Travel Tonic

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 3rd 2009 through December 4th 2009:

• Baby born during Southwest flight – Sean O’Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek’s Travel Blog:Baby onboard! Southwest Airlines confirms that a baby was born in mid-air today on flight 441 from Chicago to Salt Lake City. A local NBC News TV station reports that “a medical service on the radio helped a doctor on the plane delivery the baby.”
• World’s largest cruise ship sets sail – Amy Chen recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek’s Travel Blog:The world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, sets sail on its maiden voyage this weekend. The seven-night Royal Caribbean cruise leaves Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and stops in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Nassau, Bahamas before heading back to Florida.
• Paris: How to connect with travelers and locals – Meg Zimbeck recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek’s Travel Blog:One of the challenges of visiting Paris, especially when going solo, is finding a way to interact with other people despite the language barrier. In this blog series, we’ll be offering tips and suggestions to help you connect.
• ‘Tis the season to get obsessive about your mileage – Nina Willdorf recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek’s Travel Blog:Airline mileage junkies now have a mascot in George Clooney, thanks to his new movie Up in the Air, in which he’s in hot pursuit of acquiring 10 million miles. It was a smart month for the movie to come out, as this is the time of year when the clock is ticking for elite members to hit the targets they need to retain their status. Director Jason Reitman, a self-proclaimed mileage junkie, tells USA Today that he once did a mileage run from LA to Chicago, in which he picked up a pizza and turned right back around—just to retain his elite status.

  I���m also a member of the crazy mileage-hog club. A couple years back, when I was set to drop from Gold to Silver (the horror!) on American’s AAdvantage program, I found a cheap flight to LA and did a quickie weekend that racked up just enough miles to keep me safely ensconced in Gold status. I realized at the time that it was totally absurd, but I talked myself into because I got to see a girlfriend in West Hollywood I always have a blast with.

  As the mileage madness swirls, I wonder, what���s the Clooniest thing you’ve done (or bought) to rack up miles? Feel free to post a comment below.

• Paris Treat #22: Gourmet marshmallows – Meg Zimbeck recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek’s Travel Blog:It’s especially difficult now to find treats in Paris because of the weakened buying power of the dollar in France.
• 11 wacky things you can buy in the sky – RobinD_travel recently posted this over on the Bing Travel Blog:We all get bored at 30,000 feet. Every year, about 650 million travelers compulsively reach for the in-flight catalog stuffed into their airline seat pockets. Thus begins a virtual shopping expedition that is highly amusing, if not always entirely practical.

  Turns out, you can buy some really wacky things in the sky. How about an underwater cell phone system? Or a zombie sculpture for the back yard? And who doesn’t love a remote-controlled tarantula for teasing your favorite arachnophobe?

  But wait, there’s more. The HairMax LaserComb promises to stimulate your hair follicles and re-grow hair in “as little as 12 weeks.” Don’t you know at least one person who might appreciate this gift? What’s that you say? Your entire poker gang?

  In a new slide show on Bing Travel, we present 11 Wacky Things You Can Buy in the Sky. Fortunately, you can buy them on the ground, too. Just follow the link from each page to discover where you can buy them.

  Have you ever bought something from an airline shopping catalog? Tell us about it. Share your experience with other travelers in the comments section.

• Three Great Airport Parking Strategies for the Holidays – Smarter Travel has posted some info about metro areas: As many of you gear up for the holidays, you may be considering your options for getting to and from the airport. Even in the busiest metro areas, a few affordable parking options exist.Head over to www.smartertravel.com to read the whole article.