Five Weirdest Travel Stories

I've decided to do a monthly feature called "Five Weirdest Travel Stories" for everyone's amusement. Some of these may be funny, some may just be odd and some may be just incomprehensible. Either way, I hope you enjoy them on the last Friday of the month.

Pranked at the Airport
In case you thought all Transportation Security Administration employees were without a sense of humor, we have this guy. The airport screener at Philadelphia International Airport pulled aside 22-year-old college student Rebecca Solomon, pulled out a baggie of white power and asked what it was and why it was in her suitcase. Turned out the baggie was his and it was a prank. What a joker! (He was disciplined by TSA and then, almost as quickly, was no longer employed by the agency.)

Bedwarmers

No doubt by now you have heard of Holiday Inn trying a new bedwarming service in three of its hotels in the UK. They will have two members of their staff dress in an adult onesie and sleeping cap who will lie in a guest's bed five minutes before they go to sleep -- all so a guest doesn't have a cold bed. According to a Holiday Inn spokeswoman, the human bedwarmers will get out of the bed before guests join them (I guess so guests don't confuse them with other paid services.) No word on how much the service costs.

'Miracle on the Hudson' Airbus for Auction
Insurers AIG are looking to make some of the money back on the US Airways plane they insured that Capt. Chesley Sullenberger landed in the Hudson River a year ago. They are now auctioning off the Airbus A320 in an online auction. The auction for the plane, which is severely damaged and stored in New Jersey, will end March 27. Sullenberger had to make an emergency landing in the Hudson after smashing into a flock of geese.

Carnival Cans Cougar Cruise
Earlier this month, I posted a story on BNET about Carnival Cruise Lines declining a second International Cougar Cruise, or a singles group cruise for about 300 older women and younger men, possibly because of a desire to promote itself as a family company. "We have decided not to have any future groups on our ships booked on this theme," a Carnival spokeswoman said. No problems for the cougars, they are already looking forward to a Mexican Riviera cruise in May on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas and one to the Bahamas with Norwegian Cruise Line in December.

Posh Spice Designing Hotel?
Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, apparently has asked Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice of the Spice Girls, and significant other to global soccer star David Beckham) to help design a luxury hotel on a man-made island in Dubai for $50 million. Beckham, who hasn't agreed to the partnership which would include approving designs with Karl Lagerfeld, is said to be mulling over the idea.