Hotels have come a long way, baby. They're going green, they're getting hip, and they are getting healthier by the minute. Jane's not just talking about the ubiquitous fitness center or the addition of healthy items to room service and hotel restaurant menus. After all, that's old, albeit welcome, news. No, Jane's talking something far more innovative than that. How do hypoallergenic rooms grab you?
Two new terms have entered the vacation vernacular of late. One is "stay-cation" and the other is "girlfriend getaways." Jane is not a fan of either term. In Jane's HO, stay-cation is simply an oxymoron of the most annoying sort, while girlfriend getaways sounds a tad condescending. Let's discuss.
It's amazing how fast girlfriend getaways has become a staple in the travel marketing vernacular. Even the company that is signing Jane's paycheck uses it. Jane wonders, though, why the term has become such a big hit. Admittedly, sometimes girlfriends do travel together. In fact, they do so in far greater numbers than male friends. There is, by the way, a term for the latter as well. It is man-cations. Somehow, that term hasn't caught on like girlfriend getaways, perhaps because it sounds too much like man-scaping, and well, much as metrosexuals may partake in said ritual, it's unlikely they enjoy it. Equating vacationing with getting a chest wax--well, Jane can understand why her male friends haven't bought into the man-cation concept. But Jane digresses. She can't exactly put her well-manicured finger on it, but the term girlfriend getaways does irk her. Perhaps it's because the male gender doesn't receive a similarly diminutive treatment in the man-cation marketing message. After all, the travel industry doesn't call vacations for men "boyfriend getaways" (can you imagine?) or "boy-cations."
Jane recently read an article detailing the woes of the single female traveler. Jane can relate, as she is one of said demographic. The article focused mainly on the single supplements charged by cruise and tour companies, which make traveling nearly twice as expensive for the unattached traveler. What the article did not discuss was the dilemma of dining alone on the road. But to Jane, this is a big thorn in the single traveler's side.
Now ladies, whether you are married, partnered, or on your own, when it comes to business travel, you are a single female. Granted, solo female business travelers don't often have to worry about lodging costs (even though room rates are based on double occupancy), because the company is picking up the tab. And while it's picking up the restaurant tab as well, it's not supplying Tab, your dining companion.
Jane's head is spinning. It seems that every day, American airline companies are adding fees, cutting flights, firing staff, and generally making things unpleasant for their employees and for the innocent traveler. You've probably all heard about the baggage fee that nearly every airline (except Southwest) is now charging. But did you hear the one about the frequent flyer fee? Yep, on Delta and US Airways, there's no such thing as a free ticket, anymore. Use your frequent flyer miles on Delta and you'll pay $25 for domestic flights and $50 for international journeys. Delta is calling the fee a fuel surcharge, but whatever. Jane notes that the airline seems a bit geographically challenged when it comes to defining domestic and international. Domestic includes Canada. Oh, the Canucks going to be thrilled with that, eh? Delta's "international" destinations includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Last time Jane checked, both are U.S. territories. They even get to vote for president. But Delta, clearly, sees the map differently.
It's 95 degrees in the shade. You have an important business meeting that will take you from office to off-site by foot, requiring significant time outside. Do you:
A) Don the stockings or
B) Bag the hose?
The issue appears to be a non-starter among those under 35 and women of any age from southern California (the latter, perhaps, due to the syndrome of chronically tan legs). But in most other parts of the country, the decision to hose the nylons seems to be somewhat controversial. In fact, Jane found several discussion forums online which started with the query, "Are bare legs at work trashy?"
