Travel Weekly has today announced we will be teaming up with a group of flat earth truthers to send a rocket into space allowing travellers to look back at our flat planet and prove NASA wrong once and for all.

That’s right folks, we’ve gone over the deep end in the spirit of the most tricky day of the year, joining loads of other industry players who have truly outdone themselves this year.

We’ve spent out morning sceptically reading through the industry’s latest news trying to sort fact from fiction, and we have to say there are some particularly creative stories coming out today.

For example: did you know RedBalloon just launched the first long-haul return hot air balloon flights between Sydney and Melbourne? 

Travellers are warned the trip could take up to nine hours and may be cancelled in the absence of a particularly generous northerly or southerly winds. Oh, and you’ll have to stand the entire flight and pack VERY light.

NOTE: The final landing destination can only be guaranteed within a 20km radius, and will be contingent on weather conditions.

Twenty-somethings beware: Contiki will now broadcast your ENTIRE TRIP to your parents

Always dreamed of staring in your own reality TV show? Well now you can, no audition necessary! Youth travel leader Contiki, are excited to announce the launch of their revolutionary new ContikiCam™ on all trips starting from today. Staying connected while travelling is a priority for the youth traveller, and ContikiCam™ is the ultimate connection technology, allowing for seamless, handsfree connection at all times.

ContikiCam™ is a discreet onboard camera that will capture traveller’s every move and allow friends and family to follow on, all from the comfort of their own home. With ContikiCam™, your nominated loved ones will be able to log into your live feed and follow your journey every step of the way!

Contiki are also offering a premium upgrade for those looking for even more connection: a stylish new wearable tracking device! The GPS device is worn around the ankle and securely shares your precise location with those at home. Paired with ContikiCam™, this ground-breaking new venture will be the first of its kind for constant connectivity and allow travellers the chance to share every single moment of their experience without having to lift a finger!

Carnival Spirit goes troppo 

Carnival Spirit is celebrating her homeporting in Brisbane from 2020 with a tropical makeover!

Celebrating the Sunshine State’s love of Rugby League, Carnival’s signature red funnel will switch over to Queensland’s favourite hue, maroon. Towering 53 metres above the waterline, the maroon funnel will add to a long list of ‘Big Things’ living in Queensland.

Additionally, Carnival Spirit’s yellow Twister Waterslide will receive a snakey-makeover to celebrate a Queensland icon, ‘The Brown Snake’. This adrenaline-packed slide will feature more twists and turns than Johnathan Thurston’s footwork in the 2017 State of Origin.

A fan favourite on Carnival Spirit, the RedFrog Pub will also be revamped and rechristened the Cane Toad Pub, in a nod to the state’s abundance of these amphibians. With crowd-pleasing beers on tap such as Milton Mangos, Great Northerns and Carnival’s very own Cane Toad lager, cruisers can rock out to the in-house five-piece band covering a never ending loop of ‘Streets of Your Town’ or perhaps some ‘Finger.

Finally, with the Sunshine State boasting some of the world’s best beaches, Carnival Spirit will soon join the party. Seven tonnes of sand will be transported onto Carnival Spirit to create a stunning artificial lagoon, aptly named ‘New Southbank’, a luxurious Adults-Only retreat.

Share a bed with a stranger with Travelodge’s new bedshare service 

Travelodge Hotels has just announced Bedshare – an exciting new room share option – that will be rolled out through their Australian and New Zealand hotel properties this April.

Bedshare is the hotel industry’s contribution to the booming share economy and promises up to 50 percent discounts for guests willing to share 50 percent of their rooms and amenities with another guest.

The concept is refreshingly simple.  The Bedshare option differs from a standard hotel check-in, in that guests can be paired with travellers that are checking in and out at a similar time. And, if they decide to extend their stay, someone else can replace their previous Bedshare buddy in their room.

Wotif launches airline exclusively for tall people

Like the rest of Australia, Wotif love Big Things. Whether they’re Big Pineapples, Big Bananas, Big Rams or Big Melons, we can’t get enough of them. But when it comes to travel, there’s one larger-than-life group that we think has been shamefully neglected – and that’s tall people.

But not anymore. Today Wotif is proud to launch Emu Airlines – the world’s first airline catering exclusively to tall people.

Wotif Managing Director Daniel Finch believes the situation currently facing vertically gifted travellers is “the height of injustice”.

Madam Tussauds terrorises Sydney with wax giants 

After months of negotiations, Madame Tussauds Sydney has been given the green light from the ‘Department of Big Things’ to launch Sydney’s first ever giant figure – and they need your help!

From the infamous Big Banana in Coffs Harbour to the Big Prawn in Ballina, Australia has seen it all. So it’s a wonder why the nation’s biggest city doesn’t have its own ‘Big’ drawcard.

Madame Tussauds Sydney is currently evaluating four proposed concepts for ‘The Big Wax’:

1. Gold-medal Olympic swimmer, Ian Thorpe, at the iconic Bondi Iceberg’s pool
2. Fashion icon, Megan Gale, amongst Sydney’s biggest fashion strip, Pitt Street Mall
3. Gay Icon, Kylie Minogue, seated in front of the infamous Taylor’s Square in King’s Cross
4. Aussie legend, Ray Meagher, against the backdrop of Sydney’s current two icons, The Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge

Wildlife Sydney Zoo opens bin chicken exhibit

In response to consumer demand, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo in Darling Harbour is excited to announce the launch of its latest exhibit – the Bin Chicken display!

The preferred diet of an Australian Bin Chicken includes both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and human scraps. The most favoured foods are crayfish and mussels, which the bird obtains by digging with its long bill.

Famous for their native Australian animals, the Bin Chickens will be in great company amongst koalas, kangaroos, Davey the quokka, Rocky the saltwater crocodile and Tasmanian Devils at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo. The exhibit open from 1st April and is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Virgin Australia takes on Uber Eats

Virgin Australia has answered your food cravings and today announced the launch of Virgin Australia Fly Foods – a world-first service that delivers your favourite interstate restaurant meals straight into your hands!

Virgin Australia Fly Foods will deliver top quality restaurant meals to any metropolitan area across  Australia1; so, whether you’re a Sydneysider that’s hungry for Melbourne’s hottest hamburgers, a Melburnian craving Sydney’s special satay chicken or a Brisbanite that’s after Adelaide’s best  appetisers – you can have it by dinnertime with the click of a button.