Happy summer Friday, Washingtonians! If you’re (a) in a new relationship and (b) considering going on vacation with your sweetheart, avoid awkwardness and possible conflict by checking out these top ten travel tips for couples, courtesy of Nicole Hockin at Hotels.com. Particularly brilliant is tip 6: “Do Not Disturb. Our sleep patterns can really wreak havoc with our vacations.” As someone who spent her honeymoon crying because the paper-thin walls of the Miami Standard kept her awake for roughly eight hours a night, I can confirm that nothing ruins a romantic trip like sleep deprivation.
It had to happen: The airline that floated the idea of “Pay-per-pee” and a “fat tax” to supplement absurdly low ticket prices is now toying with the idea of “vertical seats.” Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, announced recently that the airline was experimenting with a “standing area,” where passengers desperate to save money would be able to be strapped in without sitting down. Smells like PR stunt to us.
We have an exclusive offer for Washingtonian.com readers this week. Three former Orbitz employees recently launched BonVoyou.com, a Web site offering savings of up to 50 percent on luxury hotels across the country. Even better, a percentage of all profits goes to charity. The site is invitation-only, but readers can go here and sign up for free. One current sale offers 30 percent off the Mansion at Judges’ Hill in Austin, and future deals include the Affinia in Chicago and the Mayfair Coconut Grove in South Florida.
Other deals are a little thin on the ground this week, although we’re expecting a few more before Labor Day. Travelzoo has a five-night package trip to the four-star Dreams resort in Mexico’s Riviera Maya for only $550 from Washington, and it includes some pretty stunning freebies: a double upgrade to a marina-view room, all meals and drinks, gratuities prepaid, meals and accommodation for two kids age 12 or younger, and $200 in resort coupons. Right now we’re wondering what the catch is. Travel is valid August 19 through October 29, and the sale must be booked by July 27.
Finally, if you’re a weekend warrior and a cycling fanatic, JetBlue has a deal for you. The airline is waiving all bike fees for the rest of July in honor of the Tour de France, so you’ll save $50 each way or $80 on international flights. And you won’t even miss any of the action because the race will be screened on all of JetBlue’s seat-back TVs.
