In-flight bathroom bandit strikes deal

by Tom Johansmeyer on
All Joao Correa wanted to do was go to the bathroom. He ate something bad and needed to get it out of his system … we’ve all been there. A beverage cart stood in his way, but that wouldn’t deter the spirit of this passenger. He asked to use the first class lavatory: denied. So, his only hope was on the other side of that cart – which didn’t move for several minutes. The chain of events that followed would result in an encounter with the legal system. Thanks to a deal with the feds, Correa will be able to put all this behind him.

Correa claims that the flight attendant raised her arm to block him and that he grabbed that appendage to keep his balance. She, apparently, didn’t agree. Nonetheless, a pilot was called back from the cockpit, and he allowed the passenger to reach is mid-flight destination. He was arrested when the plane landed.

Now, Correa’s a free man. He completed a three-month pretrial diversion program and is no longer a “danger” to flying society.

One bit of advice Correa: don’t eat before flying! Hell, that’s advice I’ll probably follow, too.

Daily travel deal – 4 nights on Roatan island hotel+air from $425

by Scott Carmichael on

Our specially selected travel deal for today will fly you to Roatan Island, off the coast of Honduras. This Caribbean island is a fantastic destination for divers, or anyone else looking for a bit of beach relaxation.

The deal starts at $425 (based off a Houston departure) and will fly you to the island, and let you stay in one of the many hotels available in this package.

The basic deal is for 4 nights at the Las Rocas resort and dive center. Breakfast and airport transportation are included in the price.

Once at your destination, you’ll have plenty to do, including boating rafting, horseback riding (on the beach) and of course diving. Dive courses at the resort start at $100.

As with many of these deals – you are completely free to customize things just the way you want. Add or remove nights, upgrade to a different hotel, or add a rental car, it is all possible at the time of booking.

Don’t forget to check what else is hot in our travel deals lineup!

Photo of the Day (4.26.09)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

I’ve always dreamed of visiting the Mayan ruins of Central America, so Flickr user pirano’s image from Copan immediately caught my eye. Deep in the jungle of countries like Honduras and Guatemala lie the remains of huge temples, ballcourts and statues, scattered across a number of separate sites. This particular specimen has quite the fearsome visage, wouldn’t you say? Pirano mentions he is a “snake-charming monkey king” in his description. How about that snake coming out of his mouth? Creepy.

Do you have any photos from Copan you’d like to see featured on Gadling? Or maybe just from Columbus, Ohio? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Gadling + BootsnAll – Picks of the Week (4.10.09)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Welcome back to another weekly installment of our Gadling and BootsnAll Picks of the Week. Every Friday we’ve been taking a look at 4-5 of the most interesting stories from our friends at independent travel website BootsnAll. What strange destinations, thought-provoking lists and out-of-the-way festival ideas did we come up with? Check below for a few ideas:

  • Beer Bash – if you like drinking beer (or just enjoy a good party) you definitely already know about Germany’s popular Oktoberfest in Munich. If you’re looking to avoid the huge crowds of drunk tourists in Munich this year, Jennifer Price suggests you check one of Germany’s huge variety of other beer festivals, happening throughout the year in cities across the German state.
  • Cathedrals of the East – just in time for Good Friday Christina Dima has a religiously-themed rundown of 11 of the most interesting Orthodox-style Churches and Cathedrals. Though they share many customs with the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church also has many of its own unique traditions and architectural styles. Having recently seen the Church of the Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg, I would have to agree these buildings are quite beautiful and unique.
  • Forgotten Ruins – mention the word “ruins” to many travelers, and destinations like The Pyramids, The Parthenon and Machu Picchu immediately come to mind. Yet there are plenty of equally impressive but far less-visited ruins out there waiting to be discovered. How does a visit to 40 acres of ancient Maya temples hidden in the jungle in Honduras sound to you? Cherrye More has the scoop on Six of the Least Visited Ruins you need to check out now.
  • Market Essentials – if you want to get a sense of the local culture the next time you travel abroad, visit the local market. Whether its fresh pasta spices in the Campo de Fiori in Rome or Seltzer Bottles in San Telmo in Buenos Aires, you’ll get a great peek into daily life and unique insight into what sorts of products get the locals buying. Dana McMahan takes this concept to the next level with a look at the Markets of Europe and their various specialities.
  • French Cathedrals – wrapping things up on a relgious note, BootsnAll’s France Blog has post on some of the many Cathedrals of France, from the ubiquitous Notre Dame in Paris, to lesser-known structures in Reims and Tours.

World’s Greatest Dive Spots

by Kraig Becker on

Stephen Regenold is better know by his pseudonym, The Gear Junkie, which he uses when he writes his nationally syndicated column on outdoor adventure and equipment. Recently he penned a story for Travel+Leisure Magazine listing the ten best spots to go SCUBA diving in the world.

In order to come up with his definitive list, Regenold asked ten veteran divers, each of whom have extensive dive experience around the globe, to name their favorite dive spots. The results were a great mix of classic dives and hidden gems. He then compiled them into a slideshow that highlights each location, with an amazing photo, a description of where the dive spot is located, and an explanation of what makes it unique and special.

Some of the locations that make the list include Cenote Taj Maja and Santa Rosalia, both in Mexico. The former is an impressive spot for cave diving, while the latter is famous for allowing divers to get up close and personal with large Humboldt squid. The famous Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands makes the list for it’s abundance of wrecks, with literally dozens of sunken ships in the area, while Utila Island, off the coast of Honduras, is lauded for the twice yearly migration of the whale shark that passes through the surrounding waters.

The list has a little something for everyone, no matter what style of diving you prefer. Each of spots mentioned here offer specatacular waters, amazing sunken sights, and plenty of adventure.