Indian company offers “divorce tourism” package to quarreling couples

by Katie Hammel on

For many happy couples, a trip is taken to commemorate joyful events, like a marriage or the impending birth of a child. Then there are other couples – the ones who certainly aren’t happy but who aren’t quite ready to rush off to Vegas for their divorce party. For them, there’s “divorce tourism”.

The Daily Mail reports that a company in India, called KV Tours and Travel, is offering packages to destinations like the Maldives aimed at helping couples on the brink of divorce to reconcile. India has typically had a very low divorce rate – only about one out of every 100 marriages end in divorce – but in India’s largest cities, it is becoming more common. The company offers a few different packages, ranging from local stays to more expensive exotic destinations. Vijesh Thakker, the company’s chief executive told the AP, “We’re trying to send them where they have not been before, where there are not many people – and no relatives”. For couples that don’t want to invest in saving their marriage, the company reaches out to family members and asks them to foot the bill on the couple’s behalf. Experienced marriage counselors accompany the couple on their trip and help them work through their issues and determine if they want to stay together or go their separate ways.

Can a seven-day vacation save a marriage? Not likely, which even the concept’s creator admits. “We’re not destiny changers,” Thakker said, but “we want them to treat the trip like a second honeymoon”.

How to get out of work and make the most of your Labor Day weekend

by Katie Hammel on

Back in June, maybe getting away for Labor Day weekend just didn’t seem possible. Maybe there were too many looming commitments or perhaps money seemed too tight. But now your time has been freed up and you’re seeing all the low-priced flights and deals available for Labor Day. You’re ready to get out of town and three days just isn’t enough. But the odds of your boss granting you an extra day off this late in the game are slim. How can you weasel out of work and make the most of your Labor Day weekend?

Step 1: Assess the situation
Determine how likely your boss is to grant you the time off. think about what matters most to your boss and how they treat time off. This will determine your strategy. Is your boss a sucker for a sad story? Can you pull on his or her heartstrings to score the time off? How heavy is your workload, and will going missing a day put any of your co-workers in a bad position? Is your boss understanding when you are ill or does he or she expect you to come in anyways?

Step 2: Know the company policy
Some offices have a policy that if you call in sick on a day immediately before or after a holiday, you don’t get paid for the time, or you may need to provide a doctor’s note. Others limit the number of staff that can take vacation on the same day. Knowing what rules your company has will also help you form your strategy.

Step 3: Form a plan
If you think there’s a good chance your boss will give you the day off, it’s best to just come right out and ask. But, the way you ask can determine the answer. Asking for time off to go on a last-minute fun-filled vacation may sound frivolous to a hard-working boss. Taking the day to volunteer or get in some much-needed medical appointments might go over better. A more sympathetic boss might be swayed if you say that some cherished relatives you haven’t seen in years are coming into town just for the day, or that it’s “family day” at the assisted-living home where your dear, aging grandparents live and you’ll be so disappointed to miss it. Be sure to stress how important the day off is to you, and reassure your boss that you won’t get behind on your work by missing another day. If you think it’s highly unlikely the boss will give you the time off, a better strategy might be to just plan on calling in sick or having a “family emergency” come up.

Step 4: Lay the Groundwork
Now is the time to start building the base of your excuse. If you plan on asking directly, just do it. But if you’ll be getting sick, start working up a gentle cough, sniffling occasionally, and talk about how run-down you feel. Let your personal appearance get a little ragged, keep a bottle of cough medicine on your desk, and mention that at your spouse’s/roommate’s office, the flu is going around. Or explain that you have a mild toothache (which will then require an emergency root canal on your chosen day off) or that your car has been making weird noises lately (which is a prelude to it breaking down so you can’t get to work).

Step 5: Enjoy your day off. . . but be careful
If you’ve asked for and been granted the day off, good for you. If not, and you are going with the dishonest option, make sure you don’t return to work with the unmistakable look of someone who has just been on vacation. A deep tan is a sure giveaway. If you opted to be “sick”, you should appear to recover over the course of a few days. If your car “broke down”, mention the costly repairs and be sure to not park your perfectly fine car in the same lot as the boss’!

If a full day off isn’t what you’re after, you can still make the most of the three-day weekend by extending your travel time a little. Take off right from work on Friday, leaving a few hours early if you can. If you are flying to your destination, try to book the first flight back on Tuesday morning. You’ll get a few extra hours of vacation by not coming back Monday night, and you won’t have to miss more than an hour or two of work. you can keep your boss happy, and squeeze just a bit more time into your three-day weekend.

Swiss vacations about to increase?

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It looks like the Swiss won’t have to worry about how to look busy while they’re on vacation. If a referendum by Swiss citizens passes, the current standard of four vacation weeks a year may increase by 50 percent. The measure was good enough to pick up 125,000 signatures, but it still has a long way to go.

The group behind the referendum, Travail.Suisse, cites increased stress in the workplace as driving the increased vacation need. People are working harder, and they just need a bit more of a break. Well-rested workers are happier and more productive.

A date for the vote hasn’t been set yet.

So, if you’re Swiss and you need a few ideas on where to take your extra two weeks of vacation, come back to Gadling often. We don’t take vacations.

Budget Travel: Ft. Lauderdale

by Jamie Rhein on

When we flew into Ft. Lauderdale, our original plan was to stay only long enough to drop our daughter and my dad off at their cruise ship before heading out of town for a couple of days. Instead, on a whim, we found ourselves checking into San Souci Resort Hotel for three nights and looking forward to coming back after a jaunt to Orlando once the cruise ship returned.

For an affordable vacation complete with beaches, places to stroll and shop, excellent food, and easy access to the Big Cyprus Seminole Reservation and the Everglades, consider Ft. Lauderdale as a non-fussy destination option. I didn’t expect to be so pleased. As a note, we were there a few days before Christmas and two days after. This was not the college Spring Break version.

Getting In: With AirTran Airways flights as a choice, Ft. Lauderdale can be a very inexpensive flight. Depending upon when you book, Delta and Continental may also offer deals. We flew on Continental for a song. Greyhound is also an option with a bus terminal that’s open 24 hours a day. You can also get here by train. Amtrak has a station.

Where to Stay: We found San Souci by turning left off of the Intercoastal Waterway to check out the retro style motels and hotels just two blocks away from the high-rise beach front versions. We opted for the kitchenette room which added to our budget since we shopped for breakfast and lunch food at a grocery store.

There are several hotels like this one in addition to more swanky options. According to the owner of San Souci, because so many people come to Ft. Lauderdale as a jumping off place for cruises and don’t stay in town, competition for business is fierce. That’s good news for bargain hunters.

Where to Eat: We found places to eat by asking for recommendations and being on the lookout while driving around in our rental car. Ft. Lauderdale is filled with places to eat, and in general, I’d say the competition keeps prices down.

  • Sukhothai Restaurant on E. Sunrise Blvd. We headed to this Thai restaurant twice. Once for dinner and the other time for lunch. Both meals were superb and I’ve been to Thailand four times, so I know good Thai food.
  • Mi Casa Su Casa on Griffin Rd. We went here based on a recommendation. On Tuesdays the margaritas are $.99 with a dinner entree. On Mondays, kids eat free. One adult meal= one free kid’s meal. Happy hour is 4-8 in the bar.
  • Flanigan’s Seafood Bar & Grill on West Davie Blvd. Ask about special deals. We ordered a pitcher of beer and ended up with a free order of chicken wings. This was a fun place to eat and terrific for kids.
  • Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine on E. Oakland Park. With a hankering for Cuban food, we had to head here.

What to See and Do:

In Ft. Lauderdale:

We spent much time at Ft. Lauderdale’s main beach by the Intercoastal Highway and at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

Besides the beach–there are eight in the Ft. Lauderdale area, head into Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. The park, located across the Intercoastal Highway from the beach, was a tucked in gem that I happened upon. The property used to be owned by Birch, but now offers canoeing, hiking, and places to bicycle and skate for a nominal entrance fee. We rented a canoe for an hour. Birch’s house has been turned into a museum that highlights the nature of the area.

If we had had more time, I would have gone to the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. Hugh Taylor Birch first gave the property to his daughter as a wedding gift. Her husband, an artist, finished the house after her death from breast cancer. Now it’s on the register of National Historic Places.

Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to take a boat ride along the canals that go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Everglades either. Next time.

Here’s another detail to keep in mind. During March you can catch the spring training games of the Baltimore Orioles at Ft. Lauderdale Stadium.

Near by:

The Big Cyprus Seminole Reservation Along with the Billie Swamp Safari, the reservation boasts the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum with exhibits about the history and culture of the Seminole Indians. Give yourself enough time to walk along the nature trail to the living history Seminole village.

About the Billie Swamp Safari. What a blast! We sprung for the package deal that included the airboat ride through the Everglades, the swamp buggy eco tour and the animal show. The swamp buggy tour goes through wetlands and cyprus where bison, deer, water buffalo, wild hogs, hawks, eagles, alligators and more roam free. Some are native. Others are rescue animals.

Here’s a link of the Greater Ft. Lauderdale’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Web site that lists other inexpensive or free things to do. One item that caught my attention is the Old Dillard Museum, a historic building with exhibits that center on the African American heritage of Ft. Lauderdale.

As a note, if you book a hotel through the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Web site, you’ll receive a free Beach Starter kit that includes a beach towel, beach ball and flip flops.

Are you going on vacation this year?

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The answers seem to be all over the map.

Few have extra cash on their hands, and those who are working are still worried about what the future will bring. It’s tough to dash off to somewhere exotic – or even somewhere that’s not home – when you don’t know if your income will be there when you get back.

But, sometimes you just have to get out of town. There is some truth to the fact that layoffs are hardest on the survivors. Those left behind have more work than before and are unlikely to be rewarded handsomely. All the extra stress is made worse by the fact that the next round of cuts may be around the corner. It may make sense to hoard cash just in case.

So, how do you choose? Do you give yourself the break that you need and spend a few bucks on satisfaction, or do you take the safer route financially and suffer silently?

I decided to conduct a very unscientific survey, posing this question to the members of Helpareporter.com. The responses varied widely.There is one common theme. For almost everyone, the decision of whether to stay or go is a tough one. Money is tight, and nobody knows where the bottom of the market will be. Travel plans were not made lightly. Budget travel is on the agenda almost universally.

Melody Brooke and her husband normally take three weeks of vacation a year, but her business folded this year due to the tough economy, and her husband’s had a tough time here. So, their “timeshare sits empty.”

Lisa Brock is a small business owner, making today’s economic conditions particularly worrisome. Nonetheless, she and her husband are heading out to Egypt. “While we considering NOT spending the money – we decided we have earned it and we can manage – even if we have to give up eating out or theater/concert tickets to do so.” Making cuts elsewhere can give you the elbow room you need to decompress.

Like Brock, Jennifer Tipton is self-employed, and time away from work means that money isn’t coming in (I can relate; I’ve been there. Yet, she says, travel is very important to me. If I do not take a break from working and my daily life I will not be the best I can be at my job.” Working in personal fitness, she needs to keep her energy up and is planning a big trip for the end of the summer.

Christel Hall has seen clients in her writing/consulting business cut back this year and thus calls herself “employed and cautious.” She’s combining her vacation with a three-day conference for work, adding three days to the front of the trip to relax.

Kathryn Rippy and her husband “need a vacation very badly,” but they are “holding onto our money right now.” She hasn’t had a real vacation since before the birth of her child more than a year ago, and her job as an independent management consultant is both demanding and “lumpy” (hey, my old gig, too!). Her husband’s a consultant as well, and a tough market is magnified in that line of work. But, they need a break and are using frequent flier miles and hotel points to take a short trip out to Key West. Several others responded that they are hitting the road but scaling down their plans.

“Some R&R is definitely in order,” for Ty Mays, who was laid off twice during the Bush administration. To unwind for a little bit, he’s driving to Jacksonville and then taking a bargain cruise to the Bahamas … “and there will be no souvenir or duty free shopping for me!”

Carmen Shirkey and her boyfriend are headed to Amsterdam, despite the fact that her boyfriend’s plant shut down last week. They had already booked the trip and are following through with it. “Lots of people at his company said they were taking a trip to blow off post-layoff steam,” she says, “and I think it’ll do him a world of good to just forget about things for a week.” This isn’t the first I’ve heard of this situation. Many choose to get away and relax … and worry about the real world when they get home.

Perhaps the most interesting story came from Anna Broadway. She writes, “I’m employed in a fairly stable industry, but certainly not immune to all the economic anxiety in the air these days.” She hasn’t budgeted for a vacation but did want to head to the Isle of Man for her 30th birthday last summer. To go this year, her plan is to use her tax return to finance her wanderlust, “since I had not included that money in my financial planning for the year.”

“I hear it’s supposed to be a good year for travel bargains,” Broadway continues, “so it seems like the timing might not be so bad for a vacation after all.”

Well, come back to Gadling from time to time, and you’ll see where the deals are!

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