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The Lighter Side of Travel

Travel Stories That May Induce Chuckles...

The Lighter Side...When you Gotta Go, You Gotta Go! A woman’s holiday plans were ruined after Thai authorities refused to let her into the country - because she’d used her passport as toilet paper. Faye Wilson had hoped to spend a month in Thailand before heading to Australia to work for a year. But her dream quickly turned into a nightmare when Thai officials clocked the missing pages in her passport and sent her packing. Read more here (link to yahoo story)

The Lighter Side...To Right to Recline or Defend your Knees
We are hesitant to include this in our lighter side section because this is serious travel business. It can be the difference between a miserable flight or a productive one. Restless hours or a sleep-filled trip. Ira Goldman, a 6'3" traveler invented the Knee Defender gadget to prevent being bumped in the knees by the seat in front of him on the airplane. Read more...

It happens, but we usually don't take the photo opportunity. We are not sure of the travel story behind this photo! Taken by Stephen Carlson used via creative commons license.

The Lighter Side...Not a Good Time Sometimes travel does not go quite as planned. New member, Jerald, shared one of his favorite quotes with us, "If it is not a good time then it is a good story." I'm sure all of us have had travel nightmares that ended up being most memorable! Jerald's good story begins with his RV breaking down. Then the engine of their tow-behind Jeep overheated. The family continued their trip in a rental car until they ended up going car shopping for a vehicle. Two near accidents of a runaway trailer and a flying tire didn't stop them. The trip continued even though their daughter came down with an ear infection which required and ER and pharmacy visit. 3,000 miles later they returned home to spoiled food and skinny cats because the power had evidently gone out. We will think of this story when we have our own predicament - and remember it could be worse!

The Lighter Side...Glamorous Security!
Oh the glamour of going through airport security! Forget the accessories and put on the slip-on shoes

The Lighter Side...Hold On!
If only Travel Goal Getters could travel like this! On second thought, maybe not. It makes us uncomfortable to look at this unnatural picture but also makes us smile.

The Lighter Side...Don't You Wish You Could Travel Like This!
Don't you wish you could travel like this? What is that tiny speck on the wall? Look closer - it is a goat! Alpine Ibex goats scale the wall and lick minerals from the
rocks...without falling...on a dam in the Gran Paridiso National Park in Italy. It makes us nervous to look! Watch the YouTube video.

The Lighter Side...Awake on an Empty Plane!
Tom Wagner was extremely tired. He was so tired he slept through landing and somehow no one thought to wake him up to get off the plane. Instead he slept on and ended up waking up locked on the plane! Read more about unusual story on this CNN Article.

The Lighter Side...Degrading City Names
Did city founders desire to keep people away or did they just call it what it was?
You can visit these cities and determine for yourself! Boring, Oregon. Nothing, AZ, Stinking Bay, AR, Gross, KS, Hell, MI, Hell for Certain, KY. Read more about Travel Goal Getter Top Toponyms.

The Lighter Side...Sign Translation
Funky translations on signs are always good for a laugh when you travel, although it would be nice if this warning wasn't necessary. The photo was taken at Tiger Hill Pagoda in Suzhou City, China. It has the nickname the leaning tower of China. Here are some more lost in translation pictures...

The Lighter Side...Map on Your Back, Another Way to Keep Track!
There are many ways to keep track of visits to countries and states. This one is permanent! Read more about how one traveler is tracking places visited in this article.

The Lighter Side...Free Tickets from United!
Due to a human error on Thursday, September 12th, people were able to purchase tickets for flights costing $0.00! People only had to pay some fees resulting in trips from San Jose, CA to Boston, MA for $10! No word yet on if United will honor these free flights. Read more...

The Lighter Side...Only Lightweight Female Flight Attendants Need Apply!
"We'd think you be a great fit for our airline and your interviews and tests went extremely well. Unfortunately, you are male and males weigh more than females." Ouch! In an effort to reduce fuel costs, Indian Airline GoAir will only be hiring females due to their lower BMI. Read more...

The Lighter Side...Pets Now Earn Frequent Flyer Miles!
Sorry potbelly pig! Frequent flyer miles on Virgin Australia are only offered to cats and dogs! Read more...

The Lighter Side...10 Hour Flight Without Toilet Paper!
Thank goodness for those cocktail napkins! The airline later said that the flight would have been delayed had they restocked the bathrooms with toilet paper. Hmmm...I really think that a delay for toilet paper would have been well received by passengers, especially on a 10 hour flight! Read more...

The Lighter Side...The Real Chewbacca + Faux Lightsaber = TSA Delay!
Actor Peter Mayhew, famous for playing Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies uses a cane. The problem is that the cane is a replica lightsaber. Lightsabers and TSA do not mix. Despite how terribly wrong this Chewbacca vs. TSA encounter could have turned out, the cane was cleared in less than 5 min. & Chewbacca's Lightsaber Triumphs Over TSA.

The Lighter Side...How Many Million Dollars is That RV?
One million? Two million? How about three million dollars for a motor home! Complete with glow in the dark exterior paint! Watch and be amazed! It is called eleMMent PALAZZO and that's exactly how they spell it on their website!

The Lighter Side...From Wine Barrel to Aluminum Can to Seat 24A!
Budget Carrier Spirit Airlines to Serve Wine From a Can...Who knows? Maybe it's made from the best stuff on earth! Oh wait, that's Snapple! (remember 90's Hit Drink Snapple?)

The Lighter Side..."Just Google Me!""
Apparently yelling at the pilot to "Google me" isn't enough to circumvent TSA valid passenger identification requirements. No matter who you are, a suspended license may not let you fly - even if you are Amanda Bynes, whoever she is (maybe I should Google her!) read more of this ridiculousness.

The Lighter Side...Dakar or Dhaka - What's The Difference?
It's amazing that a mistake like this can happen nowadays; couple flown to wrong continent after airline error! I'm 100% sure that the couple that found themselves in Bangladesh instead of Senegal probably aren't laughing about this. And I'm also 100% sure that the offending Turkish Airlines' offer of 2 free economy tickets doesn't seem to quite make up for the hassle of this airport code mix-up!

The Lighter Side...Lost Bet = Sir Branson in Drag!
Billionaire CEO Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Australia lost a bet with CEO Tony Fernandes of rival AirAsia and had to dress and serve as a flight attendant. Read more about his "dude looks like a lady" moment in this The Australian article.

The Lighter Side...Unruly Passenger Belts out Whitney Houston Songs!
On an unforgettable flight, an unruly passenger created a stir by belting Whitney Houston songs, forcing an unscheduled landing. She was subdued by an Air Marshall who was on the flight. Read more about this case of a misguided Whitney Houston fan in this article.

The Lighter Side...Flirting at 35k Feet!
Using Virgin America's RED Entertainment System, passengers can now buy food and beverage service items for other passengers. Read more about flirting at 35,000 feet in this PointsGuy.com article. No, sending food and drink to the cockpit won't get you there any faster!

The Lighter Side...Literally!
As reported by the New York Times in the article "Airlines Weight The Pounds", the little South Pacific airline Samoa Air has implemented a pay-by-the-pound price structure - not for your luggage - for passengers!

The Lighter Side...Doctors Orders!
As reported by Gadling, doctors confirm in a new study that passing gas mid-flight is good for your health - in fact it is preferred! "Passing Gas Mid-Flight Is Good For Your Health, Doctors Find"

The Lighter Side...Bountiful Bellies!
The next trend in men's fashion? From the archives of Aroundtheworldl.com comes the game of belly-spotting in China. Apparently, it is perfectly acceptable for men in China (especially during the hot summer months) to tie their shirts halfway up their chests and walk around public streets, trains, or restaurants with their entire tummies nakedly protruding. Men - try it in your town this summer - let us know the reaction!

The Lighter Side...
70 Layers of Clothes To Avoid Fees!
As reported by Gadling.com, at an airport in China a traveler wore 70 different articles of clothing to avoid the baggage fee! He was described as looking like a Sumo Wrestler. That's one way to do it!

On the Lighter Side...
Island Undiscovered!
Apparently, even Google Maps had this one wrong! Scientists recently discovered that a South Pacific island, known as Sandy Island or Sable Island and referenced on Google Maps and other maps actually does not exist! Read more about this interesting case of un-discovery on cnn.com.

On the Lighter Side...Standing Room Only!
CEO of European Airline Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, says airplane seat belts are useless and proposes a standing room only section in the plane!
Seatbelts on planes are pointless, says Ryanair boss...

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Photos used under Creative Commons from drewfer, dbbent, kvanhorn, EvelynGiggles, ncaramanico, evocateur, cldoyle, Christina Spicuzza, bixentro, violarenate, Kevin Dooley, dsearls, crucially, LifeSupercharger, david_shankbone, Loren Sztajer, Roving I, Travis Littlechilds, thebarrowboy, Sharon Mollerus, Andrea Arden, D. Sharon Pruitt, ticket photo used under public domain license release, mrsdkrebs, drewfer, Derrick Coetzee, Stephen Carlson