For most people, the idea of space travel is limited exclusively to either astronauts or fictitious movies and television shows. It’s true that many popular movies, such as Star Wars or Star Trek, have depicted space travel as a mode of transportation that is strictly made for science fiction movies – but the reality is that it’s not. Space travel, or the so-called space tourism industry, is a very real thing, and it will allow “regular” people the chance to travel through space.

The whole idea of space tourism is exciting for most people to think about, and the idea that space travel may soon be on the same level as commercial air travel in terms of accessibility and popularity, is even more exciting to think about (certainly more exciting than emptying vacuum cleaner bags). Today there are already companies out there that are basically “space travel agencies”, and with their services, you can book your flight to outer space. One of the largest companies of this kind was founded in 1998 and based in Virginia called Space Adventures.

Before you run out to book one of these one-of-a-kind private space travel experiences, you had better have some money in the bank to finance the space trip, because they’re not cheap! The first official space tourist was Dennis Tito who reportedly payed $20 million for the ticket. Tito was blasted to outer space aboard the Soyuz spacecraft en route to the International Space Station. His flight left in May of 2001 with the Russian Space Agency providing the transportation approximately 189 – 248 statute miles up into space. These days, that same trip costs about $30 million to climb aboard the 3 person spacecraft, and it’s booked solid through 2009.

Spacecrafts for these flights into space are being designed and built as we speak. Here’s a short list of some of the innovative spacecraft designed for commercial space travel: Soyuz spacecraft, SpaceShipOne, SpaceShipTwo, WhiteKnightTwo, Cosmopolis XXI. On average, these spacecraft will reach speeds of Mach 3, they’ll fly 360,000ft, or 68.18 miles high, and the entire flight will last between 1 – 3 hours with seating for only 5 or 6 people.

As space tourism continues to become ever more affordable, so demand and accessibility grows, and thus, we are seeing spaceports popping-up around the world. In many ways, these new spaceports are like typical airports, except for the fact that they are launchpads to outer-space. Many spaceports being constructed today are privately owned and financed, while some will be sponsored by the government of their respective countries. Many new spaceports are planning to begin launching travellers into outer space within the next year or two. Costs for these flights are estimated to be in the $200,000 range, and in most cases the flight will last about 1 hour. So is there a spaceport near you? Lets find out!

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As a kid you probably enjoyed making sandcastles on the beach but did you ever think sandcastles could be so big, so elaborate or intricate? Some take it seriously, very seriously. Amateurs, artists and businesses from around the globe compete to win the prestige, prizes and press attention from their sandcastles AKA sand sculptures, the more accurate term for this peculiar endeavour. Even the corporates at companies such as eBay take a good sandcastle seriously, eBay commissioned a monster 75 tonne sand sculpture for their 10th anniversary. These sand sculptures are typically made using river sand, which is a finer material when compared with beach sand and therefore more suited to being sculpted. Unlike your puny childhood attempt at sand castle glory, some of these oversized sandcastles withstand weeks of erosion before disappearing. Here are some of the finest examples of sand sculptures from around the world!

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Celebrities generally maintain a permanent residence in some pretty beautiful places, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still want to get away from time to time. In an industry where trendiness is everything, there’s a different hot spot every year. As you’d expect these are some of the most stylish and expensive hotspots on the planet, after all, what self respecting celeb wants to be papped fumbling around the beach on some bargain holiday with the rest of the bucket and spade brigade? Here are nine vacation hot spots where you’ll more often than not run into someone rich and famous.

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New Year’s Eve is just as much about spectacular fireworks displays as it is about expensive club entry fees, booze and parties. In recent years there has been growing competition between the world’s major cities as to who can lay claim to the title of best New Year’s Eve fireworks extravaganza, and 2008 was no exception. This year’s party was characterised by displays of war-like proportions; in London the display was of such magnitude that at one stage it seemed Donald Rumsfeld was back to open another can of shock-and-awe whoopass for the world to see! Here are the best displays we could find captured on video. Turn your speakers way up, grab a drink and watch as these major cities quite literally blow up our taxes!

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The invention of a bicycle can be regarded as a revolution that changed the way the world travels. It is the most energy efficient form of travel that is helpful in more than a single way. It takes least amount of energy to get to point B from point A when compared to any form of machine-less travel. It also serves as a good workout for the rider and most importantly, it does not emit any green house gases into our environment.

The Chinese seem to have understood the secret behind bicycles more than anybody else(it’s changing); they use it more than any other form of travel. Rich cities in Europe and Japan have been realizing the advantages of bicycles and have jumped on the bandwagon. United States is probably the only country that hasn’t embraced the secret behind longer living with good health and healthy environment. Less than 1% commuters in the US use bicycles.

The production of bicycles is outnumbering other vehicles by a huge margin. Around the world, the production of bicycles outnumbers automobiles by almost two times; and outnumbers cars by at least three times.