Sherman's Travel

Sorry, compulsive shoppers. Your credit cards are no longer safe at cruising altitude.

Gilt Groupe, a suite of flash sale sites offering up luxury goods and services, has teamed with Gogo Inflight Internet to provide exclusive, in-air-only sales. That means you can snap up high-end men’s and women’s wares while floating somewhere above Iowa – think Alice + Olivia dresses slashed more than 50 percent and John Varvatos men’s shirts priced at just $59, two current sales on the site.

Flyers get to start shopping tomorrow, July 1st, on any Gogo-equipped Delta, United, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines, or US Airways plane.

Although boredom-induced, in-air shopping is a threat on any Wi-Fi-enabled plane, Gilt’s move is particularly savvy. Access to all Gilt sites (Gilt, Gilt City, Gilt Taste, and Jetsetter) is free, compared to a $12.95 charge for 24 hours of connectivity on most flights. Plus, time limits on sales are powerful motivators to buy, doubly so when passengers are already on vacation and spending more freely than usual – after all, why else would Sky Mall be so popular?

Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights, hotels, packages, and more travel deals.

Well this is spiffy: American Airlines announced it will outfit some premium cabins with its own branded version of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the first U.S. airline to do so.

The sleek gadgets operate on an Android platform, and come with all the accoutrements you’d expect: A shiny touch screen, USB plug-ins (for keyboards and joysticks), and apps for watching movies and catching up on YouTube videos.

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I recently had the pleasure of flying business class on Cathay Pacific from New York to Hong Kong. Everything about the flight was superlative, from the friendly service to the tasty Chinese cuisine and Murad toiletries.

In light of this experience, I was very intrigued to hear about what Cathay changed when it unveiled its new business class in March. When I flew with them in February, the best part, in my opinion, was the seats, which are each individually situated in “herringbone fashion” and surrounded by privacy partitions. This set-up is especially appreciable when trying to sleep: There’s no getting distracted or woken up by your neighbor moving around, turning on lights, or flipping through movies. The comfy seats also feature plenty of intuitive nooks and crannies in which to store your items close at hand. And, of course, they lie flat come bedtime.

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Here we go with Round Two of the Great App-Doors: five more of those handy little apps that make adventure traveling so much sweeter. Considering the warp-speed operating mode of life these days, there’s a chance my selections might be outdated by, oh, the next minute, but here’s to happy app-ing in the meantime.

Of course, if you have any favorite adventure travel apps of your own that I missed, be sure to share ‘em in the comments section below.

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Last-minute holiday shoppers, rejoice: If you’re flying on AirTran, Delta, or Virgin America this holiday season, you can wrap up that shopping as soon as you reach cruising altitude – no SkyMall required. Starting November 20, Google is giving passengers free Wi-Fi via Gogo Inflight Internet; every domestic flight on those three airlines will be equipped with the freebie hookup through January 2, courtesy of Google Chrome, the company’s new Internet browser.

This isn’t the first time that Google’s played Kris Kringle: Last year, the company outfitted Virgin America with complimentary connections and equipped 47 airports nationwide with free Wi-Fi – a happy bonus for travelers stuck waiting out the inevitable snowstorms and layovers. We’re partial to this year’s more comprehensive stocking stuffer, as the harried holiday airport traffic and torturously slow security lines already cut down on pre-flight free time.

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As part of an effort to make its operations more environmentally friendly, Singapore Airlines has announced that it will begin replacing in-flight magazines with electronic versions that can be read onscreen via its in-flight entertainment systems. This green initiative serves to not only reduce the use and waste of paper, but by making aircrafts lighter, to lessen the fuel burned on each flight (though we assume the difference is nominal). The new e-zines will be gradually implemented as a trial aboard numerous Singapore Airlines’ aircrafts with the hope that in time, vast arrays of e-books and e-magazines will be available to passengers.

Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find great deals on vacation packages, airfare, hotels, and cruises.

We’ve gotten used to paying for the conveniences that were once free when it comes to air travel, like snacks and checked baggage, but it looks like flyers might not be ready to pony up for new amenities like in-flight Wi-Fi – and that could actually push connectivity fees down.

A new report from research firm In-Stat estimates that less than 10 percent of passengers who have access to in-flight Wi-Fi are using it, possibly because it’s too expensive. Currently, Gogo – the biggest in-flight Wi-Fi service provider in the country – charges anywhere from $5 to $13 per use, depending on the length of the flight. Frequent flyers may also buy a $35 monthly pass, but even business travelers, it seems, enjoy a couple of unplugged hours to themselves from time to time. Read more

Ever since the iPad’s launch, assorted hotels have been rolling out the gadget as an amenity in different forms. At these forward-looking spots, guests are reading the morning paper, previewing rooms before checking in, and booking massages, expeditions, and restaurants using the new gadget. 

And now the iPad (and its ilk) have recently popped up at sea. Read more

Fan of the ultra-mod? Want to be part of an art project? Want a complimentary iPhone during your stay?

Blow Up Hall 5050 in Poznan, one of Poland’s oldest cities is calling your name. 

The concept behind Blow Up 5050 is that 50% of every project should be art, and this place takes that concept to heart. To check in, you don’t pick a room you pick a card, which then corresponds with an aptly decorated room. You could tap into the animalistic in a zebra-striped suite, empty your mind in a sterile white room, or retain a bit of normality (boring?) in a more traditional space. 

So what’s this about an iPhone? Read more

Hotel Gansevoort was one of the first establishments to start the transformation of the once gritty streets of the Meatpacking District from meat to complete… with luxury. 

Now the neighborhood is synonymous with chic, and the Gansevoort still stands above the rest in terms of modern amenities. For proof, just check out the mini bar.

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