Posts Tagged ‘travel’

Weekend Flats – New Orleans

sohlson posted this Thursday, April 4th, 2013

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Horny Toad loves weekend getaways, and we know you do too… so every month until August we’re picking a great city and giving you the insider’s scoop on where to eat, drink and play.   For this second month we’re firing up our taste for crawfish and good music and heading to New Orleans, Louisiana.

We know a key ingredient to a good trip is packing well. Enter our Weekend Flats Instagram contest and consider yourself outfitted.  All you need to do is hashtag a great photo you’ve taken of one of your favorite weekend destinations with #HTlovesweekends @hornytoadactivewear until 4/30/13.  Even better, the entry with the most amount of likes by the end of April will get a $150 Horny Toad giftcard- so be sure to tag your friends!

Without further ado, here’s the scoop on The Big Easy:

1.  Our Open Air Straw Hat is a perfect way to keep your cool in New Orleans, thanks to its super comfy, soft elasticized inner sweatband and understated solid outer band that just happens to go with everything.

2.  Regarding crawfish boils, the folks at nola.eater.com put it well: “…the best crawfish are boiled by friends, with friends, wherever there’s enough room to set up the boil and the table, lay out some blankets and throw around a football. But sometimes that just isn’t an option. The cravings are too urgent, the friends are out of town or whatever. For times like these, sometimes you just have to go to a professional.”  Check out their comprehensive guide to the best crawfish boils in New Orleans here.

3.  Think of the Samba Wave Tank as the best of all worlds: it has a fluid, wave-like pattern that gives texture without the intensity of a print; it’s made with our feel-great eco-loving blend of organic cotton and Tencel®, and its bra-friendly, feminine shape make it a great match for jeans, shorts and skirts alike.  In other words, it’s the perfect hot-weather, day-to-night travel companion.

4.  Reyn Studios Yoga  is located in the Warehouse District right across the street from the Saturday Farmer’s Market, so it’s the perfect foil to all the food and drink you’re sure to enjoy while in New Orleans.  All levels are welcome and there’s a great selection of class times throughout the day.

5.  We like our clothes like we like our traveling companions: smart, fun and easy-going. The Chambord Reversible Women’s Short succeeds on all accounts. They’re fetching and versatile, but also fully reversible so you can wear them every which way for days.

6.  Walk in to the St. James Cheese Company and you’re sure to be greeted by the scent of heaven… that is, if like us, you’re pretty sure heaven smells like cheese.  Their wide selection and knowledgeable staff are stellar, even by New Orleans standards. Have lunch there or just pick up some nibbles for the road.  You can also buy a bottle from the wine shop next door and sit outside on the patio for a nice afternoon treat.

7.  Our tropical-weight, core-cooling Open Air Men’s Shirt will pick up any and all available breezes with a specially engineered open weave.  It’s made from 100% organic cotton, so perfect for eating spicy gumbo in the heat and humidity.

8.  The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazzfest) is April 26 – May 5 and, arguably, a much better time to visit than Mardi Gras. It blends a wide mix of internationally renowned musical guests (just check out this year’s lineup!) with food and crafts.  But don’t take our word for it: the Wall Street Journal says “[it] showcases a wider, deeper lineup of essential American musical styles than any festival in the nation…”   And Life magazine has called “the country’s very best music festival.’’

9. When your style needs are befitting a city but the heat and humidity call for as little clothing as possible, the Unveil Dress is a great ally. Made from 100% organic cotton, the delicate check pattern of is beautiful, and the weave is so light it practically hovers. Yet it’s the details that elevate it to ideal travel companion status: three-quarter-length sleeves have a button tab; removable self-fabric belt adds shape, and the body is lined with soft poplin so you can enjoy the feeling of being naked without revealing a thing.

10. Cafe du Monde is a long-standing tourist attraction for a reason. It’s soooo good and offers inexpensive beignets and coffee at any hour of the day.  It’s located next to the river and Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter.  (Fair warning to those trying beignets for the first time – don’t wear dark clothes and don’t exhale when you bite down.  Beignet virgins will get powdered sugar all over themselves, guaranteed.)

11. True story: wear the Wai Walker men’s shorts on a Saturday in New Orleans and you’ll never think about changing clothes, not even once. Designed to accommodate a life that alternates outdoors and around town, they deliver the perfect mashup of looks and function with lightening fast dry time, spiffy handsomeness and life-enhancing details such as side hidden zipper pockets with an internal bungee loop and drain-and-dry mesh pocketing throughout.

12. Jitterbug Perfume is Tom Robbin’s fourth (and possibly best) book.  It’s partially set in New Orleans and the perfect read if you happen to have a little down time during your getaway.

Have an insider’s tip to share about New Orleans?  We’d love to hear it!  Also, for For Weekend Flats updates, be sure to sign up for our emails.

 

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Super Dressy

sohlson posted this Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

When it comes to dresses we never compromise. We need great fit, stellar looks and superb versatility or why bother? In our minds, the perfect dress should do it all: travel, work, play, dinner, first dates, last calls and even weddings.

This season we’ve got a little something for everyone.  Long and lean, fetching and water-friendly, feminine and light-as-air, universally flattering and eco-friendly.  Pick your favorite, throw it in a bag with your toothbrush and flipflops and never think twice about what you’re going to wear that weekend.

Got a great photo of yourself in your favorite Horny Toad dress?  Send to content at hornytoad dot com – we’d love to see it!

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Mile High Reading List

arasch posted this Monday, December 3rd, 2012

There are two types of airplane readers.  One knows they’re captive and uses the opportunity to slog through the heavy, heady reading they’d otherwise blow off.

The other acknowledges their short attention span and rewards their self-awareness with a guilty pleasure read. Here’s where the Toads land on this important topic. (We’ll let you decide for yourself which is which.):

“I think Richard Russo always provides a great read, whether you want long and involved or short and fun.  A guilty-pleasure book I once picked up in the airport (because I was desperate, having finished my other reading, why else spend a fortune on a book at the airport?) was called American Wife.  I thought that was a good, fast read. One blurb describes it as ‘a steamy novel loosely based on Laura Bush.’” – Kimberly

“I don’t know why, but I’m usually asleep before we pull away from the gate. However, if I DO stay awake on a plane I love to get some reading in.  Books I’ve read while traveling include: Moneyball, The Journeyer, The Alchemist, Unbroken and Animal Farm.”  -David

“Okay… I usually get caught in the heavy, heady category.  At the moment I’m reading The Secret Pulse of Time, making Sense of Life’s Scarcest Commodity by Stefan Klein and The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber (which I’m re-reading for the first time in 10 years).” – Gordon

“I am much in the second camp – pleasure and entertainment.  David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy)  fits that bill perfectly.  Nothing better than laughing to the point of tears rolling down my cheeks around a group of unsuspecting strangers.”  -Brian

“I usually switch between Entertainment Weekly or some silly magazine, listening to tunes, watching movies, etc. DEFINITELY not a heavy book reader. I’m very ADD on planes. The heaviest thing I can take on are the ridiculously long Vanity Fair articles that I never read at home but always find super interesting once I have a plane ride to read them on!” – Paige

“I just read Ellen Degeneres’ Seriously…I’m Kidding in about 20 minutes – it’s total fluff.  Some of the chapters are a couple sentences long – no kidding. it takes absolutely zero focus or commitment, but will make you giggle a little.  And you can leave it wherever you land and not care about it making it back to your home library.” -Ellen

“I recommend The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. It follows the main character Hadley, a simple lady who happens to meet the young Ernest Hemingway in Chicago in 1920. They fall in love, move to Paris, and that was enough for me to pick the book up. The other is A Game of Thrones (or any from A Song of Ice and Fire series) by George R.R. Martin. If you haven’t read this series yet I am jealous of you. I read one of these books for six hours straight on an international flight, and I had been reading them for several months at that point, so it had nothing to do with novelty. On the 12-hour flight back, I ended up sleeping through most of it and was actually upset because I didn’t get time to read. The HBO show is wonderful, but what the show is to the novels = what a movie trailer is to a movie.”  – Chelsey

“Vanity Fair usually does the trick.” – Joanna

What are your in-flight reading recommendations?

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Where in the World Would You Like to Go?

sohlson posted this Wednesday, October 17th, 2012

Sometimes we think about where we’d go on our ideal vacation.  After all, it can’t hurt to dream…

Haley:  My dream vacation would include three parts:  2 1/2 weeks in New Zealand; 2 1/2 weeks in Indonesia and 2 1/2 weeks in Greece.
In New Zealand I would spend some of my time surfing and exploring the little town of Raglan. I’d leave the remaining time undetermined- with lots of room for spontaneous adventures in other towns.  In Indonesia I would spend most of my time in Bali surfing and working with a close family friend who runs a midwifery clinic.  And my time in Greece has not been mapped out yet; however, I have a long list of places there that I would love to see!  The goal would be to keep all of these parts loosely planned with lots of room to go where the trip pulled me.

Chelsey:  One of my dream vacations would be to spend autumn in Europe— specifically Edinburgh, London, Paris, and Vienna. I would ride on the ferris wheel over old world-sy Edinburgh, stroll through the incredible Viennese Christmas markets, people watch while trying to blend in with locals at sidewalk cafes and street markets in Paris, and just wander around in London. I’m a sucker for fall, it’s so dreamy and romantic to me, and so are all of these places. Just google “Vienna Christmas Market” and you’ll see what I mean! It looks like what Christmas felt like as a little kid.

Guin – One of my dream vacations would be at Tahoe skiing with all of my friends and family in a giant ski-in-ski-out cabin that could accommodate us all. There would be food, drink and cards in addition to music and a snowy fireside marshmallow roasting session.

Ian – New Zealand.  For probably about a 6-month vacation, because I would need that long to do everything that I want to do there.  But if I could only go for a couple weeks or a month or two, that would be fine.  I would also have to include a layover, probably a week or two, in Mallorca, Spain.

Brian: For me it’s a trip to Spain, starting in Barcelona and traveling down the coast, popping over to Morocco for a week, back up and over to Portugal for another week.  The trip ends in Madrid.  Along the way taking in the culture, the history, the beaches and some Spanish soccer.  Traveling with me are my wife and son.  Would love to stay for a month if life allowed.  This is the dream trip for us because it offers such a great blend between the present and the past.  The diversity of the various cultures along the way would give great variety in a relatively small geographic area.  While not for a month, this dream trip will become  a reality, at least for a couple of weeks, next Spring.

David:  Beach + sun + waves + beer + tacos/beer + surfboards + live music + hammock + nighttime dancing.  Sprinkle in some hiking and I’m sold.

So where would you go and what would you do?

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10 Reasons Why Camping is Better than a Motel

sohlson posted this Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

Sometimes when you travel there’s no avoiding a motel – but for every other time there’s camping.  Here’s why we’ll choose a tent and sleeping bag over free wifi and a  breakfast bar (almost) every time.

1.  Motels have popcorn ceilings.  Camping has starry skies.

2.  Motel sheets are suspicious.  Sleeping bags are cozy.

3.  Food cooked on a camp stove is scientifically proven to taste better.

4.  Chances are, you won’t be kept up all night by your neighbor’s TV while you’re camping.

5.  Fresh air vs. stale ashtray smell

6.  Pine needles vs. creepy carpeting

7.  Smelling like campfire is sexier than smelling like motel bar soap.

8. Ghost stories are better for your brain than cable television.

9.  Camping costs less than a motel.

10.  When you’re 80 a motel will probably sound much better to you than camping will.  Enjoy it while you can.

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Horny Toad Goes to Cuba

kolson posted this Wednesday, September 19th, 2012

What do you wear on an all guys trip to Havana, Cuba?  Horny Toad clothing, of course.  HT model Jeff Bochsler, author of The Daily Intent blog and the ebook Be Multinational, is here to tell you all about it.

By Jeff Bochsler

Is there a foreign country or city in the world that evokes great curiosity for you?  Is there a place that, thanks to the lore passed along by friends, books and fellow travelers, seems to promise a truly unique travel experience?  For me that place was Havana, Cuba.

Havana was the Vegas before there was Vegas.  Mobsters and the über rich ran a black market show until Fidel Castro (aided by his brother Raul and infamous pal Che Guevara) led a socialist revolution in the late 1950s.  Havana is the city Ernest Hemingway famously fell in love with while sipping Mojitos from Hotel Ambos Mundos.  And it’s on an island that is strictly forbidden to American tourists thanks to the 1960 embargo sanctions brought forth after Cuba nationalized the properties of United States citizens and businesses.

Cuba remains one of the last remaining pure communist regimes – but things are changing.  Fidel Castro is getting on in years, his brother is running the show, the Americans who lost their land are beginning to pass away, and the United States is taking small steps to participate in the country’s well-being.  It’s possible that Cuba’s 54 year run as a communist nation might well be coming to an end.

From what I had seen and heard, today’s Havana seems to exist in a time capsule.  It’s not just the 1950s Fords and Chevys everywhere that offer a clue to its non-progressive political state, it’s the refreshingly sheltered, super-friendly people and the colorfully diverse architecture whose design suggests a world in which strip malls don’t exist.  The time for me to visit was immediate.  I wanted to get there before its preserved state changes dramatically.

And so it was.  In June, I set off with two good amigos to find fun and adventure in Havana, donning Horny Toad collared short-sleeves, hats, and even a pair of HT sample white pants.  What I discovered there was far deeper than I’d ever imagined.  Musically, culturally, politically, economically and gastronomically speaking the city asks one to constantly participate in both thoughtful reflection and outright play.

For example, the Argentine Tango is too slow for me and feels too stop-and-go without reason.  And the Brazilian Samba seems too chaotic and fast – I can’t seem to find the rhythm with either.  Yet, the Cuban / Colombian Salsa matches the beat of my heart.  It has everything: grace, sexuality, energy and consciousness.  The night I learned the dance, a small breeze came through the open air bar, my light Toad shirt worked every angle to keep me free and cool, and my feet and hips worked overtime to keep up with the dance instructor.

As well, a Cuban cigar has a macho effect on the ego while a Mojito sweetens the senses, reminiscent of the yin/yang effect a man’s better half has on the rest of his life.

And play, not the internet, is a huge part of Cubano’s life.  Kids are healthy and thinly powerful.  Baseball is played gloveless with makeshift bats and balls, in squares no larger than a baseball diamond, hammering line drives off the trees and adjacent buildings.  Some of the kids play while an equal number perch about the square, observing.

The billboards were constant reminders of a communist regime – there was not one business advertisement, only reminders of who was in charge and who was the reason for the citizens well-being.

While we originally set off to indulge in smooth cigars, a few glasses of Mojito and a day or two at the beach, we left with a much deeper understanding of ourselves and some questions about our place in the world.  We left with heads that were swirling in music and new ideas about happiness and the things we have versus the things we actually need.

 

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Great Places To Camp With Your Dog

sohlson posted this Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

We asked our friends on Facebook and Twitter where they like to camp with their dogs.  We think these replies are pretty right on.

“Oregon. Pick a spot.”

“Love me some Idaho camping. Thousands of lakes to choose from.”

“Great Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado.”

“Backpacking in the state forests of Wisconsin and Wyoming.”

“The Russian river! Canoeing with you dog!”

“Mollidgewock State Park in Errol, NH… put the dog in the canoe and go!!!”

“Shelf Road Rock outside Canon City, Colorado! But only if they’re crag dogs.”

“Zion”

Where, in this beautiful world, is your favorite place to sleep under the stars with your best four-legged friend?

 

 

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Sweepstakes Winner No. 2

sohlson posted this Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Week two winner of our What’s in Your Bag? contest did a great job of capturing the Horny Toad travel vibe – you can check out her Pinterest board here.  Little wonder she was able to win our hearts… Hannah’s pretty familiar with Horny Toad clothing.  Here’s a photo of her on a recent trip to D.C. wearing our Oolong Dress:

Hannah, the week 2 winner of our "What's in Your Bag?" contest rocking the Oolong Sleeveless dress.

Now we’re finished with the travel wardrobe giveaway part of the contest, but we’re still giving away the grand prize – a weekend trip for two to Santa Barbara!  There’s just a little bit of time to enter.  Like 24 hours or so.  So get moving whydon’tcha?  Enter here.

 

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Sweepstakes Winner No. 1

sohlson posted this Friday, March 30th, 2012

Today we chose the first winner of our What’s in Your Bag? contest.  Emily Fette (check out her blog) did a great job of curating inspiring travel images that really capture the spirit of the sweepstakes – and for that she gets a new Horny Toad travel wardrobe!  You can see her Pinterest board here and find out how to enter the contest here.

Emily Fette and her husband Rusty, in Chicago

If you missed out this week don’t despair! We’re picking another travel wardrobe winner this Friday, April 5th, and everyone who enters the What’s in Your Bag? contest is eligible for the grand prize (picked lottery-style): a weekend trip for two to Santa Barbara.  Now get pinning!

 

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The Emily Jackson List of Favorite Things

sohlson posted this Thursday, March 8th, 2012

Emily Jackson Shares the Top 12 Things She Just Can’t Get Enough Of:

1. Kayaking – Every day if I can! This allows me to push myself to new limits. I love the feeling of being surrounded by water and using it to perform tricks and access unexplored places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Kindle -  Since I travel 9 months out of the year, the portability and convenience of my Kindle make it easy to read 200-plus pages a day. My mother, grandmother and uncle surprise me with new books so I’m reading nonstop! Recent Favorite: 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson.

3. Mrs. Renfro’s Jalapeno Green Salsa – With breakfast, lunch and dinner. My husband and I are always wondering what to put it on next, but I have to warn you – it has a KICK!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Family time – My father, husband, brother and I represent our country for freestyle kayaking, so there is no shortage of family time in our lives! My mother and father enjoyed having me and my brother so much they wanted one more, so they had my baby brother three years ago. When I’m not kayaking I’m running with my mom or trying to teach my brother how to do the chicken dance or the sprinkler! The latter two are epic fails right now, but entertaining nonetheless. My husband, dogs and I have our own little family and nothing beats waking up in the morning spooning a dog.

Emily's baby bro'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Pintrest - I’m remodeling my house and there are tons of fun ideas on this site! Try searching Horny Toad if you ever wondered what a baby toad looks like or to see a couple Horny Toad pieces! Did you know there was a Horny Toad Beer? I didn’t!

(*Editor’s note – Horny Toad is now on Pinterest – find us here!)

6. Exercise – Yes, I paddle all day long, and yes it’s exercise, but there’s something about exhausting yourself on a run, road bike ride or my newest obsession – “Insanity.” It’s a video using only body weight and I have to say, as someone who’s pretty fit, this thing kills… And I LOVE IT! I’m still running as often as possible and will be in the Jackson Daniels Half Marathon. Who wouldn’t? …it’s JACK DANIELS!!

7. Dr. Seuss -  You’re never too big for a little Seuss in your life. My mother-in-law wasn’t a big fan, so I revisited all his books and explained to her the life lessons of each… If you don’t remember, check out this image.  It has all the titles switched to the actual, intended lessons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. My dogs – Yes I know, everyone can’t get enough of their dogs, and I’m no exception. My dogs sure do know how to get the best of me. I have a “very special dog,” Rupert, that makes me laugh. His big sister is Rio and she takes care of him. Rupert is a French bulldog that spent an hour today barking a leaf, and yes I sat there and watched and laughed the entire hour. Rio is a mutt and makes sure I wake up every morning at six on the dot!

9. Sprinter Living- I grew up in an RV as a child so I understand that home is where you park it! Right now I’m parked in North Carolina, paddling every day and coming back to my home-away-from-home, which is a van down by the river!

10. Smitten Kitchen:  I cook a lot, and I love cooking a lot. This blog is one of my favorites because I can simply search an ingredient that I have on hand, such as spaghetti squash, and it’ll bring up a couple of recipes that are unique and always delicious!

11. Horny Toad Clothing -  Just sayin’…  I want to do everything in my new Horny Toad clothes. One shirt goes everywhere! For example, I put on a skirt and cute heels with my Simplex Tank (made of Tencel® and linen), and I’m ready for a date!  Then I pair my Chamblazer with the same tank and skirt and I’m ready for business! OR I can pair the Flexure Crop Pants with the Simplex and I’m off to yoga. There isn’t anything you can’t do in these clothes. Thank goodness they wash well because I find myself wanting to sleep in them too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. Travel:  This quote basically sums it all up: “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” -Robert Louis Stevenson

 

 

 

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