From July 1 to September 21, travelers who are making Hong Kong their vacation spot can look forward to endless indulgence and surprises. Trust me, this truly is the best time to visit Hong Kong if you’re looking to shop till you drop.

First off let’s talk about shopping, after all, that’s what Hong Kong is famed for (apart from the food, if you ask me *slurp*). Participating stores and shopping malls all around the city will be filled with special offers, shopper activities and events. You won’t want to miss these amazing world-class offerings. If you’re a first timer in Hong Kong, check out this special guide to shopping by district. Don’t want to shop with a wallet full of cash? Then don’t because there’s a Visa ‘Million Dollar Travel Bonanza’ Lucky Draw which you’re eligible to enter by shopping with your Visa card.

Now there’s the food, goodness gracious, if you’ve been to Hong Kong before you’d know why I can’t stop raving about Hong Kong food. The food there is excellent. Whatever your preference maybe - casual, hip or formal dining options, there are fantastic choices.

And if you’re wondering where to stay, participating hotels will be offering special promotions and packages for visitors this summer. For more information, check this out.

Soak in the Olympic crazed atmosphere while you’re in Hong Kong this summer season. Hong Kong is to host the Equestrian Events of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Sure you are not forced to pay to choose your seat. You can have it assigned to you during check-in. Now imagine a family of 5, being assigned separate seats. Spirit does not guarantee you’d all be seated together. You have to pay for such a priviledge. Bugger!

Spirit say it’s a move to generate more profits without raising airfares. I beg to differ. While I understand the airline industry is hurt by rising oil prices, just raise the fare in advance instead of making every single service optional and inconveniently charge me for them. Charge me once, even if its higher, and be done with it.

What’s more? Seats booked might get bumped if the flight is overbooked. In other words, there are no guarantees even after booking.

I’m not alone that is disgusted by how Spirit is doing its business these days. Read their grouses …

As for its fleet, Midwest has announced that it will reduce the number of planes down to about 25 Boeing 717’s. Effectively slashing the domestic carrier’s fleet by half.

It appears Midwest is on the brink of Chapter 11 bankruptcy and with the layoff announcement, the airlines is likely gasping for it’s last breath of air. This also hints that Midwest, if it fails to recover from its current slum, might end up in the hands of Delta-Northwest.

It is a pity if Midwest Airlines were to go bankrupt. Economically, we are in challenging times with oil prices soaring and does not appear to be going down anytime soon. Travelers will surely miss the big leather seats, good food and amenities at very reasonable fares.

With soaring fuel prices rendering many airlines cash strapped, one would’ve imagined implementing in-flight WiFi is an expensive gamble. But whether or not it pays off, several airlines - Southwest, American, Alaska, JetBlue, and Lufthansa - are preparing to take the gamble.

In hindsight, Boeing became the first casualty by introducing satellite-based in-flight WiFi but decided to pull the plug and terminate its Connexion Internet system in late 2006 because passengers found it too expensive at $30 per use.

That was two years ago and in that timeframe the cost of newer wireless equipment has decreased tremendously. Furthermore ultra-portable notebooks (Asus EEE for instance), wifi-enabled PDAs and smart phones has gained immense popularity of late. Therefore, it is hopeful the airlines industry could successfully revive a financially viable in-flight WiFi. I won’t mind $10 but $30 is a tad overpriced.

“Instead of sleeping off a seven-hour flight, it’ll be great if that same amount of time can be spent working online, emailing, blogging, internet messaging or simply surfing the web”, that’s the general consensus among frequent flyers, business-class in particular. However, the downside is that when you have possibly fifty passengers on board voice-chatting away at the same time, in-flight WiFi suddenly loses its appeal. While airlines have made it a policy that cell-phones won’t be allowed despite the presense of WiFi, I certainly hope voice chats are frowned upon too.

Sounds too good to be true? You’re probably right.

Read what a forumer had to say when he decided to check it out:

Can someone please explain to me how this is a “promotion”?

I am heading off to Frankfurt in Germany (Im Danish though) with my girlfriend next month. I just read about this today, and was thinking “wow, that’s a good deal, maybe I can buy 1 business for the same price as my 2 ecocomy tickets, and fly on business!)

So - I started checking up with agents and also directly with Thai Airways.

Now, here’s the kicker;

Normal price for a business ticket to Frankfurt (todays price): 93,500 baht
The price for a business ticket if you use this offer; 187,000 baht.

Do the math, and you get that the price is EXACTLY double! The agents are restricted to use the list price of Thai Airways, and do not get specielt agent prices on these tickets.

So - You pay double the price, and get 1 free ticket. Where the hel_l is the discount then? …

[Source: ThaiVisa.com]

No matter how you look at it, Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) packages is a good deal indeed for those who seek a memorable summer vacation at Dubai during the summer months. 2008’s edition of DSS was launched recently from 19th June until 22nd August 2008.

This year’s DSS promises even more fun and events, surpassing the success that DSS had for the past decade. Look forward to 10 weeks of family fun, shopping extravaganza and edutainment carnivals in specially themed mall atmosphere. The centre of all the fun and entertained will be Modhesh Fun City, the region’s largest indoor edutainment venue.

Some basic features of the Dubai Summer Surprises 2008 Emirates package:

• Eligible to all Emirates passengers to or via Dubai
• Package prices starts from a low of US$62
• Validity period is from 19th June until 22nd August 2008
• Pay with MasterCard card and save 10% for bookings made at Emirates offices only.
• A minimum of 3 nights booking

Fly Emirates to DSS 2008 and enjoy:

• Meet & Assist at Dubai International Airport by uniformed Arabian Adventures staff.
• Transfers on arrival and departure between Dubai International Airport and hotel by chauffeur-driven cars.
• Arabian Adventures welcome pack with the new Vice Versa^® “cash reward” card.
• Emirates Holidays 24-hour emergency assistance.
• Additional 10kg free baggage allowance on return/onward flights from Dubai.

“The Emirates uniform has been the same since 1997, with a few tweaks here and there. In this new design we have addressed style, comfort, the suitability for different climates – for cabin crew and ground staff – and managed to retain the iconic and instantly recognizable hallmark of our uniform worldwide.” Terry Daly, Emirates’ divisional senior VP, service delivery.

Mr Daly continued: “I’m immensely proud of the in-house team from Emirates who worked with UK based uniform supplier Simon Jersey plc. Using a catalogue approach with mix and match items, they have produced a superb uniform that can be adapted to suit different environments and climates. This is vital when the conditions on the ground for staff can vary from Sao Paulo in Brazil to Newcastle in England to Hong Kong in Asia.”

I’ve always liked Emirates’ current uniform. It’s classy and unique, particularly the outstanding headpiece. In fact, it’s probably my favourite among the many airlines crew uniform I’ve seen. So how does the new one looks like?

Numerous improvements, enhancements, redesign and height adjustments were proposed and implemented to make Burj Dubai the pride of the oil-rich nation. Take a bird’s eye view at it’s observation deck at level 127 (wish it was higher), feel on top of the world while you marvel at the extraordinary engineering and construction landscape of Dubai. Vertigo sufferers need not apply, I’m afraid.

Whether you choose the 2-night suite package in Bangkok and Chiang Mai or the 3-night resort suite package, be indulged by:

• 2 nights in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, or 3 nights in one of our resorts staying in a luxurious suite.
  Daily American breakfast
• Round trip airport transfer by private limousine at Amari properties in Bangkok
• Round trip airport transfer by mini van at Amari Rincome Hotel - Chiang Mai, Amari Coral Beach Resort - Phuket, Amari Vogue Resort – Krabi, Amari Trang Beach Resort - Trang, Amari Palm Reef Resort - Samui, Amari Emerald Cove Resort - Koh Chang
• No return airport transfer at Amari Orchid Resort and Tower - Pattaya and Amari Nova Suites - Pattaya
• A complimentary dinner with a bottle of wine

Prices start from US$426++ per room for hotels in Bangkok (twin sharing). Prices start from $493++ per room for resort properties, including Chiang Mai (twin sharing).

Amari’s Suite Package is available at: Amari Don Muang Airport Hotel - Bangkok, Amari Boulevard Hotel - Bangkok, Amari Watergate Hotel - Bangkok, Amari Atrium Hotel - Bangkok, Amari Rincome Hotel - Chiang Mai, Amari Orchid Resort and Tower - Pattaya, Amari Nova Suites - Pattaya, Amari Emerald Cove Resort - Koh Chang, Amari Palm Reef Resort - Koh Samui, Amari Coral Beach Resort - Phuket, Amari Vogue Resort - Krabi and Amari Trang Beach Resort - Trang.

National Geographic Society launched their TOPO! Explorer, a comprehensive guide and database for topographic online mapping tool that brings about a new perpective to US maps. On top of the usual Google Map satellite view from the top down, you’ll get to see boundaries and elevations with precision. I can imagine what a great tool this will be for hikers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts. As a start, they can talk about and browse for specific trail and wilderness maps. And create one of their own, have it printed and shipped to their doorstep.

Of course, travelers are encouraged to upload photos, video clips and write their own travel experiences to help like-minded future travelers research their trips.