The first story is a sad one but one that people need to hear. Please, please, please pay attention to the seat belt signs when you fly.

Pay attention to that seat belt sign

A Texas woman is paralyzed after getting up to use the lavatory, ignoring the fasten seat belt sign, as her Continental Airlines flight approached McAllen Airport in turbulent weather. Naturally, her family is suing Continental.

Who would have guessed that telling someone else on the lane you have a bomb would get you in trouble? Everyone. Everyone except one idiot at the Denver airport.

Stupid is as stupid does

A man accused of telling an off-duty Northwest Airlines pilot that he had explosives in his carry-on bag was sentenced to four years probation for making false threats.

Federal investigators said the Northwest Airlines plane was backing away from a gate at Denver International Airport last year when 56-year-old Mark Randall Rayborn grabbed his bag and told the pilot seated next to him that he had five pounds of explosives that security screeners had missed.

Well this story could certainly change my travel plans for where I will go hiking in the nude. Or, it would… if that seemed at all like a good idea.

Swiss heartland voters ban nude hiking in Alps

Voters in the heart of the Swiss Alps on Sunday passed legislation banning naked hiking after dozens of mostly German nudists started rambling through their picturesque region.

By a show of hands citizens of the tiny canton (state) of Appenzell Inner Rhodes voted overwhelmingly at their traditional open-air annual assembly to impose a 200 Swiss franc ($176) fine on violators.

This story from the UK Telegraph is further evidence that there is no minimum intelligence needed to travel.

20 ridiculous complaints made by holidaymakers

my favorite complaint:

A woman threatened to call police after claiming that she’d been locked in by staff. When in fact, she had mistaken the “do not disturb” sign on the back of the door as a warning to remain in the room.

Since this week’s episode of the Amateur Traveler is about Travel to Yellowstone National Park, I was interested to see Fodor’s list of what parks you should take your kids to see.

10 National Parks Every Kid Should See

• Arches National Park
• Denali National Park
• Grand Canyon, Arizona
• Glacier National Park
• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Yellowstone National Park
• Redwoods National and State Parks
• Everglades National Park

Other stories that caught my eye:

• Revenge at sea: 5 ways passengers are getting even with cruise lines
• ‘Furious’ Obama orders review of NY plane flyover
• America’s 11 most endangered historic places announced

If you have trouble figuring out what to pack for a trip then have I got a hotel for you…

Check In at Germany’s First Naked Hotel

Clothes will be strictly forbidden on the premises of Germany’s first hotel for nudists, which will open shortly in the southwestern Black Forest region. Guests will be required to remove their clothes at the entrance and must be naked at all times while on the premises, according to the strict house rules that have already been posted on the Internet.

If you have a fear of flying after flight 332 got hit by birds and ended up landing in the Hudson, then one airport you might not want to fly out of is Sacramento.

Jet returns to Calif. airport after bird strike

A United Airlines flight bound for Chicago had to return to the Sacramento airport after hitting a bird during takeoff.

The Sacramento airport is in the Pacific flyway for migratory birds and reports more bird strikes annually than any other airport in the western United States.

If you got off a plane that filled with smoke because of a mechanical issue, would you get right on another one. The passengers on this plane did.

United jet with engine trouble lands in Maine

A United Airlines jet carrying 178 passengers and 11 crew members from London to Washington, D.C., has made an emergency landing in Maine because of mechanical problems.

More and more tourists are canceling trips or retirement plans to Mexico (my family included). If you are still going there are some good safety tips in this article.

Violence in Mexico: A Cause of Concern for Retirees Looking to Travel or Relocate

Mexico is the favorite travel destination for Americans and it’s also the most favored place outside the U.S. for retirees to relocate. The country’s warm climate, familiar culture, and low costs naturally attract retirees. Now, however, drug-related violence and–to a lesser extent–Mexico’s own recessionary pressures have made parts of Mexico dangerous. The U.S. State Department renewed its Mexico travel alert last month. Requests are escalating for more protection by U.S. border troops. Visits to major travel sites, such as Fodor’s, reveal rising traveler concerns and travel cancellations.

The U.S. has named a number of new Historic Landmarks including President Lincoln’s Cottage and San Francisco’s Bay, Angel Island Immigration Station. Read more:

New U.S. Historical Landmarks

Other articles that caught my eye:

• Free or Cheap Things to Do in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Great American bike trails
• Landmark Fail

This is the travel journal from my trip to Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy in 2007.

• Europe - day 1 - Rothenberg
• Europe - day 2 - Rothenberg
• Europe - day 3 - Zurich
• Europe - day 4 - Zurich - Zueri Faescht
• Europe - day 5 - Grindelwald
• Europe - day 6 - Grindelwald
• Europe - day 7 - the road to Nice
• Europe - day 8 - Nice and Monaco
• Europe - day 9 - Nice and Cannes
• Europe - day 10 - Nice and Antibes
• Europe - day 11 - to the Cinque Terra
• Europe - day 12 - the Cinque Terra
• Europe - day 13 - to Lake Como
• Europe - day 14 - Lake Como
• Europe - day 15 - Lake Como to Melano

The Germans choose modesty over security.

Germany rejects full-body scanners at airports

Germany says it will not introduce much-criticized new full-body scanners at its airports even if their use is approved by the European Union. Interior Ministry spokesman Gabriele Hermani said on Friday that “we won’t join in with this nonsense.” The scanners � which produce an outline of passengers’ bodies beneath their clothes � have been tested at airports in Britain and the Netherlands but are opposed in much of Europe.

Add 27 more places to see to your list.

UNESCO adds 27 new sites World Heritage List

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee added a whopping 27 new sites to its World Heritage List at its 32nd session this week, including French fortifications, a Hindu temple and a butterfly biosphere.

Nineteen cultural sites and eight natural sites were inscribed, said the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization panel, meeting in this oldest of Canadian cities.
The total number of World Heritage sites now reaches 878 sites in 145 countries, it said.

As many Americans plan for their next vacation they are packing their hiking boots rather than their dancing shoes.

TripAdvisor Releases Travel Trends for 2009

TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel community, has announced the results of its annual travel trends survey of more than 3,000 U.S. travelers. The primary trends identified are that travelers appear to be going lean and green by visiting national parks, hiking, and engaging in adventure activities. A greater amount of Americans said they will be environmentally conscious in their travel decisions in 2009, and more plan to visit eco-friendly hotels in the coming year.

Sand snatchers shrink Caribbean beaches

Ahh, the Caribbean. Sun, surf. But where’s the sand?

It is disappearing at alarming rates as thieves feed a local construction boom.

Caribbean round grains, favored in creating smooth surfaces for plastering and finishing, are being hauled away by the truckload late at night. On some islands not much bigger than Manhattan, towns and ecologically sensitive areas are now exposed to tidal surges and rough seas.

United Airlines offers door-to-door luggage delivery

United Airlines, which will soon raise checked-bag fees, is giving customers a pricier but convenient alternative: getting their luggage delivered overnight from their home or a FedEx station to their destination. The service, available only within the 48 contiguous U.S. states, costs $149 per bag each way for flights under 1,000 miles and $179 for longer flights.

It might not make sense to you (it does not to me) that when it seems like the U.S. economy is melting down the dollar is getting stronger but that is just what has been happening. Since mid-Summer the dollar has risen against many other currencies including the British pond and the Euro.

Fans of the mouse can give themselves a birthday present in 2009 by getting free admission to one of the Disney parks.

Free Disney Admission on your Birthday

Start your birthday off right with the most magical birthday present of all: free admission on your birthday during 2009 to one of the Theme Parks of Walt Disney World&reg or Disneyland® Resort.

A 750 Mile Taxi Ride for a Beer

The 2008 Oktoberfest in Munich finished up over the weekend, and one English man was extremely glad to be there. We’re thinking he needs a few travel tips because to get to Munich from Portsmouth, England, he decided to catch a taxi.

To be fair, he did try to catch a plane first but missed his flight. Not wanting to miss the beer (and his buddy’s buck’s night), he persuaded a local cab driver to get him all the way to Munich for a fare of �1,700 (almost $3,000). And he paid in cash.

After flight delay, man accused of spraying powder in plane

A man whose original flight was delayed seven hours is facing disorderly conduct charges today because he allegedly sprayed fellow passengers with foot powder after landing in Boston.

Young people are very knowlegable about the internet right? So why is it that a new survey in England found young men were the least likely group to book their travel online?

Travel agents seem the safest bets

Contrary to expectations, 16- to 24-year-olds are more likely to book a holiday through a travel agent than any other age group, according to Abta’s 2008 British Holiday Survey.

Mexico tourism boom kills coral quicker than climate change

Dainty blue fish still dart around coral shaped like antlers near the Mexican resort of Cancun, but pollution is threatening one of the world’s largest reefs. Parts of the reef, nestled in turquoise waters, have died, and algae � which feed on sewage residues flowing out of the fast-growing hotels in the tourist city � has taken over.

Other news items:

Las Vegas has dog-friendly hotels? You bet
The Economy is Falling Apart, Should I Travel?
TSA proposes screening private jet passengers