Anyone who ever dreamt of interplanetary travel will now be eligible to join TripAdvisor’s otherworldly expedition without even leaving Earth!
TripAdvisor Experiences is launching ticket sales for the adventure of a lifetime, which happens to actually be in a Spanish Cave. Working with interplanetary agency, Astroland, TripAdvisor is bringing you the chance to experience a world-first for a taste of what life on the Red Planet would be like. Based on years of research and development, Astroland has created “Ares Station”a scientific space station developed to replicate the hostile conditions of Mars within a specifically selected cave, 60 meters high and 1.5km long, in Arredondo, Spain, totally isolated from human contact.
The idea is to learn more about not just the physical, but the societal impact living in such a colony would have. Candidates have to apply for their position on the expedition and pass physical and psychological tests before they are accepted. Special equipment has to be worn and no contact is allowed with the outside world.
This unique experience will last for a full 30 days. Although the time spent in the cave is up to three days, it requires a comprehensive three-week remote training program and another three days of physical and psychological training at the Astroland facilities. Each mission has a maximum capacity of 10 people.
The chosen team will also have at their disposal direct online access to aerospace experts and reputable psychologists, such as Gabriel González de la Torre, Doctor of Neuropsychology at the University of Cádiz and one of the few leading astronaut psychologists from Spain, as well as Iñigo Muñoz Elorza, instructor of astronauts in the European Astronaut Center, part of the European Space Agency.
Once the first phase of the mission is completed in accordance with the previous remote preparation, the Astrolanders move to the Astroland Space Center, located in the Science and Technology Park of Cantabria. Over the course of three days, the future mission protagonists learn how to carry out spacewalks by participating in speleology (caving) training, natural buoyancy tests that simulate the states of weightlessness and will also receive training in emergency plans allowing them to act in the case of adverse circumstances.
After this second stage, the fully-prepared crew enter the cave. Inside, they will have the basics for survival during the three-day period, while they experiment and test what human life would be like on Mars. Specially-designed astronaut suits, technical clothing, laboratories for the growth of plants under impossible conditions, life capsules, lyophilized food and a long list of tools will make life in the cave much easier for our Astrolanders.
However, price to admission is roughly $6,600 and would-be participants are welcome to apply by accessing the link below. Happy trails!
Rita Ghantous is a hospitality aficionado and a passionate writer with over 9 years’ experience in journalism and 5 years experience in the hospitality sector.
Her passion for the performance arts and writing, started early. At 10 years old she was praised for her solo performance of the Beatles song “All My Love” accompanied by a guitarist, and was approached by a French talent scout during her school play. However, her love for writing was stronger. Fresh out of school, she became a freelance journalist for Noun Magazine and was awarded the Silver Award Cup for Outstanding Poetry, by The International Library of Poetry (Washington DC).
She studied Business Management and earned a Masters degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ), her thesis was published in the Proche-Orient, Études en Management book.
She then pursued a career in the hospitality industry but didn’t give up writing, that is why she launched the Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun Newsletter.
Her love for the industry and journalism led her to Hospitality Services - the organizers of the HORECA trade show in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Salon Du Chocolat, Beirut Cooking Festival, Whisky Live and other regional shows. She is currently the Publications Executive of Hospitality News Middle East, Taste & Flavors and Lebanon Traveler.
It is with ultimate devotion for her magazines that she demonstrates her hospitality savoir-faire.
