Venice, Italy, has been affected by the rising sea level caused by global warming.

It’s easy to forget in the bustle of New York City that the place we call home is actually an island. So the documentary Beautiful Islands, which gives a glimpse of daily life on three islands in danger of being lost to rising sea levels due to global warming, was especially moving for us. Japanese filmmaker Kana Tomoko takes a look at three very different, beautiful places: Venice, Italy; Shishmaref, Alaska, and Tuvalu in the South Pacific. Tomoko decided not to include narration or music in the film, allowing these endangered locations to speak for themselves.

The first stop is Tuvalu, a chain of nine coral islands that are home to about 10,000 people and a rich Polynesian culture with deeply rooted environmental values. Floods in February and March threaten the islands, which some believe may be the first lost to global warming. Doom seems so inevitable that inhabitants participate in a yearly lottery to relocate to New Zealand.

The journey continues to Venice, Italy, the “City of Water.” Interviews with a Murano glassmaker, the proprietor of Hotel Danieli and the son of a gondolier show the pride Venetians have in their city. Over the past 100 years, the city has not only sunk 5.1 inches, but the sea level has risen 3.9 inches. “Acqua Alta” (high water) has been flooding the city’s streets, businesses and homes with increasing frequency, leaving people to scramble for higher ground and damaging this historic city.

The film then explores Shishmaref, located near the Bering Strait, with a population of about 600 people, who are mostly descendants of the Iñupiat natives who first settled there about 4,000 years ago. Here, we found heartbreaking stories, such as that of a family whose son slipped through the thinned ice and died, and haunting images, such as a house teetering on the side of cliff. Permafrost is melting because of climate change and the island is experiencing severe erosion. In 2002, the residents decided to move the community to mainland Alaska, but haven’t secured funding to leave. Students in the town have been raising relocation funds, with the S.O.S. Project (Save Our Shishmaref).

Beautiful Islands is currently playing in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3 through July 29, and is expected to open in other cities some time this year. There’s also a flood camera iPhone app that shows what flooding can do to a treasured place of your own. What do you think we can do to save endangered islands?

Bedbugs, shown here under a paint chip, leave dark excrement spots on linens.

We have to admit that after reading about the recent bedbug outbreak at New York City retailers Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch and hearing a few secondhand tales of infestations, we’ve been suspiciously eying every scrap of fabric that enters our home. The more we learn, the more we wish the blood-sucking creatures existed only in the nursery rhyme of yore.

In the interest of possibly sleeping tight once more, we spoke to bedbug expert Jeff White, research entomologist with Bed Bug Central for some tips about bedbug avoidance, detection and control.

“One of the biggest battles with bedbugs we face is the lack of public awareness,” White says. The first step is to understand the tiny, vampire-like creatures, who feed on the blood of sleeping hosts and seem hard to kill. While bedbugs are mobile and will travel up to hundreds of feet, they cannot hop or fly, says White. “In terms of getting around, they typically travel on people’s personal belongings or occasionally in the clothes themselves.” However, he adds, “They don’t live on you.” Reports of them in public spaces — such as movie theaters, office buildings and, of course, those aforementioned NYC retail establishments seem to be steadily increasing. But, White notes, beds are still the bugs’ preferred residence. The good news: Bedbugs don’t transmit disease.

During peak vacation season, when people often bring bedbugs home from traveling, it’s a good idea to inspect hotel beds along the visible edge of the mattresses and the bottom edge of the box springs. Also check the back of the headboard if possible, and look for obvious signs — the bugs themselves and their waste matter, which appears as little black spots.

To deter hitchhiking bedbugs, use luggage stands instead of placing suitcases on the floor or under a bed. A variety of anti-bug travel products are available as well — including suitcase encasements, luggage spray and a free downloadable travel guide. Remember, bedbugs don’t discriminate. “Anybody can stay in a five-star hotel tonight and pick up a bedbug infestation,” White says.

At home, periodic inspections could catch infestations fairly early; check out “How to Inspect a Bed for Bed Bugs” on Bed Bug TV for White’s tips on checking beds. Bites in rows or clusters on exposed body parts (arms, legs and face) in the morning are also a warning sign, though research has shown that not everyone reacts to the bites. Mattress and box spring encasements give bedbugs fewer places to hide, promoting earlier detection. However, White says that bedbugs can go months without feeding, so he recommends keeping the encasement closed for at least a year. Because bedbugs can fast for so long, immediately leaving upon the discovery or after the treatment is not always effective. “The bugs will just sit and wait, and when you return, they’ll just come back out to feed,” he says.

Bed Bug Central has a list of companies that take a proactive approach to bedbug treatment, which typically includes mattress encasements, climb-up devices (trays placed under the legs of beds and other upholstered items that trap bed bugs), steam treatment of infested areas and pesticide treatment. Cost varies by area; in New York City, for example, prices are about $800 to $1,200.

The cost to your mental well-being is another issue altogether; according to this New York Magazine article, the stigma forces embarrassed residents of NYC’s tony Upper East Side to hire bedbug companies for covert missions. In reality, “Bedbugs have nothing to do with sanitation,” White says. “I’ve been in ultra-clean apartments and completely filthy apartments, and they can all have bedbugs.”

Now that we have our facts straight thanks to Bed Bug Central, we think we can quite literally rest easier. What are your thoughts on the growing bedbug epidemic?

Photo credit: Courtesy BedBugCentral.com

Virgin America passengers can use the touch-screen RED entertainment system to buy carbon offsets.

We’re always looking for ways to green our daily routine, from toting reusable bags to the grocery store to reading digital newspapers and books. Yet, when flying across the country, what choices are there to help reduce our carbon footprint? SmarterTravel, an online resource that reports travel news and lists deals and tips for its users, announced its Editors’ Choice Awards and named Virgin America as this year’s Most Eco-Friendly Airline.

The first airline to list its carbon footprint, according to standards from The Climate Registry, Virgin America launched with environmentally friendly practices and policies. Since its debut in 2007, the airline has operated a fleet up to 25 percent more fuel-efficient than the average fleet flying within the United States. Virgin America also practices single-engine taxiing, maximizes use of efficient ground power, uses advanced avionics to fly more efficiently and employs the practice of cost-index flying — regulating cruising speeds to reduce fuel burn. The airline also recycles in-flight waste from about 47 percent of its flights.

Passengers can use the touch-screen RED seatback entertainment to purchase carbon offsets for their flights from Carbonfund.org. (The carbon offset of a 6,000-mile or less flight, for example, is $11.33.)

In addition to these efforts, Virgin America’s California headquarters recently completed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process, an international certification system to recognize eco-friendly buildings and communities. The airline also will be one of two anchor tenants in San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 2 facility, designed to improve indoor air quality and reduce energy consumption. After the terminal opens in 2011, it is expected to have Silver LEED Certification. Terminal 2 will offer preferential parking for hybrid cars and is the first airport dining program in the country to recruit Slow Food vendors.

Virgin America has flights available in many of the United States’ major cities, including Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Seattle, Toronto, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The airline plans to announce service to three additional destinations later this year.

JetBlue, Continental and Delta also have implemented green initiatives over the past few years. For more on airlines’ technological advances, including which carriers feature in-flight Wi-Fi, check out “Fly the Tech-Friendly Skies” in the July/August issue of VIVmag. And tell us: What services are most important to you when it comes to choosing an airline?

MyNines.com organizes and displays deals from multiple sample sites.

We’ve scored deals on designer clothes, home furnishings and even luxury travel accommodations, thanks to sample sales. But our email inbox is getting overcrowded and we can’t keep track of all the items available on the growing list of discount sites. So we were intrigued to hear about MyNines.com, a “sample sale aggregator” of about a dozen sites that offer deals in fashion, jewelry, accessories, beauty, wine, travel and sports gear.

Simply sign up for MyNines and create a username and password for access to the site, which currently offers sales from the following retailers: Billion Dollar Babes, TheTopSecret.com, Gomatta Girls, Reverse, Wired for Wine, LeftLane Sports, eBay Fashion Vault, Guiltless Purse, JomaDeals.com, Enviius, BonVoyou and Jasmere, with about a dozen more slated to join. View what you would like by designer — from Abaete to KORS Michael Kors — or by category (men, women, kids, home and lifestyle), then select subcategories. The shoes category in the drop-down women’s menu, for example, is then split into smaller groupings: flats, heels, boots and athletic shoes.

Sales typically last between 24 to 72 hours, so MyNines provides a handy countdown clock with each item. Items can be viewed and organized by sale end time, discount (high to low), price, most recent sale or most viewed pieces.

Though MyNines users can view items, they must become a member of the original retail site offering the item in order to purchase it. Currently, MyNines is working on a way for members to opt out of then receiving individual alerts from the sample sale site itself to avoid confusion and email clutter. By the end of July, MyNines plans to have customized alerts for when fave brands go on sale. The site will also roll out a weekly customized email with four to five product recommendations based on the user’s previous selections.

Though MyNines still has some features yet to be implemented, we loved checking out the deals from multiple sites — and the easy ways to organize the items! Do you have a favorite site for sample sales? Tell us!

Proceeds raised during Earth Month for the Kenya Community Tourism Project go to purchasing freshwater tanks for Kowour Village.

We’ve been a proponent of voluntourism since high school, when we spent a summer in Mexico as part of the Amigos de las Américas program. Now, after hearing from a friend who recently helped save leatherback turtle eggs to aid conservation efforts in Tobago, we’re considering taking another volunteer vacation. It’s a great way to see the world and have a positive impact while you’re there.

Throughout the month of April, travelers who book one of the 18 trips offered by Planeterra, the nonprofit voluntourism foundation of Gap Adventures, will receive a 10 percent discount. Those booking a voyage during Earth Month through either company also have an option of adding a $5 donation to the Kenya Community Tourism Project, where all funds will go toward purchasing and installing new water tanks in Kowour Village. Céline Cousteau, celebrity ambassador for Gap Adventures and Planeterra during Earth Month, will highlight freshwater conservation and offer water-saving tips on the organizations’ websites through the end of the month.

“It is commendable that a travel company such as Gap Adventures chooses to raise funds to help support the Planeterra Foundation’s Kenya Community Tourism Project,” Cousteau says. “With their outreach, they are able to bring much-needed help and attention to important causes and thus provide a good example of what travel companies can do to positively impact the places they visit.”

The project’s goal is to raise $5,000 to purchase 3,000-liter (800-gallon) freshwater tanks for the rural Kenyan village. Women typically spend several hours a day hauling water from the nearest source; tanks would allow for more time and energy devoted to education, agricultural production and other economic activities. To see the project firsthand, book the Cultural Kenya and Safari package, which allows you to stay with members of the Luo tribe.

Travelers who want to volunteer in the field have a variety of countries and projects to choose from, such as the 13-day Project Tanzania and Safari, which offers marine and beach conservation projects in Zanzibar; the weeklong Project Argentina, where travelers work with Argentinian youth in an organic farm and restaurant, or the two-week Project China, where you can spend time at the world’s largest panda reserve. Gap Adventures and Planeterra specialize in sustainable tourism, with the goal of conserving and replenishing the natural environment, improving the lives of local people and preserving cultural heritage. Planeterra also follows The International Ecotourism Society Code of Conduct.

We think the attention to water conservation and issues is much-needed, especially in light of the recent discovery of a new swirling garbage patch in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Check out VIVmag’s November/December 2009 issue to read “Under the Sea,” a Q&A with Cousteau, and “Travel for a Greater Good,” a feature with inspiring voluntourism stories! Do you think you will include voluntourism in your upcoming travel plans?

Let your worries drift away while lounging on one of Hotel Maya's floating cabanas.

For part two of our SoCal roundup, we visited a Long Beach getaway with luxurious Latin flair and a brand-new oceanfront resort just 20 miles south of LAX. We can’t wait to go back to both!

Hotel Maya, Long Beach
Next time we feel the impulse to fly to Cabo San Lucas for the weekend, but can’t hack the hassle and the expense, we’ll consider this Long Beach newcomer instead. The waterfront Hotel Maya sits directly across the bay from downtown Long Beach and a water taxi will ferry you there, but why leave? Settle into one of the spacious cabanas that float on a water canal and enjoy the heated full-size lap pool. With just 197 rooms on 11 acres, the Maya is a boutique hotel but it has the huge outdoor esplanades of a much larger resort. We loved the Mayan-meets-modern design with its reclaimed wood walls, copper-topped bar, rusty buoys sliced in half to serve as fire pits, huge outdoor esplanades and vibrant orange, red and magenta armchairs. After dinner at Fuego, the resort’s stellar Latin restaurant, retire to one of the cozy outdoor seating areas; color spotlights cast a very flattering romantic glow and the accommodating waitstaff will gladly fetch a final flight of tequilas, along with flourless Mexican chocolate cake or caramel flan.

Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes
This six-month old oceanfront luxury resort is convenient — just 20 miles south of LAX — yet feels blessedly remote. Perched above the tip of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, it offers breathtaking unobstructed views of the Pacific from almost every vantage point throughout its sprawling 102 acres. We watched pelicans swoop into the waves as we soaked in a hot tub on the pool deck of the spa, and observed dolphins and whales frolicking as we enjoyed beer-battered fish and chips on the terrace of Nelson’s, one of the resort’s eight eateries. Rouse yourself from your ocean-facing lounge chair and you can amble down a walkway to a sandy beach cove or take a self-guided hike along the scenic bluffs of the Discovery Trail. When you turn around for a glance at the resort you’ll appreciate how harmoniously the Spanish Mediterranean architecture blends with the stunning setting.

Watching the sun set into the ocean is one of our favorite ways to unwind after a long day. Which waterfront resorts do you love?

Photo credit: Matthew Millman/Hotel Maya

Riviera Resort & Spa in Palm Springs features a relaxing Watsu pool at its SpaTerre spa.

This is the time of year we start craving a change of scenery as the winter doldrums set in. While there will be travels back home for the holidays, that’s not the jolt of novelty that we’re seeking. What we need is a road trip, and fortunately, in Los Angeles, one of the cities we call home, nearby choices abound, including these new resorts.

Riviera Resort & Spa, Palm Springs
If you can walk into the Riviera’s lobby and not smile, you’re in need of something far more restorative — dare we say, pharmaceutical — than a resort. The palette of funhouse colors (fuchsia, tangerine, poppy) and whimsical design (ginormous Turkish ottomans, Warhol-inspired portraits of onetime guests like Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe, and the rhinestone-encrusted “Liberace” pool table) are a ticklish delight. This motif of mid-century meets Hollywood Regency carries over into the 406 guest rooms, but there’s also serious comfort and convenience amid the Lucite, chrome and vinyl, including flat-screen plasma TVs and complimentary wireless access. The centerpiece of the resort is the stunning starfish-shaped swimming pool with its spectacular views of the San Jacinto Mountains. Spend an hour or two dog paddling with a water noodle, then head to the Asian-inspired SpaTerre to turn into a noodle yourself with an Indonesian, Thai or Balinese treatment.

The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach
Sure, a night here costs about as much as a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps — $695 for an ocean-view bungalow — but the opulence of this resort, which sits on a 504-acre seaside bluff above Crystal Cove State Park on the Newport Coast, does not disappoint. Built to evoke the vision of the celebrated Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, with rows of arched porticos, soaring rotundas, 750 olive trees and the world’s largest circular pool, Pelican Hill feels more like a seaside Italian village than a SoCal beach town. Indulgence is all in the details, and here are some details we adored: the Bose iPod player and grind-and-brew coffee maker in our room; the foot-soaking ceremony that preceded our pomegranate body wrap; the package of housemade bucatini — freshly prepared in the restaurant’s temperature-controlled pasta room — that we were given as a parting gift after a scrumptious dinner at the resort’s signature restaurant, Andrea.

Stay tuned for part two of our SoCal roundup. And tell us, what’s your favorite winter getaway?

Photo credit: Kevin Syms

Earlier this year, we told you about Gilt.com, an invitation-only online shopping site that offers sample-sale prices on luxury brands such as Badgley Mischka, Cynthia Rowley, Versace and Vera Wang Lavender Label, to name a few. The 36-hour sales have been so successful that Gilt has expanded with three new sites — Gilt Fuse, Gilt Man and Jetsetter — and has a new iPhone app and desktop widget as well. Members also might notice that there are more home items on Gilt, from brands such as Alessi, Jonathan Adler and Kate Spade.

If you’re not already a Gilt member, simply go to VIVmag’s VIP link from now through December to register. You’ll then have access to the 36-hour sales, which begin at noon EST. Savvy shoppers know that many items sell out quickly and are often ready, fingers poised over the keyboard promptly at noon. Gabriela Meriles, director of marketing and communications for Gilt Groupe, says the “Gilt on the Go” free iPhone app was created at request of many members, who were not at their desks when sales began, or stuck in their cars in West Coast traffic (not that we’re advocating you shop while actually driving, of course). For those who are deskbound, download the Gilt widget, which offers a countdown clock and alerts you to the day’s sales. Plus there’s a stealth mode if you’re supposed to be doing something at noon on weekdays other than getting great bargains.

Offshoot Gilt Fuse features a lower price range, typically $75–$150, and younger fashions from brands such as BCBG, DKNY Accessories and Laundry by Shelli Segal. To accommodate an increasing number of men’s brands and categories, Gilt Man has three to five sales per day on accessories, gadgets and other products, as well as Cole Haan, Costume National Homme and Ralph Lauren Black Label. For travel deals to luxury resorts, spas and hotels worldwide, Jetsetter allows you to book discounted accommodations.

“All these new sites stem from who our customer is and what their lifestyle needs are,” Meriles says. “Whether it’s a luxury beach destination, ski package or bed-and-breakfast getaway, our member looks for the same level of quality and price in their vacation destination as they do in their clothing choices.“

We’re excited that Gilt has expanded, though that might make it harder for us to zero in on that must-have item. What do you think about Gilt’s changes — which of the new sites or features will you use?

There's a Pilates-themed vacation for every budget.

We believe in reformers — Pilates reformers, that is. (And cadillacs, too; not the kind you drive, the ones you find in a Pilates studio.) Years ago, we discovered our first Pilates-friendly vacation spot when we visited the The Royal Playa del Carmen, a beachfront resort south of Cancún, Mexico. The all-inclusive price for our sumptuous junior suite (early booking from $280; double occupancy) included meals at any of the resort’s seven restaurants, room service, in-room cocktail bar and a fitness center offering cycling classes, weights and as many group Pilates reformer classes our muscles could stomach. Taught by certified instructors, the classes are offered four times each weekday, three times on Saturday and twice on Sunday. Oh, and did we mention the complimentary tequila bar?

Since Italy happens to be one of our favorite places on the planet, we’re keen to check out Agriturismo Cascina Papaveri, where guests can indulge their passion for pasta and Pilates. Located in the town of Asti in the Piemonte region of Northwest Italy, the Poppy Farmhouse is a working farm with an organic vineyard, a vegetable garden and a five-room luxury lodge. Visiting Pilates instructors from the U.K. and the U.S., along with the resident instructor, teach beginners to experts in the fully equipped, spacious studio overlooking the terrace and vineyards. Prices (starting at $1,288 for three nights) include all meals, wine and other beverages, Pilates and/or cooking classes, visits to restaurants, markets and festivals and all local taxes. This coupling of feasting and fitness is known as la dolce vita, of course.

Looking for a splurge? From Nov. 8–14, Parrot Cay, the ultraluxury, celebrity-studded private resort in the Turks & Caicos, is hosting its first dedicated Pilates retreat. Included in the six-night sojourn: daily group sessions combining lectures, discussions, mat classes plus one private evaluation session with Pilates guru and retreat leader Lynda Lippin. The hefty price tag ($6,026, single occupancy) covers meals — excluding drinks — round-trip airport transfers, tax and service charges and bragging rights. The enclave’s elite visitors include Demi Moore, Eva Longoria and Jennifer Garner.

What’s your favorite Pilates-friendly haven?

Photo credit: Vicki Reid

Those who attend the women's wellness weekend at Wintergreen Resort receive a $50 spa credit.

While we love action-packed vacations — whether trekking up the Spanish Steps on a whirlwind tour of Rome or climbing through Mayan ruins — sometimes a relaxing weekend getaway is just what we need. “Inspirations — A Women’s Retreat” at the Wintergreen Resort in central Virginia from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 sounds like a perfect way to recharge before the holidays and winter months. The weekend package ($475) features yoga, spa treatments, hiking and wellness education sessions — including a chocolate-eating lesson!

The retreat at the mountain resort kicks off with a Friday wellness reception with hors d’oeuvres and wine-tasting from Veritas Vineyard & Winery. The next morning, choose from morning yoga or an autumn hike, followed by breakfast. University of Virginia Health System professionals are scheduled to speak about better bone health through nutrition and exercise, preventing breast and ovarian cancer, women’s midlife health issues and stress management. At the Wellness Showcase, soaps, lotions, aromatherapy oils, chocolates, makeup and accessories will be available to purchase and sample.

We think we excel at eating chocolate, but we’re willing to take a lesson from neuroscientist Will Clower, Ph.D., who will present “Interact With Your Fork — A Contemporary Focus Group.” The author of The Fat Fallacy: The French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss (Three Rivers Press, 2003) also will speak about Mediterranean diet and culture. Three hands-on classes are available to choose from: aromatherapy oils and blending techniques, nature journaling or understanding food labels. The evening wraps up with dinner and Veritas wines. Kick off Sunday morning with a cardio workout and yoga, as well as breakfast. And make sure you allow time to use your $50 credit at the Wintergarden Spa.

We think the weekend sounds like the ideal blend of wellness education, relaxation and fun. (For an easy way to re-energize without leaving the house, check out the interactive yoga routine in the May/June issue.) What do you do when you need to recharge?