Holiday Destinations

Many Muggles, fans and aficionados of the Harry Potter franchise would no doubt be aware that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park and Resort opened last June. And judging by the fact that the park just sold its one millionth Butterbeer (non-alcoholic) beverage, its popularity doesn’t seem to be waning. The success of Universal’s newest park, located in Orlando, Florida, like most theme parks, will be judged on the experiences it offers its guests. Often this boils down to the teeth-rattling speed, stomach-churning loops and turns, or the full-on "shock and awe" of its rides. Gizmag spoke with Senior Vice President, Creative Studio for Universal Parks and Resorts, Thierry Coup, to get a behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of the park’s rides, namely the Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriff and The Forbidden Journey. Read More

They – whoever “they” are – say that getting there is half the fun. While that might not be true for trips where you spend hours wedged into an airliner seat, it can definitely apply to cross-country road trips. Often, the things seen en route end up being just as fascinating as those that await you at your destination. This fact is not lost on the folks behind the RoadsideAmerica website and books, who have spent the past 25 years collecting and sharing accounts of quirky museums, Big Things, “natural wonders” and other weirdness encountered along the highways and byways of North America. Now, road travelers can be alerted to the locations of these must-sees as they near them, via the RoadsideAmerica.com Attractions and Oddities GPS guide. Read More

In March 2010, due to an increase in the International Space Station (ISS) crew size, Russia announced a halt its space tourism service which put seven customers into space between 2001 and 2009 for a multi-million dollar fee. Now Space Adventures, the same company responsible for putting the world’s first privately-funded space tourist, Dennis Tito, into orbit in 2001, has announced that it will once again be offering commercial space tourism opportunities beginning in 2013. Read More

If you are thinking of visiting Turkey on your next vacation and enjoy staying in exotic locations, you are in for a real treat. If a berth at the world's only floating, rotating hotel doesn't fit the bill, how about a sojourn in your very own private cave. Hidden amongst ancient caves in Cappadocia, you’ll find Yunak Evleri, a 5 star hotel, boasting six cave houses dating back to the 5th and 6th Centuries. Read More

Where would you expect to find the world’s largest indoor theme park? If you answered "Dubai," you’d be close (but no cigar). It’s basically next door in, Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital. And you might be surprised to find that it’s not another Disney park or Universal Studios attraction – no, the world’s largest theme park is Ferrari World, and it opened today (27 October 2010) to the media. The public opening has been delayed as a sign of respect for the passing of Sheik Saqr bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, Emir of Ras al-Khaimah. Gizmag has given readers an insight into Ferrari World in the past, but shortly you’ll be able to visit for yourself. Read More

Out of financial necessity, Russia was one of the innovators when it came to the burgeoning field of space tourism, with American businessman and former JPL scientist Dennis Tito becoming the first space tourist in mid-2001 when he spent nearly eight days in orbit on the Russian Soyuz TM-32, the International Space Station (ISS), and Soyuz TM-31. Following Russia’s halting of orbital space tourism earlier this year due to an increase in the ISS crew size, private Russian company, Orbital Technologies, has now announced plans to build, launch and operate the world’s first commercial space station (CSS). It envisions the station will be used by professional crews and corporate researchers to conduct scientific experiments, as well as private citizens looking for an out of this world holiday destination. Read More

According to a study recently conducted at the University of Missouri, more and more people are paying for the chance to see tornados up close and personal. Mostly within the months of April through June, up to 1,200 tornadoes occur in the US every year. A large percentage of those storms occur in an area known as Tornado Alley, which is centered around the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas – although it does extend east as far as Ohio, and north as far as North Dakota. Storm chasing tour outfits, many of which are run by or employ experienced meteorologists, will drive groups of paying “tornado tourists” across this region, in the hopes of witnessing severe weather firsthand. Read More

Boeing and Space Adventures have joined forces to offer "affordable" travel to low Earth orbit for private space tourists. A memorandum of agreement between the two companies could see flights on-board the Boeing Crew Space Transportation-100 (CST-100) spacecraft from 2015. Read More

Celebrity Cruises has gone beyond presenting its wine list on an iPad to become the first cruise line to provide self-guided contemporary art tours using Apple's tablet. The latest "first" closely follows the company's introduction of “Celebrity iLounge” equipped with MacBook workstations, a Mac accessories store and Mac short courses on the ships. Read More