Travel News Round-Up: November 1-7
Source: By Elizabeth Haggarty, AOL Travel
Posted: 11/05/09 1:38PM
Filed Under: Travel
Scared of Flying? There's an iPhone app for that. Virgin Atlantic has launched an iphone version of its popular 'Flying Without Fear' course, which claims a success rate of over 98 percent. The app includes an introduction from Richard Branson, a video-based in-flight explanation of a flight and fear therapy exercises. There's also a panic button for emergencies.
Taiwanese room service now comes with kibble. Two luxury hotels for pets have sprung up in the country in an attempt to reduce the number of stray dogs. The Pet's Dream Park and Little Treasure Pet Lodging and Comfort School offer pooches VIP suites complete with pools and story times to improve their moods. The hotels cater to people who don't have the time or money to care for their pet (the daily $14 rate is less than the average home care cost for a pooch). The island's dog woes began after the economic successes of the 80s led to a boom in pet ownership and subsequent increase in abandoned pets. Earlier this month the countries environmental protection bureau offered vouchers worth 100 Taiwan dollars ($3) for every kilo of dog poo collected by its citizens.
Lost in a foreign city? Just follow your feet. A U.S. patent has been granted for a GPS system installed in shoes. Before all you directionally-challenged travellers start ramming navigation systems in your runners, remember to watch out for puddles.
The Tour de France is for wimps; true adventurers gear up for the Tour Divide. This grueling off-road challenge takes cyclists 2,745 miles from Banff, down the Rocky Mountains, to the border with Mexico. There are no support cars, masseuses, mechanics or prize money. Instead, intrepid helmet heads slog through rocky climbs and breakneck descents to rely on whatever comforts the next town holds.
Hundreds of tourists were greeted to more of a spectacle than they expected at a traditional Mayan horse race in Guatemala. Despite a drinking ban, moonshine was smuggled into the event. The result: riders fell off their horses. "People here aren't able to hold their drink, if they have one drink, they just continue until they're so drunk they want to hit someone," Modesto Mendez, the mayor of the village told Reuters.
100 %
0 %
