Who doesn’t love Bollywood? Finnair shows their love for all things Bollywood by breaking out in song and dance during a flight from Helsinki, Finland, to New Delhi, India. Passengers were treated to flight attendants belting out the performance number “Deewangi Deewangi” from the 2007 movie Om Shanti Om.

I think it’s all kinds of cute when blond flight attendants sing and dance to Bollywood tunes. Finnair not only wins some brownie points by way of cultural bonding but also positions itself as a fun brand. Virgin Air better watch out!

Why the Bollywood spectacular? The flight attendants wanted to honor India’s Republic Day (January 26). Helena Kaartinen, the flight attendant who came up with the idea, told the New York Times: ‘It was a good way to show respect.’

Here’s the original dance performance, which do you prefer?

Tired of all the Valentine’s Day hoopla? Not feelin’ the love this year? Try celebrating Anti Valentine’s instead with a girls’ only trip to some sizzlin’ hot hotels for pampering and pj party fun. After all we don’t need the guys to have a really good time, right? Here are a few spots to hang out with the girl’s and get your Anti-Valentine’s groove on!

Anti-Pity Party Package from W San Francisco

Perfect for your Anti-Valentine’s Day celebration is the the Anti-Pity Party Package offered by W San Francisco (181 Third St., 415-777-5300). This package is designed to help you embrace being free and frisky with four of your most fabulous friends.

The package includes:

Overnight Accommodations in an Extreme WOW Suite – live large in this 1200 square-foot newly renovated suite featuring inspiring design, amazing views from the 31st floor and pure whimsical design elements.

Unlimited Movies – pick from an array of chick flicks and enjoy the ultimate viewing experience in the E-WOW’s living room which includes a 52″ inch plasma screen TV and a Bose surround sound system.

A Chocolate Extravaganza – drown your sorrows with delicious confectionary made with chocolate, ice cream and more!

Bliss Out – four $50 credits to Bliss Spa’s tension banning oasis

Four “Lift Your Spirits” SIP tickets – good for one cocktail at W Café

Love ‘em or Leave ‘em Special from Fifteen Beacon Hotel, Boston

Hmm, Love ‘em or Leave em? I think you know which one we would pick from the following two options!

The “Love ‘em” option: Chocolate covered strawberries and champagne? Bah humbug!

Package also includes:

• Rose petal turndown – so cliche!
• Breakfast in bed (all I’m thinkin’ is crumbs)

The “Leave ‘em” option: Grab a cocktail at the bar (on us) and head out for a night on the town with your girlfriends.

More to enjoy:

• 2 drinks at Mooo…
• Chocolate dipped goodies
• Girls Brunch in Mooo…. (up to $60.00)
• Any (anti) Valentine’s Day movie of your choice

Available throughout the month of February, 2012.

‘Valentines Is For The Girls’ Getaway at DesBarres Inn, Nova Scotia

Valentine’s is for the girls at DesBarres Manor Inn with a special BFF getaway package on the weekends of February 19th and 26th. Enjoy some girl talk and games over complimentary cocktails in the Parlour room, savour a five-course tasting dinner by the 1837 hearth fireplace in the dining room and relax in the “luxe beds” Girl’s Getaway said was their favourite detail from their DesBarres Manor Inn stay. In the morning you’ll say goodbye to your girlfriends with a full breakfast in the dining room.

Package includes:

• Complimentary full breakfast.
• Complimentary DesBarres Manor cocktail in the Parlour room.
• Deluxe room accommodations (Complimentary room upgrade when available).
• A five course tasting dinner.
• Winter adventure on the largest bay on the Nova Scotia Atlantic coast.
• Add an extra night of accommodations for only $99, double occupancy.

From $139 per person double occupancy

Omni San Diego Hotel Yappy Hour Event

This Valentine’s Day the Omni San Diego Hotel is hosting their annual “Yappy Hour” event for single’s and their pooches. This event will feature complimentary wine and cheese, portraits for single’s and their furry friends, plus room package giveaways. 100% of proceeds will benefit the Helen Woodward Animal Center. For more information visit the hotel’s website.

It’s Christmas, and tis the season to do some serious eggnog sipping. This year I was even more excited about the advent of eggnog, because I had recently received a gift of whole nutmeg from the Grenada Bureau of Tourism. During a PR event, a representative from this lovely Caribbean island placed a package of nutmeg seeds into my eager little hands.

I knew as soon as I received the nutmeg that I was going to use it in my favorite Christmas drink: eggnog. I also decided in honor of my fresh nutmeg I would make homemade eggnog, a first for me! I’ve adapted a recipe I found from one of my favorite foodie websites Epicurious and the result was delicious!

• 3 cups whole milk
• 7 large eggs*
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup bourbon
• 1/3 cup rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer
• Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg and whipped cream

*Because of the risk of salmonella in modern eggs, this recipe uses a cooked egg mixture and we added whipped cream on top, instead of the more traditional raw egg yolk/milk combination and whipped egg white topping.

1. Mix the eggs with the sugar in a heavy bottomed 2 quart saucepan until it just reaches a paste-like consistency (no need to over mix).

2. Heat the milk separately until hot but not quite boiling (I do this in the microwave in a Pyrex measuring cup so I can watch it and stop it just before it boils).

3. Rapidly stir the heated milk into the egg yolk and sugar mixture with a fork until all ingredients seem to meld into one.

4. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture registers 170°F on thermometer, 6 to 7 minutes.

5. It will thicken into a sauce-like consistency and coat the back of the spoon. Be sure to stir constantly and remove immediately when temperature is reached, otherwise, it will thicken into solid custard.

6. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned large bowl and stir in cream, bourbon, rum, and vanilla. Cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 24.

To Serve: Pour cold eggnog into glasses. Whip cream to soft peaks, put a dollop on top of the eggnog. At this stage I grated the fresh nutmeg I received from Grenada Tourism over the whipped cream. Whole nutmeg can also be found in most specialty stores, but why not get it right from the source and enjoy a lovely holiday in Grenada at the same time? Hope you enjoy the eggnog as much as I did!

Let’s face it, other than George Clooney “Up in the Air” movie clones, most of us don’t have jobs that require a semi-permanent residence at various hotels around the world, and to be honest, most women would prefer to avoid that kind of lifestyle. Unfortunately, as a result of not being a serial hotel user, you end up losing out on the perks that can accumulate only through multiple stays at big chain hotels via their loyalty program.

For us ordinary folk, who tend to go on holidays only once or twice a year (if we’re lucky), loyalty cards don’t seem to be such a great deal. But there are a few forward thinking hotels that have taken this into consideration and offer a card or program that has immediate perks right from the moment you sign up and arrive on the doorstep of their hotel.

Omni Hotels

Omni’s loyalty program is my favorite; it has some wonderful perks to make your travels away from home a little sweeter. The hotel offers fresh fruit in the lobby, and as a member of their rewards program you also receive complimentary morning beverage delivered to your door. I love this, when I stay at Omni, my morning starts with the delivery of a carafe of freshly perked coffee, and orange juice, what a great way to start the day. Some other rewards offered to members include free in-room wifi, newspaper, a bottle of water, and 2 items of clothing freshly pressed, now that’s a service I’d definitely use!

DoubleTree by Hilton

Who wouldn’t love a warm cookie when checking into a hotel? It’s almost as good as a warm hug! For the past 25 years DoubleTree by Hilton has been handing out yummy cookies to travelers all over the world. They give out approximately 60,000 chocolate chip cookies each day adding up to more than 21 million cookies annually – that’s a heck of a lot of cookies!

Fairmont Resorts

Fairmont Hotels centers its rewards program, Fairmont President’s Club, on personalization. Guests complete a profile upon registration sharing their preferences on important details such as the type of bed they like, their ideal floor level, favorite newspaper and whether they drink carbonated or still water.

One of the nicer perks offered by Fairmont came as a result of listening to their members about the importance of health and wellness on the road but how this can be difficult for those who travel light. So, Fairmont partnered with Adidas to create a program to make available Adidas shoes and apparel, yoga mats, stretch bands and use of a MP3 player, to members who request it. The new perk has been a big hit. Some other benefits include free in-room wifi, newspaper, and access to bikes at select hotels.

We all know flying the skies today is not fun. You’re stuck on a plane for hours on end, with hundreds of other miserable passengers, crammed into a tiny space, and you’re all thrusting your ass/arms/legs into each other’s personal space. There are certain things you should try to avoid doing in an effort to minimize annoying the hell out of your fellow passengers – here’s my list of the top 5 things not to do on a plane:

1. DON’T put your 4 bags of airport purchases, your handbag, your books, your coat, your laptop bag, and your HUGE carry-on (sideways) in the overhead compartments. That’s so rude, not to mention inconsiderate and will earn you the hatred of all your close seatmates.
2. Your space for storing stuff is under the seat in FRONT of you. I know there’s also space available under your own seat but don’t be tempted – it’s not for you. Yes, honest, you really SHOULDN’T hog both spaces!
3. Please, please keep your seat straight up or if you’re absolutely desperate to rest your back, just recline the seat slightly. Believe it or not, people really don’t enjoy having a seat in their lap throughout the entire flight. When this happens to me, I tend to start jabbing, poking, jiggling the entertainment system on the seatback really, really hard. I know I’m being petty and childish, but it brings me great pleasure.
4. Don’t pick at bodily orifices, or manipulate various body parts in any way. That means: no nose picking, ear picking, scab picking, teeth picking, toe picking, knuckle cracking, in fact don’t do any personal grooming during the flight unless you’re in the washroom and keep even that to the bare minimum.
5. You’ve got kids/babies/sprained foot and you were allowed to get on the plane before the rest of us. This I fully support and understand, you deserve this perk; I’ve been there and totally sympathize with your travel difficulties. Then we land and you decide you’re also allowed to delay the rest of us by gathering your kids/babies/sprained foot and slowly, so very slowly exiting from the plane, with all of us stuck behind you. I have totally lost all of my love for you, your children, your sprained foot.

I love this funny video Virgin Airlines made about annoying habits to avoid when traveling on a plane.