If it's good enough for Madonna and Jesus, then it's good enough for you. As we reported today, the transformative Queen of Pop recently landed in Rio de Janiero for "humanitarian" work and quite possibly to meet her boyfriend's parents. We're not sure if this contributes to Rio's international appeal or detracts from it, but we did happen to stumble across a four-night travel package, airfare included, for Thanksgiving travel to the Brazilian city.

Travelzoo recently posted a $699 (base price) all-inclusive deal which includes roundtrip travel from New York City, daily breakfast, four nights accommodations, and the option to tack tour extras onto your package. The catch is, as we mentioned, the date that you'll have to depart—either dangerously close to Thanksgiving on the 19th, or the day itself. So, you'll have to decide whether forgoing turkey, football, and that yearly screening of the MACY*S parade is worth the $700 pricetag. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-11-10T15:34:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/10/102246/82

Madonna landed in Rio de Janeiro yesterday for a week long trip that may include meeting her boyfriend's mother and speaking with government officials about poverty.

Several reports are saying that the superstar is nervous about meeting Jesus Luz' family for the first time and that it may be a sign things are heating up between them. But Madge told Page Six the rumors aren't true and she is "there strictly for fundraising and humanitarian purposes.” We find it suspect that she would visit her boyfriend's hometown with him and not stop by to say hi to his moms. Maybe it's the age difference that is keeping her away, and we're not talking about the age difference between her and Jesus. Madonna also happens to be 14 years older than his mother! ]]> cmb 2009-11-10T11:22:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/20/155019/88

We love Tuesdays. Why, you ask? Because the day brings many travel tips and quips as "Travel Tuesday" on Twitter, and we're going to share our favorite with you. Got an avid travel twitterer we should follow? Let us know.

The announcement of Rio's win of the 2016 Olympics may already be weeks behind us, but the good feelings continue as the tourism focus turns decidedly southern. For this reason, we specifically loved @sambayogi's unique addition to #traveltuesday—a live-tweeted picture of her visit to Brazil's Iguazu Falls:

Iguazu Falls, Brazil took my breath away- worth 14-hr bus ride from Floripa!

For the 14-hour bus ride alone, she deserves "Travel Tweet of the Day," and for those who haven't yet had the fortune to spend some time on Brazilian beaches, "Floripa" is short for the city of Florianopolis. Because of Floripa's exotic oceanside scenery and nightlife, the next few years should see some Olympics-prep refurbishment right along with Rio, so add it to your list.

Related Stories:
· @sambayogi [Twitter]
· Twitter coverage [Jaunted]
]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-20T16:38:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/7/8242/52281

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the final day that Jetblue's All-You-Can-Jet Pass is valid. While the AYCJers return to solid ground after tomorrow, they now have a new option for extending the fun, if they're willing to very adventurous. David Neeleman, who originally formed Jetblue and now has his own LCC based in Brazil, is inspired by the AYCJ Jetblue model, and has announced the Passaporte Azul from Azul.

Do you know how genius the All-You-Can-Jet Pass was? Well, the Passaporte Azul is possibly even more genius: for 499 BRL ($285), you can fly Azul's route map just as freely as you did Jetblue's, only this time you'll be hopping through a country wholly excited by Rio's Olympic win and full of cheap and vibrant places to discover.

More details, after the jump. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-07T08:38:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/3/123435/282

As an American, I was disappointed that Chicago didn't win the 2016 Summer Olympics, but I've got to admit that Rio looks like a pretty spectacular choice. I've never been, but watching their official candidate commercial yesterday moved it to the top of my list of dream trips. Today I happened upon the city's master plan pitch, and it really looks like Brazilian officials have thought this thing through. I'm not surprised the I.O.C. believed that South America in general, and Rio in particular, would be the perfect host for the games. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-10-03T12:34:35-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/2/123035/794

It's time to break out the Mardi Gras beads and barely-there bustiers and learn how to spell "Rio de Janeiro" without hesitating, because Rio is indeed the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games. All this morning and early afternoon, the world was glued to their TVs and Twitter as the Olympic Committee first heard final pleas from the delegations from Chicago (Prez Obama was there), Rio, Tokyo and Madrid and then announced their decision in favor of the first Olympics to be held in South America.

While people rush onto Copacabana and Ipanema beaches to celebrate, we can already imagine the tour operators and airlines brainstorming their deals for travel to Brazil in 2016 and even these next few years as the city strengthen its infrastructure and emerges as a true hot destination. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-02T13:16:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/19/133454/518

So I got this new hat, and I think it's pretty neat. It's a Tarp Hat from a company called The Real Deal and it's made from the recycled tarpaulins of Brazilian cargo trucks that have traveled from the Amazon to Sao Paolo and back again. It's sturdy and has a nice wide brim, which is why I like it, as I'll take as much sun protection as I can get. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-09-19T13:34:54-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/