WHIRL Travel

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Rent your dream beach house, get a flawless (sunless) tan, and shoot vacation photos like a pro!

Edited by Nicole Barley

Frame-Worthy Photos

Wedding photographers Tony and Cyndi Araujo are the duo behind Araujo Photography, but “in a past life, we were both flight attendants,” says Tony. We turned to Tony for advice on making our vacation albums memorable and vivid.

1. Use your zoom lens to capture details. “Shoot street signs as you’re walking around town. Get a picture of the menu posted outside of a restaurant you like. Getting up close will help you remember the vacation in a different way, improve your shots, and tell a story better than anything.”

2. Use the entire frame. “Get creative with funky composition. Known as the Rule of Thirds in photography, you never want to have the subject right, smack dab in the center of the viewfinder.”

3. Approach from a different angle. “A little whimsical tilt to the camera, especially with people as the subject, adds a looser, more photojournalistic feel. The exception to that is, when you’re shooting a wide landscape, always keep the horizon level.”

4. Ask first. “If you are close enough to people on the street that they notice you pointing a camera, always ask permission. Some cultures may find your photography offensive. Even if you don’t know the language, point to your camera, smile, and say ‘OK?’ If they don’t answer or smile in return, if they look away, move on.”

5. Find your light. “The absolute most beautiful light of the day is early, early morning and then again right around sunset. The sun is low to horizon, the light is diffused by the atmosphere, and it is really soft and golden.” Araujo Photography, 412.741.2711.


Suit Up

Embrace bathing suit season thanks to an easy-to-acquire base tan. A spin in the spray booths at the Hollywood Tans salons in Mt. Lebanon, Robinson Township, and Baldwin-Whitehall, seriously boosts our confidence and does the trick, sans sun. Owner Lynne Tocchet says the color of the $25 Mystic Tan treatment is as real as it comes. “We’ve really come a long way with spray,” says Tocchet. “People tell me, ‘Thank you so much! I was able to get into my bikini and not feel like I wanted to hide for the first three days of vacation.’” Prior to stopping in to spray, Tocchet advises to exfoliate and shave. It’s best to tan the day before leaving for your trip, and make certain to apply sunscreen during time in the sun, she says, as spray tans will make you feel tan, but provide no SPF. For post-sunbathing skincare, pick up the trio set of products, Total Immersion, also available at the tanning salons. The shower gel, aloe gel, and daily moisturizing cream are Tocchet’s keys to smooth summer skin. Hollywood Tans.


Southern Exposure

People from Pittsburgh love to migrate south in the summer months. Tade Bua-Bell was a Pittsburgher her entire life until just three years ago when she made the move Southwest Florida, full time. There, in Naples, Fla., she is an agent with real estate company Premier Properties, along with her mother, Emily K. Bua, also from Pittsburgh. The company has rental properties available, in addition to its sale properties. Says Bua-Bell of her new home, “The beaches are very clean, filled with white, soft sand, and the people are friendly.” Though summer is high time for vacations to the shore, consider a getaway here anytime of year, ideal for outdoorsy types who revel in riding bikes, golf, and tennis matches. “The weather is beautiful 365 days a year. Every morning that you wake up in Naples, it’s sunny.” Premier Properties, 239.213.7420.

 

Flight News

East meets west starting August 18. That’s the inaugural day of Pittsburgh International Airport’s new non-stop, daily United Airlines flights to Los Angeles’ LAX and San Francisco’s SFO airports. Following the August discontinuation of US Airways’ flights to those hubs, United Airlines will provide a seamless transition for travelers. Plus, the United Airlines flights open the airways “for reaching Hawaii, Vancouver and Edmonton, Canada, Asia, and Australia with only one stop,” says Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. California, here we come! Plus, the airport now flies American Airlines’ MD-80 jet aircrafts to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The expanded, 140-seat airplanes are equipped with additional first-class cabin space and take off from Pittsburgh three times daily. Pittsburgh International Airport.

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