To some, a spectacular vacation means living it up in Las Vegas, a cruise in the Caribbean or just a weekend exfoliating at the spa. But for some of us, such destinations are blasé and the restorative getaway of the common man lacks a certain luster. Soon the pickiest of vacationers will have access to a vacation destination so exotic and rare that the next visitor will be the thirteenth person in human history to ever venture there. Thanks to evolving technology and wealthy dreamers like Richard Branson and Paul Allen, space travel and trips to the Earth's moon may be possible in our lifetime.

Recently, Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft and owner of the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, funded a project that produced the aircraft known as SpaceShipOne. Winner of the $10 million Ansari X-Prize in late 2004, SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded craft to enter space when it flew to a height of nearly 70 miles above the Earth's surface. Spending just over $20 million on SpaceShipOne, Allen provided the monetary backing for the first step towards commercial space travel, and money moguls are following suit. Unwilling to allow another wealthy entrepreneur to steal the spotlight with a completely crazy and unsafe idea, Richard Branson, the extravagant founder of Virgin, has contracted with the team Allen used to create SpaceShipOne. He is beginning the design of a five-man craft with the same capabilities of SpaceShipOne in order to market space tourism under a new division of his company, Virgin Galactic. Branson will build a $200 million spaceport on 27 square miles in southern New Mexico as Virgin Galactic's headquarters and mission control.

As exciting and revolutionary as a trip to the moon may sound, such an extravagance does not come without sacrifice, expense and risk. Even NASA, which employs astronauts trained specifically for space travel, has elected not to send anyone to the moon since 1972. From 1967 to present day, more people have died on space missions than have actually walked on the surface of the moon. The Federal Aviation Administration proposed more than 120 pages of safety regulations for the budding industry; however, until serious injuries actually occur, passengers need only sign a disclaimer to qualify for flight. Even beyond safety concerns, the practicalities of space travel are still quite out of reach. Currently, a trip to the moon would cost more than $1,000 per pound, meaning an average couple's honeymoon, pun intended, would cost about $300,000, not including food and luggage. Money aside, the human body is not exactly accustomed to the effects of zero gravity experienced in outer space, which often leads to extreme motion sickness and vomiting. Keep in mind that in zero gravity things can end up on any surface – not just the floor. As expansive and beautiful as space may be, a trip to the moon is not exactly relaxing. Expect a cramped plane flight that lasts several days, may induce vomiting, and the likelihood that death will exceed that of a safe arrival on the moon.

Short of space travel, it is still possible to bounce like moon men on zero-g flights. For around $3,000, the average person can actually experience what it would be like to walk on Mars with only one-sixth of the Earth's gravity. Passengers aboard the aircraft G-Force One can also experience Lunar gravity, one-third of that on Earth, as well as the total weightlessness of outer space. Brought to individuals by the Zero Gravity Corporation, these flights take place on a modified Boeing 727 aircraft. For more information about zero gravity flights, visit nogravity.com.

It is not yet practical to enjoy a space-age vacation, and we may never see the era when the moonwalk no longer requires physical dexterity, but if the day arrives when we can catch a futuristic 747 to the moon, just remember to ask for extra barf bags.