“The Time Machine”, “Star Trek”, “Dr Who”… Time travel has captured our creative imaginations for centuries. But could it really make the quantum leap from fiction to reality??

Traveling through time, what a mind-boggling concept! Surely this is just the stuff of science fiction??

Perhaps not! Here are 5 reasons why time travel might just be possible!

1. Professor Ronald Mallett, from the University of Connecticut is building a real-life time machine! He intends to manipulate past, present and future by twisting space and time into a loop.

2. Time travel has not been proven to be possible but it’s also not been proven to be impossible.

3. If matter could be moved faster than light then, according to special relativity, there would be some inertial frame of reference in which the object was moving backwards in time.

4. Physicists at the University of Koblenz claim to have transmitted photons faster than the speed of light, using a phenomenon known as quantum tunneling.

5. If a cylinder is infinitely long and spins fast enough about its long axis, then a spaceship flying around the cylinder could travel backwards or forwards in time.

Will time travel will ever be possible? When would you travel to?? Post up your comments below, we want to hear from you!

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More on Professor Mallett’s time travel research.

Photo – Star Trek by As you said.

Money, love, freedom – happiness means something different to everyone. But where in the world are we most likely to find it??

I often wonder if certain countries are simply happier than others. Yes, is the answer to this question!

Check out this list of the Top 10 Happiest Countries in the World, based on a recent study.*

And if you fancy setting off on a quest for true happiness, our tip is to head for northern Europe…

Who is the Happiest of Them All?

1.    Denmark
2.    Finland
3.    Netherlands
4.    Sweden
5.    Ireland
6.    Canada
7.    Switzerland
8.    New Zealand
9.    Norway
10.  Belgium

Been to any of these countries? Was everyone on happy pills? Got more recommendations for happy countries??

Post up your comments below, we want to hear from you!

Coming up…. the World’s Most Miserable Countries. Don’t miss out! SIGN UP for free blog updates via RSS or email to the right of this page.

Photo: Happy people in Denmark by Flottenheimer

*List taken from happiness research conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

We’re pleased to introduce Tripbase’s brand new travel widgets.

These widgets aren’t just cute, they’re really useful and completely FREE.

You get a cool widget for your site and we get to spread the word about Tripbase.

Choose from three great widgets enabling users to: calculate daily travel costs and weather conditions and receive a stunning travel picture every day.

Check out the screen-shots below and get the widget codes here.

Why should you use our widgets? Here are four good reasons:

· They add value by providing users with a handy travel tool

· They attract visitors

· They enrich your website content

· They’re easy to add and 100% FREE

Simply embed the code provided in the link above and your Tripbase travel widgets are good to go!

These are Tripbase’s first travel widgets so if you have ideas for others, please let us know. We’re always happy to receive feedback from our users.

Want our widgets on your site? Get the the codes here.

Happy Travels!

Orbiting off into space for your summer vacation might seem light years ahead, but mainstream space tourism could be with us a lot sooner than you might realize.

Frankly, the thought of traveling into space terrifies me.

But I totally get why many people would readily give their right arm for the chance to explore the endless mass of nothingness that is space.

The crazy thing is that what was once the stuff of science fiction is actually here!

We could all be vacationing in space a lot sooner than you might think. Here are five reasons why:

1. “Space Tourism” is not new. Dennis Tito was the world’s first space tourist, traveling with Space Adventures way back in 2001. Not exactly a budget break, costing him the tidy sum of $20 million.

2. Virgin Galactic already have 250 aspiring “cosmonauts” signed up for suborbital flights aboard the VG SpaceShipTwo. Tickets are priced at $200,000 but are eventually expected to fall to $20,000.

Branson also plans on hurtling space adventurers through the Aurora Borealis (Northen Lights) in Sweden. Phenomenal!

3. Several companies, including Hilton International, have expressed an interest in “space hotels”. The Space Island Group aims to have 20,000 people on their “space island” by 2020.

4. Demand is high, with over 70% of respondents in a web survey affirming that they’re keen on the idea of vacationing in space.

5. Even the Oxford Dictionary is considering adding the word “touronaut” as a new term to describe private space adventurers.

Economic Obstacles

Virgin Galactic aims to have completed their SpaceShipTwo test flight program by the end of this year. But will Branson’s inter-galactic plans be thwarted by a small matter of the global recession?

Amanda Kendle makes this point in her Kathika article: “Is Space Tourism Taking a Rest?”

The Only Question is When

Personally, I think there will always be people willing to pay the premium for space exploration even in the bleakest economic crisis.

To sum up, I’m going to quote Charles Simonyi, the fifth “touronaut” to travel to space in 2007.

When asked, “Do you foresee a day when space tourism is not just the province of billionaires – when it will be as affordable as plane travel?”

“Yes,” he replied “the only question is when…”

Need some luck? Or are you just out of Hershey’s Syrup? Either way, you can buy this “Luckiness Syrup” in Shanghai (which is where I took this photo).

Have you seen any other oddly-named products while you were traveling? Share your pictures with us! (We will credit you, of course).