Why Not the Moon?

For you who plan your vacations to exotic locals, A Vienna, Virginia, company is in negotiations with customers who will fly the first private expedition around the moon.

If, indeed, you are interested, there is no need to pack your bags yet, and you need to be informed that the price tag is going to be a cool $100 million. But not to worry you have time to raise the money for the very first flight is already booked. In case you had visions of a bus-load of happy, carefree passengers making this trip, my understanding is that there are acommodations for two passengers and a pilot. We would hope that nothing incapacitates the pilot on this little voyage of 238,000 miles -- one way.

The company, known as Space Adventures, is working with Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. No stranger to space, the Virginia company has already handled five private trips to the International Space Station -- all aboard the Soyuz and at a mere 2o to 25 million dollars each.

Eric Anderson, Space Adventures' president and CEO, says that sales are up in 2008 and 2009 for the short hops to the space station. "We're trying to talk to the Russian Space Agency about how to increase the numbers of Soyuz flights to the space station," Anderson says.

So if you cannot decide between the beach or the mountains this year, why not opt for the International Space Station or better yet a little swing around the moon -- depends on your budget. It will have to be a vacation only for you and your love -- no kids or dogs.

Or another possibility is that you might elect to send your mother-in-law on a nice trip to space for her birthday present. Depending on your relationship with her, you may or may not want to give her flight lessons for the Soyuz -- God forbid, something could happen to the pilot.