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.

Rub the One You’re With deal from Kimpton

by Annie Scott on

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. If you have a Valentine in mind and you don’t plan ahead, not only will you miss the great deals, but you’re also kind of a jerk.

Kimpton is offering a seriously good getaway package at 29 of their hotels in the United States and Canada. The Rub the One You’re With package includes:

  • Deluxe overnight accommodations (parking included)
  • Welcome bottle of champagne
  • Private one-hour massage instruction class with a personal massage therapist
  • Take-home massage kit featuring Kerstin Florian organic lavender massage oil, lavender & lemon aromatherapy candle and aromatherapy bath salts

That’s right. Whoever you take with you will leave knowing how to massage you. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Reservations can be made at KimptonHotels.com by entering PRLX. Rates start at $249 and vary by city.

Word for the Travel Wise (02/07/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Before puckering up to give your mister or misses a big smooch-a-roo next week, try practicing some of these foreign langs to woo them with over your candlelit dinner. I’m sure his or her corazon (heart) will melt like mantequilla (butter), so long as you stick to one foreign tongue and not two. Oh, and pick up the entire bill, don’t go Dutch. Got it?

Good.

Today I’m supplying you with a list of “I Love You’s” from around the globe:

  • Chinese – Wo ai ni
  • Croatian – Volim te
  • Dutch – Ik hou van je
  • French – Je t’aime
  • Polish – Kocham cie
  • Spanish – Te amo

For more ways to say the three word heart-racing sentence in other languages visit this NY Public Library page.

Photo of the Day (2/7/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Since we’ve committed the day to helping you get your act together for the big V-day next week, I went in search for a friendly photo reminder of what you could get your sweet. The idea is simple: flowers. This photo was captured by londonsir well after purchasing hours in London. London Flowers is the name of the shop window in question and as one might guess love is the flowers. It’s all about the flowers, but if it were up to me I’d prefer a trip to the London Flowers shop for a first-hand look at the window display. That being said I guess I’m just greedy.

Anyhow, great job londonsir for dropping this lovely shot into your Flickr photo stream.

Moving Overseas in a Relationship

by Erik Olsen on

In today’s busy world where most couples each have jobs and we are all burdened by tons of responsibility, it can be hard to live a dream and move abroad. I know that I’ve long wanted to get back overseas to live, but professional and personal (family, spouse with a job) reasons have made it hard to pick up and go. But should that stop you (or me for that matter?). Well, that is a matter of personal circumstance, but sometimes the holdup can have to do with more banal issues of inertia like answering the question of how? The idea of moving abroad with your spouse and family might seem daunting. Too much paperwork, too many logistical issues, and so on.

Herewith I offer a solution…or at least a post about a book filled with solutions. Expatriate Press publishes Robin Pascoe’s A Movable Marriage-Relocate Your Relationship without Breaking It. The book provides gobs of valuable advice for couples and families moving overseas.

The topics range from issues like making the move itself to the mental preparation for such a move. There is a chapter on “Dual Career Challenges” and “Isolation and Dependence”, two issues that can happen when you are in a foreign place away from the support of family and friends.

She also offers at the end a list of other books and Web sites that you can check out should a movable marriage be part of your life’s goals. Check out Pascoe’s personal/professional Web site as well, where you can get more information and even ask the author some questions to help you get overseas.