Have you ever wondered what the most expensive hotel room in the world is? Well, wonder no more….it’s the Royal Penthouse Suite at the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland which rents for a cool $55,000/night. What exactly do you get for your money? Aside from spectacular views of Lake Geneva and the Swiss Alps, you get a private elevator, bulletproof doors and windows and a full security team. It’s actually reserved for celebrities and heads of state but, if you have the cash, I’m guessing you can get in.

President Wilson Hotel

We all know that smoking isn’t allowed on planes these days but Ryanair has come up with an interesting solution to cater to customers looking for a nicotine fix. For $10/pack, passengers can purchase smokeless cigarettes that will calm their cravings without posing a danger to fellow travellers. Obviously smoking wouldn’t exist in a perfect world, but in this world it’s still part of our reality. Smokers are often very anxious about flying and I think this move will give them some peace making travel a better experience not only for them, but also for those around them.

My friend Matt over at NetManOne posted this hilarious video of a girl entertaining herself while stuck overnight at Pittsburgh Airport. Since many of you have been in the same boat, or are currently, I thought you might like it. Enjoy!

Just when you thought you’d heard the wackiest story of someone attempting to smuggle something through customs, along comes a Norwegian man who attempted to bring 24 reptiles into Norway from Denmark; all strapped to his body!! Customs officials searched the man after finding a tarantula in his bag and were shocked to find 10 albino leopard geckos and 14 baby royal pythons taped to his chest and legs. The man claimed he loved reptiles and was bringing them home to be pets. Obviously, the animals were confiscated and the man arrested.

According to this month’s National Geographic Traveler, the most exclusive place to sell hotdogs in the United States is outside of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The cart owner pays the city over $600,000 a year to operate in the location!

I’ve definitely seen that cart and there is always a line for it. I can’t even imagine how much the owner earns in a year but I’m sure it’s in the millions!

The current issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine featured a list of hotels offering unusual amenities:

Setai, Miami Beach – Guests can record music in the hotel’s celebrity frequented, state of the art studio for $250/hour.

Hotel 100, Seattle – Infrared sensors detect when your room is occupied and alert housekeeping so you’ll never get the dreaded wake up knock.

Algonquin, New York – Guests can borrow hotel-owned Amazon Kindles preloaded with classics and bestsellers.

Muse, New York – With just 48 hours notice, room service will create a pint of ice cream with almost any requested ingredients.

Although many hotels are offering unheard of deals to lure in customers during these tough economic times, some are pricier than ever. According to a 2008 survey by the Hogg Robinson Group, the following cities have the highest average prices for a hotel stay, listed in order from most expensive:

1. Moscow
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Mumbai
5. Abu Dhabi
6. Milan
7. Geneva
8. Dubai
9. Stockholm
10. Zurich

It costs an average of $500/night to stay in Moscow which tops the list and NYC is close behind at just over $400/night. While it may seem like the worst time to visit any of these places, with the record low airfares I’ve seen for some of them you may still end up paying less for your trip than you would in a better economy.

I’ve had my current passport for several years so even though I knew that passports got a new look, I had no idea how different it was…or ugly!!! I recently added visa pages to mine which, unlike the older, plain blue versions, are purple and contain loud and often dark images. I guess they are more detailed to make counterfeiting harder but some of the pictures are so big and invasive I don’t know how you’ll read the visas that get stamped on top of them. Take the picture above; how clear do you think a stamp put in the water area is going to be? I know a passport is purely an I.D. that is seen by few others, but I enjoy looking through my visa stamps when I travel and I think these pages, taped in crookedly I might add, are a bit of an eye sore.

Trying to decide how to celebrate the new year? Here are some ways the locals celebrate in countries around the world:

Portugal: Eat 12 grapes for each strike of the clock at midnight for good luck.

Netherlands: Eat a ring shaped food such as a donut to “come full circle” in the new year.

Peru: Walk around the block with a suitcase to bring travels.

Italy: Wear red underwear for good luck. (They wear yellow in Peru!)

Japan: Ring bells to dispel evil temptations.

Source: EveryDay With Rachael Ray

Sometimes we come across strange rules and/or laws when we’re traveling and National Geographic Traveler had a few good ones in their magazine this month.

Did you know that it’s against the law to:

-Walk a pig on Miami Beach, FL?

-Ride a bike with your hands off the handlebars in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin?

-Hoot loudly after 11pm on school nights in Athens, Georgia?

If you visit any of these places, please use caution!!