Weekly roundup

Hey Dinkerdoos! Happy Tuesday!

We’ve got travel deals, a cocktail/mocktail recipe worth a sip, and much, much more.

Travel & Adventure

🏖️ Aspirational DINK Life

Money moves, travel opportunities, and luxury experiences

The August Travel Secret: Shoulder Season Gold

August is actually the cheapest month to travel, according to Expedia's latest data.

While everyone thinks summer = expensive, late August through early September is when the magic happens.

The Golden Opportunity

• Europe flights are down 8% from last summer

• Hotels in places like Florence and Barcelona are offering 30-40% discounts for late August bookings

• Norse Atlantic has direct flights to Berlin from $140 one-way

• Southwest's Fall Flash Sale (ending Thursday) includes vacation packages with up to 40% off

This Week's Insider Move: Book that "shoulder season" trip for late August or early September. You'll get summer weather without summer crowds or prices.

Rome in September?

• Perfect weather

• Fewer tourists

• Restaurants actually have tables available.

The locals are back from vacation, so you get the authentic experience instead of tourist-trap central.

Money Strategy: If you're not using the Chase Sapphire Preferred for travel bookings, you're missing out on 80,000 bonus points (worth $1,000+ in travel).

• Every travel dollar earns 2x points, and with current deals, that Europe trip practically pays for itself.

Pro Tip: Costco Travel is offering exclusive member rates on vacation packages through August, and AAA has expedition deals to Antarctica and Greenland with $50 onboard credit if you book by August 31st.

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Rico Suave

🎭 The Most Interesting Person in the Room

Conversation starters and cultural sophistication

This Week's Fascinating Fact: The "August" Power Play

Here's your next dinner party conversation starter:

Augustus Caesar didn't just rename the month after himself—he stole a day from February to make sure August had 31 days, just like July (named after his predecessor, Julius Caesar). Talk about ancient one-upmanship.

The Deeper Story: The word "august" comes from the Latin "augustus," meaning "venerable" or "majestic"—but it originally meant "to increase."

Augustus literally increased his own importance by renaming the month.

Before him, it was called Sextilis (the sixth month in the original Roman calendar).

Cultural Currency: August babies are statistically taller, healthier, and more optimistic than other birth months.

It lends a whole new meaning to the "August advantage" (which applies to job seekers)—something about optimal nutrition during pregnancy and early development.

Perfect conversation starter for any August birthdays coming up.

The Conversation Closer: "Augustus Caesar understood that controlling the calendar meant controlling how people think about time itself."

And then you check the time on your phone and walk away.

🫳🎤 

With Friends

🏡 Social & Hosting

Entertaining, relationships, and creating memorable moments

The "Soft Life" Cocktail Hour

Summer 2025's biggest hosting trend isn't about perfection—it's about ease.

The "soft life" movement (which started in Nigeria and emphasizes peace over productivity) is transforming how we entertain.

This Week's Signature Cocktail: "Sage Advice"

How to Make It

1. Muddle the sage a bit (don’t absolutely demolish them) in a cocktail shaker tin.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients + ice cubes

3. Shake for 10-15 seconds

4. Double strain

5. Garnish with 2 sage leaves or a lime twist

6. Enjoy!

The 10-Minute Hosting Setup: Instead of stressing about perfect tablescapes, try "intentional imperfection."

Use mismatched vintage glasses (trending on Pinterest), add fruit to your ice cubes, and create a "cake grazing board" instead of formal dessert.

The goal is looking effortlessly put-together.

Conversation Zone Magic: Place a beautiful book open to an interesting page—this month try "The Art of Living" or anything about the "soft life" philosophy.

Guests naturally gravitate toward it and start conversations about intentional living.

The August Advantage: Late summer entertaining is about abundance without effort. Fresh fruit, simple cocktails, and letting the season do the work.

Your friends are craving ease right now, not Instagram perfection.

Get Out

🌟 Fun & Adventure

Couple activities, experiences, and pet adventures

This Week's Challenge: Become "Coolcation" Experts

"Coolcations" are the biggest travel trend of 2025—escaping heat by heading to cooler climates. But you don't need to travel far to master this.

The Local Coolcation: Find the coolest microclimate within driving distance for a daytrip and picnic. Mountain towns, lakeshores, or even a park with lots of trees. Discover your own "secret spot."

For the Ambitious: Book a long weekend in the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes region, or New England. August is perfect weather there while everywhere else is sweltering.

Pet Adventure Bonus: Many wineries and breweries in cooler climates are dog-friendly. Your pup gets a road trip, you get wine tasting, everyone wins. (Pro tip: bring a collapsible water bowl for little McLovin.)

Splurge: Norway is quite pleasant this time of year…

This Weekend's Micro-Adventure: Try "progressive cooling"—start with iced coffee at a café, move to a museum (free AC!), then end at a rooftop bar with misters. It's like a coolcation without leaving town.

The Relationship Bonus: Shared adventures in new environments create stronger couple bonds. Neuroscience is clear: trying new things together literally makes you feel more connected.

Make it Easy

💡 Smart Living Hacks

Productivity, optimization, and life upgrades

The "August Reset" System

Forget New Year's resolutions—August is the real reset month. Your boss comes back from vacation so work gets serious again, and you have a chance to optimize before fall chaos hits.

This Week's Hack: Create "seasonal boundaries" on your phone. Set up an "August Focus" mode that only allows essential apps and your partner's calls. Use it during dinner, weekend mornings, or any time you want to be present instead of scrolled out.

The Financial August Reset: Set up automatic transfers to three separate savings accounts: "Fall Adventures," "Holiday Fund," and "2026 Big Trip." Even $50 each per month adds up, and when opportunities arise, the money's already there.

Productivity Power Move: Time-block your personal life like you do work. Schedule "adventure blocks" (2-hour minimum chunks for trying new things) and "spontaneity buffers" (unscheduled time for last-minute opportunities). Your calendar becomes a tool for living better, not just working more.

The 2-Minute Rule for Experiences: If you see something interesting that takes less than 2 minutes to book or research, do it immediately. That wine tasting, that cooking class, that weekend getaway—decision fatigue kills more good experiences than budget constraints.

Tech Stack Upgrade: Use Google Alerts for "[your city] events," "travel deals," and "restaurant openings." Let technology find opportunities for you instead of endlessly scrolling social media.

Shareable Stuff

📸 Meme of the Week

DINK humor and shareable content

Share-worthy quote: "August goals: Be so busy living your best life that you forget to post about it."

This week's conversation starter: "Would you rather 1) move every year to a new place you’ve never been (you get to choose where) for the rest of your life or, 2) live where you are now for the rest of your life and never be able to move (but you can travel anywhere you want for up to 2 weeks)?"

Reply with your answer!

A Love Note

💌 From the Editors

Welcome back, Dinkerdoos!

We're officially in the sweet spot of summer—that magical time when everyone else is complaining about heat while you're planning your next adventure.

This week is all about the "August advantage."

While others are stuck in routine, you have the freedom to chase cooler weather, book last-minute deals, and reset your life before fall arrives.

Whether it's that spontaneous coolcation, the perfect cocktail recipe, or finally setting up those financial systems you've been meaning to tackle—this is your moment.

Remember: you're not just living, you're living intentionally.

Every Tuesday, we're here to make sure you never waste another week wondering "what should we do?"

Your August is going to be amazing.

That’s it for this week.

DINK Goals | Your weekly dose of "we should try that" Follow us: @dinkgoals | Forward to your favorite DINK couple

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