Travel

With international travel picking up, I can't help but reminisce about one of my favorite travel destinations: Prague. I spent a semester in college studying abroad in Prague and I miss it so much! I've heard from many of you that you're planning trips to Europe (so jealous!), so here are my tips for that perfect European vacation. When it comes to packing for a trip to Europe, I want to pack clothes that are comfortable but also fashionable. One of the first things my advisors in Prague told me was that there is a big difference in the way Americans and Europeans dress -- and it's easy to spot the Americans based on their fashion. In other words, leggings, sweatpants, hoodies, and any other "boro" kind clothing won't cut it. Luckily, my Milo Pants are perfect for the job. They're just as comfortable as leggings but are elevated enough to wear during the day when exploring Prague's Old Town or for a nice dinner out. For cooler fall and winter nights, I LOVE to layer. My Joni Cover Up would definitely be coming with me as a layering piece. Since it's so lightweight, it's easy to throw in a bag when it gets chillier. A long sleeve turtleneck pairs perfectly underneath with a chunky scarf and some leather boots! While exploring Prague, I kept all of my belongings in this small anti-theft backpack. Unfortunately, as safe of a city Prague is, it's still prone to pickpocketing. This backpack was a lifesaver for me as I went from classes to walking around the city at night. I always felt secure with my belongings in here, and although it looks small, it actually holds a lot! Finally, one of my top recommendations when planning a visit to Prague is to explore as much of the city by foot as you can. Prague is very walkable, and when you're on foot you can really appreciate the history and architecture of the city. These boots were my saving grace when I was walking well over 10,000 steps per day. They kept my feet toasty warm, have a comfortable foot bed, and didn't squeeze my wide feet. I hope you have the best time in Europe! I'll be living vicariously through you and I can't wait to hear about your time abroad! Na zdravi, (cheers in Czech)Natalie

Hiyeeee! Tracy here with some travel tips and insight!  While I'm not the biggest travel buff, I enjoy the privilege of island hopping to visit family and friends on the neighbor islands or planning little staycations with the kids to get the feel of being on a vacation.  I'm also not quite ready to take my 2 little ones too far from home - my little one started preschool in the heat of the pandemic, so he hasn't even been on a school bus for an excursion yet...airports are a little overwhelming for him!  But no matter the destination, there is always one common denominator for me when I travel in any capacity - and that's comfort. My go-to pieces whether I'm flying out of Hawaii or coming home - Loren Kimonos, Coral Pants, and Rea Tanks.  Layering is essential for me as I am naturally a hot-blooded person and can feel overheated very quickly, especially in stressful situations. Loren Kimonos are easy to wear, light enough to stuff in my bag when I'm feeling too warm, and the length of the sleeves makes me feel less yucky about it touching everything.  When I wear long-sleeved jackets, I'm always rolling up the sleeves so that it's not touching every surface or getting wet every time I wash my hands. Coral Pants feel and function like leggings (perfect for constant moving around), but have pockets and LOOK like pants - easy choice.  And even though they're a double-knit ponte material, it's still very light and breathable with more than enough stretch to keep me comfy.  They're also fitted so I don't have to worry about anything dragging on the ground or getting caught on anything. Rea Tanks are my favorite tops to wear in general, and have become essentials for me when traveling (especially when it's to or from places that are warmer).  They make layering so easy and I never sacrifice an ounce of comfort.  It helps I have them in almost every color (yay for mixing and matching), but they pair with almost any pant or shorts that I bring with me.    But no matter what, always do your research ahead of time.  Check weather forecasts, ask around to get tips and advice from people who've been there/done that, and try to be as prepared as possible.  When flying to Hawaii, just know that once you get off that plane, the warmth and humidity can be a little much, so layer layer layer! I once made the huge mistake of not being prepared (well, to be honest I did not know what I was getting myself into), and I road tripped it with my friends in college from Dallas/Fort Worth to New Orleans at the end of December.  I thought that bringing jeans and thicker jackets would be enough, but let's just say it was colder than usual and even the swamps got a bit icy (it ended up being in the 30s at night!).  Being a stubborn local girl, I also made the trip in my Reef slippers (gotta be comfortable, right??) - and I'm lucky I still have all 10 toes.  I froze my butt off in never-before-felt 35ºF weather, but still insisted on wearing slippers down Bourbon Street in my UH hoodie - YES, I was there to cheer on the Bows in the Sugar Bowl!  I'm sure I wasn't the only Hawaii person unprepared for those temperatures (and that horrible defeat...agh), but the experience really taught me a lot and I now know that my comfort has to also align with the elements I'm going into.  The final score was a huge bummer, but the experience was one I'll never forget.  If you were there standing in the Superdome at the end of the game singing Hawai'i Pono'i with every other diehard, heartbroken Hawai'i fan who stayed til the end...I was there with you 🥹.   I've been so lucky to have had so many people come in and share their wonderful stories, adventures, and pictures with me in my time here at Allison Izu. To feel your excitement as you tell me about your fun adventures, see snippets of cherished memories, and be trusted with personal anecdotes from your lives.  I hold them all dear to my heart, as I truly believe they were shared with me from a place of love.  As I continue my own life adventure, I look forward to crossing paths again and maybe having a special story that I'll get to one day share with you.   Thank you for being a part of my adventure here at Allison Izu . . .    🌈💚 Tracy

As I packed my bags and got ready for a quick trip to LA, I realized that I was looking forward to a new approach to travel this time. My mother was a travel agent, who led tour groups to far away places. Traveling has been a part of me and it lights my fire (Sagittarius here!) and I realized that the way I traveled or planned trips was similar to her -- like a travel agent. She was efficient, planned every minute of our day because she wanted us to see all of the sights and experience everything the destination had to offer. I picked up her zest for efficiency, to squeeze the most out of every trip I took. It wasn't until I met Young, my better half, who taught me that travel didn't need to be this way. He showed me how to relax a bit, to stop and take in the sights and enjoy the art of getting lost while traveling.  I still like a good plan, but I've learned to let my planned itinerary breathe a bit - to allow for the moments where I can get lost and stop to take it all in. I find peace in the areas that I can plan, so that I can find my joy in the free flowing moments. One area that I still "plan" while I travel?  My suitcase packing and organization, of course!Many of my designs were birthed because I love multi-functional pieces that travel well. It forces me to design and pack in ways that give me options when the weather changes or if our day takes an unexpected turn.  If I were to give you one piece of advice as you pack, I'd say bring your favorite pieces and work out a plan to mix and match as best as you can. What does that mean? Let's take my LA trip for example!  This is what my bag was filled with . . . THE SOUTH ST JOGGERS: these are MY FAVORITE pants at the moment. It's wide, stretchy, and super edgy.  She looks great with boots, sneakers, or heels. So if I needed to dress her up for a dinner, I paired her with a tucked in Charlie Tank and threw on some heels. For my go-to daily outfit, I wore the South St., Aria Tank and my favorite boots! TANK TOPS, TANK TOPS, TANK TOPS: Since the temperature was in the high 80's in LA, I packed all the tanks we got! Charlie, Aria, Camille and Rea all came in handy for different reasons.  The Charlie Tank is a great layering piece. I packed its soulmate (the cropped Devon) from the Eclipse Set so I could mix it together or wear it separately! The Aria Tank is my current fave so I packed three! It saved the day because I wore it alone during the hot daytime and easily threw on a Milla or Loren when the night got chilly or when I needed to dress it up for a night out! The Camille Tank did double duty! I wore it as my pajamas or loungewear at the hotel but also layered it with a Joni Cover Up for an easy on the go look. The Rea Tank was perfect to throw over my bathing suits when the kids wanted to hop in the pool at the end of a long day. I paired it with my Diamond Head Shorts to complete the look. We luckily had a bit of cooler weather so these two cover ups came in handy! The Milla Duster is my all time favorite airplane coverup. I use it as a blanket on the plane or to dress up an outfit for dinner. And the Loren Kimono can easily fit into my purse so I carry it with me everywhere! It's perfect to dress up any casual outfit and can be worn as a wrap top by tucking in the ends.  Once you see the potential of how versatile your clothing styles can be, you just need to figure out colors that mix and match well and you're good to go! I love being able to be your tour guide through fashion - to show you how to use fashion to highlight all that is wonderful and worthy about yourself. . . . cheers to you my friend! And happy travels!  - Allison

Get ready with Allison as she packs for a trip to LA! See what styles she's bringing with her, and her best tips for packing and making the most of each style when creating travel-friendly outfits.

This past fall break I made a quick, last-minute trip with the fam to my husband’s (and kids’) Mother Land—Korea. Right after the craziness of the 10-year anniversary party, we took a 10-hour flight to Seoul, Korea.