"Have Lip Gloss, Will Travel"

Selected entries as the editor of Marie Claire's travel blog

My Dream Trip This Very Moment

Here’s a short run-down of the “nature” I’ve seen in New York City the past few weeks: When walking my dog, he stopped to sniff something in a patch of dirt around a tree. Turned out to be a tiny (dead) baby mouse. As I was walking to work in my new bronze gladiators, I almost stepped on a severed fish head, left after the garbage was picked up from a nearby restaurant. But the last straw occurred yesterday, when I leaned close to my bathroom mirror to get my mascara just so, and realized that my face was just a few inches from a cockroach that had apparently emerged from somewhere in the medicine cabinet. On days like these, who could blame a girl could for fantasizing about getting away?

My dream trip right now—and it changes by the week—would be the Galapagos. Real nature. Penguins, giant turtles, sea lions. Big cool awesome nature. Hundreds of varieties of birds (to think, a whole world of non-pigeons). The Galapagos is famous for its constantly adapting nature, where Darwin mapped out his theory of natural selection. In New York, survival tends to connote whether you work in finance or remembered your Metrocard. The three biggest islands of the Galapagos—San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, and Isla Isabela—even sound pretty. I swear, New York: show me one more dead thing or bug, and I'm hitting Orbitz with the AmEx.

The Best Summer Carribean Destinations

Winters are, of course, high season in the Caribbean. That’s when snowbirds, fed up by numb fingers, perennial sniffles and the incessant need to shovel their driveways, trek southward for sun, beaches and sugary rum drinks. But a winter stint in the Caribbean will cost you as much as 40% more than an off-season getaway. Nevermind the throngs of towel-toting families crowding the beaches. Price-conscious travelers should consider the Caribbean during early summer months. “The downside, of course, is that you’re traveling during hurricane season,” says Amber Herczeg, Vice President of Reservation Center Operations at CheapCarribean.com. “But if you stay far south and buy travel insurance, you’re minimizing your risks.” (CheapCarribean.com includes free weather insurance on all trips). Herczeg offers her insider tips for the best all-round Caribbean destinations this summer. You’ll find the best deals and never have to elbow for space on the beach.

Aruba
A sublime destination for gamblers and night owls. Known for its casinos, Aruba has earned the distinction among locals as the “Vegas of the Caribbean.” Though it’s a Dutch island, most of the big casinos, bars, and nightclubs accept American dollars, saving you big-time on the currency exchange.

Bonaire
Located far south in the Caribbean, Bonaire sits just outside the hurricane belt (though it does have a rainy season to consider). The island is known for outstanding snorkeling and scuba diving and a well-preserved marine environment. The usually-steady trade winds also make it a great place for windsurfing.

The Bahamas
Because the Bahamas are in the northern Caribbean, its waters are too cold for swimming during the area’s traditional high season. Since some parts of the Bahamas are parallel with Florida, it can be similarly affected by cold spell, subverting some of the islands’ charm. Odds are pretty good you’ll get tropical weather between June and September. Pack a good sunscreen!

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
The Caribbean meets the Atlantic on Punta Cana’s gorgeous beaches, the best on the entire island. Any time of year, the Dominican Republic gives the best value for your money. The island doesn’t have much, comparatively, in the way of shopping and nightlife, but if you’re looking for an in-resort lounge vacation on a dime, think of it as one more way to vacation and save.

Curacao
Located very far south in the Caribbean, Curacao (yes, like the Smurf-colored liquor) is also fortunately situated outside the hurricane belt. Due to its underwater marine park and the fact that the island is surrounded by coral reefs, it’s renown for great diving.

The Ultimate Road Trip for Food Lovers

For years, I’d heard about “active” vacations, the kind in which couples bicycle across the French countryside, pausing only for a few sips of wine before hopping back on their saddles. For me, a vacation is about coming back revived, not exhausted, and I know that pedaling—even driving—40 miles a day would make me need a post-vacation vacation.

So when my super-athletic, globe-trekking cubicle neighbor told me about her upcoming “food road trip” to the Southeast, I braced myself, prepared to do a polite nod to her excitement about white water rafting and camping, subsisting just on nuts and berries she’d forage.

But then she laid it on me: It was a southern food road trip. She would meet her friend in Charleston, South Carolina and they’d drive together around the state and through Georgia. They compiled tons of restaurant recommendations from friends, foodies, and blogs, and plugged all of their picks into a Google Map.

How would they hit the zillion restaurants in just four days? The two plan on appetizers at one place, entrees at another, and dessert at yet another before going on for drinks. Eating your way across the South? Now that’s my kind of food road trip.

The Best DIY Airplane Food

With a different airline filing for bankruptcy every week, it seems most of them can barely afford the jet fuel to transport us, let alone the bare-bones snacks necessary to keep testy passengers from all-out revolt. Some airlines boast gourmet meals, which you have to pay for, “designed” by celebrity chefs. (Delts offers a “bistro salad” by Todd English for $8, for example.) But even dressed up plane food remains just that—plane food. The solution to in-flight cravings? Pack your own meal. With limited drink service, crackdowns on what and how much you can bring on flights, it is more difficult than ever to prepare your own meals and snacks. Difficult, but not impossible. Here are five snack ideas for your next flight. They’re inexpensive and don’t require massive prep-time (you’re better off spending the time packing), and won’t raise any alarms at security checkpoints. Just remember that each item needs to be in a snack-size (not gallon), slide-close (not fold-over) sandwich bag, or you’ll find your well-planned snacks headed for the TSA trash bin.

Sticks and Dips
Pick up a package of pre-cut carrot and celery sticks at the local grocery store before your flight. Several companies now sell mini individual-sized tubs—remember, airline restrictions prohibit containers larger than 3 ounces—of peanut butter, hummus or ranch servings. It’s an easy, healthy holdover for a long flight.

Cup-o-Noodles
Grab a cup of instant-soup, either the cheap stuff like Cup-O-Noodles or a fancier version of Thai just-add-water noodle bowls. Most flight attendants will get you a cup of hot water they’d normally use for tea—just wait until they’ve finished their service rounds before asking for it. (That will reduce the chance they end up dumping it in your lap during the chaotic food service period.)

Crystal Light
You’re not allowed to bring more than three ounces of liquid through security—so kiss that big $4 bottle of Fiji water goodbye. (Drinks you purchase after passing security are yours to travel with.) But if you bring an empty bottle, you can fill it up post-security—for free!—at a water fountain. Add Crystal Light for a sweet, low-cal drink to keep you hydrated during the flight.

Pita Pocket
More of a meal than a snack, pack a whole wheat pita with lettuce, turkey, and cheese. Skip the onions, to save your seatmate from your breath; no avocadoes, which quickly brown; no mayo, to save you a trip to the emergency room after it’s been at room temp for awhile; no tomatoes, which make the bread soggy. The protein from the cheese and meat will keep you energized, and the fiber from the whole wheat will keep you feeling full.

Bag of Individually-Wrapped Candies or Chocolate Squares
It’s easy to scarf down hundreds of extra calories and fat on a flight. You’re bored and trapped, ideal conditions for mindless eating. Having to unwrap each candy like a Ghirardelli square or a Tootsie Roll can slow your sweet-binging process, especially when compared to a bag of M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces, which you can dump by the handful directly into your mouth. Plus seeing how few candies remain in the bag may convince you snack time is over.