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In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, each metropolis had an established vacation destination where the wealthy and well-to-do flocked by the thousands each summer. For New York City, it was the Catskills and the Adirondacks. For those out in California, Yosemite National Park offered visitors sublime and picturesque depictions of nature. But those who could afford to vacation were limited by where the railroad could take them. Eventually, automobiles allowed for more individualized vacation itineraries, and airplanes meant even the most remote locations were no more than an uncomfortable ride away.
So here we stand today, in 2013, ready to accept the newest fad vacation destination: space. It may not be the latest (the first space tourist was Dennis Tito in  2011) or the most popular destination (total guests: just eight), but for the past several years we've been assured that space tourism will be within reach for everyman by the next decade.
They may be right. Afterall, we nearly sent Lance Bass (this guy) into space, and one company has stated $150 million seats have already been sold for a trip to orbit the moon. The Russian Space Agency offers trips to the ISS for $25 million, but you also have to be able to speak русский.
But that's not exactly affordable. Way back in 1985, a feasibility study was done on putting removable living quarters in a space shuttle which would supply 72 passengers a trip to space. The study concluded that eventually tourists would pay just $25,000 per seat. This proposal was killed after the Challenger disaster, but the idea and market for space tourism persists.
Want to be on the shortlist for space tourism? Virgin Galactic, the private space company founded by Sir Richard Branson (this guy), is the closest to making the thermosphere the hot new travel spot. After a decade of testing, this coming Christmas Day will feature the inaugural public flight of Virgin Galactic, the company's foremost spacecraft.
While not cheap by any means, the $250,000 which you need to fork over to book a seat is chump change in comparison to the ticket price offered by Roscomos. Reportedly, several celebrities have already paid for their ride, including, Stephen Hawking, Tom Hanks, Katy Perry, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Passengers ride in SpaceShipTwo, a nimble seven-person spacecraft which does not launch vertically. Insteal, SpaceShipTwo is strapped to the back of a carrier plane, dubbed WhiteKnightOne, and ferried to 51,000 ft. From there, the craft is released, and rocket engines power the craft to 4,000 km/h to reach 110 km above the Earth's surface, 10 km further than the acknowledged edge of space. After a 2.5 hour flight, the craft descends and lands at its home base. Virgin Galactic expects to have brought 30,000 people to space within ten years of commencing operations.
Don't have the $200,000 on hand to go to space with Richard Branson and Brad Pitt? Well if you can scrape together (just) $95,000, and wait a couple extra years, then RocketShip Tours is your best bet. This 'discount spaceline' is building its own short distance spacecraft with trips that last just an hour.
 Many space tourism companies say that once just a handful of companies prove that the concept is successful, then it will officially become a tourism boom. Trips to the lunar surface and to visit Mars have been discussed. Also envisioned are low Earth orbit hotels and resorts, where visitors are bussed to space stations to relax and get pampered. Such hotels have already been proposed, such as the Space Island Project, as well the Space Islands, which Hilton Hotels proposed in 1999 and would use recycle shuttle fuel tanks as a foundation. Gravity could be simulated by the use of a wheel-shaped space station that relies on centrifugal forces.
Even though we're discussing ideas which are in the future, they should most certainly be prefixed as 'near-future'. We're not far off until we see a generation of space outposts which crop up solely to meet the needs of weary travelers. But just like the big lodges and camps located in the forests of New York or California, they'll only be a temporary retreat. The real prize is what lies beyond. There will be a day where we play recreational basketball on a court on the moon, with baskets positioned 25 feet high. There could be a day where we put SPF 1,000 sunscreen on so we can play on the beaches of Europa. It's only a matter of time until our imaginations and technology take us there.
Resources
Wikipedia - Rotating wheel space station; Virgin Galactic
Virtuoso - VG FAQs
Virgin Galactic website
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Re: You're Just $200K Away from Outer Space
