Luxury travel tips

Raising questions of both ethics and law, the chief executive of Donald Trump’s hotel company, Trump Hotels, has announced plans to significantly expand the company’s presence in the U.S.

You may not like whom you’re sharing your hotel with.

The world’s best this, the world’s best that. Everyone has an opinion. But those opinions only accrue real value when they’re aggregated with those of other people, and preferably other people with first-hand experience of the matter being judged.

JetBlue today announced an amendment to its existing purchase agreement with Airbus to increase the number of Mint-configured A321s, and add the option to acquire A321LRs (“LR” for long range) beginning in 2019.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be able to sleep on command. As a frequent traveler, passing out at the exact moment I’d like to is easily the one super power I would pick if had the chance.

Few things in life have ever gotten my heart pumping as much as stalking a 5,000-pound rhinoceros on foot through the African bush.

When it comes to lie-flat luxury on planes, transatlantic long-haul airlines like Emirates, Qatar, and Virgin Atlantic dominate the market. But now JetBlue is upping its flatbed seat count on short-haul flights, raising the question: Could the airline be readying for its own transatlantic routes?

“Lay back, relax and enjoy the flight in the comfort, privacy and exclusivity of your own suite. Delta Air Lines is redefining international business class travel with the introduction of the Delta One suite, the first business class cabin to feature a sliding door at each suite.”

Google “La Compagnie” and the top non-sponsored result describes the airline thusly: “Discover Paris and London with La Compagnie, the unique French all-business-class airline, at an affordable price.”

For generations of air travelers, Boeing’s B747 jet, the four-engined behemoth with its distinctive hump, epitomized elegance in long-haul flying, harkening back to an era when travel was more refined, less exasperating. That era is long gone, and the B747 is disappearing from the skies as well.

Enter the PureWow “2016 London Trip” sweepstakes by May 14, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a three-night trip for two to London, including business-class air on La Compagnie, hotel, breakfast, and afternoon tea.

Another August means another summer drawing to a close, and pangs of desire for one last fair-weather trip. Late summer and early fall travel can be a science that’s hard to perfect, but do it right and you’ll find great shoulder-season deals in destinations perfect for one last warm-weather getaway.

Jet lag—the grogginess, dehydration, and general discomfort that follows a long-haul flight, has always seemed unavoidable. Especially now, as airlines pack even more passengers into dry, pressurized cabins and decrease their average seat size. Right?

Airport lounge memberships are a luxury that most can afford but very few can actually justify. If you don’t fly at least semi-regularly, it just doesn’t make financial sense to spend almost $500 for an annual lounge pass. A $50 day pass, maybe. But even that’s a stretch.

Everyone knows the Golden Rule of air travel: Always arrive at least an hour or two before your flight. But what if I told you there’s a way to cut that time down to just 15 minutes and never break a sweat? No security lines, no hidden fees, no penalties for missing your flights. It sounds like some sort of airline-food induced fever dream, but this is the reality of flying in a private jet.

Dream tips like sailing around the Greek Islands or along the Amalfi Coast are only for the rich and famous, right? Not anymore.

Conde Nast Traveler gets a lot of mileage out of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards, slicing and dicing feedback from 300,000 travelers into a dizzying array of categories, sub-categories, and sub-sub-categories. Not only is there a ranking of the best cities in the world, there’s also the best small cities in the U.S. The world’s best hotels, sure. But also the top 10 hotels in Europe, and in Northern Asia, and in Eastern Mexico, and in Florence.

There’s an intriguing theory, fully articulated by the liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, circulating on the Internet that Donald Trump has no real interest in winning the race for President. Rather, the theory goes, Trump’s true goal is to enhance his personal brand, in the process driving more business to his current portfolio of enterprises and setting the stage for the creation of a Trump media empire.

There’s a silver lining for Britain-bound travelers in the wake of the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union: Insanely cheap flights and hotel rates are springing up. Americans in particular have perhaps the biggest advantage in the post-Brexit bookings race thanks to a strong U.S. dollar and low oil prices.

First-class seats aren’t exactly meant for the average leisure traveler. Their expensive perks (unlimited drinks, hot towels, lie-flat seats) aren’t must-haves for most people. But what happens when a low-cost U.S. airline adopts their own first-class experience? I tried flying JetBlue Mint to find out.

JetBlue’s premium lie-flat Mint service is killing it. Which, according to the law of the marketplace, means there’ll be more of it, at higher prices.