Wizarding Holidays: Skyscanner Reveals World's Most Wizardly Destinations

    EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, June 17, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On June 18th, Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park will be opening its newest, grandest and most ambitious addition: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Airfare deals comparison site Skyscanner waves it magic wand to conjure up some well-known wizards and the worlds they come from.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Orlando, FL, USA)
Part of Universal's Islands of Adventure, the Wizarding World is full of sights from the Potter universe and muggles from all over the world will be jumping on flights to Orlando to experience this magical place. Rides like Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriff, and the Forbidden Journey will bring thrills to guests of all ages, and sights like Ollivander's Wand Shop, Hagrid's Hut and Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods will delight Potter fans.

The Wizard Gandalf (Middle Earth and New Zealand)
JRR Tolkien created a rich universe far removed from earth as we know it when he penned his Lord of the Rings trilogy. But when Peter Jackson took on the mission of turning the books into movies, he chose his native New Zealand as the perfect setting to bring the magical Middle Earth to life. Fans can find some seasonally cheap flights to Sydney, and then it's just a quick hop over to New Zealand to see its unrivalled vistas and natural beauty and experience the world of Hobbits, elves and orcs for themselves.

The Wizard of Oz (Kansas, USA)
In 1900, L. Frank Baum wrote about the adventures of one Dorothy Gale, a young girl from Kansas who is whisked away by a tornado, ending up in the Land of Oz. Befriending a talking scarecrow, a cowardly lion and a tin man, she journeyed to visit The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and get back home. Fans can visit the Oz Museum in Kansas which holds tons of memorabilia from the books, films and musicals.

The Washington Wizards (Washington, DC, USA)
Based in the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, this professional basketball team brings to the court all the magic expected from the NBA. They even had a veritable wizard of the court play for them, in the form of superstar Michael Jordan from 2001 to 2003. Today, the Wizards fill their arena for every game and, win or lose, they never fail to deliver great thrills and magic moves for the crowd's pleasure.

The Wizard Getafix (France)
Part of Goscinny and Uderzo's tribe of rebellious Gaul warriors who comically torment Julius Caesar's legions in ancient France, Getafix, officially a druid, is a potion concocting wizard who can prepare an elixir that grants superhuman strength to those who drink it. Travellers on flights to Europe wishing to meet Getafix as well as Asterix, Obelix and the rest of the tribe, can take a trip to Parc Asterix, a theme-park based on the world of Asterix located 35km (22 miles) north of Paris.

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