With the PB Travel 1st class kit you could be living like 1st class in good old coach.

The kit includes a pair of disposable socks along with a blanket & eyemask. The super soft fleece blanket is easy to care for as it is machine washable and dries in 10 minutes.

Living like a chosen folk will only cost $20, which is much cheaper than an upgrade…..now if they could only invent a way to make the seat seem less sardine-canish?!

Available at en-day.com

Holiday travel to one of America’s best-loved cities is all wrapped up with ‘San Francisco Faves’ – a budget-friendly package that includes a collection of activities, accommodations and dining only found in The City by the Bay.

Available through February 28, 2009, the ‘San Francisco Faves’ package includes a deluxe guest room at the Orchard Hotel, a $100 voucher for lunch or dinner at Scoma’s Restaurant, and two CityPasses, a booklet of tickets to San Francisco’s best attractions including the newly re-opened California Academy of Sciences, and unlimited rides on the city’s famous cable cars.

The one-night package is $299 based on double occupancy and not including taxes, gratuities or alcoholic beverages. If sold separately, package items in ‘San Francisco Faves’ would cost an additional $180.

Additional room nights begin at $129. This package is not available on December 31, 2008. For reservations or information, please visit theorchardhotels.com or call toll-free 888/717-2881.

Dec. 14-16….Bangkok Jazz Festival….Bangkok, Thailand

Dec. 16-19….Riyadh Motor Show….Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Dec. 18….Lichterschwimmen….Zurich, Switzerland

Dec. 18-21….Circumnavigando Festival….Genoa, Italy

Dec.  21….Christmas Swim….Nice, France

Finding the perfect postcard at times is nearly impossible…then finding a stamp, figuring out the correct postage, finding a mailbox…this process can feel like you are going on a wild goose chase…this is why I have sworn off non-electronic communication when traveling. But every time I leave on a trip one of my friends has to set off my guilt-o-meter by saying the famous line “send me a postcard from X.”

So when I discovered HazelMail.com I was ecstatic…my postcard-guilt-complex is over!  Hazel Mail is an ingenious website that allows you to upload photos and fill out a virtual postcard. They then print it and mail it out for you…in the time it takes to write an email you have sent a physical postcard. The service costs $1.50, which is cheap when you consider how much time you will save on your vacation.

Weighing in at only 3.3 ounces and just four inches long, the Flip Mino digital camcorder is a mini techno wonder. The small camera shoots 60 minutes of MPEG-4 quality video and is small enough to fit in most pockets.

For a traveler this is the ultimate video camera to take with you anywhere, and for the technically challenged the Flip Mino is simple enough for a toddler to use…just press the big red button on the back and you are the next Scorsese.

The camera features a built in USB connector that pops up when you press a button…making the camera feel like a Bond gadget, and makes downloading your videos a breeze…you literally plug the camera directly into your computer and the Mino does the rest.

A unique twist the company offers is the option to customize the camera online.  Through their website you can upload a design or photo and it will be printed directly onto the white plastic body of the camera you order. If you can’t come up with a design yourself, the website has tons of ready to use designs and even a design generator for those looking to be the next Picasso. The Flip Mino costs $180 and now comes in an HD version for $230, available at theflip.com

Here is some Japanes pop to lighten your day by the properly named band C-ute, the song is “Sakura Chirari”……they are soooo cute it is sickening!

Hotel Habita is a chic way to visit Mexico City (or DF as the locals call it). The hotel is located in the district of Polanco, DF’s swankiest neighborhood. The very modern hotel attracts the jet setter types and the roof top bar Area is a popular hangout for the beautiful locals…its amazing how many of them look like they popped out of Spanish Telenovela! Room prices range from $310-400…so it is not for the budget conscience…but a fun alternative to the traditional architecture Mexico is famous for.

hotelhabita.com, Avenida Presidente Masaryk 201, Polanco, Mexico City, Tel: +52-55-5282-3100

1. Hermes Space Shuttle

2. Citygirl becomes a cowgirl

3. Mrs. Bean

4. Vayama.com

5. Hula Madness

Was investigating the country of Laos and came across this recipe…..

Ingredients

▪ 1 1/2 cups brown rice — cooked 1 cup nonfat milk

▪ 1 medium banana — cut in slices

▪ 1 can fruit (15-ounce can) — cut in slices

▪ 1/4 cup water

▪ 2 tablespoons honey

▪ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

▪ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

▪ 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the banana and fruit slices, water, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until quite tender but not mushy.

3. Add the rice and milk and mix thoroughly.

4. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 more minutes. Serve warm.

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.”  

~Anatole France