just sit until you feel like immersing in the warm waters.

 

 

Glide on in with open eyes or a face mask, snorkel and fins.

Underwater world of St Thomas

Float over an endless aquarium or hold your breath, and dive a few feet  to get eye to eye with tropical fish, urchins and corals that look like sculptures. The light shimmers and plays. The water gently rocks you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No crabby people found topside, but underwater….

Sometimes there are surprises…

On a popular beach of Megan Bay, food shacks will deliver to you on the sand for barefoot dining. A few hundred yards away, underwater the fare is fresher and more lively.

 

 

 

 

This brain corral is a yard wide.

 

Your brain can relax as you take in dozens of different corals- from purple and orange fan corrals to large brain corrals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then look up………

Looking up is part of the fun of snorkeling in St Thomas. Schools of blue fish swim by. Sonne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would you add St. Thomas to your “bucket list”?

-Lisa TE Sonne for Luxury Travel Mavens

Photos (c)  Lisa TE Sonne