As 2011 winds down, it’s time to look ahead to our travel planning for the next year. The travel experts at Cox & Kings have been planning luxury trips since 1758, when Richard Cox was appointed to the post of regimental agent during the British Raj. Responsible for outfitting and arranging all travel for the foot guards, he became known for his reliability and honesty, which formed the basis for his business serving most of the regiments in India. These are their picks for 2012 trends.

Over Sunday morning coffee at the newly opened Scandic Grand Central in Stockholm, Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man on Earth, and Amanda Bergman, aka Idiot Wind, explained to me how they first connected over MySpace. It was an unexpected romantic beginning for the two celebrated Swedish songwriters, who met in 2009 and have been performing together intermittently ever since, and who live a private, quiet life together in the countryside.

For the opening of the Scandic Grand Central in Stockholm last weekend, the large-scale hotelier brought out the biggest and the best for a black tie gala in Sweden’s capital city. The soiree included a meet and greet in the hotel’s well-equipped acoustic lounge, followed by a dinner in the hotel’s Teaterbrasseriet restaurant, and an intimate performance by Grammy-nominated, Brooklyn-born performer and producer John Forté. Party-goers included frontrunners in art, design, fashion, and music. Guests were were given free rooms for the night, and encouraged to indulge in everything the newly renovated space has to offer, including the photo booth and sweet swag bags. More on how the Swedish 'downtown' mafia parties after the jump.

There are two general markers I use to tell if my hotel room is haunted. One: I generally have these crazy dreams of me looking at myself while other people look at me and convulse, whereupon I wake up frightened in cold sweats. Two: I see a fucking ghost. So when I was in Stockholm three years ago, I had that specific dream at a hotel. The front desk clerk clearly held back "ghost" information to avoid a scene (there were others at the front desk). In any case, I moved rooms and slept beautifully.

● Griffins' Steakhouse Extraordinaire (Norrmalm) - Strikingly elegant steakhouse elevates Stockholm's already vaunted dining scene. ● Supper (Norrmalm) - Cocktails and dreams at this eclectic tribute to all things Latin American.

There's a new airline coming onto the scene, and they're promising the moon, the stars, and under-$300 airfares from New York to Stockholm, Sweden, and Oslo, Norway. So far, what we know is that this new airline is going to be called Feel Air, and they're launching sometime in Spring 2010. The slogan on their site says, "Long distance, low cost -- FEELgood flying." The promised fares start around $260, including fees. "We are building a Ryanair-type cost religion, combined with AirAsia X operation and business model, wrapped up in a Virgin-style employment and branding philosophy," CEO Kai Holmberg said.

The Stockholm airport is about to launch the first-ever "hostel in a jet" later this week. It's called the Jumbo Hostel. The story goes like this: Rich businessman + airplane fetish = accommodations for 72 just outside the entrance to Swedish hub Arlanda Airport. For around $300 a night, you too can enjoy sleeping inside the renovated Boeing 747; if you're lucky you might score one of the four rooms located in the original engines hanging off the wings.

Diesel XXX -- not be confused with that unfortunate chrome-domed actor and his unfortunate secret agent movie -- is segueing from industrial clothing brand to international party starter, with a 24-hour global shindig on October 11. The intercontinental soiree will begin in Tokyo and successively stumble to Beijing, Dubai, Athens, Amsterdam, Milan, Zurich, Munich, Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Oslo, Helsinki, London, and Sao Paulo. No New York unfortunately, except for the 5,000-person grand finale we've been granted along Brooklyn's scenic waterfront, hosted by that Mistress of Seduction, Joey Arias, and featuring performances from M.I.A., N.E.R.D, and Hot Chip.