These lucky tourists would be among the first people ever to travel to this exotic place. Travelers would ride camels from oasis to oasis. "Thrill at the sight of painted deserts and classic temple ruins," the ads said.

Pioneer tour groups would be the first to explore the mysterious canals that others could only wonder about. The fantastic spectrum of sunset colors would capture on film - for the first time - the most magnificent photographs ever seen by mankind.

As you might expect, the price tag for this tour is high. I mean, with a buildup like that you’d expect the agency to be talking serious money. How serious? Ten grand serious. Not $10,000 per couple - $10,000 per person.

That kind of money might be a turnoff for many, but the organizers found 600 takers for this wild and wonderful vacation. Did I mention the destination? The fourth planet from the sun - that would be Mars.

"Round trip tickets to Mars for only $10,000!" The price includes round trip space travel, plus local transportation while on Mars. Meals and living accommodations are included, but camel fare is extra. Some tourists are afraid of getting seasick on camelback.

Makes you wonder, how gullible can we Americans be? Not as gullible as the Italians. That’s where the tourist scam went down, in Italy. The agents hinted that tours of the moon would soon be available also. Pictures on the moon’s surface would, alas, only show up in black and white.

In case you haven’t done the math, 600 tourists at these rates comes to $6 million. The travel agents who thought up this escapade are already long gone to parts unknown.