Before you whip out the Na’vi language translator, let me say that an Avatar World theme park is just wishful thinking at this stage.

But it does have intriguing possibilities. For starters, the name “Avatar World” is just about perfect - Combining the fantasy world created by Cameron and also instantly identifiable as a theme park.

Here’s the Guardian’s thoughts about Avatar World - “It could be amazing, too – full of marauding exotic creatures and plants that light up when you brush against them. The real fun, though, will come when you get to verbally abuse the minimum-wage student trapped in a suffocatingly hot 12-foot Eytucan outfit for mixing up his perfective and imperfective Na’vi verbs. And also the part where you have to plug your hair into the rollercoasters to make them work.”

Avatar the movie has already shattered many records, and also crossed the final frontier - the astounding $1.843 billion worldwide ticket sales record held until now by that other James Cameron epic - Titanic.

No reason why it shouldn’t shatter all sales records for movie-based theme park attractions. After all, the movie has to seen (experienced, more like) to feel the impact.

Think about the impact if it were all too real and you could hang out with Neytiri without the 3D glasses.

Photo by centralasian

Posted on February 8th, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Theme Parks | No Comments »

The Saints are about to be taken to the woodshed (update: my bad…), but that’s not putting a damper on  Who Dat Nation partying in NOLA and South Beach. The Super Bowl travel ads are off to a rocking start too.

Will Universal’s Harry Potter ad (video) blitz cast global spell? - Orlando Sentinel
HomeAway (video) Super Bowl ad resurrects the Griswolds - CNet

And here’s the rest of the week’s travel news:-

World’s top 10 quirky vacation rentals - TripAdvisor
America’s top 10 sexiest hotels - TripAdvisor

Samantha Brown celebrates 10th anniversary on network - Travel Channel 
Kathy Griffin to become new Laos tourism ambassador - MindfulTourist

Pentagon to rank global warming as destabilising force - Guardian
NASA says Dubai Globe sinking back into the sea - Daily Mail

Amelia Island, a tourist town with little tourism - Jacksonville Business Journal
New meetings industry emerges after a boom and bust - New York Times

How young is too young for Disney World - MousePlanet
Disney hotel union plans hunger strike - OC Register

Posted on February 7th, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Travel News | No Comments »

If you see a huge vertical flying object looming in the skies above, don’t panic. It’s not a UFO, but just an Aircruise.

It’s only in the design stage right now, but won’t be long before some wealthy sheikh decides he wants one.

The Aircruise, conceptualized by London-based Seymourpowell, is a giant, vertical airship powered by natural energy and designed to carry travellers in style and luxury.

The initial design proposes a bar/lounge zone, four duplex apartments, a penthouse and five smaller apartments. This is all up in the air, inside a giant vertical floating mutant plane/zeppelin/ballon. You can see the video here.

Cruising speed without tail or headwind is 100 - 150 Km/hr. This equates to a leisurely pace - London to New York in 37 hours; Los Angeles to Shanghai in 90 hours. 

Nick Talbot, design director at Seymourpowell says “It’s a world cruise not limited to the ocean, offering instead the dream-like quality and absolute freedom of flight. Passengers can choose to dine thousands of feet above a city, or take in the view whilst moving through the air over the ocean or a national landmark.” 

Best thing about it? It’s eco-friendly - powered by hydrogen and solar energy.

Photo courtesy Seymourpowell. For more information, visit www.seymourpowell.com/

Posted on February 3rd, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Airlines | 1 Comment »

Winter Olympics Games host resort Whistler Blackcomb could be up for auction on Feb 19. The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, Canada is scheduled to be held between Feb 12-28, 2010, right in the middle of the foreclosure.

The St. Regis Monarch Beach aka the infamous AIG Resort in Dana Point, CA is trying to redeem itself - by offering free meeting space to non-profits for fundraiser galas and other charity events.

Here’s the rest of the week’s travel news:-

NZ tour operator hired Israelis to pose as fake Maoris for tourists - Daily Mail
Air New Zealand adds beds in economy - Gadling

Victoria Beckham offered £25m to design ‘fashion hotel’ for Dubai - Mirror
Dubai quits plan to send liner QE2 to S. Africa for World Cup - Reuters

Goa bans bikinis on beach. Or not… bikinis only banned in ads - Times of India
Does Slum Tourism Make Us Better People? Science Daily

eBay launches hotel auctions - Telegraph
Kayak launches exclusive limited-time hotel sales - Kayak.com

Apple’s iPad will revolutionize travel - Jaunted
The iPad for travel: Reasons to be disappointed - CheapFlights.co.uk

Photo by Derek Purdy

Posted on January 31st, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Travel News | 1 Comment »

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue is on vacation, and no one knows where.

It wouldn’t be such a big scandal, had it not been for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s little vacation scandal last year in June.

Gov. Sanford’s 6-day secret vacation morphed from an Appalachian  hike into a tryst with María Belén Chapur, his Argentinian mistress.

That little secret trip resulted in Gov. Sanford crying in public, getting divorced by his wife and being censured by the SC legislature. 

Maybe it’s something in the air in the Carolinas that makes their Governors go daft during vacations. There is no ostensible reason for NC Gov. Perdue to keep her destination a secret. She’s got a pretty big family, with a bucketload of kids and grandkids and two dogs to boot. And she was a public school teacher with a clean image.

So most likely there is no scandal here, and she’s probably just enjoying a winter vacation in a ski resort, or maybe a trip to the Oahu beaches, which seem to be very much popular nowadays for politicos’ downtime.

Inevitably though, reporters will already be digging deep into Bev Perdue’s whereabouts, hoping for something scandalous. So she might as well make it public and avoid the tabloid drama.

Posted on January 26th, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Travel News | 2 Comments »

The Republican Party and RNC Chairman Michael Steele are attempting to do what both Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh could not - an uninterrupted vacation in Hawaii.

This Wednesday, 168 RNC delegates will descend on Waikiki for their winter retreat. They’ll be camped out at the luxurious Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The resort is located on 22 oceanfront acres, with 2860 guest rooms and suites, 20 restaurants and lounges, designer brand name shopping, and a host of other facilities. 

When asked by an AP reporter why the RNC was holding it’s retreat in a luxury resort in Hawaii, Chairman Steele replied that “Hawaii’s going through a recession, too. So we’re going to help the economy a little bit.”

The last two Republican heavyweights who landed up for vacations in Hawaii had their holiday interrupted - Sarah Palin because she ’sharpied’ her sun visor, and Rush Limbaugh because he suffered chest pains and had to be rushed to a hospital.

Let’s hope the RNC gets to complete its ‘Hawaii Aid’ retreat.

Photo by bsterling

Posted on January 25th, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Hawaii | 1 Comment »

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle announced that Captain Jack Sparrow aka Johnny Depp and his pirate crew from Walt Disney will be filming “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” - the 4th Pirates movie, in Kauai and Oahu.

NASA has come up with a design for a personal flying suit called Puffin. The ‘Transformer’ is 12 feet in length, has a wingspan of 14 and a half feet; and weighs 300 pounds (without the pilot).

TripAdvisor has released their 2010 list of the dirtiest hotels in America. The list is topped by the Heritage Marina Hotel in San Francisco, followed by the Days Inn Eureka, Missouri and the Tropicana Resort Hotel in Virginia Beach, VA.

The rest of the week’s travel news:-

Paralyzed man accuses Ohio hotel of discrimination - ABC News
Court: ‘Tomboy’ clerk can sue hotel over firing - ABC News

TSA worker fired after playing prank on passenger - AP
8 yr. old on TSA terrorist watchlist gets frisked - Wired

New Orleans Mardi Gras 2010 party primer - NOLA.com
Angelina Jolie yells at Brad that she “hates” New Orleans - Us Magazine

Fla. Legoland Scheduled To Open In 2011 - ClickOrlando
Stanley tools debut in Disney parks - Orlando Sentinel

Loews Hotels offers pumped-up pets special for fat pets - Loews
Britney Spears eating chicken wings in LA hotel gym - AHN

Posted on January 24th, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Travel News | No Comments »

TripAdvisor announced the winners of its 2010 Travelers’ Choice awards, with 719 properties winning awards this year.

Budget hotels in the list offer average nightly rates of $104, while romantic hotels on the winners list cost on average $271, trendy hotels $223 and family hotels $211.

Here’s the top hotels in TripAdvisor’s 2010 Travelers’ Choice awards:-

Best Bargain (World) - Arcadia Residence, Prague
Best Bargain  (U.S.) - SeaCoast Inn, Hyannis, MA
Best Luxury (World)- Golden Well, Prague
Best Luxury  (U.S.) - French Quarter Inn, Charleston, SC
Best for Families (World)- Sirkeci Konak Hotel, Istanbul
Best for Families  (U.S.) - Desert Pearl Inn, Springdale, UT
Best for Service (World)- Golden Well, Prague
Best B&B (World) - Casa Portagioia, Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Best B&B (U.S.) - Bayberry House B&B, Boothbay Harbor, ME
Best for Romance (World) - Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, Moorea, French Polynesia
Best for Romance (U.S.) - Spindrift Inn, Monterey, California
Best All-Inclusive (World) - Drowsy Water Ranch, Granby, CO
Best Relaxation & Spa (World) - La Amada Hotel, Playa Mujeres, Mexico
Best Relaxation & Spa (U.S.) - Andreas Hotel & Spa, Palm Springs, CA
Trendiest Hotel (World) - citizenM Amsterdam City, Amsterdam
Trendiest Hotel (U.S.) - theWit Hotel, Chicago, IL

To see the full list, visit www.tripadvisor.com/travelerschoice.

Posted on January 20th, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Hotels | 1 Comment »

Hotels and resorts associated with golf courses and tend to be very much upscale and conservative, reflecting the needs and tastes of their luxury loving deep pocketed clientele.

But some golf hotels, such as the planned underground five star boutique hotel below the Hersham Village Golf Club in Surrey, UK, will be offering a unique experience. 

Looks like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, with toon town below the golf course. The underground plan was apparently cooked up because the property is on Elmbridge’s green belt, where local authorities tend to frown upon commercial expansions into the countryside.

The Arkin Group, which owns the Club, decided to go with the flow, and build the 204 room hotel below the course, and maintain the harmony of the landscape.

The proposed plan, being handled by ReardonSmith Architects, calls for 177,000 sq ft complex below ground – which comes to around two-and-a-half football pitches. Included in the plan are business and spa facilities, a leisure complex, and restaurants and bars.

The club’s parking is also slated to be shifted underground, which would make the immediate surroundings even more natural and pristine than before.

On the web - www.hershamgolf.com/

Posted on January 19th, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Hotels | 1 Comment »

Susan Boyle grabs mop from cleaner in Heathrow VIP lounge, uses it as a microphone and tries to clean a passenger’s shoes. Proves two things - a) SuBo needs a long, long break, and b) There’s enormous potential for a Micromop industry - where a microphone that looks like a mop can liven up things on stage.

Actress Cybill Shepherd’s 22 yr. old son Cyrus Shepherd-Oppenheim was nabbed trying to steal stuff from other passengers aboard a United plane out of San Francisco. KleptoCyrus was taken into custody and charged with theft when the plane landed in Philadelphia.

Here’s the rest of the week’s travel news:-

Washington DC launches ‘Date Nights DC’ with Dr. Ruth as Secretary of the Department of Love and Relationships - DateNightsDC.org
Pennsylvania Tourism helps Punxsutawney Phil go hi-tech - VisitPA

Royal Caribbean brings vacationing passengers to quake-afflicted Haiti - Miami Herald
Royal Caribbean says yes to sexually-charged cougar cruise - USAToday

Luxury hotels aim to turn Downtown L.A. into Times Square West - Bloomberg
FBI seeks public’s help via Times Square billboard - Mercury News

Michael Jackson theme park being planned in Gary, Indiana - LA Times
Legoland owners buy Cypress Gardens - Tampa Bay Online

China to build world’s tallest airport in Tibet - USAToday
Hong Kong approves USD $8.6 billion rail link project to mainland China - WSJ

Starwood Claims Hilton CEO Nassetta Knew Of Espionage - Hotelsmag
Starwood to add 12000 new jobs in 2010 - Reuters

Susan Boyle photo by Deborah Wilbanks

Posted on January 17th, 2010 by PLing
Filed under: Travel News | 3 Comments »