Wien Weekend Tip: Neubaugasse Flohmarkt!

If you’re free and in Vienna this weekend, go out and visit the Neubaugasse Flohmarkt! To me, Neubaugasse is like the hip younger sister of the main shopping street Mariahilferstrasse. Home to some of my usual haunts like Femosa, a store with the cutest stationery and home ware, salons Hauptsache and Yuki Tuyet Beauty Salon, the entire street turns into a huge fleamarket. It’s the most eclectic and colorful mix of old and new stuff at discounted prices.

Wear comfortable shoes – it’s a long street!

Neubaugasse Flohmarkt
September 26 – 27, 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Wednesday Wishlist

wednesday-wishlist-no-stopovers-18Aug2014

one ❤ With natural ingredients that fight drowsiness, exhaustion, fatigue, dehydration, and vertigo, TravelEase spray by Sprayology  is the perfect antidote for jet lag. Since I’m very prone to motion sickness, any other way to combat it aside from sleeping (which is so effective, but I tend to miss out on in-flight movies, stunning sunsets and beautiful clouds) is very welcome. 

two ❤ While I love to capture moments during my trips on instagram, I also love to keep a small travel journal where I can stick on tickets, receipts and stickers. I found this logbook on etsy and fell in love with it. 

three ❤ Hopefully someday, I’ll be less dependent on the internet, but in the meantime, this pocket wifi seems like the best invention ever. 

Wednesday Wishlist

I admit, I went a little crazy with my spending after my birthday and since I’m saving for a big trip for the end of this year, I have to really track my spending and live frugally. It’s a practice in restraint, but you know what I like to do? I go online, look at the goods, click ‘Add to cart’ and then close the tab. It works for me! I get the rush of acquiring the items by adding them to a cart, but by closing the tab, I avoid buyer’s remorse and the regret that goes with looking at your bill. That said, I loved looking at the following items which I would love take with me while traveling.

Tory Burch for Fitbit bracelet
Tory Burch for Fitbit Metal Hinged Bracelet: You might have noticed how much I love to walk here,here, here, and here, and I like to track my steps. Fitbit keeps me active and hitting my daily 10,000-step target is one of life’s little triumphs.

 

S'well water bottle
Another way to stay healthy during trips is to keep hydrated. S’well water bottles have nice designs, but the Wood Collection is special because for every Wood bottle sold, the brand’s partner, American Forests, will plant one tree. My favorite parts? S’well bottles keeps your drinks cold for 24 hours, hot for 12, the bottles don’t condensate (condensation is always a hassle for me when I have to put a bottle in my bag), and – get this – 25oz holds an entire bottle of wine. Sold!

 

Rags2Riches Kena Tote
The Rags2Riches Kena Tote is a fashionable and eco-ethical bag that I would love to carry with me while getting lost in little side streets. How amazing would this look on travel pics? What I love about Rags2Riches is they upcycle scrap cloth, organic materials and indigenous fabrics, and providing jobs and training to artisans in poor communities in the Philippines. Read more about them here.

 
What items would you love to take with you on your next trip?

Flashback Friday: colors & chocolate at M&M

{Back in March 2012, I went to London, one of my favorite cities and got caught in a sugar rush at M&M’s World}

We went to M&M’s World in London under the pretense that it’s for our 2 year-old companion Yssa’s entertainment. More than an hour later, it was apparent that all of us grown-ups had just as much fun, maybe even more, as Yssa. Who wouldn’t cheer up with so much color and sweetness?
While my favorite M&M’s flavor is peanut butter (I think it also might be the most fattening), I was on a mission to find the dark chocolate variety. I discovered them in New York and must have bought them at Duane Reade or CVS (seriously, I love drugstores). My friends and I munched the chocolate  and Combos while having wine (we so classy). We loved the dark choc M&M’s and thought would find them at the airport, but couldn’t. Sadly they weren’t available in London yet*.
With 4 floors filled with merchandise, sweets and the lovable mascots that make for great photo opps, M&M’s world is like a small amusement park. For a chocolate junkie like me, it’s better than Disneyland.
I really loved this wall with 22 colors of chocolate candies. 

 

I couldn’t help filling a bag with my favorite colors plus white because according to the Official Colour Analyser, white is my color mood.

 

Festive! Wouldn’t mind celebrating with a bottle of that 🙂

 

Yssa approves

 

 

Red looking very official

 

recreating The Beatles crossing Abbey Road! so cute!
side note: I passed Abbey Road twice by bus, but couldn’t quite figure out where this famous crossing is. Another excuse to go back to my beloved LDN 🙂

1 Swiss Court
Westminster, London WC2H 7
(in Leicester Square)

Store Hours:

Monday-Saturday: 10am-Midnight
Sunday: Noon-6pm
* one week later, my colleague went to New York and got me a big bag of M&M’s Dark Chocolate ❤

Wednesday Wishlist

On The Map Necklace Seattle's Travelshop
This delicate necklace with a cutout map charm from Seattle’s Travel Shop is a cute and simple way to show your love for travel. I’m into gold accessories right now, and I love this.

 

Red Envelope leather travel caseRedEnvelope markets this as a toiletry bag “perfect for the man on the go” but if it keeps things organized while traveling, looks sleek and sophisticated, and made of beautiful leather, it is also perfect for me.

Elizabeth and James Hazel blazer
I’m searching for the perfect white blazer, and this one from Elizabeth and James seems perfectly upgrade-worthy.

 

Tile is a revolutionary little gadget that you can attach to anything. Its GPS and iPhone app can keep track if you lose it. Brrrrilliant.

So tell me, what items are you wishing for? Got any cool {window} shopping tips for me?

travel accessories wish list + charity

FEED Backpack

FEED Backpack, $75
This adventure-ready backpack provides 75 school meals.

FEED Health Backpack

FEED Health Backpack, $130
For each FEED Health backpack sold, FEED will donate an identical backpack to a Community Health Worker (CHW) working in a Millennium Village in Africa.

FEED Function Bag

FEED Function Bag, $100
This functional and stylish bag provides 100 meals, and is Jessica Alba-approved!

FEED Philippines T-Shirt

FEED Philippines T-Shirt, $33
A purchase of this t-shirt provides 10 emergency meals to children and families in the Philippines affected by typhoon Haiyan.

I have never witnessed so many individuals, organizations, companies, groups, and countries unite for one cause. The help and the compassion that the Philippines has received after typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda struck has been extremely overwhelming, heart-warming, and inspiring. A few days after crying in front of the TV every time we watched CNN’s coverage of the typhoon, my friend Apa asked me if I wanted to sing on the street to raise funds for typhoon victims, since I like to sing in public. I thought she was joking, but when she assured me that she wasn’t, I said yes. With all odds against us – we received our street performance permit just a few days before the performance, we had no sound system, not much time, no rehearsals, minors as dancers, rain and cold weather – we went ahead and sang and (they) danced in the rain. My knees were shaking because it was too cold, it was hard to move, and I didn’t wear gloves because I painted my nails in the colors of the Philippine flag (I am detail-oriented, okay), but I kept thinking that it was just rain; it’s nothing compared to a super typhoon. It was strange seeing people stop, listen and stay, and it was amazing to see them actually dropping money in the donation box. We are truly grateful for the people’s generosity – in those two hours, we were able to raise €675 (that’s PhP 40,000!). The proceeds went to the Austrian Red Cross who provide food, clean water, medicine, hygiene kits, body bags and emergency shelter in the affected areas.

Travel Accessories Wishlist

I’m very excited to be going on three more trips soon – what a way to end the year, right? I’ll be spending the Christmas holidays with my family in the Philippines, where we have the longest Christmas season (September to beginning of January). I am really looking forward to the festivities, the warm weather, my parents, my brother, my granny, everything and almost everyone. My travel agent informed me that I have a whopping 40 kg baggage allowance (for which I’d have the perfect huge ass suitcase for), but have to use two suitcases for it. It’s not a problem; I’m grateful I’ve got wonderful people in my life who offered to let me borrow their suitcases. I am still dreaming of owning (but not buying) a very nice Rimowa trunk and went as far as holding one, pushing it around, looking at myself in the mirror with it. After seeing a beat-up silver Rimowa suitcase on the conveyor belt at the JFK airport, I was convinced that the price wasn’t worth it. But every time I see a Rimowa case, I just fall in love with it. Maybe I will own one that’s not in silver.

Other travel accessories I fantasize about?

Fuji

Minimergency Kit

1. Fujifilm Instax Mini 90

2. Minimergency Kit

Travel Accessories Wishlist: lovely and luxe edition

How’s your week so far? Flying by or dragging along? For me it seems like it’s a mix of both, if that’s at all possible. Listening to Joshua Radin right now – very fitting for this cool weather. I’m currently battling a cold, but my deadlines keep me awake. I must admit, it does feel good to check off as many tasks on my to-do list as possible. Along with it also comes the bitter realization that sometimes you have to accept that not all tasks can be done in a day, and that there’s still tomorrow. I’m already looking forward to the weekend – busy weeks like this make my weekends feel extra well-deserved. Wait – why am I rambling on about work? On to the important stuff! I bought tickets to the Michael Bublé concert in Vienna in January! It feels strange to already make social plans for January.  Oh, and here’s what I’m wishing for right now:


1. Scratch Map Travel Journal
2. How to be an Explorer of the World
3. Cashmere Getaway Hoodie
4. Frye Engineer boots
5. Olivia Large Satchel

Happy window shopping!

Travel Accessories Wishlist: casual and comfy edition

How was your weekend? I had so much fun catching up with family and playing Just Dance at my cousin’s surprise birthday party on Saturday, and doing a Scandal marathon all day on Sunday UNTIL 4 A.M. ON MONDAY. I am so glad I waited this long to watch it because it is SO good, and I probably couldn’t handle waiting week after week for another episode. I’m still getting over it. Surprisingly, I was alert and upbeat at work despite my lack of sleep. I guess it helps that I’m really excited to leave for Oslo later this week. Yay! Nevertheless, a little online window shopping doesn’t hurt. Here’s my wishlist for this week:

Adidas Leopard-print shoes

Cordito by This Is Ground

Travel Hoodie Pillow