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August 30, 2005  So your dream of becoming an astronaut didn't work out. That's not such a bad thing given NASA's track record. Leave it to Richard Branson, the tycoon behind Virgin Galactic, to carve out an entirely new travel niche: space tourism.
While it's a ways down the road- 2008 to be exact-space travel is just within reach for a mere $200k (with a $20k deposit). You'll have a couple of years to visualize what your other-worldly adventure will be like. Like a scene from a movie you will shoot into space aboard the VSS Enterprise, which is carried under a mother ship to almost 10 miles above sea level. Then the countdown begins.
Traveling at lightning speeds you'll blast through the edges of the atmosphere, which you can view through individual panoramic windows. Once in space you can look back at earth, seeing a thousand miles in any direction. That's like seeing North Africa if you were in a spaceship above London or Miami from above Washington DC. You will see the clarity of the solar system and the powerful rays of the sun. Your space adventure will be caught on video and film so you can prove that you actually went to outer space. If you're going to spend $200k on a trip, you should have something to show for it right?
For LxM Amy Covington
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June 10, 2005  Luxury Escapes: With $250,000 you could buy a Ferrari F430 Spider, pay college tuition at an Ivy League school for two full-time students, supply food for an entire Ethiopian village for 10 years ... or get two weeks at Musha Cay. At $24,750.00 a day (plus $1,250 extra per day for each additional person if you're party exceeds 8) Musha Cay vacationers most likely can afford all the above expenditures in addition to paying their hotel bill--with plenty left over.
Musha Cay is located in the exotic Exuma Chain of the Bahamas, 85 miles southeast of Nassau, a 40- minute flight from Miami or a three-hour flight from New York or Chicago by commercial or private jet to nearby Mosstown, Great Exuma. With more than 150 acres of unspoiled tropical environment, pristine beaches and clear blue waters, Musha Cay hosts exclusive and private island vacations for travelers who demand the best money can buy.
For your "bargain" rate you will be greeted with elegant accommodations available for only you and your guests to ensure a totally private island experience. You may choose to stay in your own private 10,000-square-foot Manor House on the crest of a hill, or a thatched-roof Beach House far from sight and sound of another human being. Or you can stay in one of two Guest Villas with two bedrooms, private outdoor Jacuzzis and beaches or a five-bedroom Beachside Villa. All guests are attended to by 30+ eager-to-please staff.
For LxM Amy Covington
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February 25, 2005  Escape to Italy: As your helicopter makes its descent atop the massive Brenta Dolmites, you share the same overwhelming look as your friends, who have their noses pressed firmly against the glass in disbelief. After unloading your snowboards, applying your lip balm and SPF 30, you strap on your boots and make your way down the powdery slopes of Italy's Falzarego Pass. The following week is filled with adventures of surreal proportions, which include hiking up frozen waterfalls, venturing into unknown territory, and meeting friendly faces along the Corso.
Reserved only for those who are true ski enthusiasts- this trip will defy all expectations. The small town of Valgrisenche is home to some of the best extreme skiing in Italy. Embark on this journey by calling the heart of the Alps your home for the next six days. Get dropped daily by your private helicopter onto the fresh powder that the mountains provide. Explore the terrain with your expert guide and enjoy a truly unique adventure.
Day 1: Arrive at the airport in Milan Malpensa, where your shuttle will be waiting to take you the town of Valgrisenche. Upon arrival you will check into Hotel Perret where you will stay for the next six nights. Prepare yourself to wake up early the next day and venture out into the white snowy mountains .
Day 2 - 7:
For the next six days skiing is your journey. Enjoy 10 descents by helicopter from various locations. Learn tips and secrets from your personal UIAGM Valgrisenche guide.
In case of bad weather our guides will propose to move! Situated as we are on the southern side of the alps, it is often possible to move for heli skiing on the North. In Switzerland, just 1.5 hour away, we can often make some fabulous decents when the weather is not cooperating on the Italian side. Other activities can include:
Day out to discover nearby ski-resorts like Courmayeur, La Thuile or Pila
Introduction to Ice Climbing
Ski Touring
Day 7:
Enjoy your last night in Valgrisenche, before heading back to reality...
PRICE:
6 Day Package Price:
December, January, April, May: 1.350,00
February and March: 1.550,00 |
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January 24, 2005
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By Amy Covington
Level 6 white water rafting. Check. Hang-gliding over the Himalayas. Yawn. Zip lining through the rainforest. So
last year.
Traditional vacations don't do it for you. If there isn't a small chance
you could lose a limb, you're just not interested. You've tried
almost everything and want something that will really get your
blood flowing. Ilana Stein of Wilderness
Safaris, a company specializing in privately hosted safaris and
memorable wildlife experiences in the most remote and pristine
areas in southern Africa, thinks she has the perfect vacation
for adrenaline junkies - a real African
Safari.
Two Different Animals
You might think you could visit a wilderness park and get the
same experience as you would on a safari - and you want excitement,
not boring photo-ops with zebras. According to Stein, the two
have very few similarities.
"A real, wilderness safari experience is not bound
by two days or even three weeks," Stein said. "On
our safaris, the wilderness experience is combined with the
comfort of a five-star hotel to create a unique encounter with
the rapidly disappearing wild places of our planet. Imagine
lying at night in the snug safety of your bed, hearing the calls
of the wild and feeling the pulse of Africa just outside. Imagine
being able to choose between your en-suite shower inside and
your bathtub outside, with the bright African sun or the twinkling
Southern Cross shining down on you."
When you visit a wilderness park you're carted around in
a van, bus or Jeep along with other visitors. Usually the
conditions are hot and uncomfortable. You're there for a few
hours, possibly a day, and then the park closes and you drive
back to civilization. When you take a real safari vacation,
you're in the middle of the action for your entire trip. Wilderness
Safaris camps are designed to fit in with their surroundings,
so you don't feel like an awkward tourist invading something
sacred.
"Our camps are designed to blend in completely with the surrounding
environment and individual location. Most camps are built
from natural materials, not bricks and tiles and are small
- three rooms in the smallest camp and the largest just 12. Such modest-sized
camps mean that we minimize impact on the area as well as provide superb,
personal service."
All Wilderness
Safaris camp sites are situated in unspoiled, private areas - so
that means public parks are generally out of the question,
so you won't drive down the road and find a Denny's or Wal-Mart. "This
ensures your experience is a private one. Currently the
custodian of over two million acres of pristine wildlife
and wilderness areas in southern Africa, Wilderness
Safaris actually owns very little of this land. Most of these reserves
are either 'safari concessions' or private reserves that are
leased from communities or governments on medium-term leases
with strict environmental guidelines."
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January 01, 2004 
Luxury Courses: Adult education can be a beautiful thing. Lovers of the finer things in life-like Aston Martin cars and Valrhona chocolates-can learn about them by taking special courses offered by their parent companies... often in exceedingly pleasant surroundings.
Learning vacations can teach you everything from how to drive an Aston Martin and gamble in Monte Carlo's renowned casinos to how to make truffles using Valrhona's fabled chocolate. At the very least, they'll turn you into a great date.
Related Forbes Traveler Reading
Other "status skills" you can pick up include glass-blowing-taught at a school outside Seattle founded by the famed artisan, Dale Chihuly-wine and scotch-making, tango and ballroom dancing, and even learning how to be a mahout, or elephant driver. Hint: It's all in the knees.
See our slideshow of Learning Vacations.
And these courses won't set you back a semester. Waltz lessons, given by Vienna's famed Elmayer Dance School, are 50 minutes long, while Glengoyne Distillery, a scotch producer outside of Glasgow, offers two blending courses, one two hours long and another a half day. Both include a tour of the distillery and necessitate the drinking of fine scotch.
The elephant riding course is three days long, while the tango courses are offered as part of four and eight-day packages. The glass-blowing courses given at Chihuly's Pilchuck School require some commitment, however?each one is each 17 days long.
Many of the courses are offered in exotic destinations, making for an unusual, edifying vacation. The mahout program, for example, is given at an elephant camp run by Thailand's National Elephant Institute at the posh Anantara Resort Golden Triangle, north of Chiang Rai (hardly a hardship post). Gambling classes are taught at the swank Monte-Carlo casinos in Monaco, naturally, while Valrhona's chocolate courses are held at the company's headquarters near Lyon, France. Tango courses are available at the Maison Dandi Royal, an Art Nouveau hotel located in San Telmo, a bohemian neighborhood in Buenos Aires.
Kathy Holler, managing director of destination sales for Virtuoso, a consortium of high-end travel agencies, says taking a vacation to pick up new skills?which she dubs "experiential travel"?is very popular today.
Traveling has become very personal she explains. "We're all very busy and have limited time. Experiential travel in some way touches your soul. When you go home, you take a treasure with you, something you learned. It stays with you a long time."
Linda Viviani, a Napa Valley winemaker who also runs a travel company that offers courses to those interested in blending their own wine, says these do well because "people want to learn why your wine tastes different than mine. And wine is a collector's item. You can bring it home and share it with your guests."
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