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Tags: Travel Tweet of the Week / Twitter / Twitter Travel / Brazil Travel / → All Tags

Tweet Of The Week: Direct From Brazil's Iguazu Falls

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]

Tags: Very Awesome Stuff / Azul / All-You-Can-Jet Pass / David Neeleman / Jetblue / Airline News / Brazil Travel / South American Travel / → All Tags

Azul Announces $285 All-You-Can-Jet Pass For Brazil

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.

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Tags: Olympics / Olympics Travel / 2016 Rio Olympics / Rio de Janeiro / Brazil Travel / Video / Sports / → All Tags

Thinking of a Master Plan: Snazzy Video Nabs 2016 Olympics for Rio

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.

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Tags: Olympics / Olympics Travel / 2016 Rio Olympics / Rio de Janeiro / Brazil Travel / Travel News / → All Tags

And The 2016 Olympic City Is...Rio de Janeiro!

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.

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Tags: Bike Sharing / Rio de Janeiro / Brazil Travel / Bicycling / → All Tags

Rio de Janeiro Sambas Into Bike Sharing

If cities like Milan, Shanghai, and Mexico City can enjoy successful bike rental programs, then we've been wondering when a South American capital would climb aboard the eco-friendly trend. As it turns out, Rio de Janeiro quietly launched their own bike sharing program last November, which welcomes tourists with open arms (or handlebars).

Appropriately named Samba, which in Portuguese conveniently means "Alternative Mobility Solution though Bike Renting," Samba is using this spring and summer to build up to 42 stations with 500 total bikes by the end of the year; it's a small number compared to Paris' Velib and its 20,600+ bicycles, but nonetheless a great start.

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Tags: David Neeleman / New Airlines / Airlines / Embraer / Azul / Brazil Travel / → All Tags

Neeleman's Azul May Fly Before '09

Last we heard, the new Brazilian carrier Azul, from JetBlue founder David Neeleman, was planning to start flights in January 2009. But an article we just came across on the Dow Jones Newswire (but sadly can't link to 'cause of a pay wall) says the airline is looking to move that first flight up to December 2008.

The report continues:

"They (Azul) talked to us and managed to bring forward the delivery of three or four planes from January 2009 to December of this year," said Embraer CEO Frederico Fleury Curado.

Azul has ordered 76 Embraer 190 and 195s and it has also agreed to lease two of the mid-sized planes from JetBlue. So far only one has the Azul livery: It's been named "O Rio de Janeiro continua Azul," a line from a Gilberto Gil song.

Oh, and by the way, another news report (linked below) says Azul is interested in building an airport in Sao Paulo. We're not holding our breath on that one!

Related Stories:
· Azul Wants to Build an Airport [El Mundo, in Spanish]
· Azul coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Azul]

Tags: Brazil Travel / Jungle Travel / The Natives Are Restless / → All Tags

Amazon Tribesmen Aim Arrows at Passing Plane

Experts with the Brazilian Indian Affairs department captured rare photos of a lost Amazon tribe while flying over one of the remotest corners of the South American jungle. The pictures show loincloth-clad warriors decked out in bright red body paint--waving bows and arrows at the photographers.

The experts who took the photographs say they arranged the flights in order to raise awareness about the more than 100 so-called uncontacted tribes living in the Amazon. These groups are currently in danger due to logging and the loss of their land.

Most of the isolated Amazonian tribes are spread throughout Brazil and Peru. Let the countdown for jungle vacation packages with mud massages and poison dart-making classes commence!

Related Stories:
· Rare Uncontacted Tribe Photographed in Amazon [Reuters]
· Jungle Paparazzo in Airplane Photographs "Uncontacted" Tribe [WorldHum]
· Brazil Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Survival International]

Tags: David Neeleman / New Airlines / Airlines / Embraer / Azul / Brazil Travel / → All Tags

New Airlines: Azul's Livery Revealed

David Neeleman's new Brazilian airline, Azul is chugging right along. The latest word is that the first flights will happen in January of 2009, and to tide us over, the carrier has released its new "corporate identity."

Yet again, we're seeing a lot of JetBlue in Azul. For starters, the livery on these Embraer jets looks familiar. B6 paints its E190s the same way, with blue on the bottom, white on top and a fancy tail pattern. Both airlines also have their web addresses stamped on the sides of their planes. Azul uses the Helvetica typeface--you've seen it at American Apparel, on American Airlines and on the NYC subway--while JetBlue works a slightly different sans serif face--called DIN--to get that jet-set look.

Inside, the similarities continue. Two-by-two leather seats are standard, and Azul plans to be the first Latin American airline with live TV in-flight. (Which JetBlue subsidiary company is providing it? LiveTV.)

Now, we're not saying all this copying is a bad thing; if the JetBlue model ain't broke, don't fix it. Want to join us in Brazil around, say, January 2009 to give Azul a try?

Related Stories:
· Neeleman's New Airline Name Sounds Familiar [Jaunted]
· Top Secret Airline Watch: Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil [Jaunted]

Tags: Brazil Travel / National Parks / Animals / → All Tags

Never Smile at a Puma in Brazil

Although most of the travel news coming out of Brazil recently is a bit odd--think floating priests and blue airlines--the Chapada Diamantina National Park has also been pumping out a few press releases, simply because it's stunningly beautiful. Their words, but we tend to agree.

A national park since the 1980s and in Bahia state in the northeast of the country, Chapada Diamantina is full of caves, rivers and hiking trails, some traces of gold and diamonds and tons of animals: parrots, lizards, and even jaguars and pumas.

Despite the PR push, info on Chapada Diamantina mentions that "there is no infrastructure support for visitors in the park." The tourist board recommends carrying water and sandwiches. We presume the sandwiches are to pacify hungry pumas that happen to pass by.

Related Stories:
· Valle de Capão, Brazil [About.com]
· Balloon Ride Goes Awry in Brazil [Jaunted]
· Brazil Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: philgee]

Tags: David Neeleman / New Airlines / Airlines / Embraer / Azul / Brazil Travel / → All Tags

Neeleman's New Airline Name Sounds Familiar

The contest to name David Neeleman's new airline is over, and though Samba was the favorite among Brazilians, the airline mogul is instead going with the second-place name Azul ("Blue"). Of course, his previous venture was JetBlue. Must have a thing for airline names that match his eye color.

Now that the name is out of the way, Neeleman can focus on equipping his 76 new Embraer planes with leather seats and live satellite TV, two of the amenities that helped JetBlue earn so much customer loyalty soon after its first flight in 2000.

The new website for the airline, voeazul.com.br, doesn't offer much just yet, though you can fork over your email address for updates. We've already submitted ours, hoping Neeleman will ping us the second he makes another blue move.

Related Stories:
· Top Secret Airline Watch: Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil [Jaunted]
· David Neeleman Confirms His Brazilian Airline [Jaunted]

Tags: Dangerous Travel / Brazil Travel / Odd Travel / → All Tags

Super Dangerous Travel: Balloon Ride Goes Awry in Brazil

Offered a hot air balloon ride? Make sure it's one balloon, not many: The Brazilian priest doing a charity stunt we told you about Wednesday has now been missing for five days after taking off from the coastal city of Paranagua. He was hooked up to 1,000 balloons.

Adelir Antonio de Carli wanted to raise money for a Christian outreach center for long-distance truckers, and parishioners said he had studied up on weather patterns and air currents in the region. But save a brief text message on Sunday night revealing he was about to crash into the Atlantic and traces of balloons found as far as 120 miles away, the priest seems to have disappeared, and local rescue workers are about to call off their search for him.

Maybe de Carli got the idea for his stunt from the 2004 movie "Danny Deckchair," in which an Australian man is mistakenly set aloft while sitting in a lawn chair. While fictional, the story was based on the real-life escapades of a Southern California man known as "Lawnchair Larry." These guys survived their stunts, but don't assume it's a good idea to travel this way--unless your destination is the Darwin Awards winner's circle.

Related Stories:
· Hope Fades for Finding Balloonist Priest [CTV]
· Here's Another Way to Fly Around Brazil [Jaunted]
· Dangerous Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ctv.ca]

Tags: David Neeleman / Brazil Travel / Odd Travel / World Records / → All Tags

Here's Another Way to Fly Around Brazil

While David Neeleman is working long hours to get a new Brazilian airline up and running, hopefully by next year, a Brazilian priest has been trying to show an easier way to get airborne.

We're guessing that Reverend di Carli thought something like "Who wants to wait around for an airline that doesn't even have a proper name yet," then hooked his chair to hundreds of helium-filled balloons and took off.

Okay, it might not have gone exactly like that, but it seems just as crazy, and the priest is missing over the ocean somewhere after losing his balloons. Seriously. The whole flight was supposed to be a record attempt to raise money, but it's raised hell instead. Now if only Neeleman's airline was already flying, they could help look for the reverend.

Related Stories:
· Brazilian Priest Still Missing At Sea [CNN]
· Neeleman Hard at Work in Brazil [Jaunted]
· Brazil Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Mark McLaughlin]