Jaunted

Tags: Porter Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / New Routes / → All Tags

Porter Airlines Is Looking To Expand...To Myrtle Beach?

We kind of knew that Porter Airlines would be eyeing new routes, but we expected that they’d be looking somewhere in the northern part of the US or elsewhere in Canada. Well we were wrong and the airline is looking to head south in search of warmer weather and Waffle House. Their shortlist for new routes now includes Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, among other destinations in the US.

Apparently there hasn’t been an official decision or announcement, but according to the head honcho at Porter, Robert Deluce, his company is in “serious discussions” with some places in the US. Besides the tourist traps of Myrtle Beach, the little airline that could also has its eyes on Washington, DC and Philadelphia. It looks like they want to expand before Air Canada Jazz restarts service on their home turf.

more ›

Tags: What Recession / Political Travel / → All Tags

Public Servants Lead Charge Back To Expensive Travel

This week we were treated to the riveting story of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, who used state funds to meet his lady-love journalist in Buenos Aires. Sanford told his staff he was on a much more modest jaunt to the Appalachian Trail, which indicates that maybe he had a shred of shame about the whole business, but in the end, he said, "Well, it's not like I have any presidential ambitions, right?" Last year's luv guv Eliot Spitzer opted for the more budget-friendly train tickets and D.C. hotel accommodations, but those were different times.

Sanford's not the only one who feels the world has turned around enough to allow for gleeful spoiling at taxpayer expense: The Detroit Free Press reported that the trustees of the city pension fund spent $380,000 on travel last year, and then tried to cover it up when the paper sued for records. With 21 trustees, that's an average of $18,095 per person, although one trustee, Ronald Gracia, spent $105,000 of it alone, including an $18,600 trip to Hong Kong.

more ›

Tags: Fires / Flight 1549 / Myrtle Beach Travel / → All Tags

Flight 1549 Golf Trip Thwarted Again, This Time By Myrtle Beach Fires

We knew Myrtle Beach would be hot this season but we never anticipated this. A dangerous coastal wildfire ripped through North Myrtle Beach early Thursday, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands to evacuate from this beach community.

The blaze jumped the busy six-lane Coastal Bays Parkway on Wednesday, stopping not far from the Intracoastal Waterway. Firefighters were expecting the waterway to act as a natural firebreak, protecting the larger city of Myrtle Beach.

A gray-white smoke had engulfed restaurant row between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach on Wednesday evening. It looked like a winter fog, with car headlights and neon signs peeking through the haze.

Fortunately no one has been injured yet although the fires are predicted to get worse as the day goes on.

Also in danger are the area's numerous golf courses which are a heavy draw for tourists. And in a freaky "Final Destination" sort of twist, a group of six golfing buddies who were aboard the US Airways Flight 1549 plane when it crash-landed into the Hudson River in January were headed to Myrtle Beach this week for their annual trip.

more ›

Tags: Theme Parks / Hard Rock Park / Freestyle Music Park / Roller Coasters / Amusement Parks / → All Tags

Myrtle Beach's Hard Rock Park Now Known As Freestyle Music Park

Just when we thought we’d figured out some cool things to do in Myrtle Beach, we get one more item to add to the list. The saga that has been the life of the Hard Rock Park continues, as the park as we knew it is no more. Thanks to a team of marketing geniuses, the park will return with a new name: Freestyle Music Park. Although the name hardly rolls off the tongue, the newish park is looking to get things rockin’ again by Memorial Day.

more ›

Tags: Beaches / Myrtle Beach Travel / Tourist Traps / → All Tags

Five Cool Things to Do in Myrtle Beach, Seriously!

We've never totally understood exactly what makes Myrtle Beach so appealing. We’ve visited relatives there before, but never thought of making it our vacation destination as it always seemed a little cheesy, with a hint of spring break debauchery. And while we love the beach, we don’t need to spend time at the NASCAR Sports Grille—did they really need the extra “e” on the end considering the clientele? (Update: The Grille has closed.)

With so many other great (and classier) beach locations south of the Mason-Dixon line, like Hilton Head Island or the Outer Banks, is there something that Myrtle Beach has to offer that we’re missing? Apparently it's very popular. So we decided to take a look. After all, in this economy not everyone can afford to traipse around St. Barts. Here are five cool, not cheesy, things to do in Myrtle Beach.

more ›

Tags: New Routes / Allegiant Air / Low Cost Carriers / → All Tags

Allegiant Air Continues Toward Domestic Dominance

Allegiant Air is keeping us busy with all their new route announcements. With their low cost model to vacation hotspots, it’s almost like they didn’t get the memo that the economic sky is falling. That’s fine with us, since we are more than ready to get out of here and take a quick break to somewhere warm. We don’t want to bore your with numbers, but they also just announced that their traffic was up almost ten percent when compared to February 2008.

Myrtle Beach is the airline’s newest destination, but to start, they’ll only be taking passengers from Tri-State Airport in West Virginia. The promotional rates will start at $39 each way, and they are offering service twice a week starting on April 30.

more ›

Tags: Hard Rock Park / Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Roller Coasters / → All Tags

Hard Rock Park Plans An Encore For 2009

Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach just won’t die, and that’s a good thing, since we’re still kind of bummed out that we missed it last summer. We last reported that the place was filing for bankruptcy, but it’s coming back—slowly but surely. The park recently went up for auction and was snatched up for a cool $25 million. The creditors wanted a little more for the park—like $10 million more—but they were happy to settle for a slightly lower price tag than getting no cash at all.

more ›

Tags: What Recession / Isle of Palms / → All Tags

Posh Palms With A Pretty Price Tag

For many families, the question this year is not where to go on vacation, but whether. Popular destinations have sweetened the pot for those who decide to go -- take Disney World's free-nights promotion -- but not everyone. But hey, if you're going to drop a pretty penny anyway, why not go for a freaking mansion with a private pool? It's "only" $3000 per week (starting).

Make no mistake, this South Carolina coast 6-bedroom rental is freaking gorgeous. The verandahs! The wet bar! There's even Internet, supposedly, to keep us from enjoying the pool or beach beyond. But once you've splashed out for the house, you won't be able to afford to go anywhere.

Granted the posted starting rate of $2900/week isn't so bad if you take all 13 people the house supposedly fits -- if you were planning to buy hotel rooms for all of them. And with a full kitchen, you could save money on eating out. But with the vacation rental market in a severe depression, you could do better.

Related Stories:
· What Recession? Travel: Chris Noth in Hawaii With His Family [Jaunted]
· Tourist Trap: South Carolina is South of the Border? [Jaunted]
· South Carolina coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Homeaway.com]

Tags: Do Not Do / Celeb Travel / Michael Phelps / → All Tags

Michael Phelps Should Probably Not Go To Vegas Anymore Either

Just when we thought it was okay to get angry at the octuplet mom instead, more details about Olympian Michael Phelps' trip to South Carolina. Now we know not only has the swimming champ enjoyed some wacky tobaccy, he is a horrible gambler.

At the same University of South Carolina party where he was snapped breathing in the questionable fumes, Phelpsie put down $2,000 on a beer-pong game... and lost. Whether these two events are related is not clear, but let's hope he didn't meet his Las Vegas-based girlfriend by trying to impress her at the tables.

Frankly, if all the pot-smokers we know lost their jobs, it would have a greater effect on our circle than the recession has so far. But we're fascinated by the idea that, without the bong hits, Phelps might have won every single event at the Beijing Olympics -- singlehandedly! The Australia national swimming program should be sending him special brownies every day from here on out.

On the other hand, if any enterprising casino decides to add a few beer-pong tables, we will happily show up and get killed by the pros, whoever they are.

Related Stories:
· Michael Phelps Lost Two Grand At Beer Pong [The Superficial]
· Where Is Michael Phelps' Bong? [Jaunted]
· The Good Ol' Days: Phelpstival Finally Official [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: crankymediaguy]

Tags: Celeb Travel / Travis Barker / DJ AM / → All Tags

Barker-AM Crash Lawsuit: The Finger-Pointing Frenzy

Travis Barker's showing up to the Grammys with his arm in a sling (alongside bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge) reminded us of the last major airline accident before Flight 1549. (Barker just had surgery for nerve damage stemming from the accident.) Has Barker gotten any justice since the crash that took four lives?

Well, no, but at least he's performing again since his highly publicized reunion with fellow survivor D.J. AM on New Year's Eve. Barker filed suit against the owner of the plane and the manufacturer of the blown tire that sent their Learjet 60 off the runway at Columbia Metropolitan Airport Sept. 19. (AM, alias Adam Goldstein, sued later that month.) In turn, the owner of the plane has sued Learjet and the airport, claiming they were both "defective."

We gotta wonder whether there's any money in suing an airport. The family of a woman who died at a Phoenix airport last year sued the city, but not Sky Harbor International; San Francisco Airport faced a class action suit brought by deaf passengers who felt the airport did not accommodate them, but settled in 2005. If law enforcement is involved, it's probably more productive to sue them.

Related Stories:
· Travis Barker Reveals Reason For Arm Sling [US Magazine]
· Barker/AM Jet Owner Blames "Defective" Runway [TMZ]
· Miami Trumps Vegas In Star-powered-Soirees [Jaunted]
· Barker Sues Over Plane Crash [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Zimio]

Tags: Drug Travel / Where Is / Michael Phelps / Marijuana / College Tours / Rosetta Stone / → All Tags

Where is Michael Phelps' Bong?

In case you were too involved with your seven-layer dip last night and missed the news, the ubiquitous British tabloids caught Michael Phelps smoking the pot. Apparently he was rocking out at a house party at the University of South Carolina in November, when someone snapped a pic of him using a marijuana smoking device.

more ›

Tags: Missed Connections / The Jauntys / New Year's Hangover / → All Tags

Most Missed Of 2008

We couldn't resist squeezing in just one more Jaunty in honor of our Craigslist-crazy Friday series. Here were the top places to meet and be met in 2008:

On the campaign trail:
Elections mean roving packs of staff going to where the primaries are for brief, frenetic, sleepless visits. If you're at your best on nine cups of coffee and two hours of sleep, you probably followed our primary series from Charleston to Indianapolis--and even to the president-elect's hometown of Chicago.

Movie tie-ins:
You didn't have to see "What Happens In Vegas" to let whatever happens, happen in Vegas. Don't forget that brawl on the set of "W." that made us happy to be alive or our Chasing Michigan series. We even followed the mustache to the scene of its hairy crimes.

In transit, of course!
It shouldn't take a wave of grounded planes, a visit to Love Field or an overnight stay in Atlanta for you to meet someone in 2009. Just tell us where you did it!

Related Stories:
· Chicago Hearts Obama, How About You? [Jaunted]
· Missed Connections in Shreveport: Mr. and Mrs. Bush Edition [Jaunted]
· Missed Connections: American Airlines Hubs Edition [Jaunted]

[Photo: kadanwa]