Our own Brendan Spiegel is down in Panama this week and will be reporting back on all that he's seen and done. Whether or not he's wearing a Panama Hat, we can't say. But if you have any questions or suggestions for him, let us know.

Much of the recent James Bond flick Quantum of Solace was set in Haiti, but the producers weren't actually all that excited about the hurricane-strewn, poverty-stricken isle; they filmed the Haiti scenes in Panama instead, in what by all appearances is set to become Latin America's "next" neighborhood]]> BS 2009-03-25T09:26:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/10/4186/9684

We're suckers for a James Bond tourist attraction, even when it's a wet-your-pants-scary one like the Verzasca Dam bungee jump near Locarno, close to the Swiss border with Italy.

Coming second to one in Macau as the biggest permanent bungee jump in the world shouldn’t matter to these guys because they've got the Bond draw card--he did this 720 foot leap in "Goldeneye." That sequence looked more impressive than this video, which makes the jumper look like a tiny ant about to be smashed into a massive cliff.

If you’re kind of wimpy like us, then you can always cry poor to get out of throwing yourself off this dam wall, because one jump costs 255 Swiss Francs ($215); if you’re keen enough to do this twice in one day you'll pay half that for the second go, though we really think it's one of those jumps you should be smart enough to only risk once. But hey, don't listen to us, we even believe in travel insurance.

Related Stories:
· Verzasca Dam Bungee Jump [Official Site]
· Be James Bond: Bodyflight Vertigo Opening Soon [Jaunted]
· Switzerland Travel coverage [Jaunted]]]> amandak 2008-11-10T09:30:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/13/83045/6195

Slip the name James Bond into anything touristy and we will be there like a shot. It's embarrassing but true, and the latest Bond-related place of interest is the Bodyflight indoor skydiving facility in Bedford, England.

Two things: First up, some of the scenes from the "Quantum of Solace" Bond movie were filmed here so you, too, can fly in the same wind tunnel that Daniel Craig did.

And second: you can go one step further than Craig, because they're about to open a new ride called Bodyflight Vertigo. It's a 120-foot jump, the tallest in Britain, and you're free-falling for two thirds of the way. This pleasure (or terror) will only cost you £30 (US$57) or you can combine it with a trip through the wind tunnel for some simulated skydiving. The fun kicks off in September, two months before the new Bond movie hits theaters.

Related Stories:
· Bodyflight [Official Site]
· James Bond + Vertigo [eTravel]
· Spy Travel: Bond 22 Filming Wastes Perfectly Good Car [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bodyflight]]]> amandak 2008-08-13T09:00:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/22/212040/567

If an Aston Martin goes soaring over a cliff and plunges into a lake, one would naturally expect James Bond to bubble up, his tux, miraculously dry and toting a Nalgene of martinis. Sadly, that's not what happened when a stunt man had a mishap with the new, one-of-a-kind Bond car in northern Italy.

The driver is in stable condition after the Aston Martin slid off the road and into Lake Garda, falling 180 feet in the process.

The car is irreplaceable, just like Daniel Craig, but we're willing to lend Bond our 1992 Land Cruiser as long as he returns it with the tank full. Those cars never really blow up, right? The production has already shot in Spain, Mexico, Panama and Chile.

Related Stories:
· Movie Set Travel: Casino Royale [Jaunted]
· Scarlett Johansson & Josh Hartnett Play James Bond [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Movie still of Craig with new Bond girl Gemma Arterton: Celebitchy]]]> egw 2008-04-23T09:00:02-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/