Travel Dreams survey ranks cruise vacations tops

by Chris Owen on

Virtuoso Life magazine readers, some of the world’s most sophisticated travelers, voted for travel options on their “wish list” for the 2011 Travel Dreams survey and the results are in. Spending time on the high seas emerged as a common theme. Taking a world cruise and sailing the Mediterranean by private yacht were the top two “Trips of a Lifetime,” while cruising was selected as the “Most Desired Travel Experience.”

“Virtuoso clients are some of the most sought-after travelers because of their strong desire for authentic experiences and their propensity to vacation longer and more frequently, and spend more,” says Elaine Srnka, editorial director for Virtuoso Life.

During the fifth annual survey, in addition to cruise vacations, the Virtuoso Life reader votes revealed other desirable trips and destinations ranging from blasting off into space to renting a private island and chose destinations from French Polynesia to Greece.

Top 10 trips of a lifetime

1. Setting sail for a world cruise
2. Sailing the Mediterranean on a private yacht
3. Calling on all seven continents
4. Renting a European villa
5. Visiting all seven New Wonders of the World
6. Photographing the “big five” on an African safari
7. Renting a private island
8. Blasting off into suborbital space
9. Chartering a private jet
10. Dining my way through Paris’ best restaurants

Top 10 dream destinations

1. Australia
2. Italy
3. South Africa
4. New Zealand
5. Greece
6. Antarctica
7. France
8. French Polynesia
9. China
10. Ireland

The “Travel Dreams” survey released this week and conducted between January 1 and March 31, 2011 yielded nearly 14,000 responses. Sixty percent plan to take three or more short vacations this year, while 63 percent will take an additional one-to-two longer vacations and 33 percent will take more than three longer vacations this year.

For complete survey results, visit VirtuosoLife.com

Flickr photo by spaceodissey

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Graphing the deepest ocean to the highest peak

by Justin Delaney on

The surface of the Earth plummets deeper than 35,000 feet in the Mariana Trench and reaches up to the lofty heights of the Himalaya mountain range. The rest of our planet exists somewhere in between. Every hill, coral reef, dance contest, and disappointing vacation takes place at some point between these two extremes. This amazing graph by NOAA and NASA details some of the more significant earthly markers in height and depth, such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the resting place of the RMS Titanic, and the highest peak – Mt. Everest.

Source OurAmazingPlanet.com, Exploring the wonder and beauty of planet Earth through exclusive news, features and images.

Image via Justin Delaney

Win a trip to anywhere!

by Kraig Becker on

Creative, socially responsible travelers have the opportunity to win a trip to anywhere they choose, thanks to a new contest that is being run by the non-profit organization travel2change. The contest, which is accepting submissions through July 10th, seeks to identify and fund the best proposals for the sustainable use of water in any destination on the planet, with the aim of funding those projects to generate a positive impact on local communities in the places we travel to.

Entries to the contest can be for any travel destination, in any country in the world. Submissions are being accepted in four categories, including: Health, Environment, Education, and Sport. The submissions will be posted on the travel2change website, where the community can comment and discuss the projects as well. The most valuable participant in those discussions will also be allowed to join the trip to one of the four selected destinations too.

The idea is to show that travel can have a positive, lasting impact on the local communities that we visit in our journeys and to encourage more interaction with the people that live there. In this case, they are encouraging us to consider the sustainable use of water in the projects that we propose. Those proposals will be evaluated on the basis of creativity, effectiveness, impact, feasibility and sustainability.

Do you have a great idea that fits the description above? Submit your proposal, and you may be off on a journey to the destination of your choice later this year.

Travel services for this project are being handled by Kuoni Travel.

Antarctic tourism drops in 2010

by Kraig Becker on

The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) announced yesterday that the number of travelers visiting Antarctica actually dropped during the 2010-2011 tourism season – a trend that they expect to continue into the 2011-2012 season as well.

During the 2010-2011 Antarctic season, the total number of travelers on IAATO member-operated vessels was listed as 33,824, which is down 8.3% from last year, when 36,875 people visited the frozen continent or the waters off its shores. These figures represent the number of people who traveled through the region on small and medium sized expedition ships, and yachts, as well as large cruise ships. A little more than half of those visitors (18,534 to be exact) actually went ashore on the Antarctic continent itself, while the others merely cruised the Southern Ocean.

The 2011-2012 season looks to have even more significant drops in the number of visitors to Antarctica. This August a ban on the use of heavy fuel oils on ships traveling through the Southern Ocean will go into effect, preventing some of the larger cruise ships from entering those waters. That ban, which is being instituted by the International Maritime Organization, is designed to protect the fragile Antarctic environments, but it will also have an impact on the number of travelers who visit the area as well. The IAATO predicts that cruse-only passengers will drop from 14,737 in 2010 to less than 5000 this year. Factor in an economy that remains sluggish, and tourism in Antarctica is projected to drop an astounding 25% year-over-year.

The IAATO is an organization that is made up travel companies that operate in and around the Antarctic continent. The organization’s main goal is to support safe, sustainable tourism operations in that region. It’s more than 100 members have worked closely with one another to develop guidelines and standards that ensure their clients can travel in the Antarctic in a safe manner that is also environmentally responsible.

What does all of this mean for you and me? Expect fewer opportunities to cruise the Southern Ocean, at least in the near future, as the number of large cruise ships operating in the area is expected to drop to just five vessels. But it could also mean substantial discounts for trips to Antarctica as well, as tour operators scramble to fill cabins on their smaller ships in the season ahead. If you’ve ever wanted to go to Antarctica, this just may be the time to book that trip.

Fortnighter launches, providing customized expert travel advice

by Meg Nesterov on

Ever wish you could have a travel magazine or guidebook written just for you, catering to your specific interests and full of up-to-date travel advice? The new travel website Fortnighter offers just that–customized itineraries written by professional travel writers.

How does it work?
Start with a destination, specify who you’re traveling with (solo, as a couple, or with friends), and the number of days (currently 3, 5, or 7). You’ll be quoted a fee of $100 – $200 depending on the number of days and given a questionnaire to fill out with your interests and specifications. One week later, Fortnighter will send back a PDF with a detailed run-down of what to do and where to eat and stay (check out a sample itinerary here).

How can I trust the travel advice on Fortnighter?
The contributors have written for all the big travel outlets, from the New York Times to Condé Nast Traveler to Fodor’s guidebooks, travel frequently both for a living and because it’s what they love. All itineraries come without writer bylines, to ensure that their advice comes without bias or influence from hotels or restaurants. Plus, we can personally vouch for the site – it was founded by writer Alexander Basek, a friend and colleague to many of Gadling’s contributors.

Why should I pay for travel advice?
If you’ve ever spent time on Trip Advisor or other user-generated websites, you’ll know that sometimes you want expert advice from people who travel extensively, not just people who want to complain about the airplane movie or that their towel wasn’t folded into the right animal. Just because Joe Blow loves a restaurant featured in all the guidebooks doesn’t mean a single local would eat there, and you might miss out on a great small hotel if they don’t have a fancy website optimized to come to the top of your Google search. Fortnighter writers are selected based on their personal expertise and experience, and are often located in the destinations they write about to provide local recommendations. It’s a fraction of the cost of a customized tour, and you can do it independently and at your own pace.

Sound good to you? Check it out at www.fortnighter.com and share your experiences with us.