Holiday Destinations

Holiday in orbit: Galactic Suite space resort opening 2012

By Emily Clark

22:21 August 21, 2007 PDT

August 22, 2007 ‘Space tourism’ is the latest buzz phrase to hit the high-end travel industry with cosmos tourists already visiting the international space station and now news that a hotel stay in space is as little as five short years away. The Galactic Suite Space Resort, run by directors Xavier Claramunt and Marsal Gifra, aims to offer travellers the “most thrilling and transcendent experience ever” with a stay on board an orbital luxury getaway. Upon arrival at the first ever space resort, guests will be able to experience a new world of sensations including weightlessness, star gazing, amazing views of planet Earth with 15 sunsets in a day - not to mention being aboard a spaceship that takes you from 0 to 28,000kmh in 10 minutes. Read More

Free food allergy translations take the stress out of eating on vacation

By Loz Blain

June 10, 2007 This isn't a gizmo so much as a fantastic free Web service that we see as being exceptionally useful. It's tough enough working out how not to order the monkey brains when you're in a foreign country where you don't speak the language - let alone communicating to restaurant staff and stall vendors about food allergies that could ruin your holiday and even cost you your life. Food-info.net is a great free service that lets you download printable PDF files of more than 200 allergenic food items and their translations in a wide range of languages. Read More

The New Seven Wonders of the World revealed

By Noel McKeegan

July 10, 2007 After a global poll attracting 100 million votes online and via mobile phone, the new seven wonders of the world have been unveiled. The monuments making the final cut were Chichén Itzá in Mexico, Christ Redeemer in Brazil, The Great Wall of China, Peru's Machu Picchu, Jordan's Petra, The Roman Colloseum in Italy and The Taj Mahal in India. Surprise omissions from the shortlist of 21 sites included The Acropolis, Easter Island Statues and Stonehenge, which were all among the top contenders when Gizmag last checked the odds back in May. Read More

Making history – your vote decides the new seven wonders of the world

By Mike Hanlon

On the seventh of July – the seventh of the seventh, 2007 to be exact – it will be out with the old and in with the...old. Bernard Weber and the N7W committee have organised a ceremony in Lisbon to unveil the new seven wonders of the world. It will be a truly international event, designed to transcend differences in politics and culture and focus on humanity’s crowning achievements. And although the structures themselves are the focus of the event, the fact that, so far, over 40 million online and mobile phone votes have been cast for something that isn’t Big Brother is so comforting it is almost worthy of a second celebration. Read More

Charles in space: Hungarian space tourist loving the view from the International Space Station

By Loz Blain

April 16, 2007 Billionaire Charles Simonyi, the 5th civilian space traveller ever, has now completed more than a week of his 13-day space journey. He's currently enjoying zero gravity on board the International Space Station (ISS) with its current long-term crew Michael Lopez-Alegria and Sunita Williams. Private space tourism is taking off as an industry - even with trips like this costing around US$20 million, tour organiser Space Adventures is almost fully booked until 2009. Read More

The intelligent travel humidor

By Mike Hanlon

March 27, 2007 It’s the first intelligent travel humidor and the result of two and a half years of hard labour by CAO CEO Tim Ozgener. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect is that it’s just the packaging for the Vision Cigar which has been four and a half years in the making. The CAO Vision Sensi-Box is a showcase, travel cigar box and humidor. It will keep your Vision cigars at 68-72% relative humidity for up to three months before needing a Humidipack refill, and the AAA batteries that power the electronics that regulate the humidity and power the theatrical blue LED lights will last longer with moderate usage. Spacers inside the box adapt it to each type of cigar and a neoprene travel bag protects the box against scratches. Read More

The Grand Canyon Skywalk

By Mike Hanlon

March 22, 2007 Creating a structure as spectacular as the new U-shaped Grand Canyon Skywalk observation platform requires reliable engineering - visitors will be standing on all-glass flooring suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. The architect's vision is that visitors will have the sensation of floating freely without the intrusion of visible supports and can enjoy a panoramic view. The graphic shows the height of the Grand Canyon Skywalk compared with the world’s tallest buildings. The Skywalk opens March 28 when visitors will be able to scare themselves silly looking between their feet, through two inches of ultra-clear DuPont SentryGlas Plus structural interlayers and onwards to the depths below them. The DuPont material provide strength and stiffness plus optical clarity for the all- glass flooring that enables visitors to have an unprecedented viewing experience while standing safely on the observation platform. Analysis done by DuPont; the glass supplier, Saint-Gobain; and structural engineering consultants show that the laminated glass floor can hold the weight of up to 120 people and maintain a top safety rating even in the face of 100 miles per hour winds. Read More

The solar-powered rotating skyscraper

By Mike Hanlon

December 20, 2006 Gulf city state Dubai’s growth and far-reaching vision continues to astound us – we’ve already written about the World's tallest building and largest mall and the monumentally-large real estate synthesis projects such as the Palm and world island groups and then there’s the world’s largest airport which is currently under construction and dozens of other projects which would make any city proud. Then earlier this year Dubai-based High Rise Real estate announced a Rotating Tower with four rotating penthouses and a rotating villa. Now the Rotating Tower has been seriously gazumped with the news of the Time Residences tower which will become one of the most unique engineering feats of the modern world - a solar-powered rotating skyscraper. The 30-floor Time Residences will provide 200 one- and two-bedroom apartments as well as duplexes and penthouses with continuously-changing views of one of the most exciting skylines on Planet Earth. Just so you know they’re serious, the company has announced plans to build a further 23 such rotating towers around the world. Read More

Residential Cruise Ships - how to change the scenery outside your home

By Mike Hanlon

October 20, 2006 We’ve looked at luxury homes on wheels (A, B, C, D, E), relocatable homes that get delivered to the location of your choice (A, B, C, D), mobile homes that float (A, B) and even relocatable homes that hang in the trees (A, B). As the world becomes geographically untethered, we expect the market for taking it with you will just grow and grow. If you love the serendipitous discovery of travel but long for the creature comforts and space of home, the Residential Cruise Ship option might be for you. One of the first such concepts we covered in our first print issue four years ago was the Freedom Ship (A, B) and the first fully-operational residential cruise ship was the Residensea. Now there’s a US$650 million dollar private residential cruise ship project underway named the Magellan. Buy an apartment on the Magellan and your residence will regularly circumnavigate the globe while you live in the epitome of luxury with a full service retractable marina, on-call private Bell 429 helicopters and 150 ports of call. Residents have anytime access to their floating penthouses which live within the amenities and services of the what is being billed as one of the world’s finest resorts. On-call housekeeping staff, a world-class spa and marketplace, 24-hour concierge staff, indoor and outdoor pools, four restaurants, a 450-seat theatre featuring Broadway-quality entertainment, a casino worthy of Monte Carlo and a Starbucks cafe are just a few of the conveniences. Residences on the Magellan range in price from US$1.8 million to US$8 million, there’s fractional ownership available which might make it available through share clubs, and the destination map is here. Read More

Nowhere Else Road, Nowhere Else

By Mike Hanlon

October 15, 2006 This folks, is a picture of Nowhere Else. Indeed, this is Nowhere else Road, Nowhere Else, situated in Tasmania,Australia’s second largest island. Tasmania has always been one of the most remote places on earth. 20,000 years ago its inhabitants lived further southward than any other humans and the island was chosen as the site for a remote and inescapable penal settlement in 1803 as it is separated from the main continent of Australia by several hundred kilometres of the roughest water in the world – Bass Strait. It is not just remote, being spectacularly beautiful and possibly the most unspoiled natural environment on the planet with a fiercely green vote at the ballot and more than 40% of its of 68,332 square kilometres being National Parks and World Heritage Sites. Taswegian’s are a relaxed bunch, with a reputation for an oddball sense of humour, as evidenced by some of the official town names. Doo Town in Tasmania is a holiday village where all the house names contain doo, such as This Will Doo, Doo Come In, Love Me Doo, Much-A-Doo, and Doo Little. There’s also the quaintly named Tasmanian location of Nowhere Else. Situated 20 minutes from Devonport, Nowhere Else shares a postcode (7306) but has no pub, no council, not even a general store. The general store is nearby but it’s not in Nowhere Else, cos its somewhere else. So when we saw that a property was for sale on Nowhere Else Road, in Nowhere Else, Australia, 7306 we figured that it might be useful to one of our readers, if only for value on your business card. At an asking price of AUD$350,000 (US$260,000) for 40 acres of prime rural land, it's worth a look. Read More

Delta’s Lie-Flat Airline Seats

By Mike Hanlon

October 13, 2006 Long haul flights can indeed feel very long if you’re not comfortable when attempting to sleep, so we’ll bet that there will be many of our readers eyeing the new Delta fully-horizontal BusinessElite sleeper suites and picturing themselves catching zeds in much more comfort than ever before when travelling. The reclining seat adjusts to multiple comfortable positions, including a completely flat surface offering travelers a 6-foot 3-inch bed. Whatsmore, there’s a privacy screen that incorporates a pull out meal table, fold-out video monitor, integrated footrest and personal stowage compartment for bags, shoes or blankets. All the sleeper suites will offer on-demand digital video and music at every suite and immediate access to the aisle so they don’t have to disturb another passenger when exiting their seat. Read More

Another outsourcing opportunity – the Sleepover Suite

By Mike Hanlon

August 8, 2006 Any parent who has presided over a girl’s sleepover will well know the problems – no sleep, lots of noise and mess, and a totally disrupted home. Indeed, it’s one aspect of a child’s growing up that is tailor-made for outsourcing and sure enough, it’s now on offer. Based on research that shows British parents annually spend over a GBP1 billion on kids' parties, speciality hotel Alton Towers has created a purpose built sleepover suite where up to six friends can hold the ultimate girls' sleepover party. Some absolute "must-haves" for the design included the ability to have very loud pop music, make up and styling products galore, movie marathons plus party food on tap. As a result the soundproofed room features the latest home entertainment systems, karaoke and dance area, theatrical style dressing tables and cleverly designed Chill-out beds which can clip together to make one big bed for gossip sessions! The Sleepover suite pilot scheme opened on July 14 and is priced from GBP300 – not surprisingly, demand is very strong. Image gallery here. Read More

The World’s First Mobile Hotel Room

By Mike Hanlon

August 8, 2006 If camping is not your go, but from time to time there’s an outdoor music festival or some other gotta-be-there outdoor event, take heart – help is on the way. British budget hotel brand Travelodge is exploring the concept of mobile hotel rooms. Each Travelpod is sealed in a 6 x 2.4 x 2.6 metre clear polycarbonate box but inside has features that you will find in any Travelodge hotel across the country. The room comes complete with a luxury double bed, bedside tables, lights, duvet, pillows, fully carpeted floor, dressing table with light, mirror, chair and even its own WC. The concept is being evaluated in a series of soft trials and trials will be opened to customers next summer, targeting festivals and other major outdoor events. It is envisioned that the mobile room will be transported on the back of a lorry to each location and positioned by crane as required. The trial price will match the company’s leading room rate of UKP26 per night which makes it an entirely new class of accommodation – wonder if they’ll offer a luxury suite? Read More

A walk in space – yours for just US$35 million

By Mike Hanlon

July 23, 2006 Until now, the most expensive holiday you could have was to buy a US$20 million ticket from Space Adventures for a 10-day spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) which includes six months of cosmonaut training. Now a US$15 million option has been added to the package which includes a walk in space during your stay aboard the ISS. Also known as an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), those clients interested in the spacewalk option have the availability to spend up to 1.5 hours outside of the space station. The addition of a spacewalk lengthens the mission approximately six to eight days and candidates are required to participate in a month of EVA simulations and specialized training sessions, in addition to meeting the medical and physical requirements, familiarizing themselves with the Russian Soyuz TMA spacecraft and learning how to live aboard the ISS. It’s your opportunity to go one-up on Californian millionaire Denis Tito (the first paying customer of Space Adventures in mid 2001), South African technology millionaire Mark Shuttleworth, American technology entrepreneur Greg Olsen who have all experienced space flight as private citizens, and Japanese entrepreneur Daisuke Enomoto (Dice-K) who will become the fourth space tourist this coming September. Read More

The Wothahellizat – a go anywhere, 6X6 luxury motorhome

By Mike Hanlon

July 16, 2006 The possibilities of living a geographically unchained lifestyle have never been greater – if you earn your living on-line, the world is now your neighbourhood. Similarly, if you live within your means, it’s quite possible to wake up to a different view every morning. Indeed, we suspect that becoming a digital nomad is very appealing to Gizmag’s readership because every time we run a story about a clever mobile home concept, Concepts such as the Airstream Skydeck, this converted London double-decker bus, General Motors’ mobile home concept, or this ingenious relocatable home it rates like crazy. However none of them have rated as well as DRACO, an expedition class AWD motorhome and we suspect that’s because it offers a home anywhere required – all modern conveniences in a wilderness setting. Now there’s a similar vehicle for sale that will appeal to many people as their dream home – the aptly named Wothahellizat is attainable for just AUD$350,000 (US$263,000) with everything you need to go just about anywhere you want as long as you’re prepared to pick it up in Australia. Built by Australian photographer Rob Gray, it was created with the aim of getting to nice places and staying there for long periods. Built to carry three months of supplies, it can and regularly does spend months at a time in the vast Australian outback and as a 6X6 turbo diesel AWD it gets to better, quieter, and more secluded campsites because it can handle rougher terrain than the average motorhome. Read More

The big, tough, devilishly clever GearTick

By Mike Hanlon

June 18, 2006 We’re still a bit mystified how a simple plastic suitcase can leap out of nowhere to become one of our favourite gadgets but that’s exactly what happened within a few minutes of clasping eyes onto the GearTick. Given that humans are a nomadic bunch, we’ve probably been thinking about luggage design for about as long as we’ve been thinking, so how is it possible for a piece of luggage to be so captivatingly clever? We’re glad you asked – it’s huge, it can be packed indoors and is designed to be packed using every last cubic bazzilionth, it clips securely onto the top of your vehicle in record time, is aerodynamic to save gas, and it has wheels so you don’t need to be a WWF contestant to get it to your room at the other end of the journey. Indeed, it’s made out of the same material they make kayaks out of, so if it’s tough enough to head-butt rocks, it’ll probably stand up to the baggage handlers of a third world airline. But wait, there’s more … it only costs US$300 and fits most roof racks. Most significantly, it was not designed as luggage. It was designed to fit all the gear you use when boys do those things boys do ... for carrying sports gear and helmets and fishing poles and sweaty riding gear and ... Fortunately, it's big and tough enough to be used for transporting almost anything to almost anywhere. Read More

The Knee Defender must-have travel accessory

By Mike Hanlon

June 14, 2006 Anyone who has ever flown airline cattle class will be aware of the problem caused by airlines seeking to use every square inch of cabin space to optimise their profitability – specifically, when you recline your seat, you encroach on the already limited space of the person behind you. More problematic again if you’re over 180cm, when the person in front reclines their seat, it can cramp and even hurt you. Now there’s a new must-have travel accessory designed to defend your limited right to space in an aircraft. Paraphrasing Oliver Wendell Holmes famous quotation, “the right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins”, the company’s catch-cry is “the right to recline my seat ends where the other man's knee begins." At US$14.95, the Knee Defender can be purchased on-line and ships to most countries. Read More

Disney and BMW create mobile F1 theme park

By Mike Hanlon

May 9, 2006 There’s a rule of thumb for sponsorship that for every dollar of sponsorship, a company should spend another dollar promoting that sponsorship. With BMW returning to Formula One, it has backed its ability by creating an incredibly clever marketing device – a fully transportable theme park developed in conjunction with Disney World to explain and demonstrate all the excitement of pit stops, race strategies and team tactics in an entertaining, interactive attraction. Launched at the European F1 Grand Prix at Nurburgring last weekend, the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park spans 5,400 square metres, can accommodate up to 16,000 visitors per day, and features a 90-metre-long stretch of track, leading to a 25-metre-diameter turning area flanked by grandstands. Yet another example of BMW efficiency is evident in that the park operated until Sunday night in Germany, and will open for business again on Friday in Barcelona to support the Spanish F1 GP next weekend. After Spain, it will have a more leisurely pull down prior to opening at Silverstone (UK) for the British F1 GP opening Thursday, 8 June. The park will visit Montreal (Canada), Monza (Italy) and Shanghai (China) later this year to coincide with those Grands Prix. Read More

Relocatable highly-efficient home designed for off-the-grid living

By Mike Hanlon

April 20, 2006 Relocatable housing is a recent concept in the grand scheme of humanity, but nomadic ways have been with us from the beginnings of man. Relocatable homes have captured a lot of interest recently, from fully mobile concepts such as General Motors Advanced Design Group’s mobile home, to this Expedition Class 4WD Motorhome and at the extreme end, the Red Bull Energy Station (makes mobil homes previously described as palatial seem like mere gazebos) through to fully relocatable homes such as Tom Chudleigh’s Free Spirit Sphere and Marcin Panpuch’s future house. The miniHome is different to anything that has been before though – it is designed to be ultra-energy efficient, so you can live off-the-grid with a negligible environmental footprint – anywhere you can get with a truck. The miniHome is a four-season dwelling providing a healthy, warm and comfortable environment in a wide range of climates, using only the energy of the sun and a very modest supply of either propane or biofuels. With passive solar heating and passive cooling, its own power utility, waste treatment center, and rainwater collection system, it uses some of the most efficient technologies available. Whatsmore, it is very easily relocated and turned into a modern, go-anywhere home with almost all modern conveniences. The miniHome is a totally new concept in home design which debunks the myth that living efficiently means giving up style and modern conveniences. One of the key advantages is that the homes are so cost-effective and efficient; they’re much cheaper to run. Living well can be very frugal. Read More

Double-decker living

By Mike Hanlon

April 10, 2006 Double-decker buses have long been an iconic part of daily life in Britain, changing their look every few years, but always providing a constant service. Now an innovative concept from Double Decker Living is aiming to deliver a much needed alternative in temporary living space that is tailored to meet the ever increasing demand for comfortable, value for money, short term accommodation that exists within cities. Each bus has been designed to accommodate areas for sleeping, eating, dressing, showering and relaxation. A communal lounge/dining area downstairs has comfortable sofas, a table, a state-of-the-art LCD TV and a DVD player. There is a full service kitchen that features a fridge, hob and microwave where meals can be prepared. Read More

Space tourism industry could be cleared to fly passengers by 2008

By Mike Hanlon

February 16, 2006 The sunrise industry of Space tourism has already demonstrated how lucrative it could become with the prices rumoured to have been paid by the first three space tourists. Californian millionaire Denis Tito became the first paying customer of Space Adventures in mid 2001 parting with an unconfirmed US$20 million and similar numbers were bandied around for 28 year old South African technology millionaire Mark Shuttleworth, and American technology entrepreneur Greg Olsen who returned from the International Space Station in October, 2005. Hong Kong resident and Japanese entrepreneur Daisuke Enomoto (Dice-K) will become the fourth space tourist this coming October, but while the number of spare seats available at the International Space Station remain extremely limited, the laws of supply and demand will ensure that space remains the domain of paid astronauts and the privileged super-wealthy. Hope is however at hand, as the United States Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta has announced that commercial space craft could be cleared to carry passengers by as early as 2008. Speaking to a group of space entrepreneurs, the Secretary said that a number of companies should be set to take passengers into space and that the U.S. Department of Transportation would be ready to clear these flights within two years. Read More

The remarkable Pan-Himalayan Railway

By Mike Hanlon

One of the world’s greatest railway journeys is set to open in 2007 with the news this week that the Pan-Himalayan Railway has been completed, taking the title of the World’s highest railway from Peru’s Andes Railway. The first section of line from Xining to Golmud, began in 1958 and was finished in 1984. The second 1142 kilometre section, which completes the planned 1956 kilometre railway from Xining in Qinghai province, to the capital of Tibet, Lhasa was finished last week at a cost of US$3.0 billion. At its highest point the railway is 5,072m (16,640ft) above sea level and runs across the “roof of the world” with 960 kilometres of the journey above 4,000 metres. Carriages used on the journey will be sealed like passenger aircraft to protect passengers from altitude sickness and workers constructing the line had to breathe from special oxygen bottles. Read More

World's largest bridge to connect Italy and Sicily

By Mike Hanlon

The long-standing project to build the world’s largest bridge between Sicily and mainland Italy has cleared one of its final remaining obstacles and now seems certain to go ahead – the announcement of the winning tender by the Italian construction company Impregilo was made late last week. Impregilo will begin work on the project next year and is expected to finish construction of the world’s largest bridge by 2012. The 3.8 billion euro bridge will cross the Strait of Messina with a single 3300 metre central span, eclipsing the current longest span of the Akashi Kaikyo bridge in Japan (1991 metres) by two thirds again. The bridge’s total length will be 3,666 metres, with a deck of 60.4 metres, six traffic lanes, two service lanes and two railway lines. The bridge’s statistics dwarf all of the World's Greatest Bridges. Read More

Space Adventurer Greg Olsen successfully launches to the International Space Station

By Mike Hanlon

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan – October 2, 2005 American technology entrepreneur Greg Olsen and his Soyuz TMA-7 crew successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan here yesterday. Dr. Olsen joins the Expedition 12 crew for his eight-day mission at the space station. Prior to the launch, Olsen said, “this will undoubtedly be one of my greatest life accomplishments and I look forward in sharing my experience while in space and when I return. Hard work and determination has led me to where I am today and I encourage today’s youth to dream big. If I can do it, so can you!” Read More

The Luggage Passport checks in

By Mike Hanlon

August 31, 2005 European think-tank BDi has released the Luggage Passport, the first “HandsOn” luggage product. The Luggage Passport is being featured today at the Standards Australia Luggage Forum, where the first prototypes will be made available to industry professionals. First featured here on Gizmag the Luggage Passport provides the missing link in ensuring personal security and safety when travelling. It helps in all situations of Theft, Tampering and most importantly Smuggling. Read More