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In travel news this week: odd room service requests, the cruise passengers stranded for months at their departure port, plus how a rogue bag of Cheetos caused havoc in a New Mexico cave.
Unusual guest requests
Far be it from us to say folks are getting a little entitled, but a new report from Hotels.com has revealed the oddest room service requests made to its hotel partners around the world.
There’s the Evian-filled bathtub requested for a child’s routine scrub-up, and the customized allergen-free menu for a pet.
There’s the separate requests that were fielded for burnt toast, fresh goat milk and 2 kilos of bananas.
And finally there’s the demand for a high-five from a team member to ensure their room service request was read.
It’s a different story at one New York hotel, where self-service is very much the order of the day. To mark Sexual Health Awareness Month this September, it’s introduced a “Self-Love Pod” package, which is pretty much exactly what you think it is. Read more here.
Travelers behaving badly
Here’s a powerful reason to never litter. A tourist broke National Park Service rules and dropped a bag of Cheetos in a New Mexico cave. It wreaked a “world-changing” amount of havoc to Carlsbad Caverns’ fragile microbial ecosystem.
Over in Hawaii, Oahu island’s Haiku Stairs have been closed since 1987, but people are still risking their lives to visit. Fourteen people have recently been arrested for accessing the 4,000 steps, which are off-limits not just because of the danger to visitors but also to protect natural resources.
We all know flying comes at a cost to the environment and waste should be avoided. A disruptive passenger who caused an Australian flight to be diverted last year has been made to make amends for his misdeed by paying more than $5,000 in fuel costs.
On the Georgia coast, however, there’s been some good dumping going on. Two Atlanta metro railcars have been sunk in the Atlantic Ocean and are now the happy home of a bunch of fish, sea turtles and coral. They’re not even the most unusual objects to be found in what’s known as Artificial Reef L.
Cruises and collisions
A Delta CRJ 900 regional jet collided with a Delta Airbus A350 while both were taxiing for takeoff at Atlanta’s airport on Tuesday. The regional jet lost its tail section, while the passengers – all uninjured – were deplaned and put on alternate flights.
It’s not the only trip to have run into trouble before it’s even begun. The Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship was meant to set off in May on a round-the-world “endless” cruise on which the sun never sets. More than three months on, the first passengers are still stuck at the departure port.
The nine-month itinerary of Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise was considerably less ambitious, but at least it successfully completed its journey this week. Here’s what it was like on board the trip that unexpectedly became the center of a social media storm.
Not looking for a boy-next-door
Anne Marie Hagerty has traveled to over 25 countries looking for love. From England to Argentina, these are the destinations she thinks are the most romantic.
If Hagerty strikes gold one day, she may be interested in these 16 budget honeymoon packages put together by our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN.
In case you missed it
These are the world’s best airline rewards programs, according to Point.me.
Helping find clarity in an increasingly confused landscape.
A Spanish city is urging British tourists to keep their clothes on.
It’s about “respect and hygiene.”
European travelers will have to pay to enter the UK in 2025.
But not their neighbors next door. That’s the luck of the Irish.
She invited a stranger to join her on vacation in Italy.
“It went from zero to 100, really, really quick.”
