Love stinks (this year), V-Day spending down

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Don’t expect an expensive gesture this year. Valentine’s Day spending is expected to drop 4.8 percent this year, after suffering to the tune of 6.8 percent a year ago. The good news is that we’re becoming less romantic at a slower rate this year. Nonetheless, don’t plan on a surprise weekend getaway this year.

According research firm IBISWorld, the passionate are only going to commit $28.6 billion to their fellow lovebirds this year. The reason is simple: Valentine’s Day just isn’t Christmas.

According to George Van Horn, a senior analyst at IBISWorld, events like birthdays and Christmas don’t involve a whole lot of choice. You have to commit some cash. “Valentine’s Day is more of a discretionary occasion,” he says, “which means it will be hit particularly hard by the current economic climate.” As we tighten our belts, this non-day off is among the casualties.

IBISWorld believes that couples are going to swap out trips, dinners out and the like for romantic meals at home, walks on the beach or writing a love letter or poem. Yes, this was actually in the press release! I have to admit, a walk on the beach right now, here in New York, would probably be better than a poem.

So, how does 2009 look? Travel is pretty grim. IBISWorld forecasts that close to $3.45 billion will be spent on romantic getaways this year, compared to $3.58 billion last year. It’s a drop of 3.5 percent.

Chaacreek in Belize: Location for love

by Jamie Rhein on

Travel and Leisure’s 2005 issue listed 50 romantic places. The description of Chaacreek in Belize was attention-grabbing. What does the “Screamer Room” sound like to you? The resort Web site doesn’t list a room with this name, but what a gorgeous looking place. Perhaps the reference is to the Honeymoon Sky Room–it’s set off from the rest of the hotel, perched among the trees.

The resort is a romance magnet, even if you stay in one of the cheaper rooms. First of all, it’s located in a nature reserve next to the Macal River and mountains. At the spa, there’s a menu of pampering treatments for those times when you’re not horseback riding, hiking, canoeing– or whatever you do to conjure up amour.

Romance or not, my kids would love this place. There’s a package called Family Adventure that looks terrific. Children up to age 18 stay for free. That lowers the price tag a bit. Head here before the middle of April for the best deals. The naturalist on staff is a bonus and there are a variety of package options. Even for a solo getaway, Chaacreek looks sublime.

Birthday Vacations: Let Your Horoscope Guide You

by Jamie Rhein on

My husband used to take his birthday off from work to head to Laguna Pueblo’s Feast Day when he lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Last year, a friend of mine went to Las Vegas with a group of women friends to celebrate hers.

Today’s my birthday and I’m taking my son to school for his first day of kindergarten, meeting a friend at Borders for coffee, (and yes, I’ll browse the travel books and magazine sections), write some Gadling posts, and after picking my son up from kindergarten will get head to my daughter’s soccer game. They are playing out of town in Groveport, Ohio so perhaps there will be a neat eatery worth a stop. Since this is certainly not a birthday itinerary with a WOW!!! factor, kind of sweet for sure, but not WOW, I searched for travel I might do today if I had another life —not that I want another life, I’m just saying.

I found this article which presents a darned clever idea. When looking to plan a birthday trip, let your zodiac sign be your guide.

Actually, the idea is to plan a romantic getaway for your love or like interest based on his or her horoscope. That’s nice and all, but why not plan for your own? The zodiac signs are listed along with a brief description of personality traits and a suggested trip for each.

Here are the highlights from Susan Breslow Sardone’s article. Whether you go along with horoscope stuff or not, I think these are fun reads. If you go to each link, you’ll find more links to specific suggestions. And, yes, I know these are not in order of when they show up during the year.

  1. Aries: a volunteer vacation. The world’s the limit.
  2. Aquarius: Las Vegas
  3. Cancer: Cooperstown or Disney World
  4. Capricorn: A luxury hotel
  5. Gemini: A great city
  6. Leo: London, England
  7. Libra: A romantic hotel
  8. Pices: Hawaii
  9. Sagittarius: An adventure vacation
  10. Taurus: A cruise
  11. Scorpio: The Caribbean
  12. Virgo: (and that would be me) An award-winning resort. Hmmm. I think I’d rather take the London trip, but I could look for the resort while I’m there.