Latest news with #traveller
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Traveller arriving in India from KL busted with monitor lizards in luggage
The mouths and limbs of the monitor lizards were taped together before the animals were wrapped in black cloth. PETALING JAYA : A traveller arriving in Tamil Nadu, India, from Kuala Lumpur was caught trying to smuggle two monitor lizards into the country by stuffing the exotic animals into his luggage. Tiruchirappalli International Airport's customs department said the passenger had arrived yesterday on Batik Air flight OD223. Acting on intelligence, customs officers intercepted the passenger and his checked-in luggage. They discovered the two monitor lizards stuffed inside, along with various food items. The mouths and limbs of the reptiles were taped together before the animals were wrapped in black cloth. 'Further investigations are ongoing,' it said in a post on X.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Man who went on 2,000-person nude cruise reveals the golden rule 'everyone knew' they had to follow
A traveller on a cruise ship carrying 2,000 fellow nudists has revealed the one golden rule everyone taking part knew they must follow. The 67-year-old man opened up about his experiences as he urged internet users to 'ask me anything' about his naked jaunt across the waters with like-minded naturists. He insisted everyone taking part was 'pretty well-behaved' - and key to their common sense of purpose was an implicit agreement about not taking photographs. The passenger had booked a cruise via the Texas-based travel company Bare Necessities, which has been operating clothing-optional ship charters since 1990. And writing anonymously on website Reddit, the man invited questions from other users about the experience - prompting further tips about best behaviour on board. While there have been group photographs taken and shared online, filming was kept to a minimum out of respect for others, he suggested. The poster insisted: 'These are pretty well-behaved nudists and they know the rules - no photos without express permission.' He described the 2,000-strong travelling party as 'a crowd with lots of nudist experience'. He added: 'Everyone knows you can't take pictures of other people. I was much less worried here than I have been at nude beaches. 'Almost no one had phones with them outside their cabin. There were many signs posted. 'There were a lot of staff from the charter company whose job it was to enforce good naturist etiquette. 'And I've spent time online researching nudism and I've never a single online photograph from the cruise except for the group shots that people voluntarily pose for. For those reasons, I wasn't concerned.' The unnamed man told of being on a 2,000-passenger Carnival cruise liner with his 61-year-old wife for a seven-day round trip from Tampa in Florida, with stops in Mexico and Honduras along the way. He reiterated to other Reddit users that the trip - his first ever nudist cruise - was 'not a swingers cruise or a sex positive environment' and 'this was a crowd with lots of nudist experience'. Explaining the ins and outs of nudist cruising, he revealed that the captain 'generally makes an announcement after exiting a port when clothes can be removed' and 'usually it's about thirty minutes'. The same then happens in reverse, when the ship starts nearing its next port of call. He added that people 'usually take advantage of the opportunity to be nude since that's the point of the cruise'. The man also told how all cruise vessel employees were clothed 'except for one male/female duo' who performed in the theatre. He said that from his understanding, no employee from the cruise line is 'obligated' to work on the nude charters if they did not feel comfortable. He added: 'Unquestionably, there were relatively few younger couples [and] it definitely skewed older. 'Certainly most were in their 50s to 70s. Many gay men. Not many gay women that I could tell, but I would think they would be comfortable. It's an accepting crowd.' Other commonly accepted rules he described included an agreement that people would not sit on surfaces naked without placing a towel beneath them. He wrote: 'That's not a difficult concept. Nudists are as interested in hygiene as much as if not more than the next guy.' He also tried to explain the apparent appeal of stripping off for a cruise trip, saying: 'The "why" is because it's a nice feeling to be nude, just like it's a nice feeling for a man to be without a shirt at the beach. The Reddit poster faced a seris of follow-up questions and comments about his revelations 'Skinny dipping is great. Being nude at some of the world's nicest beaches is great. 'Most people who try nudism love it. YOLO. Please don't write that the only people who are on nude beaches are the ones who shouldn't be there. That's crabbed and trite.' His Reddit debate seemed to provoke plenty of intrigue, while there were mixed emotions about whether such a holiday would appeal. One commenter said: 'I went to a nude beach a few years ago and actually enjoyed myself. 'I was not comfortable going fully nude but my experience was basically what you are describing - very chill and people were nice in a non sexual way. 'I think people do think about it the wrong way, it was a very non sexual experience and I enjoyed it! 'No one was weird or creepy as we were quite young females at the time. 10/10 experience.' Another wrote: 'I'm jealous, I love being nude, but not so sure about wanting to be nude around 100s of other people. So glad you had fun and this AMA has been super interesting.' Further comments included questions such as 'Anyone actually attractive?' and 'How do you get into this? Asking for a friend'. The initial poster was also told: 'Hope you remembered to get dressed before disembarking.' Unimpressed sceptics included one person who replied: 'That would be disgusting. Don't know why you would do this when you could just wear clothes.' And another wrote: 'What's fun about watching people being nude? Not trying to be rude, just trying to wrap my head around this as an activity.'
The Independent
15-05-2025
- The Independent
Airline bag policies are sexist and this court ruling against Ryan Air proves it
It's a tale of triumph, tenacity, and the timeless struggle of fitting a week's worth of essentials into a bag the size of a breadbox – passengers from all over the world inched forward in the age-old battle with airline luggage restrictions this week, after one brave passenge r took Ryanair, no less, and won. The anonymous hero challenged Irish giant Ryanair after they were charged for hand luggage that, according to the court, could 'perfectly be transported in the cabin'. But a Spanish court ruled it to be an essential part of air travel, and deemed the fee 'abusive'. Ryanair were told they must reimburse the air traveller for hand luggage costs charged on five flights taken between 2019 and 2024. The win is currently (presumably) being celebrated all over the world. For years, we've been at the mercy of arbitrary, inconsistent baggage rules that make travelling a nightmare, or – as evidenced this week – costly. And, while these restrictions clearly affect everyone, there's also no denying that women are the ones who bear the brunt of them. The system has sexism baked into it from the start. For a start, the obvious: that women are the carriers of things. The spare charger, the extra hand sanitiser, an extra scarf for the chilly cabin (because higher oestrogen levels mean we also feel the cold more) and socks (for the same reason). We've got tampons and underwear stashed in there just in case, an eye mask, earplugs, headphones, books, extra ziplock bags for makeup to go through security smoothly for once, plenty of snacks. Oh, and everything the rest of the group forgot to pack. It's no coincidence that my partner likes to boast that he 'just travels lightly' and then proceeds to spend the rest of the trip asking whether I packed things he 'just didn't think about'. Mums, of course, have all of the above plus a whole host of contingency plans rolled up in their backpacks. A ccording to one survey, parents (read: mostly mums) pack a minimum of 11 items – including a first aid kit – for their baby before even leaving the house to pop to the shops; when it comes to air travel, you do the maths. And, while it's definitely #NotAllDads, it's widely accepted (and documented) that mothers tend to handle chores, like packing, that require more mental effort – 60 per cent more than fathers, or 7 in 10 household tasks, in fact, says the University of Bath. All of which is to say: those women probably need a bigger bag. Unlike one of my male friends, who never turns up to an airport more than an hour before his flight, we can't just roll up with a non-crease suit on, laptop and a wallet and hope for the best. Even if we're flying in and out for a meeting, we have flats because we can't travel in heels to pack, top-up makeup to take, and hair accessories (brushes, sprays, tongs, straighteners) to consider, so we don't rock up to a presentation looking a total state. Even our physical differences have an impact: a friend tells me that she's constantly stopped by airline staff suspicious of the size of her cabin bag because it looks disproportionately big on her 5ft2in frame – her 6ft2in husband, she says, is never stopped with the same bag, because it just looks smaller on him. Let's not forget that luggage has a rich history of sexism – we could have had the wheely suitcase decades earlier if it hadn't been for toxic masculinity and macho drivel. In 1970, a New Jersey-based luggage exec patented the first wheeled suitcase after watching a worker effortlessly glide a machine on a dolly through a warehouse. He quickly took a suitcase, clad with castors, into Macy's department store in Manhattan, to change the world of travel overnight. Only that didn't happen. Men buying suitcases saw it as a 'test of virility' to carry their heavy loads. Wheels were for babies, women and the weak. Investors (male) didn't buy the concept, and we were stuck with bad backs until the Nineties came around. Of all the other well-documented misogyny that the air travel industry still can't seem to shift – it was only a few years ago that British Airways staff were forced to protest after the airline told female employees they must carry a handbag to work; just last year Spanish airline Vueling were told to pay a passenger €28,000 for denying a woman boarding 'because her cleavage was showing' – this one is perhaps the most common. But, with any luck, with this week's court ruling on our side, maybe next time it'll be Ryanair doing the repacking. I rest my (jam-packed) case.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
People are only just realising there's a hidden feature in airplane bathrooms that they never knew existed
A surprising hidden feature in some plane toilet has left passengers with their 'mind blown'. The little-known item was exposed in a video shared to Instagram by traveller @helenespassport. In the video, the traveller films herself in the plane toilet as she prepares to throw a bit of tissue in the bin. But instead of pushing down the lid of the small countertop bin to throw away her rubbish, she uses a small pedal on the floor of the cubicle to operate the bin's lid. Helene says: 'Mind-blown! There's actually a button to open the trash bin in an airplane bathroom. Who knew?' In her caption video, she adds: 'Most people have no idea this exists. Ever struggled to throw something away in an airplane bathroom? 'Instead of awkwardly pushing the flap, look for the [hidden] button. On several planes, the trash bin has a small button or latch. 'It's not always as obvious as this one and it can be a bit more hidden, which is why so many people end up pushing the wrong spot!' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Helene Jansen | Adventure travel (@helenespassport) In the video, the traveller films herself in the plane toilet as she prepares to throw a bit of tissue in the bin. But instead of pushing down the lid of the small countertop bin to throw away her rubbish, she uses a small pedal on the floor of the cubicle to operate the bin's lid But while Helene was impressed by the 'hidden' feature, she warns: 'This is unfortunately not on all planes, but totally should be.' And the commenters seemed to agree. 'Lazycrazytravelers' says: 'Very few aircrafts have this option. But they should all have it!' While another user adds: 'I've been on dozens of planes [since I saw this] and I'm convinced these pedals don't exist.'
BBC News
10-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Traveller site expansion refused near Chichester
Chichester District Council has refused planning permission for 22 traveller pitches at a site in Melita Nursery site, in Chalk Lane, already contains more than 40 mobile homes despite only having permission for retrospective application to extend permission to 22 was voted down unanimously during a planning committee meeting, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. But a council report called the "unmet need" for traveller accommodation a "significant factor" in favour of the proposal. Risk of future tidal flooding, over-development of the site and harm to biodiversity were some of the reasons it was refused, plus the council is already taking action over the number of mobile homes there. A council report also said the site would fail to provide satisfactory living conditions for gypsy and travellers. "When taken collectively the adverse impacts of the proposed development would significantly outweigh the benefits," it added.
