Mobissimo

Without a doubt, New York City can be expensive.  While many things are less expensive than London, for example subway tickets, many things are much more expensive, like a good meal.  Here are 10 things to do in New York for free via the Guardian.  Check out number one, a personal fav, free booze.

There's never been a better time to visit New York. Obvious, really - the dollar is in a bad way. But the Big Apple also happens to be one of the freebie capitals of the world … free food in bars, people showing you around for nothing, and there's even booze on the house if you know where to look. Most of these freebies are online for us all to share.

For some, being connected is everything.  Blackberry, wireless modem, sat modem, it's true, we all need to be connected.  Now you can surf the web in the air, this via the Star-Telegram.

American Airlines rolled out in-flight Internet access on a handful of flights Wednesday, hoping to eventually offer the service on its airplanes nationwide.

The Fort Worth-based carrier has partnered with communications firm Aircell to provide the wireless Internet service, dubbed “Gogo.” Customers will pay $12.95 on flights more than three hours, and $9.95 on shorter trips.

There can be a lot of different combinations of middle seat mates.  The Chatter, the B-Class griper, the smelly guy.  Regardless, unless you're flying your own plane, you'll have to deal with one at some time.

There are worse things than being stuck in the middle seat on an airplane.

How about being stuck next to a meddlesome middle seater? You know, the guy who leans into your newspaper as you try to peruse the latest on McCain and Obama, the guy who then has to tell you why your candidate is no good.

You've been there. But did you know? It could be worse.

Yes, your middle seatmate could be guilty of one or more of the "11 Deadly Sins." Allow me to present my list of sins -- and sinners.

Like all good destinations, sometimes the secret nature is exactly its undoing.  The new James Bond film has been filmed in part in Panama, now perhaps the droves will come to Panama as well.

Panama officials had hoped the film would boost the local economy. News of the thefts, and the bad press they brought to Panama City, only made officials furious with the Bond production. Was a curse at work here? Anyway you look at it the small-time gangsters got away with murder. Bond 22 got off on the wrong foot. (more)

While Budweiser served in a random bar in the United States is one thing, to hoist a pint to your lips in a place where a sense of tradition, history, and decades/centuries of drunkeness have taken place in a cathedral of beer is pretty cool too.  Read more here via the Times.

Beer and architecture experts Geoff Brandwood and Jane Jephcote have identified London's most important historic pub interiors. They are a hugely varied collection ranging from lavishly decorated late Victorian hostelries to simple, street-corner locals.

All the pubs below have interiors that survive from before the great wave of refitting that began in the 1960s and which transformed the character of the vasy majority of pubs in Britain. Their book, London Heritage Pubs: An Inside Story, contains 156 entries out of a possible 5,500 pubs in the capital's 33 boroughs.

Last time I was in Prague, you could still drink Budvar for a quarter (USD).  While the Czech Republic remains inexpensive, with the USD about the same as a ruble, stretch your pennies with some free stuff.  This via National Geographic.

Not long ago, Prague was hailed—in hushed tones—as one of the greatest European cities vacationers had yet to discover. Those days are gone, and the city is now well-known as a major destination for art, history, culture, and authenticity. Naturally, its prices have grown along with its reputation. With these insider tips for a freebie-filled vacation, you can enjoy the best of the Golden City without spending an ounce of gold.

JetBlue has been dealing with some major PR mishaps over the past year.  This only adds more to the beleaguered airline.  This via the Consumerist.

Marilyn Parver is taking her story to the media after JetBlue had her arrested and walked off the plane in handcuffs for refusing to delete a video recording she made of an altercation between passengers. She told Christopher Elliott that JetBlue accused her of interfering with a flight crew (a federal crime) and threatened to blacklist her by adding her name to the dreaded "no-fly list."

For some reason, the makers of the Papillon remake have chosen the Canary Islands for the backdrop.  The movie is grim, but the setting is fantastic.  Kill two birds with one stone, check on the filming, check out the islands.  More here via the Guardian.

Thirty-five years after the 1973 classic, in which Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman starred in the story of two men struggling to escape from a prison island, filming on a remake is to begin next year in the Canary Islands. Branko Lustig, the Los Angeles producer behind Schindler's List and Gladiator, is to shoot the new version of the film, which was nominated for Oscars for the on-screen chemistry between its stars.

Things have happened at the Magic Kingdom that have put the land of smiles on a little hiatus.  Seems disgruntled employees, numerous costumes, kids and families, and police don't really mix.  More here via Gadling.

Even though Walt Disney had an idea of what a Utopian society should look like when he created the Magic Kingdom, the vision has shrunk. It doesn't include health insurance for everyone any more, or wages that are equal to what other workers who are doing the same job in the region are making, according to this article posted at msnbc.com.

Hotel workers, i.e., bell hops, maids, cooks and dishwashers, are the ones who will be affected by the cuts and are not too pleased. That's why some of them dressed up as Disney characters and headed for Disneyland's main gate from the hotels shouting out things like, "Mickey, shame on you."

Get away, literally from it all with super remote hotels.  Here's a list of top remote luxury hotels.

There was no standing room in second class on my train last week, so I got to stand in first. A real privilege. You overhear a different kind of conversation in first.

“I know, George. You’re so right. A luxury hotel can get soooooo boring.”

“Terribly, terribly so.” “And, ironically, George, it’s all that luxury, isn’t it? The fluffy bathrobes. The massaging. The Jacuzzis. Drives me mad.”

“The breakfasts with the omelette chef and the 20 yoghurts and the champagne. And all the smiling staff. The endless smiling. It gets to you.”

Funky, quirky, elegant.  Usually you just want your hotel room to be functional, but here's a list of cool hotel around the world.  Here's a little more about one in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Hotel Home, Argentina

Situated in the hip district of Palermo Viejo in the party destination of Buenos Aires, the smartly dressed Hotel Home was built in 2005 after British couple Tom Rixton and Patricia O'Shea noticed a distinct lack of stylish hotels while planning their wedding in the city. O'Shea said: "We wanted out friends and their friends to visit this fantastic neighbourhood and city. So we created Home."

Sometimes being not connected, sitting on an airplane is not a bad thing.  I am able to go back and write about 50 emails I'd never get done if I didn't have this time non-connected.  Well, my no connection nirvana has ended as Delta is offering WiFi on flights next year.  More here via Yahoo!

TLANTA - Delta Air Lines Inc. said Tuesday it will offer broadband wireless Internet access on its entire domestic mainline fleet by the middle of next year. Several other airlines either offer similar service or plan to, though on a much more limited number of flights.

Atlanta-based Delta said Wi-Fi service will be offered for a fee to customers traveling throughout the continental U.S.

The nation's No. 3 carrier is partnering with Aircell, an airborne communications provider, to install the network on Delta's domestic fleet of more than 330 aircraft.

Iraq has recently opened a new airport to spur a push to tourism.  While the violence in Iraq has subsided for now, I believe the time for tourism is a little early.  Read more here via Al Jazeera.

A new airport has been opened in Najaf, Iraq's Shiite holy city, with Nuri al-Maliki, the prime minister, making the inaugural flight.  Al-Hamza airport, formerly a military airport, was opened on Sunday amid hopes of a religious tourism boom in the city.

The picture on the click is NSFW, but here's a little more about this nude airline.

An Eastern German travel agency is taking bookings for the country's first nudist air service.

Passengers can strip off on board but will have to get dressed again before getting off the plane.

The flight is to be part of a summer day trip which flies from the Eastern German city of Erfurt to a popular Baltic Sea resort.

Natural language search is what it's all about.  The ease of use of just typing in your itinerary supercedes calendars or drop-down menus (although we still have that for you as well).  Mobissimo users can use natural language search on Mobissimo right now.  Go to the front page and click OneBox, from there, you can simply put in New York to London Nov 8-23 and press Search.  Many possibilities here, NY to Tokyo, NYC to TYO, new york to tokyo, even dates, November 8-23, 11/8-11/23, etc.  You can even put in something like Chicago to Beach, or Chicago to Mexico Beach, or Chicago to Mexico.  This will bring up our FareIndex with many exciting destinations, sites, activities.  Check it out, have fun.