Luxury Travel—-Private Jet Vacations

Imagine not having to deal with the hassle of luggage fees or wondering if you’ll miss your connecting flight because of weather delays. Those are just a couple of the perks associated with private jet travel. While most of us can only dream of indulging in such a luxury there are some who exclusively fly via private plane. They are the ones who don’t need to look for private jet travel bargains. However, if you have been saving up to splurge on a once in a lifetime trip you might consider the following private jet package deals. Right now TCS … Continue reading

First-Class Eats at 35,000 Feet

There’s nothing like sinking your teeth into an appetizer of sautéed prawns and crispy short rib wontons with organic Thai barbecue sauce and chilled sweet-and-sour cucumber relish, right? Yeah right. Most of us will never get to wrap our lips around an appetizer that fancy in a traditional restaurant let alone in a flying fortress 35,000 feet in the air. But that’s how good life can be if you fly first-class these days. While complimentary meals are all but a distant memory for most of us coach passengers a few rows up first-class cruisers are dining on gourmet meals made … Continue reading

Luxury Travel: Europe

Last night as I was watching FOX News I saw yet another story on the weak state of the U.S. dollar. I’m as guilty as they are. Looking through the Families.com archives I noticed that I have written about the pathetic downfall of the dollar at least four times in the last few weeks. Re-reading those blogs inspired me to write this one. Far be it from me to dissuade readers to explore Europe simply because it is more expensive than it used to be. After all, some people have money to burn. Especially the person who is holding the … Continue reading

First Class Eats for Train Passengers

We all know airline passengers get the royal treatment in first-class, but what about high paying passengers who prefer to travel by train? Don’t shed a tear for them, it appears they are making out just as well as their high flying counterparts—especially when it comes to first-class cuisine. The travel world is a buzz with the news that one of Washington’s best-known chefs, Michel Richard, has developed a new menu for first-class passengers on Amtrak’s high-speed Boston to Washington route. For those of you who don’t watch the Food Network or don’t keep tabs on who’s who in the … Continue reading

Travel Tidbits: Cha-Ching!

I’ve written about luxury travel destinations and high priced travel items in previous posts, but this next one just might take the cake… or, at least the fruit compote. Visitors trekking to the upscale Sri Lankan resort called The Fortress, located in the coastal city of Galle, can now dine on what is being heralded as the “world’s most expensive dessert.” For $14,500 you can dig into the fruity confection complete with a chocolate sculpture and a gigantic gemstone (that latter is the real deal and is not made for human consumption). I’m not kidding. According to hotel managers, “The … Continue reading

Luxury Travel: Pampered Pooches and Flying In Style

PAMPERED POOCHES It’s no secret that some pets travel better than their two-legged counterparts. (There are even some furry tail waggers who are financially way better off than most people in the world.) And now an increasing number of hotels are taking notice of these well-to-do-animals’ standings in life. In a previous blog I told you about the growing number of hotels in paradise that are catering to pampered pets. Several resorts in Hawaii provide fresh-baked peanut butter flavored biscuits for doggie guests with their name inscribed on each. That’s on top of the special water bowl, pet-sized bed, and … Continue reading

Luxury Travel: The Perks Of First Class

Must be nice to spend your vacation being lavished with seven-course gourmet meals, pampered with gifts by Ferragamo and Bulgari, and swaddled in Australian wool blankets—at 35,000 feet. Ah, the luxuries of first class flying… how I wish I knew thee. Actually, I’ve had the great pleasure of flying first class a couple times in my life, unfortunately both experiences happened in the mid 80s, long before first class flying included access to fully flat beds, silk sheets, and a three-to-one passenger-to-crew ratio. These days the first class cabins in most airlines are akin to luxury spas. To say some … Continue reading

Ways to Save Without Haggling

Bargaining, haggling, demanding, begging; none are very inviting practices for holiday travelers to exercise in order to secure a good deal. While we all love to save money on airfare, hotel accommodations and rental cars, most of us don’t really relish the idea of having to grovel in order to score a discounted rate or upgrade. Fortunately, there are ways to save without having to plead, press or petition: Plan in advance: The earlier you book the better. This is especially true if your travel dates aren’t flexible. For example, if your clan takes an annual vacation to Hawaii each … Continue reading

Where Can You Go for $100,000?

For the past several weeks I have been spotlighting summer travel bargains designed for cash strapped families. (Believe it or not there are a number of outstanding deals to be had.) But what if you never had to worry about the price of a plane ticket or how much it would cost to fill up the family minivan for a summer trip to Six Flags? For most people the idea of spending $100,000 on a family getaway is unthinkable. Yet, there are some clans out there who don’t think twice about dropping a hundred grand on a trip of a … Continue reading

Flying on a Private Jet

Did you happen to see Thursday night’s season finale of “The Celebrity Apprentice?” If you did then you know that when it came time to get his famous friends from Nashville to New York for a charity auction country music star Trace Adkins chartered two private jets for them to travel in. Cha-ching! I’m not sure how much Adkins ultimately raised for his charity, but you have to figure that the money he dropped on the private jets likely totaled in the ballpark of the funds he raised. Despite the astronomical price tag (think $50,000 per person in some cases) … Continue reading