Four of the most expensive travel products you can waste your money on

by Scott Carmichael on

Forget the recession, forget the “staycation” (I hate that term). If you still haven’t lost all your money in the global economic meltdown, then here are 4 of the most expensive travel items you can spend/waste your money on.

In the lineup, you’ll find how you can spend $2.6 Million on one airline ticket, a cruise, a rental car and one RV. Yes – this is how you can really burn through your cash like it is going out of style!




The most expensive airline ticket

If you book your own tickets (ie. you don’t get them issued through work), you’ll have often whined about wasting $400 on airfare. If you go abroad a lot, you’ll most likely have clicked “buy now” on a $900 airline ticket. But those are nothing compared to the most expensive commercial airline ticket available – the “first class six continent round the world” on the One World alliance. All for a mere $16,900.

Assuming you ignore private jet rates and airline seats auctioned for charity (someone once paid $100,000 for a charity seat on the Airbus A380), nothing costs more than this round the world ticket.

Even tickets on Concorde used to cost less than this. The ticket allows you 16 flight segments in first class to 6 continents, allowing you to circle the globe in comfort. Best of all, a smart mileage planner can earn enough miles for another free round trip in first class and elite status on any airline in the alliance (as long as they were smart enough to add their frequent flier number to the itinerary).


The most expensive rental car

The most expensive rental car in the world won’t come with one of those stupid “number 1” stickers found on Hertz vehicles, and you won’t earn any upgrades for being a member of the frequent rental program. But if you have a spare $75,000 lying around, you can rent yourself a Bugatti Veyron for the weekend. You’ll also need a spare $262,000 on your credit card for the deposit, so be sure you don’t crash the damn thing.

Of course, your $75,000 does get you the fastest production car ever built, and if you feel lucky, you may be able to bring her to her top speed of 253 mph. Just keep the tires in good shape – a set of spares costs another $40,000. Also, be sure you don’t get too attached to this beauty – she’ll cost a sweet $1,400,000 to purchase.


The most expensive RV

For some people, a mobile home or RV is considered luxurious if it features a shower. Others demand a bit more.

Anderson Mobile Estates designs mobile homes for the rich and famous. Their rigs have 2 stories, and up to 1,100 square feet of space. The entire home is designed with luxury in mind – exotic wood, granite, marble and fine china.

Flat panel TV’s and gaming consoles are everywhere, residents can get online using satellite uplinks and if you find yourself in a party mood, you can invite 30 of your closest friends for a bit of fun in the upper deck. Creative minds can even take advantage of full sound booths and editing suites, complete with their own entrance.

The price for this much luxury? Start thinking $2 Million and you’ll be getting close. Best of all, this thing can be set up in just 10 minutes.


The most expensive cruises

For $319,560 you can spend your next 69 days in total luxury on board the Seabourn Odyssey (that works out to be $4631 each day – per person).

This of course does not include any of the prices you could end up paying for your own private yacht rental, which can easily exceed $120,000 per day!

Other luxury cruise line prices are equally expensive – another of the priciest cruises will sail you around the world in 108 days, for $509,490, also on Seabourn. Of course, these fares are for their best possible suite with 2 bedrooms, a whirlpool tub, walk in closets and of course, butler service.

Norweigan Cruse Line offers one of the largest cruise suites in the world – at 5,750 square feet, this accommodation offers 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, butler service, a baby grand piano and a private terrace with enough room for 100 people!

At $25,000 a week (a mere $3500/day), it isn’t as expensive as the Seabourn cruise line suites, but the amenities sound like a ton more fun. Imagine inviting 100 of your new friends up to your terrace for a private party?

Cruise ship arrives in port with dead whale on its bow

by Katie Hammel on

On Sunday, the Vancouver Sun reported that the Princess Cruises ship that arrived in port the day before brought with it something unexpected, and a little disturbing. Stuck to the bow of the boat was a 21 meter (about 69 feet) long dead fin whale.

The Sapphire Princess was returning from Alaska and most likely picked up the whale north of Vancouver Island, as fin whales, which have been designated as an at-risk species, don’t often inhabit the waters off Vancouver.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans plans to do a necropsy to determine if the whale was alive when it was struck by the boat or if it had been floating dead on the water. Whales are generally too small to show up on a ship’s radar, so captains rely on sightings and information from other boats in the area to help avoid them. While ship collisions with whales aren’t common, this isn’t the first time a ship has arrived in Vancouver with a fin whale stuck to the bow. In 1999, a Celebrity Cruise ship had a similar incident.

The whale was removed from the ship’s bow with the aid of two tugboats. After it is examined, it will be dropped back into the ocean where it will become an important part of the underwater ecosystem, providing food for fish and other sea creatures.

Antarctic tourism to get safer, more environmentally friendly

by Kraig Becker on

The 20th Annual Meeting of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) was held last month, with marine safety and the impact of travel on the Antarctic environment being the main topics of discussion. Attending members adopted measures that will hopefully ensure that travel to the region becomes safer, while also forming a working group to study ways to reduce the carbon footprint of tourism on the fragile ecosystem there.

Over the past couple of years there have been several high profile incidences involving Antarctic cruise ships, including the sinking of the MS Explorer back in 2007, and two ships running aground in December 2008 and again in February of this year. In response to these accidents, the IAATO passed a series of actions to enhance marine safety. The changes include mandatory participation in a satellite tracking program for all IAATO members, the conversion of all open lifeboats to partially or fully closed boats, and a new rule that stipulates that all ships sailing below 60º South have “a captain or appointed ice pilot with Antarctic experience.” The final new rule is in direct response to an investigation earlier this year that found that the inexperience of the captain directly played a role in the sinking of the Explorer. In the report that the IAATO released on the conference they indicated that G.A.P. Adventures, the company that held the charter for the Explorer, acknowedged the negative impact that the sinking of the ship had on the entire Antarctic tourism industry, and they encouraged the changes to restore confidence with travelers.The more than 100 IAATO members, from 14 countries, that attending the meeting also acknolwedged that global climate change was the greatest threat to the Antarctic continent, which led to the forming of the working group to explore more options for sustainable travel to the region. The new group intends to find ways to raise awareness of the threats to the frozen continent, as well as explore options for reducing the carbon footprint of travel to the area.

Personally, I think that the measures adopted are good steps for the Antarctic tourism industry. Clearly there are safety concerns, and it seems that operators have been playing with fire, especially since no one has been seriously hurt or died from the accidents that have occured there in the past few years. The changes are not likely to prevent further incidences however, but they may help to ensure that passengers continue to be safe and that they can be located more quickly by rescue crews, should the need arise.

The fact that that the IAATO is thinking about sustainable travel to Antarctica is encouraging as well, as it shows that they are moving towards becoming better stewards of the environment and ensuring that the continent remains in pristine condition for future adventure travelers to enjoy as well. It remains to be seen what kind of plans they put in place in this area however and how it’ll impact the industry as a whole.

Explore Antarctica with Neil Armstrong!

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday marked the 40th Anniversary of Man first landed on the moon. It was one of the most iconic moments in human history when astronaut Neil Armstrong took that first “small step for man” and planted his foot onto the lunar surface. Now, four decades later, he’s still showing his adventurous spirit by joining National Geographic Expeditions and Lindblad Expeditions on a 25-day journey to Antarctica.

The adventure begins on November 15 of this year, when travelers depart for Chile, where they’ll board the National Geographic Explorer chartered out of Ushuaia. The ship will head south across the Drake Passage towards the Antarctic Peninsula, where travelers will have the opportunity to explore Deception Island, Paradise Bay, and Port Lockroy. From there, it’s on to Elephant Island, South Georgia, and the Falklands, before returning to Ushuaia and returning home.

Over the course of the three-and-a-half week voyage, passengers aboard the Explorer will have an opportunity to watch whales swimming in the Southern Ocean, walk amongst King Penguins, and kayak along the Antarctic Peninsula, exploring waters that few ever have the opportunity to visit. And joining them at every step of the journey will be Mr. Armstrong, making an already unique travel experience, even more amazing.

As if venturing to the Antarctic with one of the most well known explorers to ever live wasn’t enough, this year also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, which established the continent as a scientific research location and banned all military actions there, while proclaiming that Antarctica belonged to no single country. That historic event will be commemorated while aboard the ship, and all passengers will receive a special duffel bag, courtesy of Patagonia, in celebration.
National Geographic Expeditions offer some of the best adventure travel opportunities in the business, and they always find a way to make their tours unique. Where else could you possibly find the opportunity to visit one of the most remote and pristine ecosystems on the planet with a legendary figure like Neil Armstrong along for the ride?

For an overview of the itinerary click here, and to find out more details click here.

Explore the coast of British Columbia with Maple Leaf Adventures

by Kraig Becker on

For more than twenty years Maple Leaf Adventures has been providing unique and affordable opportunities for travelers to visit the stunning coastlines of British Columbia and southern Alaska, with a host of tours designed to offer amazing wildlife experiences while immersing travelers in the native cultures that are still prevalent in the region today.

A quick glance at Maple Leaf’s list of tours and you’ll begin to understand why they were named one of National Geographic Adventure‘s best adventure travel companies. Their trips range in length from five to eleven nights, with small groups of travelers boarding the Maple Leaf, a 92-foot long, 104 year old, wooden schooner that has been refurbished with modern amenities and outfitted to make these expedition cruises as comfortable as possible for passengers. The entire experience is enhanced further by the presence of top naturalists and historians who specialize in the B.C. and Alaskan coasts and serve as guides for the these adventures.

Eco-tourism may have become a hot topic in the travel industry over the past few years, but for Maple Leaf Adventures, it has been part of the companies philosophy since it was founded back in 1986. All of the tours have been meticulously planned to have as small of an impact on the environment as possible, and the company has championed conservation efforts along the B.C. coastline for years. In addition, Maple Leaf was instrumental in opening travel options to the Great Bear Rainforest and parts of Vancouver Island.

Personally, the thought of taking an adventure cruise along the Alaskan or B.C. coasts sounds like an amazing experience. The fact that the cruise takes place on a wooden longship that provides a sense of history, only enhances the appeal. With so many interesting options to choose from, it is difficult to recommend just one, but it’s also hard to top their voyage to the Gulf Islands, in Autumn no less. Those lucky enough to make that journey are treated to spectacular scenery, the great migration of birds heading south for winter, spawning salmon, and giant orcas, with the stunning backdrop of all the fall colors. Sounds perfect to me!