Blow Out Your Travel Plans for the Presidential Inauguration

On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be inaugurated as President of the United States. Washington, D.C. -- for an entire week prior to that date -- will be hosting an infinite number of lavish parties all across the area. So, yeah, it would be fairly awesome to be up there. And if you're a hard-core Dem (we're Swiss, thanks for asking), you might be willing to drop some big bucks to throw down in the capitol for a week.
The DC Traveler was kind enough to dig up some of the best (and most expensive) Presidential vacations available.

Try the 14-room suite at the Mandarin Oriential overlooking the city and the National Mall for a paltry $200,000. It includes a chauffeur-driven Maserati.

The ritzy Ritz Carlton Washington in Georgetown has a $150,000 package that includes private jet travel, personal butler and massage therapist and tickets to an inaugural ball. Leave for home with a full set of Louis Vuitton luggage as well.

The Georgetown Ritz Carlton [also] offers a $99,000 package that includes first-class travel and a stay at the Ritz in the Grand Cayman Islands, as after all that pampering, I guess people need to relax a bit.

And that's not including a $440,000 "Commander in Chief" package at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, which includes a $44,000 jewelry shopping spree and a ridiculous five day first class trip to St. Petersburg ... Russia.

So, um, yeah, it's pretty obvious that the entire district is set to pamper towards wealthy Dems making the trek to the nation's capitol. If you're so inclined, holler at a hotel. Although maybe we should change "Yes we can" to "Go big or go home." Now get out there and stimulate that economy people!

Cuba Tourism Shows Promise With Possible Embargo Shifts

After decades of trade embargos, economic relations between the United States and Cuba could see a shift in coming months. Although the Obama-administration has said publicly it intends to maintain the embargo, there has been some discussion of reducing restrictions on Cuban-Americans visiting family members. Some high-ranking officials within the Cuban government have voiced desires for an easing of the current tourism restrictions as well.

If the U.S. liberalizes tourist travel to Cuba, the country is ready to receive the visitors, said Cuba Vice President Carlos Lage in a statement from Prense Latina, the state news agency.
"Our tourism and our people are ready. It's barbaric to prohibit a citizen from visiting his family," said Lage, referring to the 46-year-old U.S. travel embargo.

Tourism to Cuba has grown 10.7% this year over 2007, reaping more than $2 billion in gross revenue and employing more than 300,000 people. It is Cuba's second-largest source of foreign income, behind nickel production.

The government has no plans to delay a $185 million plan to upgrade more than 200 resorts and build 50 boutique hotels by 2010, Trujillo reported.

Despite the U.S. travel embargo, Cuban tourism has been on the rise in recent years with travelers from Canada and Western Europe making up the bulk of visitors. While there are no significant changes slated for the trade embargo, it is nice to see how far the world has come since the Cuban Missile Crisis. And in this case, any news is good news for classic-car buffs, baseball fans and jazz enthusiasts (Ed. Note: Don't forget cigar aficionados.) the world over.

If you're considering a Cuban vacation, be advised... Americans are not forbidden to set foot on Cuban soil, but the U.S. government continues to restrict its citizenry from spending money in the communist country, as it has since 1961. This has proven an effective deterrent to the development of large-scale tourism from the U.S., though individuals have quietly been visiting Cuba (via third countries) for years.