A Space Traveler’s Guide to the Universe

Why would you spend all of your vacation time on earth when there is an entire universe to explore? If you feel that you’ve seen and experienced all this earth has to offer then space tourism may be the thing for you. Scientists and billionaires are teaming up to make space travel within reach for everyone, likely within our lifetimes. Even though the outer reaches of the galaxy may be impossible to reach right now, the closer attractions are only a hop, skip and jump away.

Here are just a few of the stops along the way:

The International Space Station

One does not need to travel that far out of the atmosphere to enjoy the first stop on the space odyssey. Only 220 miles from earth and you can live amongst the stars. The space station regularly houses scientists and visitors who want to experience the anti-gravity world and take a load off.

No need to pack a big suitcase, no special clothing is needed unless you want to enjoy a spacewalk.

The Moon

A space trip just wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the moon. Enjoy hiking in the craters, scaling the great volcanoes or just bounding about the surface of this great rock. Just be prepared for a multi-sensory trip with the distinct aroma of the moon dust. The trademark gunpowder scent can take even the most prepared space traveler by surprise.

Mars

The next stop on our great space adventure is Mars. Scientists are thinking more and more that life may be possible on this great red planet. Sit back and enjoy the great views of the Valles Marineris. The breathtaking 2,500 mile long canyon is almost ten times larger than Earth’s Grand Canyon.

Europa

Though travel to this locale may not be in the near future, a space man can dream about taking a trip to Jupiter’s Ice Moon. The ice on this moon is about 95 miles thick so ice fishing may be impossible but strap on your skates and glide around the surface. Don’t forget to take time to talk to the locals, scientists think this is the most likely place we’ll find extraterrestrial life.

For all those space travelers out there, save up your pennies for the adventure of a lifetime. Be sure you have your camera fully charged because I’m sure you’ll want to share your great adventure with your fellow earthlings.

If you want to find out more about the possibilities check out Expedia’ advice for aspiring space travelers.