Jaunted

Tags: Three Is a Trend / Restaurants / Food Travel / → All Tags

Restaurants On The Ground Are Out

Why eat in a plain-old ground-level restaurant when you can eat outdoors, high in the sky?

We've already told you about dining atop a giant concrete tree in Japan and in a crane 150 feet above the ground in Belgium. Now, the latest sky-high dining craze is the Yellow Treehouse restaurant, which opens this week in Auckland, New Zealand.

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Tags: Three Is A Trend / BASE Jumping / Travel News / → All Tags

BASE Jumping Picking Up Even More Fans

Because kayaking isn't extreme enough, because it's on your list of resolutions or because you'd rather not actually get stuck in a ski gondola: The reasons to go BASE jumping this new year are plenty, and we've been hearing more and more about the insane sport recently.

In Whistler, two nuts leaped from the new Peak2Peak gondola, which is at its highest point more than 1,400 feet above the ground. Meanwhile, three jumpers in Minneapolis were nabbed by cops after they flung themselves from the 32-story-high Foshay Tower--and then returned to the building, now a W Hotel, to brag about the feat in the lobby bar.

But lest this trend seem too safe, an English jumper snagged his 'chute on a cliff face in Devon in December and had to be rescued by the local coast guards. While he was uninjured, authorities said a similar incident in 1996--when BASE jumping was truly cutting edge!--left a thrill seeker seriously hurt.

Related Stories:
· Base Jumpers Caught Bragging at the W Hotel [HC]
· Parachutist Caught on Cliff Face [BBC]
· Booming BASE, Phobics Need Not Apply [Jaunted]

Tags: Three Is a Trend / Travel Trends / Travel News / Ryanair / Vivaaerobus / Megabus / Travel Deals / → All Tags

Free Tickets All Around

Now this is a trend we can get behind: In the face of a recession, companies are giving away tickets to keep people traveling.

In Mexico, VivaAerobus is giving away seats on certain flights to its hub in Monterrey. You'll have to pick up taxes and fees, but your flight from Austin, Cancun or Puerto Vallarta will be fare-free. And even if you want to connect in Monterrey to another flight, you won't be spending much: One-way tickets start at about $30.

In the US, Megabus will be giving away 100,000 free seats starting today for travel January 14-March 18, 2009. Just type in the promo code "greenbus" to see if your dates and routes are eligible. We randomly picked a trip between New York and Baltimore on January 15 and found six trips with free seats out of 14 daily departures. (Of course, the other trips were priced at $1 and $4, but still!)

And in Europe, Ryanair's 1 million free seat promotion continues until Friday. As usual, you'll cover the taxes and fees--and might get slapped with additional fees if you're not careful about the weight of your luggage--but the upside is a "free" flight. Even better? The carrier has a handy PDF of all the current availabilities so you don't waste your afternoon digging through city pairs and departure times.

Related Stories:
· Free Seats to Mexico [Airfare Watchdog]
· Megabus [Official Site]
· Ryanair [Official Site]
· Travel Trends coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Megabus]

Tags: Three Is A Trend / Emerging Destinations / Travel News / → All Tags

Love For Cartagena Continues

November's issue of Budget Travel reminds us all again of how vibrant Cartagena, Colombia has become and how it only seems to be gaining in popularity. A first-person feature on the seaside city explores some of its coolest must-dos--and dispels petty myths about crime.

Cartagena's tourist scene seems to be an authentic blend of the city's old and new, with funky, bright guesthouses springing up all over (read on for some recommendations) and Cuban- and Spanish-influenced restaurants and after-hours spots for passing the evenings.

We think we might need to break out our guyaberas pretty soon and head there!

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