Mobissimo

I love the word Geodesic, it's one of my favorite words in the English lanquage and ElquiDomos, located in the Región de Coquimbo, Chile boasts 6 of them. For those that don't know a geodesic is an almost spherical structure based on a network of struts arranged on great circles (geodesics) lying approximately on the surface of a sphere. Anyway, this place is one of the 7 astronomic hotels worldwide, and the only one in the South Hemisphere. Guests here enjoy domes that on the inside are furnished in a two storey plan: on the first floor a living room and the bathroom, and in the second storey the main bed and a detachable roof over it. Also, each dome has an ample terrace, as well as a telescope (so you can spy on the neighbors in the next bubble.)

read more at trendhunters.com

Tired of those regular old boring vacations of just relaxing, taking in the sights and shopping. Well, here you go: At VolunTourism International, the mission is quite simple: To Educate, To Empower, and To Engage.

This may be the first time that you have ever considered combining travel and service. Prior to this you may have been unsure that these two experiences, and the joy and fulfillment associated with them, could be synergized and harmoniously blended into one consumable opportunity. VolunTourism represents the blending of your favorite passions and, perhaps, pastimes.

History, culture, geography, environment, and the recreation of exploration meet the inspiration of your voluntary efforts in serving a destination and its residents. Body, mind, and soul respond to the awakening of thoughts, feelings, emotions, via a labor of gratitude that is offered as a part of your overall itinerary

Sounds good, well keep in mind some of the other hazards you might face while saving the world: abject poverty, maulnutrition and NO TELEVISION (what, no American Idol?"

Read about it at http://www.voluntourism.org/

JetBlue, in an attempt to not recreate the Valentines Day Massacre that happened at JFK airport decided to cancel 40% of its flights to and from the airport. Flights to and from Chicago and Washington, D.C.were cancelled as well in the wake of another snowstorm on Monday. This is what the airline should have done on Feb 14th to save themselves about 30 million dollars in recovery money. Still, the airline's shares are up about 20 percent over the last 12 months and they are out performing leading low-airfare competitor Southwest.

Read More at www.CNNmoney.com

Alright everyone, it's coming up on IceBreaking season (actually, it's not until June but I really want to go so I am jumping the gun a little bit.) A Nuclear Powered Polar Icebreaking 2 week cruise to the North Freaking Pole, I am so there. Clubbing baby seals with Santa, here I come (kidding.) Imagine this, getting on board a ship with 75,000 horsepower (coming from 2 pressurized water nuclear reactors) and a double hull of 48mm thick armoured steel and plowing through 5 meter thick ice--JOY!!

Not for everyone, well listen to this: The Yamal, which means "End of the Earth" in Russian, is staffed by an experienced crew of 150, including 50 officers and engineers. This vessel accommodates passengers in 50 first-class outside cabins and suites, all with private facilities and large windows, as well as a desk, television and other comforts. Public areas include a large dining room (accommodating all passengers in one sitting), library, lounge, theatre-style auditorium, volleyball court and gymnasium, heated indoor swimming pool and sauna. It has European master chefs and a full bar packed full of spirits, wines and champagnes. the Yamal carries a helicopter for reconnaissance - which is also used for passenger excursions. The helicopter takes passengers on sightseeing flights and is used as transportation to inland sites and otherwise inaccessible shores. In addition, the Yamal carries Zodiac landing craft which we may use if ice conditions allow. Among the wildlife you will probably see are polar bears, arctic fox, seals and belugas inhabit the region. Also see walrus and vast colonies of seabirds.

If that all isn't enough, inluded in the price of the cruise is a complimentary parka (coat) and a glass of house wine with every dinner aboard.

Read More about it and book your cruise here, I'll see you there!!

Many airports skip the 13th gate and almost all airplanes have no 13th aisle. Now, because of complaints from superstitious travel customers, Brussels Airlines has chosen to add another ball to their 13-ball logo on the tail and sides of their Airbus 319's. This brings the number of balls to 14 which should bring good luck all around.

Read more here at USA Today

" Eighth Wonder of the World," come on people you could've come up with a better tag line for these things, there are about 40 Eighth Wonders already. These things that I am referring to are The Palm Islands, also known as The Palm Dubai and The Palms. These bad boys are the three largest man-made islands in the world and are being built on the coast of the emirate of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) All three are being built in the shape of a date palm tree and consist of a trunk, a crown with fronds, and are surrounded by a crescent island that acts as a breakwater. The islands will support luxury hotels, freehold residential villas, unique water homes, shoreline apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities, health spas, cinemas and various diving sites. The island pictured here is the largest one being built and called The Palm Deira. It will cover 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) in length and 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles) in width and have an area of 80 square kilometers (861 million square feet) and its expected completion date will be in the year 2015.

Later this year Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial spaceline will start test flights aboard aboard its WhiteKnight Two and Spaceship Two; two of the world's first privately developed and funded manned spacecraft. This is all in an attempt to start commercial operations to fly paying passengers into space for a mere $200,000 dollars a trip by late 2008. I hope the snacks are good for that kind of cash. These flights are the direct outcome of the Ansari X-Prize contest in which a $10 Million dollar prize was given to Burt Rutan for his development of the first privately funded reusable spacecraft (named SpaceShipOne) to travel into space twice within a two week period. SpceShipOne is also the prototype for Virgin Galactic's new fleet of suborbital spaceplanes that are being built at Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites Factory in the Mohave Spaceport in California.

These glorified amusement park rides will consist of a trip up to 50,000 feet hitched to a specially designed carrier aircraft, also known as mothership. Once at 50,000 feet, the 6 passenger spaceship is released and ignites its hybrid rocket and climbs from 50,000 feet to over 360,000 feet in 90 seconds and 3 times the speed of sound. The ship then feathers (folds) its wings in preparation for its re-entry into the earth's atmosphere and an umpowered (gliding) landing back at the spaceport. SIGN ME UP, SCOTTY!!

Read more here: USA Today

This trip is full of surprises. For 200 pesos (about $24) get chased by the Mexican Border Patrol, run though cornfields and under barbed wire fences to experience what 3,000 tourists have already done since the caminata started in July, 2004.

The four-hour caminata nocturna (night-time hike) traverses desert, hills, brambles and riverbeds in the Parque EcoAlberto, an eco-park communally owned by the Hnahnu Indians who live on some 1200 hectares of land in the state of Hidalgo, about three hours north-west of Mexico City (and roughly 1120 kilometres from the border). This has to be one of Mexico's more bizarre tourism experiences: a make-believe trip illegally crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States.

Read more about it at smh.com.au

JetBlue Airways might need to rethink their corporate promise: "To continue to bring humanity back to air travel" after stranding Aruba and Cancun bound flights on the runway at New York's JFK airport for up to 11 hours on Wednesday, Valentine's Day. Woops JetBlue, start dishing out those free tickets because it's going to take a lot of headrest-TV and pretzels to get you outta this one.

NEW YORK - JetBlue Airways Corp. tried to calm a maelstrom of criticism Thursday, after passengers were left waiting on planes at a New York airport for as long as 11 hours during a snow and ice storm. The airline said 10 incoming and outbound flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport were "significantly delayed" with customers on board during Wednesday's storm. Reasons included congestion, frozen equipment and an effort to keep planes ready to go in case the weather broke, said JetBlue spokesman Bryan Baldwin. More than 250 of JetBlue's roughly 500 flights nationwide were canceled Wednesday.

Read more about JetBlue's Ice Storm Fiasco here at Yahoo News.

Southwest Airlines has yet to announce a start date and list of destinations but after a 6 year absence from service to San Francsico it has decided to come back. Reasons for returning include an improvement in the airport's on-time performance and the cost of operation out of SFO has been cut in half. Other expansion cities that Southwest now flies to include: Philadelphia, Denver and Washington Dulles. Nice, now even San Franciscans can be crushed into planes, served peanuts, and serenaded by bad singing and dumb jokes. Just a few of the many joys of flying Southwest.

Read More Via USA Today

Mobissimo, Inc. and PrivateJetSpecialist.com have partnered to give consumers everything that they need to research, plan and book private charters online. "The Mobissimo/PrivateJet Specialist partnership will provide direct access to a broad world-wide selection of private air travel solutions. On Mobissimo, the display is integrated with other travel options to help with our users search and compare private charter options with airline options directly." says Peter S. Shin, VP of Business Development at Mobissimo.

PrivateJetSpecialist is the first marketing and automated distribution system for private charter jets. Why book a charter jet you ask? Because everyone is doing it and because private aircraft reach far more destinations, with more departure options than most commercial airlines. Private charter travel is actually not that much more expensive than first class travel and for even better savings book 30 days in advance, reserve first class or travel from regional airport to any other regional airport.

Read more via webmatricsguru

Underwater hotel in Sweden, those crazy Swedes!! There is only one room in this concept hotel and it is closed for the winter so reserve well in advance. The Utter Inn Hotel was thought up by Mikael Grenberg a local artist and sculptor. The actual hotel room lies 3 meters below the surface of the Lake Mälaren in Västerås, Sweden. The room is not fancy and consists of only twin beds, a table and panoramic windows to check out your curious fish roomates (there is no mention of a bathroom anywhere.)  Two types of stays are available at the Utter Hotel.  The bed is made while breakfast and dinner are brought out to the guests by boat in the DeLuxe version and in the Bohéme version sheets and food are up to you. Entertainment consists of touring the neighboring uninhabited island, swimming or just hanging with the fish.

The next time I'm in Turkey I am definitely going to spelunk this place out. The place I am so excitedly talking about is the Gamirasu Cave Hotel located in Aywali, a village near Urgup in the heart of Cappadocia, Turkey.

This hotel has been constructed in a restored thousand-year-old Byzantine monastic retreat. Its 18 rooms were carved by hand from volcanic rock centuries ago. The rooms look comfortable enough, with natural cotton futons, kilims and Turkish rugs, showers and heat. There is also a restaurant that prepares organically produced food in the typical Cappadocian style. Their is lots to do in the area, including donkey, horse or bicycle rides through surrounding villages as well as guided tours and Whirling Dervishes. Come on, Whirling Dervishes!!!

Self-Weighing Luggage, come on now guys; that's pretty awesome. Also, it's a good way to avoid that stupid $50.00 over-50 pound weight limit for luggage that you are checking. Be the first (and probably the only) one in the airport with Ricardo's self-weighing luggage that features a built-in digital scale that instantly weighs your bag and whatever is packed inside. Rugged and high tech, this luggage should hold it's own on those abusive baggage carousels. Gives a whole new meaning to check your package.