Geraldine Marlar

Most flights don’t want you joining the Mile-High Club. This company encourages it In our travel news roundup this week: the rise in solo dining, kraken where to save money at US ski resorts, plus the Californian hot-air balloon company offering a rather cheeky package. Your love keeps lifting me higher Is it getting hot in here, or is a gas-burner propelling a dirigible above our heads? A California-based hot-air balloon company is offering mile-high flights – with amorous Mile-High Club privileges – over the Temecula countryside. Guests can enjoy the views with a whole basket to themselves – and a privacy screen separating the pilot compartment from the passenger cabin. The pilot, who Magical Adventure Balloon Rides promises will be wearing protective hearing gear and focused solely on flying, ascends the balloon to 5,280 feet (about 1,610 meters), which is about 2,000 feet higher than a typical recreational flight. While intimate clinches are usually thoroughly discouraged in the skies, the company invites you to bring your own bedding and music playlist. A complimentary Champagne breakfast is included to fuel your frolics, of whatever sort. Pricing for two passengers starts at $1,400. If your mantra is "the more the merrier," each additional adult in the larger 10-person basket is $159. The Mile-High Club flight is just one of a host of packages on offer, from wine tours to company picnics, the rest of which are considerably more family-friendly. All by myself Sometimes it can seem like the world is full of lovers floating high on cloud nine, but don’t fret if you’re going it alone this Valentine’s season: You’re bang on trend. Millennials and Gen Z are breaking down the stigma attached to solo dining in an era when more Americans live alone than ever before. Some do it for convenience; some do it for freedom — either way, reservations for one are on the rise. Once you’ve mastered dining alone, it’s time for bigger challenges, such as walking across Saudi Arabia. British explorer Alice Morrison, who has been called "Indiana Jones for girls," is in the middle of her five-month trek of 2,500 kilometers (about 1,550 miles). Others are opting for a permanent adventure. Californian Jason Bennett gave up his life in San Francisco for a new home in Colombia. Today he says his happiness is "off the charts."