Twilight vamps boost travel worldwide

by Chris Owen on

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is packing movie theaters worldwide as vampire fans turn out to see the latest installment. For many, viewing the film multiple times satisfies their hunger without compulsion. For others, travel is in order as the more-than-a-movie lifestyle requires active participation to satisfy their burning desire.

Even before the film’s New York opening earlier this month, fans turned the emotional journey they knew the film would represent into a literal trek, coming cross-country for the premiere.

“We came all the way from North Dakota to come to a New York premiere of Twilight”, die-hard fan John Myhre told MTV news.

In Brazil’s Mamangua Bay, close to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, the glamorous coastal home used for filming is now being rented out for $7,000 a night. The 11,000 square-foot property , designed by architect Thiago Bernardes, boasts its own private beach as well as luxury furnishings.

The so-called “Twilight Effect” looks to be benefiting all of Brazil too with country-wide tourism numbers up.In the tiny 3,000-resident city of Forks, Washington, the main setting for the series, 70,000 visitors now make the pilgrimage each year. They’re all into it too. Twilight tours are being offered and local businesses are getting in on the action with restaurants offering Twilight-themed options. Subway’s “Twilight Special” has the marinara sauce oozing and local eatery Sully’s Drive-in has a popular Bella Burger which comes with a special sauce and pineapple.

Even Hotels.com verifies the Twilight mania saying online statistics have searches for rooms in Forks up by 225%. Squamish, the remote town north of the Canadian border and setting for the Twilight wedding is showing a 300% rise in accommodation searches. Honeymoon location Rio de Janeiro has seen an 86% increase in searches.

Hooked on all things Twilight? See Gadling’s Top 10 travel destinations for Twilight fans

Flickr photo by ewen and donabel


 

ExtendNY.com: the Manhattan grid extended to every point on Earth

by Elizabeth Seward on

ExtendNY.com has taken something great about New York City and applied it to the entire planet. The Manhattan grid is well-known worldwide for it’s precise structure–so why not grid the whole world? ExtendNY.com has done just that. Visit the website and take a look. Drag the street and avenue signs around the globe and mark your sites (and location) as easily as you could in New York City. Unfortunately for all of us, the world and the cities within the world actually don’t work on an equally digestible grid (ever been to Austin, Texas?) and we couldn’t walk the blocks with as swift a stride as we could in New York. With that said, this website is a geographical toy. Play with it.

Museums and politics in the West Bank

by Sean McLachlan on

A new bill working its way through the Israeli government would put museums on Israeli settlements in the West Bank under Israeli law.

This piece of legislation is more than it seems, the Jerusalem Post reports. The real purpose of the bill, as its author, minister Uri Ariel of the National Union party makes clear, is to slowly annex the West Bank.

If this bill passes, Ariel hopes it will open the door for more Israeli law to be applied to the West Bank, gradually incorporating it into the rest of the country.

Currently museums on West Bank settlements are under military law, a product of the region being taken from Jordan in the 1967 war, and thus cannot get the same kind of funding as other Israeli museums.

The West Bank and Gaza strip are nominally part of the Palestinian Authority, but this government has had trouble receiving full international recognition and much of its land is actually owned by Israelis. Palestinians are barred from or have limited access to much of the West Bank because of Israeli settlements and their security zones, as this UN map shows.

The Knesset (Israeli parliament) education Committee has already passed the bill and it will probably be seen by the entire Knesset in the next two weeks.

I visited some West Bank museums when I was working as an archaeologist in the region in the early Nineties. The Israeli ones were mainly devoted to proving their right to the land and highlighting Muslim atrocities. The Palestinian ones were mainly devoted to proving their right to the land and highlighting Jewish atrocities.

In a country like Israel, history and politics always go hand in hand.

Even more Cyber Monday hotel and travel deals

by McLean Robbins on
Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t just for holiday shopping. You can get great deals on holiday travel too. Writer Melanie has already tracked seven great Black Friday travel deals and Chris found some awesome Black Friday cruise and general travel promos but there are more floating in every day. Peruse the list below, and let us know if we’re missing any – we’ll add it right in!

Best Western
Purchase a $100 Best Western Travel Card online and receive a bonus $20 gift card reward for yourself. Cyber Monday shoppers can choose a $20 Best Western Travel Card, or a $20 gift card from participating retail partners. The Best Western Travel Card can be used like cash to pay for accommodations at more than 4,000 Best Western hotels worldwide. BWR members will be able to take advantage of this special offer now, through Monday, Nov. 28 at 11:59 p.m MST.

Abercrombie & Kent
The luxe tour company is offering independent departures to 10 of their most popular destinations at up to 50% off during the Six Days of Holiday Savings, from November 28 at 9 a.m. to December 3 at 1 p.m. CST.

Cape Resorts Group
Starting Friday and going to midnight Monday, purchase $100 in gift cards and receive a $20 bonus gift card. With every additional $125 purchased received additional $25 on your bonus gift card. The card is valid at all Cape Resorts in Cape May, NJ.

Marriott’s Florida Hotels
JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Renaissance Florida hotels and resorts are joining in on the e-shopping spree with up to 25% savings on Cyber Monday with rates starting from $95 to $186 per night. The one-day only online sale is available for those who book on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011 for stays through Jan. 8, 2012.* For reservations, visit www.marriott.com/floridacybermonday (live on Cyber Monday) or visit www.marriott.com and enter the promotional code DOD.

Omni Hotels & Resorts
The Omni Hotels & Resorts “Holiday Treat” limited time offer is back for a second year, offering travelers exceptional values on wonderful winter destinations. From Black Friday through Cyber Monday, rooms across the brand will range from $79 to $119 in favorite Omni destinations such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, New York, San Francisco and more. Plus, in honor of the official kick-off to the holiday shopping season, Omni will give away 100 room nights to 100 followers at Facebook.com/OmniHotels.

InterContinental Hotels Group
IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) is offering a Twitter-exclusive travel deal with their “Gotta Get 100” promotion. Followers of @IHG_Deals who uncover the “Gotta Get 100” link and register for the promotion Nov. 1 through Nov. 28 will be eligible for $100 off of any flight on any airline to any destination, when they book two consecutive weekend nights (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) at any IHG hotel throughApril 29, 2012. IHG is also giving away a $100 prepaid gift card for every day of the “Gotta Get 100” promotion. For more details visit www.ihg.com/get100rules.

Viceroy Resorts
A variety of deals are available for Cyber Monday, detailed at viceroyhotelgroup.com/cybermonday. Many involve social media offers and include hotels in Palm Springs, Santa Monica, St. Luicia, Aguilla, Snowmass, Abu Dhabi, Miami and more.

Hotels.com
hotels.com® is starting its annual Four Day Sale at midnight on Black Friday with more than 300 properties half off their original costs for travel through January 2nd in most destinations. The sale runs through 11:59 p.m. on Cyber Monday.

American Airlines
Beginning Nov. 23 and running through Jan. 2, 2012, customers traveling on American’s Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft can enjoy 30 minutes of free access to special discounts and in-air exclusives at top retailers with the Gogo Fly & Buy Holiday Store. Purchase a two-pass holiday pack for $14.95 and use the passes any two days until Jan. 3, or buy a three-pass holiday pack for $19.95 and use the passes on any three days through the same promotion period.

Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is offering savings of up to 25% on roundtrip flights from the USA to over 100 destinations worldwide through Cyber Monday.

[Flickr via Dan Shouse]

Bound South: 3 brothers cycle from Alaska to Argentina to raise money for charity

by Jessica Festa on

Every once in awhile, I read something really inspirational that makes me see the real potential of society. After learning about the Berg brother’s bike ride from Anchorage, Alaska, to Patagonia in Argentina, to raise money to build a house for the Lake Agassiz Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, I knew it was one of those times.

Since August 11, 2011, Nathan Berg, 24, Isaiah Berg, 22, and David Berg, 19, have been cycling over the Pan-American Highway, living on $10 a day by buying donuts on sale and covering then in peanut butter. The boys are aiming to raise $60,000, enough to build one house for a person in need. Their goal is to cross the border of Mexico by late November and make it to Argentina by May.

While this particular ride was inspired by the boys’ sense of adventure, they are being fueled by their desire to help others. They also aim to document a trek full of beautiful and moving landscapes as well as off-the-beaten path travel. The kindness of strangers has also helped them along the way, including an inspired group of elementary school children from their home state of North Dakota writing them letters, people offering a place to sleep, or being given a generous meal.

So, what sets this charity ride apart from the others? On their Bound South Facebook Page, the boys write:

“Many charity rides spend a great deal on various amenities and promotional efforts. We wanted something different. Bound South is a rugged journey of reflection, a fully self-supported trek across some of the most inhospitable places in the Americas. Supporting our cause allows you to become a part of our story. Every dollar you donate will go directly to Habitat for Humanity to build a home.”

For more information on their trek, or to donate to their cause, visit their blog, Bound South.