A Luxury Travel Blog

If you ever watched the film ‘The Holiday’ and thought about swapping your home for someone else’s, then read on. Luxe Home Swap is a site for savvy travellers where you can exchange your home for a short or long period of time with someone else, anywhere in the world. Swap with other stylish properties in major cities and holiday destinations around the world and save thousands on travel accommodation whilst enjoying holidays with a local touch. Luxe Home Swap is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow, who came up with the idea when she was thinking about booking a winter holiday away for her and her family. Debbie was sick of spending 80% of her travel budget on a hotel, where she still wouldn’t feel like it was a home away from home.

“I took a look at the main home exchange sites out there and clearly it wasn’t the same glossy experience as booking through a travel agent. So I came up with the idea for Luxe Home Swap – a stylish home exchange site that lets you holiday at a fraction of the normal accommodation cost. I’ve made sure to remember that style is not just about luxury – a ‘luxe’ home can be small but perfectly located as much as large and luxury, as people want different things at different times when they travel”.

While the annual holiday is for most of us the highlight of the year, the return home can be a daunting prospect. Not only are we hit with the reality of returning to work but there’s also a host of mundane tasks that need to be tackled. In addition to adjusting our body-clock, processing the holiday snaps and exchanging any leftover spending money, there is usually a huge pile of washing and ironing that needs to be seen to. The average 4 person family returns from holiday with around 10kg of dirty washing. Washing, drying and ironing 10kg of clothing can take around 9 hours which is in essence, an entire day’s work.

However there is an alternative to knuckling down and bringing on the post-holiday blues with a full day of washing and ironing. Your Holiday Wash offers a unique new service – they will collect, wash, dry, iron and return to you a full holiday’s worth of washing within three days, all neatly folded and in a secure box.

The service was developed and launched following a survey of average holiday makers; 52% of which stated that dealing with the piles of dirty clothes that return with them after a week or two in the sun is their most dreaded post-holiday chore.  The aptly named Your Holiday Wash saw a gap in the market for a service that could make the transition from sun and sand to the 9-5, easier.

Their aim is to make the service as well-rounded and complete as possible. Each customer is provided with an environmentally friendly laundry bag which they can take on holiday with them, placing all dirty clothing directly into the laundry bag. Your Holiday Wash will even separate the colours and whites, thereby nearly eliminating the need to consider the washing or how it will be handled upon the return home.

What’s more, understanding that collection and delivery from a home address is not always convenient, Your Holiday Wash is able to provide the exact same service to a work or office address.  They will even send a text to your phone once they’re on their way with your clean and fresh laundry, with the convenience of delivery up to 9pm so you don’t miss the return of your holiday wardrobe.

While having your washing dealt with and delivered directly to you is undeniably a fantastic way to reduce the depth of the post-holiday blues, there are a few other steps that can be taken which should help ease the transition back into the routine of daily life:

1. Start planning your next holiday

Whether this means simply starting to save, or whether it’s hopping online and reading about all the fantastic places that you’d like to visit, starting to think about the next trip away will provide a welcome distraction from everyday life and should help retain that holiday feeling.

2. Do things that remind you of your holiday

If there’s a song you listened to many times abroad, put it on before you head off to work or while you relax in the evening. Alternatively, remake a meal that you enjoyed whilst abroad or enjoy a night in a restaurant that serves the food of your destination. You could even throw a holiday themed party, complete with summery cocktails and beach games – whatever it may be that will help keep you in the holiday mood.

3. Keep the holiday feeling

Look through your holiday pictures with family and friends, share your holiday adventure and keep that holiday feeling going for a bit longer.

Whatever you choose to do to keep yourself in the holiday spirit, there’s no harm in seeing what Your Holiday Wash can offer. Not only will their service remove some of the stress and strain that comes with a return home, but those nine hours spent washing can be left to the professionals, leaving the holidaymaker with an extra day to relax and rejuvenate.

There is a new way to explore The Bahamas: Conch Salad TV. Conch Salad TV provides the first online video magazine for visitors and Bahamians. While most websites cover current events, where to stay and what to do, Conch Salad TV will go off the beaten path and dive into the culture, natural beauty and national issues of the Bahamas.

Every two weeks a different video will be posted on the site, while the previous videos will continue to be accessible through the archive section of the website. Each video will look at a different aspect of The Bahamas.

Launched on 1st Decemeber 2010 popular videos thus far have included the series The Great Conch Race, which matches up conch cleaners from around The Bahamas to see who can clean a conch the fastest; an underwater dive at Fowl Cay National Park, Steven Burrows, An Artist Profile and How Do You Like Your Crabbie?, a look at crabbing in Andros and What is your Bush Good for? A comedic look at native bush medicine remedies.

The website aims to cover a variety of topics, from historical, cultural, and national issues to diving under the water to interact with our diverse marine life all with a sense of humor. By visiting the site you can explore the history and culture of these islands. Other upcoming topics include: Lighthouses of The Bahamas, a visit up close and personal with the Abaco Parrots, the new Fowl Cay Marine Park and a look at wooden boat building.

CheckYourRoom.com is a new hotel booking site that lets you find and book a specific hotel room from a carefully handpicked collection of over 250 one-of-a-kind luxury and boutique hotel rooms in the world.

Travellers can search for a hotel room by destination, budget, feature, keyword or tag and they can book the specific room they see on the site, at the best available price.

The rooms featured on the site are all boutique and luxury hotel rooms in Europe, but the collection is expanding worldwide with new hotels and rooms being added on a weekly basis.

In addition, discerning travellers can take advantage of the Room Concierge service which offers personalized hotel room recommendations for any destination or budget. Ideal for business and leisure travellers who don’t have hours to spend researching and booking their hotel, the Room Concierge service provides tailor-made hotel reservation assistance.

Simply fill out the form that most corresponds to your travel profile (Leisure, Business, Family, or Couples) detailing your hotel and room requests and a concierge (an experienced hotel expert) will find the perfect match within their database of over 10,000 hotel rooms. For travelers who are looking for a hotel room that meets their expectations, the Room Concierge service is an efficient resource that helps travelers avoid unwelcome surprises at check-in.

Jack Sarvary is the co-founder and CEO of Itinerie, a flash-sale startup. Itinerie expands on flash-sale sites like Jetsetter and Vacationist by offering full luxury vacation packages, rather than just hotels. All of these luxury one-week packages are fully private and include all accommodations and transportation to 2-4 destinations in a single Latin American country. In addition, we arrange a number of customizable activities for each of our travellers. Before starting Itinerie, Jack worked for the Boston Consulting Group in New York City and Endeavor in Buenos Aires.

What is it that you do exactly?

Every day is different. We are only a few weeks away from launching our first sale and we are finalizing many last details to ensure we enter the market with the strongest product possible. These days, I might spend my morning working with our partner in Peru to decide whether we should offer our customers a photography tour or a cooking class – or both. Later, I likely will spend some time on our website. Which picture should we use on this page? What content do we want in this section? I also routinely check our Twitter account and Facebook page to see if there is any consumer insight to be picked up there. Finally, I am a sucker for data, so I will spend time going through our site usage stats, our subscription growth rate, and our finances to make sure everything is on track.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Working in the travel industry has been new for me and so far I am a big fan. There is something nice about working with a product designed to help people relax. Also, it is a great pleasure working with my co-founder and partner, Nick Milne. I learn something new from him every day.

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

The Inkaterra Lodge in Machu Picchu: After exploring the mystical ruins of Machu Picchu earlier this year, there could have been no better setting to maintain that level of wonder and awe than the Inkaterra Lodge. The property’s beautiful grounds and warm, inviting rooms made it very hard for me to board the train the next day back to Cusco.

Shakespeare’s Sister in Portsmouth, England: one summer in college, I sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, from Newport, RI, to Portsmouth, England, with some family members and a couple old boat hands. After an unbelievable month-long experience, we finally docked in Portsmouth harbor. My bunk that night on our boat Shakespeare’s Sister was filled with such a sense of accomplishment that it will always be one of the best places I have ever stayed.

The Panoramic Hotel in Iguazu Falls: The Panoramic Hotel gave us beautiful views over a very quiet and peaceful Iguazu River, just a few miles downriver from the thunderous falls. Iguazu is an inspirational place, and that river reminded me that while things might get rough sometimes, everything eventually smoothes out a little further downstream.

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

When I left New York City to work for the non-profit Endeavor in Buenos Aires, I decided, as a final goodbye to the city of excess, to make a reservation at Del Posto. In the spirit of the night, we ordered the 7-course tasting menu. The NYTimes nailed it in its review, Del Posto’s is a pleasure that lasts, offering memories of flavors that may return later in a dream.� I do still wake up thinking about that divinely simple ball of fresh mozzarella cheese wrapped in buttery-soft prosciutto.

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

My celebrity experiences date back to my first job as a caddy at the Golf Club of Purchase, in Westchester, New York. I hustled my way around the course carrying golf bags for the likes of Kenneth Cole and Michael Bloomberg. We haven’t gotten there yet with Itinerie, but we are still young.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wish list?

Since I’m a nature and animal nut, as well as a science geek, I have to choose the Galapagos Islands. Given its amazing wildlife and significance in scientific history, it’s a wonder I haven’t been there already.

Thank you for taking part, Jack, and we wish you all the best with your new venture.

If you would like to be interviewed on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

Almost 2 years ago now, I blogged about the most followed travel-related accounts on Twitter (here and here).   Since then, Twitter has seen enormous growth of course so I thought it was about time that I updated the list. Back then, not one of the accounts had even got close to 1 million followers.  Now almost half have surpassed that number. There’s also a greater dominance in the list by corporate accounts (in particular, from the airline industry). The number of followers are correct at the time of publishing.

#1 JetBlue Airways @JetBlue (1,610,015 followers)
#2 adventuregirl @AdventureGirl (1,499,279)
#3 trazzler.com @trazzler (1,308,691)
#4 Southwest Airlines @SouthwestAir (1,094,519)
#5 Lonely Planet @lonelyplanet (292,784)
#6 TripAdvisor @tripadvisor (282,986)
#7 Travel Channel @travelchannel (179,671)
#8 TAM Airlines @TAMAirlines (179,294)
#9 Virgin America @VirginAmerica (177,944)
#10 Travel, Food, Culture @WeBlogtheWorld (175,175)

If we’ve missed anyone off the list that should have made our top 10 most-followed in travel, then please let us know! United Airlines (@UnitedAirlines) just missed the cut with 170,770 followers.

Of course, followers aren’t everything.  Now there are more advanced ways of measuring the amount of influence a particular Twitter account has, and probably the most popular of these is Klout.  Taking the Klout score of each, we get the following (Twitter following ranking in brackets):

#1 (#5) Lonely Planet @lonelyplanet (Klout score: 77)
#2 (#8) TAM Airlines @TAMAirlines (Klout score: 72)
#3 (#4) Southwest Airlines @SouthwestAir (Klout score: 71)
#4 (#9) Virgin America @VirginAmerica (Klout score: 69)
#5= (#1) JetBlue Airways @JetBlue (Klout score: 68)
#5= (#7) Travel Channel @travelchannel (Klout score: 68)
#7 (#6) TripAdvisor @tripadvisor (Klout score: 67)
#8 (#10) Travel, Food, Culture @WeBlogtheWorld (Klout score: 66)
#9 (#2) adventuregirl @AdventureGirl (Klout score: 64)
#10 (#3) trazzler.com @trazzler (Klout score: 60)

For still more information on this, see the Influencers in Travel website.

This blog (@luxury__travel) isn’t quite up there any longer as one of the most followed travel-related accounts on Twitter (76,470 followers) but it has a respectable score of 63 when it comes to Klout.

Radisson Blu hotels – a brand we’ve mentioned a few times on A Luxury Travel Blog in the past – is getting into the festive spirit with the Radisson Blue Quiz – a fantastic opportunity to win a weekend away at one of its hotels, choosing from Milan, Madrid, Berlin, Helsinki or Hamburg.  But even if you’re not one of the lucky winners, there are some great incentives to pick up a a Radisson Blu giftcard. There’s one thousand of them up for grabs, too, ranging in value from 20 to 100 euros. The competition is easy to enter, but entrants must be aged at least 18 years old.  For the full terms and conditions, see the website.

It’s been a while since I last went on a weekend jaunt to Europe, so this one caught my eye.  In fact, out of the cities listed, I’m ashamed to say I’ve only spent any significant time in one of them (Milan). Milan is a great city and one I’d thoroughly recommend. Not only is it widely considered to be both a fashion and a shopping capital, it is also home to some stunning attractions, including the Duomo and the new Museo del Novecentro which was inaugurated last month.

Good luck to all those of you who enter!

To be notified of other great travel competitions, sign up at Travel Competitions.

Travesse, a new private members-only travel club launching in the UK in November 2010, is seeking to make luxury travel more affordable.  Travesse believes travellers shouldn’t compromise their high standards and claims to offer top of the range luxury hotels, packages and experiences, but at prices that are in tune with today’s climate of cutbacks and austerity. For their launch in November, they have partnered with 4 and 5 star properties in Rome, London and Malta who are offering our members rooms at “2 and 3 star prices”.

Travesse runs ‘flash sales’, meaning deals are available for purchase on the website for a maximum of 7 days only.  The company is backed by a group of investors from the travel, mobile and internet industries. iPhone and Android apps are expected to follow, allowing customers to browse and buy from their mobile phones.

Oakwood celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with an array of exciting celebration campaigns centered on the theme of trust. One of these golden anniversary campaigns include the “50 Nights in 50 Months” contest, where visitors to the specially designed Oakwood Asia Pacific microsite can stand a chance to win 50 nights to be used in Oakwood properties across Asia, over 50 months. All that needs to be done on this microsite is to send an e-postcard to friends, describing the meaning of trust. Each additional e-postcard sent earns an additional chance to win the grand prize. The winner will live the luxe life at Oakwood’s luxurious serviced apartment brands, including the premium Oakwood Premier, designed to cater to the finest of tastes – Oakwood Premier Prestige Bangalore features a functional helipad and AZOK, the popular modern Indian roof-top restaurant by Vineet Bhatia, the first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star, is housed in Oakwood Premier Mumbai.

The Palace Wing of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai is currently being restored following the events of 2008 and Taj has launched a microsite to keep customers informed of progress. In the next few months Taj will be reopening the Rooms and Grand Suites of the heritage wing in a phased manner.  The microsite talks about the renowned restaurants that are already fully operational. It also showcases the rich history of Taj, its heritage, royalty, art and architecture ) and encourages people to share their special memories of Taj on the site.

Formerly with Skyscanner, Aaron Ritoper is the Vice President of Business Development at Fly.com, a website which scours major airlines, international carriers and online travel sites, and helps people easily sort and refine results by criteria such as number of stops and departure times and traveller class.

What is it that you do exactly?

I’m in charge of developing the Fly.com business across Europe. This means I manage our all commercial relationships, ensure we achieve our targets, and communicate across markets to spread the word on Fly.com (sharing the latest flight deal insights). Travelzoo travel producers are very knowledgeable, so I spend time with them to review the latest bargains.

On the technology side, the flight search experience is constantly developing, and hours are spent with the team to build the flight search product of the future.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

It’s not every day that you get the chance to build a global brand with the talent and resources of a company like Travelzoo. I love the challenge and the reward that we see as people discover how much better Fly.com is at finding cheap flights compared to legacy websites.

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

Méribel – Is fantastic place for a ski vacation. The last time we went “hors-piste” with a ski guide, and when he handed out avalanche beacons and put a snow shovel in his backpack that definitely made a lasting impression.

Iceland – Seeing the Northern lights was definitely high on my list. I stayed out in the countryside outside of Reykjavik and around midnight green oscillating light filled the sky.

Hawaii – A wonderful place for a family vacation, we stayed at the Grand Hilton in Waikoloa and found it very family friendly. The dolphin pool in particular was a big hit.

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

Probably the time I ate barbequed buffalo on an Indian reservation in New Mexico. They had the whole animal roasting on a spit and there were demonstrations of traditional dances with rhythmic music – it was very festive!

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

I’m constantly on airplanes so I’ve run across quite a few celebrities along the way. Within the travel world, I enjoyed speaking with Stelios Haji-Ioannou not too long ago just before my easyJet flight from London to Nice, France. I happened to be one of the first people on the plane, so tipped off the flight attendant that an important guest would be following me.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wish list?

It’s about time for a surfing trip, so I’m hoping to spend some time in Biarritz, France soon.

Many thanks, Aaron. Having experienced the Northern Lights in Greenland myself, I can understand how that might be up there as one of your highlights.

If you would like to be interviewed on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Treat yourself at Le Meurice
• Seeing is believing at Shompole
• Delve into Visit Florida Luxury Insider
• Explore the South Pacific with Turquoise

Daunt Books, the travel specialists, has launched an online resource for discerning travellers.  Mimicking the unique design of the shops where the books are arranged by country, the user can browse the careful selection of guides, non-fiction and fiction which have all been personally recommended and reviewed by the knowledgeable staff.  Whether you’re looking for a guide to the most luxurious hotel or a well-written and engaging piece of non-fiction that really explains the history of the place, this online boutique will certainly point you in the right direction.

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Tailormade tours of India from Dominion Travel
• For your luxe travel needs: Elite Destinations Direct
• Save on theme parks with Orlando Attractions
• Check out Suite 116 at Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

A true travel connoisseur, CEO and Founder Drew Patterson brings more than a decade of experience to Jetsetter, the private sales site that helps leisure travellers discover and purchase some of the world’s best vacations.

An industry pioneer, Patterson was part of the founding team at Kayak.com where, during his five-year tenure as Vice President of Marketing, he played an integral role in reshaping the online travel landscape by evolving the distribution model and initializing the concept of “search”.  Prior to that, Patterson cut his teeth as Director of Distribution and Revenue Management at Starwood Hotels, where he forged new distribution channels with online travel agents, including Expedia and Travelocity.

Patterson received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University before earning his Masters in Business from Columbia Business School.  He resides in New York City.

What is it that  you do exactly?

No two days are the same for me. I might start the day building partnerships with suppliers on the inventory side or marketing partners that might get Jetsetter in front of new customers on the audience side. Then, I might have a meeting with our engineering team to talk about new functionality or the marketing team to talk about new products. Jetsetter is growing fast, so I spend a lot of time these days reviewing resumes. In my downtime, I surf the web to see what competitors are doing, what the media is saying about the travel space, and what consumers are talking about in Twitter or Facebook. Finally, I pour over the numbers, making sure the business is on track to beat expectations and communicate progress to our investors.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I really love working with the team I’ve built here at Jetsetter. We have a really smart, experienced, hard working team. But, I also look for people with personality and we spend a lot of time laughing which is what makes me excited to go to work each day.

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

Casas Brancas, Búzios, Brazil: There is just something magical about Buzios which is a very relaxed and charming destination. Casas Brancas is more than just a beautiful boutique hotel. The people who run the hotel are incredibly warm and hospitable.

The Hotel Gritti Palace encompasses charm and history along the Grand Canal in Venice. I was traveling with a group of friends for art opening and the stars just aligned to create a memorable vacation: great friends, fantastic dinners, spectacular art, no crowds. Perfetto!

After several weeks traveling through India, The Westin Singapore was exactly what the doctor ordered. I can still remember how good it felt to take a hot shower; sleep in a big, comfy bed; and eat a Western-style breakfast.

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

My brother’s friend interned at Per Se, arguably the best restaurant in the US. As a thank you from the restaurant, he was invited to bring friends for a complimentary dinner. This was more than a dinner, it was a six-hour tour through the most amazing ingredients and flavors I’ve ever experienced or will ever experience. In addition to the usual tasting menu, the kitchen prepared about 18 other courses. Food was ethereal. Service unimaginable.

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

I am not the guy who notices celebrities. But, I was in LA and checked into celeb magnet Chateau Marmont alongside Jarvier Bardem (before he started dating Penelope Cruz unfortunately). We went to dinner at Nobu that night and were seated next to Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wishlist?

I would like to go to Alaska before it melts.

Thank you, Drew.  That’s been a great insight. And even if you read the most pessimistic reports, I think you’ll find you’ve still got ample time to ’see Alaska before it melts’.  Afterall, it is home to more than half the world’s glaciers.

If you would like to be interviewed on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Exclusive excellence from Royal Villas Europe
• Just over 1hr from Geneva Airport: Chalet Chocolat
• Luxury and iconic wines from Penfolds
• South America’s first luxury camp: Patagonia Camp