Holiday Destinations

AirTrack enhances looking out the window

By Mike Hanlon

July 10, 2005 No doubt we’ve all experienced it at one time or another – looking out the window of an international aircraft en route from and to well known ports but over completely unknown territory and wondering what life might be like just a few thousand feet below. The usual plane-on-a-map features of international aircraft don’t help much but a new service -AirTrack - is expected to set a new standard for in-flight entertainment moving map systems. AirTrack is based on satellite imagery and provides 2D and 3D detailed topographical maps and satellite imagery, as well as new aerial scenes of views from the outside. Resolutions of 10 meters or 1 meter per pixel can be provided, with the latter providing unsurpassed detail even for city street views. Read More

Hualapai Tribe Building Skywalk 4,000 Feet above Colorado River

By Mike Hanlon

May 20, 2005 “Life is either a great adventure or nothing”, said Helen Keller and though Sir Richard Branson is paraphrasing it rather more succinctly in promoting the Yahoo! Think Big Contest, the message is the same. With a stunt worthy of Sir Richard himself, (the final judge of the Yahoo! contest) adventurer, author, and publisher Mark McMahon strung a banner across the Grand Canyon to get the attention of Yahoo's! "Think Big" Contest judges. The contest winner, chosen for its business plan and ability to "Think Big" will get 10 million free ad impressions across the Yahoo! Network. Helping him in his feat was the Grand Canyon’s indigenous residents, the Hualapai (WALL-ah-pie) tribe, who run the Grand Canyon resort and have promotional plans as big as Mark’s. The Hualapai Tribe is building a Skywalk over the Grand Canyon (pictured) to enhance the tourist experience. Read More

OSHKOSH Expedition Class AWD Motorhome

By Mike Hanlon

It's an expedition-class AWD motorhome. Shahn Torontow built the vehicle so his wife V.Ross Johnson could still travel the wilderness after the former wildlife photographer became wheelchair dependent. A gift of love for his wife, he began with an OSHKOSH M1000 ARFF (AIRPORT FIRE RESCUE) and then spent thousands of hours crafting an extraordinary vehicle that offers complete luxury almost anywhere - the body is constructed mainly of stainless steel and is a one-off with no expense, effort or love spared. The military-grade vehicle has been lavished with the finest so Torontow could withstand deserts, mountains, mud, hurricanes and blizzards while caring for his wife. It contains a shower, sauna, auxiliary heat systems and heat gain/loss protective window shutters, CCD surveillance system, GPS, broad band satellite links for computer communications and an elevator ... and it's for sale. Read More

Building a tropical resort in Northern Germany

By Mike Hanlon

February 10, 2005 Where do you find a tenant when the world's largest self-supporting building suddenly becomes vacant? You think outside the square! That's what Malaysian businessman Colin Au did. He decided to build a tropical paradise with X Y and Z, and create a holiday destination for the locals who wanted relief from the cold and grey weather in Germany. "Not many people do not have enough time or money to go on extensive holiday trips abroad. That's when I had the idea for Tropical Islands." A former cruise line operator, Au reversed the principle of cruising: Instead of taking people to the tropics, he took the tropics to where they were most needed. Read More

World's tallest building and largest mall announced

By Gizmag Team

December 14, 2004 The construction of what will become the world's tallest building - the Burj Tower in Dubai - will commence in January, 2005, with plans for the 800 metre tall, 160 floor skyscraper to be completed by 2008. The building will also contain residential, commercial, hotel and entertainment facilities, including the largest shopping mall in the world. Located on Sheikh Zayed Road, the complex will contain a city within a city - a planned Old Town with intimate streets and architectural detail to create a special ambience with the mystery of yesterdays Arabia, in what is expected to be the centrepiece of the Gulf region's most prestigious urban development. Read More

Manufacturing Real Estate - Dubai shows the World how to make Artificial Realty

By Mike Hanlon

God made the world in seven days for an undisclosed cost, and now man has recreated it for a steal.

Artificial reality has taken on a whole new slant with developments in habitat and ecosystem creation by the Dubai based Nakheel Corporation, which is creating their own customised islands for sale.

Once the stuff of science fiction, terraforming is now an affordable reality as real estate can be designed and shaped to the most outrageous whim. Nakheel have gone so far as creating an artificial archipelago that replicates a scale model of the world with all major land masses, as well as replicas of lost cities from different parts of the ancient world that have to be seen to be believed. Read More

Space Adventures to build a Sub-Orbital Spaceport

By Mike Hanlon

Space Adventures, the world's leading space tourism company, is currently exploring several locations around the world for construction of a space tourism spaceport. Sites are being considered in Australia, The Bahamas, Florida, Japan, Malaysia, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Singapore and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Operations at the spaceport will include sub-orbital flights, a space flight training centre and other activities. The next generation spacecraft vehicles that will be used for the sub-orbital flights are now being tested. Space Adventures is the marketing and experience operations partner for several of theleading space vehicle manufacturing companies and has already taken over 100 seat reservations for explorers from around the world. Read More

New Freedom Ship design unveiled

By Mike Hanlon

July 30, 2003 In the year since Gizmo first examined Freedom Ship - an ambitious project that aims to create a floating city almost a mile long with a full-scale airstrip on the roof - engineers and architects have developed a new exterior design. The extensive changes in the evolving appearance of Freedom Ship are particularly noticeable at the stern, where a new port authority and large docking area for smaller leisure craft and visiting vessels has been incorporated. The sides of the massive ship have also undergone significant design changes with three extended bays carved out of the decks on the port and starboard sides of the vessel creating unique open-air promenades. Read More

Space Tourism to resume at US $20 million per ticket

By Mike Hanlon

Space tourism is on the road to recovery with civilians - or at least the select few who can afford the price tag and the physical demands of space travel - expected to be part of tourist flights to the International Space Station in 2004 or 2005. US company Space Adventures and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency recently announced an agreement to secure the two seats aboard a Soyuz rocket, the first such move since a moratorium on space tourism was imposed after the Columbia shuttle disaster. Read More

Xcelerator Rollercoaster brings the 50's up to speed

By Mike Hanlon

The theme is 1950's but the speed is definitely 21st century - sitting in flame-emblazoned '57 Chevy carriages, riders of the Xcelerator are propelled to speeds in excess of 130kmh in 2.3 seconds as they drop 60 metres. The fast and furious roller-coaster covers 660 m in just over 1 minute, passing through two overbanked turns and a 60 metre ascent is followed by an immediate descent at a 90-degree angle before the magnetic brakes kick-in on the final run. Launched in 2002 at Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, the Xcelerator can accommodate up to 40 passengers on its two trains, each expect to pull 4G's. Read More

Arctic Comfort

By Mike Hanlon

Taking the concept of an igloo to new heights, Icehotel has grown from a one room art gallery known as "Arctic Hall" to a sprawling 4000 square metre complex incorporating about 3000 tons of ice and 30 000 cubic metres of snow in its 60 guest rooms, main hall, ice-art gallery, Ice Bar, Ice Church and Ice Cinema (complete with ice-screen). The idea sprung from an ice sculpture exhibition in 1989 and is now the world's largest hotel made completely of ice and snow. Read More

Dream home that floats on water

By Mike Hanlon

How does this sound? You slide through the French Riviera dropping in at the Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prix in Monaco, then head to the British Open in Edinburgh after a short stay in London, and follow-up with a visit to San Francisco via Reykjavik - all without leaving the comfort of your luxuriously appointed home.

That's what's on offer from The World of ResidenSea, a cruise ship promoted as a first-of its-kind resort community at sea continuously circumnavigating the globe.

Christening festivities got underway in Venice on 17 May for The World as the 12 deck, 196m, 43,000 tonne vessel completed its maiden voyage. Read More

Holiday in Outer Space

By Mike Hanlon

The rooms are cramped to the point of extreme discomfort, the food isn't fresh, you can't choose your roommate, if you step outside you'll find the environment downright hostile and it's the most expensive holiday you can dream of... it's a holiday in outer space. With the world's second ever space tourist - 28 year old South African technology millionaire Mark Shuttleworth - entering orbit last month, it's already clear that the next great space race will not be driven by a grab for technological supremacy or even national pride, but by the strength of the almighty tourist dollar. Read More

It's called the Freedom Ship

By Mike Hanlon

Almost one mile long, with its own casinos, hectares of duty-free shopping malls, a full scale airstrip and 50,000 permanent residents - it's the Freedom Ship and its ambitious plans have it travelling the globe, anchoring off the most exclusive tourist destinations. Should this mammoth project ever come to fruition, it will no doubt become one of the most famous and intriguing places on earth. Read More