In last week’s episode of the Amateur Traveler podcast (Travel to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks - Episode 183) we talked a bit about stupid tourist interactions with wildlife. I took this picture near Jasper in Alberta, Canada as this tourist (not someone I knew) was trying to get a picture standing very close to an elk. The animal kept backing away and was clearly very uncomfortable. I was afraid that this was going to end very ugly.

[I have often heard that more people are killed each year in the U.S. and Canada by deer and elk than are killed by sharks. After doing some more research it appears that this comes from the 130 or so people who die when they run into one with their car. I am not sure that is a fair comparison as people run into sharks with their cars much less often.]

What are your stupid tourist pictures?
Do you have any pictures of tourists, like this one, who seem to be trying to make a case for natural selection?

The recent cold snap in the east changed the itinerary for cruise ship passengers who were literally left out in the cold.

No worries on board ice-bound cruise ship

A cruise ship carrying nearly 400 people has been stuck in thick ice in the St. Lawrence River in Eastern Canada for over a day, but passengers are nonetheless having a “festive” time, the company that owns the vessel said Tuesday.

The ship, CTMA-Vacancier, chartered by a group traveling from Montreal to the Gaspe Peninsula for a cross-country skiing trip to celebrate the 475th anniversary of the region’s settlement, is now inching through the heavy ice, said Leonard Arsenault, a spokesman for MTMA Group.

He said the 300 passengers, along with a crew of nearly 100, were in no danger and that there was plenty of food on board.

But the cruise ship passengers were not the only ones stuck in the ice. The cold also trapped airline passengers in one of those stories that leaves you wondering if it is about time for those often talked about passenger’s rights.

Stunned by the day’s travel news — no really, stunned

Passengers on an AirTran flight from Columbus, Ohio, to Orlando were stuck in transit for 12 hours yesterday — many of them on a grounded plane. Flight 373 to Orlando had been scheduled to take off from Columbus, Ohio, at 8 a.m. But an overnight snow storm reportedly turned the parked plane into a popsicle. Ground crews used three truckloads of deicing fluid in a futile attempt to thaw the frozen plane. “We had no water, no air, they couldn’t turn the engine on,” one traveler said. The passengers were let off the aircraft for lunch, and AirTran offered them free roundtrip tickets for the trouble.

Speaking of dirty tricks, research has picked out one New York hotel as the dirtiest in the country. By the way, if you think bed bugs are bad… don’t look under the bed.

Behold The Nastiest, Foulest Hotel In America

Is this the dirtiest, foulest hotel in America? The voters on TripAdvisor.com think so, and the rating doesn’t seem to have come as a shock to the management of the hotel — the manager told NY1, “because they are a one star hotel, they have one star standards of cleanliness.” Well, ew.

What sort of crimes against hygeine are we talking about here? Well, according to the comments on TripAdviser, prepare yourself for “mice, roaches, Bed Bugs and crack heads all living at this Hell Hole! The hotel itself smells and is filthy from the disgusting bedspread to the filthy bathroom.” And there are also “outlets that hang out of walls” and “Built up hair clogged shower drains.” All this for only $122 a night.

Other stories I found interesting:

• 2009 Worldnomads.com Travel Podcast Scholarship
• How Well Do You Know the Middle East?
• London Pedestrian Routemap
• How to Move to Paris with No Money
• Win $50,000 Towards Your Dream Photography Assignment!
• Across the ocean in a pedal-powered submarine
• Win the best job in the world

SEC looks into posting of old United story

As if United Airlines has not been having enough trouble these days it had to content last week with an internet echo of an old story.

Officials at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are wondering if there was any improper conduct behind the online release last weekend of a 6-year-old news story that lead to a 75 percent drop in the stock of United Airlines on Monday, according to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

The SEC has opened a “preliminary inquiry” into the online distribution of a Chicago Tribune article from 2002 about United Airlines’ bankruptcy filing, people familiar with the matter said.

The Tribune Co. said in a statement on Wednesday that it believes a single visit to the archived story on the site of its South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper during a low-traffic time period resulted in the computer system displaying it under a tab titled “Popular Stories Business: Most Viewed.”

The article was then picked up by Google News and displayed with no indicate of the original date of publishing. It was later distributed by Bloomberg.

Google’s automated search agent “Googlebot” misclassified the article because it is unable to differentiate between breaking news and frequently viewed stories on the newspaper Web sites, the Tribune said, adding that it had asked Google to stop crawling its sites month ago, but the process had continued.

Meanwhile Continental seems to be happy about their new fees for luggage.

Continental says luggage fee to generate $100 mln

Continental Airlines on Thursday said it expects to see $100 million in revenue and cost savings related to a new $15 dollar bag-check fee.

Canada passes airline passengers’ bill of rights

(September 11, 2008) - At a press conference in Ottowa, Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon announced the passage of a passenger’s bill of rights program, nicknamed “Flight Rights.” The Canadian government is the first airline in North America to execute a passengers’ bill of rights.

Under the new law, Canadian airlines will also be required to provide stranded travelers with updated flight delay and schedule change information, along with meal vouchers for delays of four hours and hotel vouchers for delays of eight hours or more.

Eurostar trains halted by fire in Channel Tunnel

Cross-Channel travellers face severe disruption today [September 12] as operators struggle to resume rail services after a fire in the Channel Tunnel yesterday.

The tunnel was closed for the rest of the day, causing disruption to more than 15,000 passengers. Seven people were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.

Gas Prices Cause Airline to Remove Life Vests

Air Canada’s regional carrier Jazz is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight and fuel.

Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart said Thursday Transport Canada regulations allow airlines to use floatation devices instead of life vests provided the planes remain within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of shore.

50 miles? Just how far do they think I can swim?

IATA: Airlines will lose US$5.2 billion in 2008

The Air Transport Association (IATA) has said it is predicting that airlines will lose US$5.2 billion in 2008, due to slowing demand and high oil prices. Fuel is expected to rise to 36 percent of operating costs, up from 13 percent in 2002.

Why airline reregulation is no longer taboo

I spotted a surprising article that I spotted this week on airline de-regulation. de-regulation has general been held as a good thing that led to increased competition, lower fares and more flights. But some have started to question the downsides of this landmark change in 1978.

One observer with a unique perspective is Robert Crandall, the former chairman of American Airlines and a recognized industry leader � for better or worse � during his tenure in the business. In a speech before the Wings Club in New York City in June, Crandall noted the following: “The consequences (of deregulation) have been very adverse. Our airlines, once world leaders, are now laggards in every category, including fleet age, service quality and international reputation. Fewer and fewer flights are on time. Airport congestion has become a staple of late-night comedy shows. An even higher percentage of bags are lost or misplaced. Last-minute seats are harder and harder to find. Passenger complaints have skyrocketed. Airline service, by any standard, has become unacceptable.”

Australia issues travel advisory warns of high risks for travelers to US

In a fresh travel advisory issued on Sunday, the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has warmed of “high risks” of terror attacks on domestic and international flights in and to the United States.

Sure, but what about those of us who are already here?

Delta, JetBlue and NYC airports highlight list of chronically delayed flights

Delta subsidiary Comair flew the eight most chronically delayed flights in July, including three that arrived late every time they flew. Overall, 19 of the nation’s 30 most-chronically delayed flights flew under the Delta logo, though all of the offending flights were operated by Delta’s regional affilaites and not by Delta itself. The worst performer was Comair Flight 5292 from Minneapolis/St. Paul to New York JFK, which arrived late all 31 times it flew in July, the latest month for which data is available from the Department of Transportation (page 14). The average delay for Flight 5292: 134 minutes. That flight also arrived late every time it flew in June, as well, arriving behind schedule by an average of 123 minutes during that month.

Is that really fair? Do you know how hard it is for people in Minnesota to say goodbyes?

Chill out, comfortably, at these ‘ice lounges’

Minus5 Las Vegas (as in minus 5 degrees Celsius) in the Mandalay Bay casino/resort complex, which may open by the end of the month, is similar to chill-out establishments in Stockholm (the Absolut Icebar) and other minus5s in Australia and New Zealand. Patrons, who pay $30 to enter the 1,200-square-foot lounge in Vegas, will be loaned parkas and gloves, sit on ice chairs and sip a drink (one included in the entry fee) in frozen glasses.

JetBlue flight diverted after fight breaks out

A JetBlue flight from Boston, Massachusetts, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was diverted Saturday when a fight broke out after someone was smoking in the bathroom, federal officials said. A JetBlue plane was held in North Carolina for two hours while passengers were interviewed. One passenger aboard JetBlue Flight 455 was taken into custody at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina after the plane landed about 5:45 p.m.

A Villa for One Euro?

You read that right. In the picturesque hilltop town of Salemi in western Sicily, the mayor is selling old stone villas in the historic town center for one euro (approximately $1.41) apiece. The catch? These villas were damaged in the 1968 earthquake, and have stood unoccupied and deteriorating for the past 40 years. Sound appealing? Once you buy the villa, you must restore it in two years in a way that respects its original character and in accordance with the architectural standards established by the town council; you must also hire local builders, architects, decorators, and plumbers to do the work, reports Times Online, “since the aim of the scheme is to help the local economy.”

With much of the Northern Hemisphere dealing with true Winter (not like here in California) I liked this video from Lisa (a blogger at MostlyLisa.com) who fled the Canadian cold for a Sandals resort on the beach in Jamaica. Maybe this will give you and idea as well for someplace warm to go this Winter. If not, also check out Lisa’s photo diary of her trip.