GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of November 5

by Adrienne Wilson on

It’s weekly recap time. Grab a P&J sandwich, chill out, read and relax.

5. Finally! A Cool Looking Sleep Mask:
Personally, sleeping masks cramp my style and bug the heck out of my eyes. However, I know there are many who enjoy keeping unwanted light from their lids as they rest and for you I direct you back to this potential travel gear or stocking stuffer you might wish to get for yourself or someone you know.

4. Moscow: Now Open 24 Hours:
Those who dislike the idea of city shops closing at early hours and lack of nightlife in big areas can leap with joy to learn that Moscow is changing things up these days. No more retreating to your hotel room at 9 PM for drinks. They are bending the curfew it seems so you can stay out late.

3. Forget Flying for Cheap: Have Them Pay You to Fly:
Get paid to fly? Is this too good to be true? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

2. Spider Pepper:
Sadly this isn’t a recipe for making black pepper from tarantula, but it does provide some interesting info on how spiders and peppers defend themselves in sort of the same way.

1. The Real Borat?:
Borat, Borat, Borat… It seems this Borat stuff is all I’m hearing about and I still haven’t gotten in theaters to see the flick. In any case there are mixed emotions about the comedian, especially from Mahir Cagri who seems to be completely sure that he was the inspiration for Borat. He had been doing similar comedy acts in Turkey before Sascha Baron Cohen came along. Who knows?

Forget Flying for Cheap: Have Them Pay You to Fly!

by Iva Skoch on

Who doesn’t love to fly cheap? Well, now a European airline is offering tickets for less than zero. Yes, SkyEurope offered tickets that sold for MINUS 10 Czech crowns (about 46 U.S. cents) for some one-way tickets. Heck, I thought it was cool when I bought tickets from them for “free.”

Does this honestly mean they’re paying you to fly? No, the hitch is that you still have to pick up the taxes and maybe some fees, so you might be surprised at the final cost, all-in. For example, a survey by Prague Business Weekly found that another carrier advertised a 7 euro flight, which, after all fees and taxes were included, netted to 265 euros.

This kind of deal has stirred the interest of regulators and legislators, some of whom think this is fraudulent advertising. The article points out that the EU might step in to require carriers to post all applicable taxes, charges, and fees with the advertised price, but says that regulation is at least 18 months away.

My thoughts on this? Look, you still can back out of buying the ticket at any time until your credit card is charged. Does anyone really feel ripped off when all they are paying is the taxes?

Finally! A Cool Looking Sleep Mask

by Neil Woodburn on

Every sleep mask I’ve ever tried has done a poor job of blocking out the light and I’ve therefore stopped even bothering with them while flying. Of course, the fact that they look a little silly is another big reason I don’t use them.

Thankfully, form and function have finally arrived in the world of sleep masks.

The Lights Out Sleep Mask looks a bit like something that belongs on a superhero’s head. The sleek black design is flashy and cool. Just as importantly, it is ergonomically designed to accommodate the bulge of the eyeballs and to allow them to dart around furtively in REM sleep–thus allowing you a much deeper sleep while traveling. Or so the theory goes.

Biggest Bed in the Air

by Neil Woodburn on

What are you willing to pay on a commercial airline to tuck yourself into an 80-inch bed and snooze away for an entire flight? What if the bed is also 34 inches wide and comes with a 23-inch, flat television screen in case you’re restless before dozing off?

Well, Singapore Airlines is pushing the envelope on first class amenities with what is now the largest bed on a commercial flight. It’s all yours on their Singapore-Paris flight for just $10,000. You’re going to have to share your bedroom with seven other first class passengers, but that’s a small price to pay for such nocturnal luxury.

Still too expensive for you? Singapore Airlines is looking out for us poor schmucks as well. Economy squatters can indulge in a 10.6-inch LCD screen that features “100 movies, 155 television shows and 600 audio CDs.”

Hey, it ain’t a king-size bed, but I’m willing to take it.

Airlines Boosting Fares

by Erik Olsen on

Always eager to let gadling readers know about changes in the Airline industry that might affect your travel plans, let alone your wallet, we thought y’all might be interested in thus bit of news: looks like several airlines, including American Airlines, Delta and Continental have raised many of their United States fares by $10 per round trip, including business fares and advance-purchase tickets bought by leisure travelers. Good to know, however, that some of the low-cost airlines we love so much didn’t follow suit. Perhaps you thought fares would stay low forever, but it looks like that ain’t so. And if you thought you were going to travel for cheap this holiday season, think again, as prices are said to go up significantly during Christmas and T-giving.