RED Haute in Paris!

I was among the first to discover the new Buddha Bar Hotel in Paris... where Asian fusion design meets Paris chic.

Check out my red haute hues while exploring my creative side in the newly opened hotel. The atmosphere was just perfect for a Haute Travels experience.

Haute UV Eye Protection Tips for Travel!

Most people understand that ultra violet protection is key when it comes to keeping our skin free of harmful UV rays but few realize it's just as important to protect the eyes. In fact, a reported 40% of adults in the USA fail to wear sun protection outdoors. But just as alarming about half of parents fail to protect their children's eyes with sunglasses or some other type of protection according to a recent report by The Vision Council. 

As a frequent Haute Travels girl, I live for a great pair of sunglasses. In fact, I don't travel without them. It's part of my UV eye protection habit along with fashion inspiration!

I was selected by The Vision Council, a nonprofit organization, to help spread the word among my readers, while being compensated for my efforts. I am happy to promote eye safety. Proper eye protection is key to good vision health.

UV exposure can cause unprotected eyes serious "problematic" vision issues. No matter where you are Paris, South Africa or the Caribbean, sunglasses and protective eye wear can prevent issues before they start or mitigate future eye damage for adults and children. 

Here are tips to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays even on a cloudy day:

-Apply sunscreen to skin around the eyes
-Wear sunglasses or protective eye wear with a UV protective lens (UV protection will be indicated by a label on the lens or a sticker on the sunglass frame)
-Stay in the shade; limit direct sun exposure
-Wear a hat

Do you think about the sun's UV intensity when packing for a trip? Be sure to pack wisely with appropriate sun protection for your eyes as well as your skin and hair!

To learn more and find out how to protect your vision click here to download The Vision's Council's report... http://www.thevisioncouncil.org/consumers//media/PDFs/VCUVReport2013FINAL.PDF

Letters/66 + GUEST POST ON LOST IN TRAVELS

Dear Patbingsu, I don't know how I've survived in Korea for so long without you. I finally caved and tried this traditional Korean summer treat the other day and I must say, I'm in love. The traditional one includes shaved ice on the bottom with red bean, sweetened condensed milk, jelly bits, rice cake, ice cream and fruit on top. Ok, I admit, after typing it up, it sounds disgusting. Just trust me on this one.

Dear Jeremy, I'm so glad that you have lots of experience riding bikes. I don't know if we would have made it out of Cambodia without it. I have never in my life seen such crazy driving. We would have the green light but still drivers would come from the sides and weave and honk their way through the crowds of motorbikes and cars to make their way to the other side. Dear In-laws, I can't believe it's only one week until you get here! Don't worry, we won't make you eat anything too strange. Dear City, you keep opening the cutest lounges and bars. The one we found this weekend even made us feel like we were back in the states. Too bad even the smallest drink was still $8. Even though we're a small town, we still have some of the highest prices in the country! Dear Mountain Biking, after my first ride this weekend, I now remember why I have avoided you for so long. Good thing going with a fun group of friends always makes even the most difficult work outs enjoyable. Even if I couldn't walk for days afterwards. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I finally convinced Jeremy to go to our first Korean wedding together so we'll be heading out tomorrow! Don't worry, I'll be sharing lots of details about it in the coming weeks.

Attention! Attention! 

We're heading out of town soon and I'm looking for one person to guest post for me while we're gone! I have just ONE SPOT available for purchase on my sponsor page. The guest post will have to be turned in no later than the 12th of this month; costs just $15 and includes a 250 X 250 sized ad on my sidebar for two weeks. 

So why should you get in on the action? The price of my ad spot that includes a guest post is currently $30, my vacation guest post is half that price. Plus all of my other sponsor spots are currently booked up for the next few months. This is a great way to not only get to take over my blog for a day (for a lot cheaper!) but also to get your ad up quicker! It's first come, first serve so reserve your spot today!

--------------------

And now onto one of my lovely sponsors this month. Be sure to check her out and say hi!

About Rachel: Hi there, I'm Rachel, the blogger behind With Love, Rachel. I write about all of the things that make life wonderful, from adventures in traveling to fabulous shoes. I drink more wine than I probably should, I consider bargain shopping one of my talents, and I often think out my plan for how to survive the zombie apocalypse. While I love to travel, I consider California the best place on the planet, and so I spend a lot of free time exploring the lesser known treasures of the Golden State-- and sharing them on my blog, of course!

Her best traveling advice: When booking flights, if you can, choose the flight with the long layover. Often times the flight is cheaper, and you get to spend a day in another city. You'd be surprised by how much you can see in 6 hours. I've had wonderful afternoons in Amsterdam and Frankfurt because of this, and it's also a nice break in between long flights.

Where to start exploring

Out of Africa

The Princess Aboard the Queen

Where to follow along

Twitter // Instagram

Expat Diaries-Signs You've Lived in Asia

It's that time again! Link up your expat/travel stories below and make sure to stop by some other bloggers and say hi! We also have a very special co-host with us this month, Nicole from Treasure Tromp so be sure to show her some love as well! Thanks to everyone for linking up and spreading the word! We have had so much fun getting to know you all!

--------------------

Have you ever lived abroad and realized that you've developed tell tale signs that you've been out of your home country for awhile? I was skyping with a good friend of mine back home the other day when all of a sudden, she started to giggle over something I said. You see, when you live overseas for a certain amount of time, you're lingo beings to...change. College turns into University, air conditioners are now air cons. We've also started using the Korean word 'mogi' for mosquito in our household. But that's a whole other type of confusing that we will impart upon our children.

This whole conversation got me thinking about how else we'll stick out when we return back home and what are some tell tale signs that show that a person has lived in Asia for a little too long.

.You've mastered the art of chopsticks. Just call me the Mr. Miyagi of chopsticks.

.You consider squatty potties you thigh workout for the day.

.It looks as if you're preparing for the apocalypse when you visit Walmart back home. Because of course, not just one bag of peanut butter m&ms will do, you need five. When we visited back home, the lady at the cash register gave us more than a few weird looks as half a dozen deodorants, six containers of oatmeal and various vitamins and medicines pass her checkout line.

.No shower curtain in the bathroom? No problem. And let's face it ladies, the toilet is the perfect height to rest your leg while shaving anyway.

.You think it's gross when people don't take off their shoes when entering a house.

.You can't have a conversation without pausing to think of the correct word. When your job is to try and simplify the English language as much as possible, your vocabulary tends to go out the window.

.You can't wrap your head around a car that can comfortably fit people in the back seat. Our current car you have to sit sideways since there's not enough room for your knees to sit facing forward.

.You have to roll up all of your pants and pass them off as cropped pants because let's face it, that's as long as you can find them

.You bow...to everyone.

.You could have a degree in the art of charades. Ever had to play charades to find out where the lady doctor is? Pray you never have to.

.You don't understand what people do with homes more than 1,000 sq. ft...but you're still a little jealous of them anyway.

Are there any other signs that I've missed? Have you ever lived abroad and felt a little different when talking with people back home?

More Than a Place to Sleep-Villa Langka Hotel

One of the most nerve wracking parts of traveling for me is finding a hotel. I have a friend who has a similar hate and faces buyers remorse every time she books. It's hard not to when there's literally hundreds of choices in each area. So my solution? Let my husband do the dirty work. Thank goodness he's happy and willing to take it off my hands for me. And this time he was able to find the Villa Langka hotel in Phnom Penh, a gem among the hundreds of choices in the city.

When we travel we always look for the same things in our hotels. And thankfully Villa Langka filled all of these requirements.
1. Locally owned and operated aka no chains (only one location in the heart of Phnom Penh)
2. Small in size (48 rooms in total in two different buildings)
3. Budget friendly ($55 a night with an included buffet breakfast. A deal breaker when we look for hotels)
4. Location location location (just a short walk away from tons of bars, restaurants, and shops)

Thankfully in Phnom Pehn we lucked out once again. This hotel went straight to the top five places we have ever stayed. And with an added bonus of hotel security outside to watch over our bike. A must if you're renting in Cambodia.

My favorite part by far was the pool area. Since we weren't by the ocean during this trip, this was the perfect oasis in the middle of the city to cool off in the mid day heat. Many times we would site see in the morning, hang out by the pool and go back out once it had cooled off again. The overgrown trees and serene atmosphere throughout the property made you feel like you were miles from the city when in reality, you were just steps to popular restaurant and shopping areas.

There are two buildings of rooms. The first one is the original building with traditional style rooms. We stayed in the new building which were filled with about 30 simple, modern rooms which were perfect. It even had touches of bamboo and Cambodian silks throughout the room.

via

Absolutely beautiful, wonderfully relaxing. Villa Langka needs to be on your list of places to stay when traveling to Phnom Penh.

What do you look for when booking hotels on vacation?

Travel Tuesdays-Nepal

Just a little something to cure your wanderlust for the week. 

via

“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

Snail Mail Collective Round Three!

I can't believe it's already time for the Snail Mail Collective again! Last month we have over 160 people! Melyssa and I are over the moon excited at the growth of this project of ours. Thank you from the bottom of our package loving hearts for all of your support! We hope you guys have been enjoying it as much as we have been!

via

I just received my August 'Under the Sea' package the other day from my partner and I'm so excited about it! Her name is Daphne from the blog Life is Like a Triple Chocolate Cookie. She's an aspiring architect student in the Netherlands with her fiancé (they get married in May!) who makes the cutest cards in her spare time! I have loved getting to know her better and you should definitely check out her blog! 

And how cute is all this ocean stuff? I personally can't wait to try out the squeeze water toys with Zeke. He'll probably hate me for it but his reactions should be hilarious. 

--------------------

And now that's it's the first of the month again, it means a new month of Snail Mail Collective! Summer is whizzing by and Twitter and Facebook have been consumed with back to school photos. I have no desire to be back in the classroom as a student (I get enough 'classroom' experience as a teacher thank you very much) but what I do miss are the back to school supplies! Is it just me or does the school section of Target make anyone else want to load up on unnecessary crayons and notebooks?

That's why this month's theme is Back to School!

Your package could include notebooks and pens; organizational tools such as fun magnets or push pins; or you could even include some back to school basic from when you were in school. I'm sensing Smackers and Goldfish crackers for this one. Get creative with this one and have some fun!

Sign up here

New to the Snail Mail Collective?

It's an easy international package exchange. Aka, send a package, get a package. Our goal is to provide an avenue to connect and get to know people from all over the world by exchanging packages and encouraging postcards each month. This is a great way to not only meet people around the world, but to also learn about new cultures and make new friends! Interested in joining us? Read the rules below and let's get started!

Rules & Information

In order to participate in the Snail Mail Collective this September, please fill out this form. Filling out the form means you  commit to actively participating and following the rules below. 

1. You will be paired with one new person. We will do our best to make sure this person is from a different country, or at the very least, a different area of your country. We will strive for you to make international friends, but it's also nice to get to know the different parts of our own homeland.

2. Each month's gifts will have a theme. The theme for September is "Back to School" Get creative! Try to relate it back to your culture, if you can. 

3. Each month, we will be taking sign-ups until 22:00PST on the 7th day of the month. After that, the pairings will be posted on our blogs on the 9th or 10th of the month. Please check Lost in Travels or The Nectar Collective to find out who you're paired with.

4. You will have 72 hours to contact your partner (both partners must communicate together). If your partner does not respond within 72 hours, please e-mail Melyssa or Chelsea.

5. You will have about two weeks to get to know your partner. After that time, your gifts must be sent by the 22nd of the month.

6. Gifts: Your present(s) should not total more than $5. We want this project to be affordable for you, so think small, but meaningful. Also, all packages must include a postcard (preferable) or a letter to your partner. Motivate them, tell them all the beautiful things you learned about them this month, and make them feel special! We could all use a little encouragement, especially from our new friends.

7. Once you receive your gifts, we highly encourage you to write a blog post about your experience. Share what you gave, received, and learned through participating in the Snail Mail Collective and meeting your new buddy.

8. On the 1st of each month, we will hold a link-up on our blogs (The Nectar Collective & Lost in Travels) where you can share and link-up your SMC blog posts. This way, you can see how people around the world interpreted the theme, learn about other cultures, and meet even more new friends! 

An InLinkz Link-up