They made us laugh, roll our eyes and some even made us cringe. Wrap up your work week with fun travel news Friday – a collection of this week’s weird stories.
1. Creepy or cute? Check out Thailand’s ‘stalker’ campaign
Thailand’s new marketing campaign seems to have hit a nerve with travellers, because it features a man who tracks a woman down through her Instagram photos.
Tourism Thailand was hoping the 16-minute long ad named ‘Love en Route’ would lure travellers to visit the country’s picturesque sites, beaches and temples.
But the piece has met some criticism from travellers and viewers who said the video came across as more stalker than cute.
2. Squirrel stowaway
This may be the most adorable air passenger ever.
Workers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas were surprised to find a baby squirrel onboard an aircraft after it had sneaked onto the plane.
The adorable creature survived a four hour flight from Costa Rica and was apprehended by US Customers and Border Protection in the US.
The agency’s Port Director, Charles Perez said workers may encounter unusual animals that have ‘hitchhiked into the country’.
“While there is a cute factor here, realistically, we understand that animals must be handled carefully.”
Charles Perez, US Customers and Border Protection Port Director
The photo above was posted by the agency in a tweet.
3. Toddler gets family kicked off flight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOPGTQQFBNg
It was quite a scene on a Cathay Pacific plane when a misbehaving toddler refused to wear his seatbelt.
According to reports, it all started when crew were preparing guests for takeoff and found the three-year-old refusing to take his own seat and buckle up.
His mother asked if he could sit on her lap, however, this was refused because the lap rule only applies to children under the age of two.
This didn’t sit well with the boy or his parents, who continued to ask for the boy to sit on his lap.
After a bit of back and forth with crew, restless passengers stepped in and one even asked crew to call the police.
“We are customers too. Why are you two allows to harass all the passengers onboard?”
This then lead to the husband saying that he would refuse to get off the plane if other passengers didn’t stop harassing him.
Eventually the mother carried the boy off the plane while the father collected their belongings.
CX654 took off from Bangkok International Airport for Hong Kong half an hour behind schedule.
4. Where in the world is cheapest for Aussies?
If your clients are looking for a cheap getaway then they need to look no further than Asia, according to a new study.
The latest Hotels.com TM Hotel Price Index revealed that despite the Australian dollar reaching a six-year low, hotel prices in Asia remained relatively unchanged last year compared to 2013.
In fact, the online company says Asia’s accommodation prices were only slightly higher than what they were a decade ago.
5. WOW! Plane flies way too close to sunbakers
Tourists at a beach in Saint Martin were a little freaked out when a plane flew a little too close for comfort.
In the footage captured above, a plane can see approaching Princess Juliana International Airport located just behind Maho Beach,
The jaw dropping footage shows the plane barely missing beach-goers as it descends onto the runway.
Close plane encounters are common at Maho Beach, but you won’t believe how close the planes get until you’ve seen it for yourself.
