Upon hearing this bit of news my first thought was “thank God” since I was getting a bit nervous with this $4.4 million burning a hole in my pocket. That’s the price for a three-night stay in this galactic pod room which will be traveling at 18,000+ miles per hour 280 miles above the earth. The developers think it’s quite a deal since the price also includes an eight-week training course on a tropical island. For that price they better resurrect Marlon Brando to be my island host.

Each pod will hold four guests who will wear Velcro suits so they can stick to the walls like Spiderman instead of floating all over the place. It will also hold two astronaut-pilots, which is a pretty good idea for anyone who needs to be back at work on Monday morning.

But to get to the resort you’ll need to first get yourself to Spaceport America in New Mexico, where British tycoon Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, still being developed, will propel you up to the station. And that will be another $200,000 a pop unless the Galactic Suite Ltd. Folks can cut you a package deal.

“When the passengers arrive in the rocket, they will join it for 3 days, rocket and capsule. With this we create in the tourist a confidence that he hasn’t been abandoned,” says a representative of the company.

I like that part the best, you know, about feeling that I haven’t been abandoned. After all, what right-minded traveler wants to be stuck up there for eternity with a bunch of old Russian satellites when you still have Machu Picchu and the Great Barrier Reef to see?

On the other hand, you will get to see the sun rise and set 15 times a day. Now that could be really romantic.

Jim Ferri

I’ve often wondered — as I guess anyone with just an inkling of testosterone has also — what it must be like to own your own plane. Ah, that’s the way to travel.

So I’m writing now to tell you that two opportunities may be knocking at your door. But remember, I’m just the messenger — not your personal banker.

The first, brought to my attention by Jaunted, is the opportunity to snatch a plane I’ve seen a few times at New York’s LaGuardia — Trump’s private jet. Yes, that Trump, aka Donald. I guess things must be getting a bit tight.

Trump’s plane is a 727, a plane I’ve refused to fly for years since most are over 40 years old. Donald’s, however, is done up in style and listed as “stunning, recently refurbished 24 passenger interior in a VIP configuration”. That’s it to the right — if you’d like to see more photos of what life must be like on the flying carpet go to the Leader Aviation website. And you’ll need to ask for the price.

Our second plane — an Airbus 320 — is not quite flyable but it does have great significance. Yes, according to Gothamist, the Airbus that was the famous US Airways Flight 1549 — the very plane landed by Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in New York’s Hudson River after a bird strike took out both engines — is about to be auctioned by the insurance company Chartis.

There are a few issues with the aircraft, of course. First off, it is listed as having “severe water damage throughout airframe.” Geez, what a surprise.

And it also it has no engines and comes in quite a few pieces which you can view on the insurance company’s aircraft salvage page.

But if you can overlook the water damage for the moment, look at the opportunities here. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, it would make a rather nifty, although quite long, coffee table. Or you could just salvage the seats and have all your friends sit in them to watch the premier of the movie “Miracle on the Hudson” whenever Hollywood gets off its butt and gets around to filming it.

Starring John Travolta, obviously.

Jim Ferri

I have an iPhone and, yes, I agree that a lot of the apps are junk and frivolous — mugs of beer, xrays of hands, etc., etc. But there are some very good and useful ones, however, which can make life on the road or tarmac a lot more bearable.

I like FlightTrack which tracks flights in real time (also visually on a map, so you can see where a plane is) and provides the departure and landing gates even before the folks at the airport know them. It’s saved me a lot of time when I need to pick up people at the airport. There are also apps for transit systems (want to know which subway to take in New York to get to Columbus Circle plus when is the next train and how frequently they run?) and Zagat guides and a thousand others.

What’s really interesting though is the development of a new app which shows how ingenious some businesses can be.  Out in Sin City Harrah’s Entertainment has developed an app with a GPS locator that can follow you through any of the company’s Las Vegas properties. And don’t let me hear all that whining about Big Brother — if you’re that paranoid about BB don’t use the app.

What really makes this a standout — it’s an industry first — is that since it tracks you it can send special offers to your phone that coincide with attractions in the area where you are.

Think of it: if you’re in the area of Paris Las Vegas - voila! — they could text two free admissions to your phone. If there are tickets left for a show and you’re in the area, they could offer you discount tickets to see Bette Midler or Elvis…well Bette Midler, anyway.

It’s a good use of technology to enhance customer service and provide an edge over the competition.

If anyone else knows of good apps I’d like to hear about them.

Jim Ferri

I’ve been giving it some thought and I think I can help the president on this. And, by the way, at the same time put some money into the federal coffers.

Remember Richard what’s-his-name, the infamous shoe bomber who tried to bring a plane down nine years ago by igniting explosives in his shoes? And remember what security measures were taken after that episode? Yes, now all of us must take off our shoes as we walk through security check points at airports.

Well, if we put two and two together it’s obvious what’s going to happen now. Since our latest fanatic had explosives sewn into his underwear you can bet that in the next few days TSA is going to mandate that we all have to take off our underpants and have them x-rayed as we go through security.

I know some will certainly say this is a clear violation of privacy. But isn’t the shoe policy a violation of privacy? After all, everyone gets to see your bunions and the holes in your socks.

But rest assured that there really shouldn’t be any problems with the new policy. In fact, I’ve heard from a highly placed administration source that since the shoe policy has already set a precedent, the underpants policy should fly through without a problem.

But I think we should take this whole thing even further and get all those new see-you-naked xray machines funded by the private sector. I hope the folks at TSA are listening since this could save some big bucks.

Since we already sell naming rights to sports stadiums, why not just also sell naming rights to the xray machines? Just think of the money it will bring in and the marketing possibilities…”Fruit of the Loom welcomes you to Newark Airport”…”Calvin Kline reminds you to put your laptop and underpants in separate bins”…”Welcome to Security Portal 34D, Sponsored by Victoria’s Secret”…

Well, Mr. President, there’s one less problem for you to worry about.

Jim Ferri

Time magazine has come out with its Best & Worst Lists, including its Top 10 Odd Spa Treatments. Believe me, these treatments are the perfect gift for any traveler.

If you’re headed for the Czech Republic there’s a beer bath right outside Prague at the Chodovar Family Brewery. $35 will get you a 20-minutes soak in the tub, the contents of which I presume you can’t drink or, for that matter, would want to.

At the Hotel Heubad Spa in the Italian Alps give your loved one a roll in the hay — moist, fermenting hay heated to 104 degrees — for about 20 minutes.  According to the hotel it will soothe their aches and pains and stimulate their metabolism.

If you’re heading for Israel, who would want to miss the opportunity to enjoy a snake massage at the Ada Barak Northern Israel spa? So soothing…great big slithering corn and king snakes and smaller milk snakes kneading muscles all over your body. There’s no word yet whether you can walk out with a new set of pumps or a bag once the $70 session is over.

At the Sampuoton Spa in Malaysia get a fish massage as tiny garra rufa — little silvery-black creatures nicknamed “doctor fish” — nibble away at tough skin flakes on your feet. Customers emerge post-treatment with smoother, softer skin and a wallet $50 lighter.

If you’re patriotic and only want to buy American, you may want to opt for the Caviar Pedicure ($100) at Boston’s Spa Newbury, or the 24-Carat Gold Facial at the Nidah Spa ($500) at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe. Or, since all fun things happen in California, head for Lancer Dermatology in Beverly Hills for a “Placenta Facial” (with another whopping price tag of $500) or a Snake Venom Facial ($385) at the Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic in Los Angeles. Clients there include Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna and Demi Moore.

The best, though, is left for last — a Bird Poo Facial at the Hotel Wailea Spa on Maui in Hawaii. Yes folks, for only $225 you can enjoy 80-minutes worth of fun having pulverized nightingale poop smeared all over your face.

According to Time, nightingale poop is a well-kept Japanese beauty secret — geishas and Kabuki actors used it to repair skin damage caused by heavy makeup use — and it “bleaches the skin [and] helps to exfoliate, which then prevents blemishes,” says one of the therapists. But you had better have a well-feathered nest for this — it’s recommended that you get the $225 treatment every week.

On the other hand, if you’ve been hard hit by the recession you could just go to your local pet store and buy a canary for in-home weekly treatments for your loved one.

Jim Ferri

For example, a few years back we broke ground in the use of social media on the website of Tourism Ireland — the first use of SM on the website of an international tourist board. We continue our work with it today since it is also a great marketing tool — just as long as you use it right. (Okay, enough of the commercial).

I say this since from my perspective some people just don’t know when, and when not, to use it. In regard to the latter, a Maryland groom stopped his wedding ceremony last month — no, not at the reception but right on there on the altar as he was saying his “I do’s” — when he pulled out his cell phone to update his Twitter and Facebook accounts. But perhaps I’m too hasty to judge — perhaps he was just notifying all his ex-girlfriends.

According to Reuters:

Dana Hanna, who works for a pet website, also posted a short video of the ceremony on the Internet. It showed him reaching into his pocket for his phone as the minister was about to pronounce the couple husband and wife.

The video has had more than 350,000 views.

“Oh, Dana is updating his relationship status on Facebook,” the minister said as the audience at the wedding laughed.

After Hanna finished twittering he continued the ceremony.

“As I was saying, I now pronounce you husband and wife. It’s now official on Facebook. It’s official in my book. Dana you may kiss your bride.”

Hanna, who lists his profession on the networking site LinkedIn as chief architect at Next Day Pets, described his reaction to the ceremony on his YouTube account the day after the ceremony.

“I surprised not only my guests, but also Tracy (his wife) by pulling out my phone and posting on Facebook and Twitter from the altar during out wedding,” he said.

Click here to see the video.

Jim Ferri

One survey I’ve always looked forward to — at least for the past three years — is Zagat’s Airline Survey which covers 16 domestic and 73 international airlines as well as a number of U.S. airports. The ratings are based on a 30-point scale that measures a variety of things including comfort, service and food.

This year’s survey, done online, snared 5,895 frequent fliers and travel agents who, Zagat claims, collectively took 97,600 flights in the past year. Although that’s an average of 16+ flights per person, 33% of these people say they are now flying less often. I can only assume this it due to blisters on their butts.

To those of us who fly a lot it comes as no great surprise that this year the major American carriers — American, Delta, United, and US Air — continued to receive rather dismal ratings for their domestic economy class service, ranging between 9 and 11 on a 30-point scale. Continental received a score of 15.

It’s obvious also that travelers like youth, both in equipment and crews. JetBlue and Virgin America — which fly newer planes with younger crews — received ratings of 19 and 21, respectively.

As is always the case in these surveys, international flights receive substantially higher scores. While Continental scored the highest among the major U.S. carriers, the top ratings for international service goes to Singapore (24), Emirates (22) and All Nippon Airways (21).

As for airports, Portland International was rated #1, followed by Tampa International, Detroit Wayne County, Orlando International and Minneapolis/St. Paul International. New York’s LaGuardia Airport should be commended for consistency — for the third straight year it’s come in dead last.

But the best part of Zagat’s surveys is always the online graffiti — those acerbic remarks left behind by survey participants. This year’s missives include such comments as “basks in its adequacy” and “at least you don’t have to pay extra to have your luggage delayed.”

The best, though, touted “the miracle airline… 23 wheelchair passengers pre-boarded, but only four need them after landing.”

Jim Ferri

There’s an article in the British newspaper Telegraph about a hotel in Nantes, France that makes you feel like a hamster. Yes, on your next vacation you can now stay in a room where you can work out on a giant hamster wheel, feed on hamster grain and sleep in hay.

And you can get all this for only about $150, although those on a strict budget could probably hop over to the local Maison Dépôt and buy the cage wire, etc. for about half that.

“The hamster in the world of children is that little cuddly animal. Often, the adults who come here have wanted or did have hamsters when they were small,” Yann Falquerho told the Telegraph.

Falquerho, along with Frederic Tabary, is the owner of the hotel and, according to the paper, was also dressed as a hamster for the interview. Now there’s a fun couple for you.

They warn customers, however, that room prices will soon be going up since today’s hamsters need a giant TV screen and Wifi. Oui, certainement!

This hay craze, although sans hamster, has also spread elsewhere in Europe.

According to CNN some  nature lovers and eco-conscious tourists in Germany, Austria and Switzerland — looking for cheap and unusual accommodations, no doubt — are now staying in converted barns and sleeping on beds of hay.

In one of these Heuhotels (’heu’ is German for hay), people can now get close to nature even in the wee hours of the morning. The accommodation range from feed stalls with wooden platforms to open lofts stuffed with bales of hay.

Some hotels provide privacy curtains and, in some, a bottle of wine to hit the hay with. Most, however, still require you to bring your own sleeping bag and towels.

And all this for just $16 a night. Hamsters, no doubt, are extra.

Jim Ferri