Behold, the Travel Toys of the Stars

May 29, 2008 -- -- Even celebrities have to commute. But travel toys mean more than simply fancy cars.

The best celeb travel toys have a lot more cachet than their price tags. We're talking about transportation that makes a statement.

It might say: "Save the environment, drive a hybrid."

Or: "Forget the environment, it's my jet."

Or even: "At $200 million, I am my own environment floating at sea."

From a revamped passenger jet-cum-private plane to a 100-plus car collection, these travel toys pack the personality of the celebs who drive, ride and fly them.

It can be argued that TV host Jay Leno — who lived in his 1955 Buick when he first arrived in Los Angeles — is driven. That car is still in his garage, along with more than 100 other automobiles. And he drives them all.

To that end, the garage (perhaps "hangar" would be more accurate to describe its 17,000 square feet) is not a museum, according to his Web site, which states, "Jay and his collection are fixtures in the Southern California area and can often be spotted out for weekend rides."

That collection ranges from Lamborghinis and Bentleys to Stanley Steamers and Model Ts.

The garage itself holds space enough to work on a dozen different cars at once and, indeed, a full-time staff maintains and restores them all. The garage also, albeit oddly, features a gourmet kitchen. Turns out Leno loves to cook as much as he loves cars. Almost.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has long been known for his affinity for tough-guy cars, specifically the Hummer. He has several, according to his publicist Aaron McLear.

But the gas-guzzling, carbon-pumping machines are not exactly befitting the image of an elected official upholding the public interest.

So Schwarzenegger retro-fitted two with new engines. One Hummer now runs on biofuel — specifically vegetable oil, and the other on hydrogen. He barely drives either, McLear said, because his role as governor requires the highway patrol to tote him around for security reasons. But the message is clear: You can be environmentally friendly and still drive a cool car.

Angelina Jolie isn't the only celebrity with a pilot's license. Tom Cruise, John Travolta and other stars who aren't Scientologists have also logged time in the cockpit.

But Jolie is the one who came under fire when she purchased one of the fastest single-engine aircrafts available — the $360,000 Cirrus SR 22. Some critics caused a bit of turbulence when they suggested she is putting her family at risk by flying such an advanced aircraft, with so little experience. So far, the Jolie jet remains unscathed.

Wish we could say the same for George Clooney's motorcycle hobby. The star is a familiar sight around California riding his $25,000 black and chrome Honda Rune.

Despite years of riding experience, he made headlines in July 2007 when he collided with a car on a New Jersey highway while driving a rented Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Clooney's girlfriend Sarah Larson sustained a couple cuts and minor injuries, but no one was seriously hurt.

Clooney was in the New York area at the time filming "Burn After Reading."

Just a few days later, Clooney again made news when a video surfaced showing the star, back in California hopping off his bike to confront a photographer he felt was following too closely.

Still, Clooney's bikes can't begin to compete with what's in Travolta's garage. The "Pulp Fiction" star has not one, but two jets: a small Gulfstream and a giant Boeing 707 passenger jet, which he converted into a private flying hotel.

Travolta reportedly spent $4 million on his customized 707 and keeps his jets next to his home in custom-made jet ports.

But not everyone in the $20-million-plus-per-film club chooses a flashy ride.

Leonardo DiCaprio, for example, doesn't just make movies (2007's "11th Hour") about the environment; he claims to live it as much as possible.

"I fly commercially whenever possible," he said at a 2007 news conference in Cannes, adding that his home is also decked out with solar panels.

He's also driven a Toyota Prius for the last seven years.

The hybrid was even his ride to the Oscars last year, and now other stars like Cameron Diaz, Susan Sarandon, Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford are reportedly driving them too.

Decidedly even further down the flashy scale is Matthew McConaughey, who often ducks out of convertible-crawling Los Angeles in his silver Airstream trailer.

What started as a vehicle for the "Sahara" publicity trail has turned into what seems to be a full-time residence. McConaughey promoted the 2005 film by accepting interviews in trailer parks across the country, and felt so comfortable in his root-less lifestyle, it seems, that he adopted it full time.

Ewan McGregor's motorcycle — a BMW GS R1150 — hardly spends much time in the garage.

At least in 2004 — the year McGregor, star of "Moulin Rouge," and friend Charley Boorman famously trekked across three continents.

The pair covered 20,000 miles in just more than three months, and later that year Bravo aired a six-episode series "Long Way Round" chronicling the adventure.

Funny thing is, it was nearly a couple of KTM bikes they took on that trip, but the Austrian motocross company passed on the sponsorship.

But all the jets, motorbikes and hybrids in toyland could park and then some on Paul Allen's yacht. At 416 feet, the Octopus is among the biggest privately owned private yachts in the world.

It cost the Microsoft mogul more than $200 million and employs a staff of more than 60 people — including a couple of former Navy SEALS. There must be plenty to do, what with maintaining a pair of helicopters, seven boats, swimming pool, basketball field and a submarine that can accommodate up to eight people for two weeks underwater.