The acclaimed flick Up in the Air starring George Clooney as business traveler Ryan Bingham who’s traveling the country to earn ten million frequent flyer miles, is available on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, March 9.

Through racking up all those miles, Ryan has learned the tricks of packing light and saving time when traveling. Following are his 6 business travel packing tips, we’re sure you can relate to one or two. And, be sure to bring home the flick to learn an important lesson about life.

Tip #1: Pack your belt, don’t wear it. You’re holding up the line for an accessory.  Watching you fumble with a buckle makes my eyes bleed.

Tip #2: Your watch won’t set off the metal detector.  So stop putting it in your shoe.

Tip #3: Tourists are amateurs.  They carry way too much electronic equipment and their brains are on vacation.  You see a sun visor—go to the next line.

Tip #4: Please, for the love of God, stop waving goodbye to your family as you’re going through the metal detector.  Kiss your loved one at the curb and be done with it.

Tip #5: Pick up your trays on the other side of the conveyor belt.   Don’t cause a traffic jam.

Tip #6: More people to avoid:
–the guy with the oversized musical instrument.
– the high school softball team that’s too excited to be traveling.
–the angry senior citizen who will get into an argument with the TSA officer.
–the stoner… obvious pat down.

If you’ve racked up thousands of miles like Ryan Bingham, you deserve some R&R with loved ones or a solo escape. Redeem those miles to take you away. Check out Resort Rental’s variety of destinations to plan your vacation, ranging from sandy beaches of Playa Joca in Costa Rica to the serenity of the red rocks of Sedona.

Leave it to Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic to come up with an iPhone application to ease the fear of flying for travelers. Called “Flying Without Fear” this first of its kind course has a success rate of more than 98% and is available for the iPhone and iPod touch from the App Store.

Some air travelers suffer from flying anxiety and the Flying Without Fear app is designed to ease those apprehensions, ranging from strange plane noises to unfamiliar aircraft to fear of losing control. Fear of flying is often referred as aerophobia and these fears range from the anxiety at booking a flight to the inability of boarding an aircraft.

The app was a joint development between Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear team and Mental Workout, a mobile applications developing company focused on improving lives by helping people resolve issues and increase mental performance.

“This is Virgin Atlantic innovation at its best. Our first iPhone app will bring the benefits of our successful Flying Without Fear course to millions of people around the world who are now using mobile technology to make their lives better,” said Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, “The app will put many travelers at ease and enable them to prepare for their first Virgin Atlantic flight.”

The Flying Without Fear app includes an introduction by Sir Richard Branson, a video-based in-flight explanation from start to finish of a flight, relaxation exercises and fear therapy, fear attack button for emergencies with breathing exercises and quick tips, and section for users to rate their personal fears. The user is also offered 2,000 points when joining Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club.

And guess who overcame her fear of flying with the app? Whoopi Goldberg. The actress had not flown for a decade but a business commitment in London required her to fly the friendly skies.

Virgin Atlantic’s Flying without Fear team recently helped American actress, Whoopi Goldberg, overcome her fear of flying. The actress had not flown for a decade but a business commitment in London meant she had to step on a plane once again.

“The program works, I was a skeptic,” said Whoopi Goldberg, “I hadn’t flown in 13 years but after doing their program, I understood that while my fear was real, there were many things I didn’t know or had misinformation about, which they were able to clear up. So what happened? I now fly. It’s that simple.”

Check out the App Store or the Mental Workout Web site to download the Flying Without Fear app for $4.99 . Check out the Virgin Atlantic Web site for more information.

Logo: PRNewsFoto/Virgin Atlantic

Palm Springs, California, is world-renowned as a celebrity hideaway and home of challenging golf, warm drenching sun, and its casual, yet elegant atmosphere. But, it’s the fun and funky side that can’t be missed during a Palm Springs vacation. When visiting this oasis in the desert, don’t miss these three attractions.

The Integratron – Did aliens tell George Van Tassel to build this 38-foot high, 50-foot diameter dome ? Perhaps and those interested in close encounters of a third kind visit the area as well as scientists, historians, sightseers, meditation groups, musicians, and a host of others visit annually. See, the Integratron came to be because aliens from the planet Venus showed Van Tassel the techniques to rejuvenate living cell tissues and in 1954, he and his family began building The Integratron to perform rejuvenation, a new age Fountain of Youth. Van Tassel described The Integratron as “a machine, a high-voltage electrostatic generator that would supply a broad range of frequencies to recharge the cell structure.”

Van Tassel died before its completion but today, visitors to The Integratron can indulge in a 30-minute sonic healing session in the Sound Bath. The public sound bath is $10 per person and a private sound bath is $55 per person. Visit The Integratron’s Web site for the public sound bath schedule.

Pee Wee Memorabilia! The big shoes Pee Wee Herman wore in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure aren’t found in Palm Springs but statues Dino and Rex from the 1980s flick call the area home. Check out the World’s Biggest Dinosaurs off Interstate 10 to the east of Casino Morongo and the Desert Hills Premium Outlets. Learn about the origins of dinosaurs and man in Mr. Rex’s Museum and climb the T-Rex Museum to look through his teeth and see the landscape below. Or, kids can dig in and find artifacts of the past in the Dino Dig and coming the Summer of 2010 is a splash and fun park.

Atten-Hut! Major General George Smith Patton Jr. U.S. Army, was the first commander of the Desert Training Center near Palm Springs, with Camp Young being the headquarters, which eventually trained over a million men for the WWII effort. To house the history of the DTC, the General Patton Memorial Museum was established during the mid-1980s and was named after General Patton for his connection to DTC.  The General Patton Memorial Museum houses World War II maps, photos, uniforms, weaponry and even tanks, along with an enormous relief map showing the area where Patton’s troops trained for North Africa.

Photo Credit: Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism