7 travel stories you should read this week

A prankster penned a penis on a Google camera

Google

Australia: A cock-up for Google

Google bosses were left red faced this week after a wily artist scrawled a penis on one of its Street View cameras. Hapless employees drove around filming the Australian town of Bendingo, oblivious their footage was being obscured by the phallic sketch. Google is no stranger to pranks; in 2012 a group of Scottish mechanics staged a hoax murder on Street View. It took officials a year to solve the “crime”.

USA: “Bubble man” left deflated

"Bubble man" Reza Baluchi was rescued by the US coastguard
Douglas Quill

A distance runner was rescued off the coast of Florida this week, after his attempt to reach Bermuda in an inflatable ball backfired. Officials found a disorientated and severely fatigued Reza Baluchi 112km (70 miles) out at sea and airlifted him to hospital. It’s unclear if Baluchi will attempt the journey again or if this latest setback has burst his bubble.

New York: Crabs on a plane

Crabs get loose on a plane. No, this is not the synopsis of a much-awaited Hollywood sequel. US Airways Flight 890 from New York’s LaGuardia to Charlotte was delayed last week, after crabs escaped from their containers and ran riot in the cargo hold. Passengers had every reason to be crabby about the delay but instead took to twitter to share their amusement, with one bewildered passenger, Megan Hugues, tweeting: “Can’t make this stuff up. Flight delayed cuz live crabs got loose in the cargo bin. Have to catch crabs before we can board plane.”

USA: Southwest Airlines is watching you

Shhhhh, they’re listening. This week it emerged that Southwest Airlines (SA) have started monitoring social media to see what their customers are saying about them. It might sound more NSA than SA, but the US-based airline plans to use the information to react to feedback from passengers. Staff at the “listening centre” might want to start by engaging with members of Consumer Affairs, who have rated the airline 1 out of 5.

USA: New Jersey becomes home of the soulless

The annual Zombie Walk in New Jersey, USA
Gianluca Ramalho Misiti

As the location of reality TV series Jersey Shore, the residents of New Jersey are used to seeing the brain dead, but it was the undead who made an appearance last Saturday for the annual Zombie Walk. Thousands dressed as monsters, demons and zombies shuffled down to Asbury Park to raise money for the Gray Matters Foundation, which supports brain tumour patients.

England: Man loses track of train tickets, fined £1,000

If you think train fares are too steep, spare a thought for the rail user who had to cough up over £1,000 for a trip from Birmingham to London. The man, who was travelling with 38 family and friends, had to pay the money after boarding a Virgin Train service despite only having tickets for the London Midland route. Instead of going off the rails, he got the trip back on track by paying the excess fare. It’s unclear how he made the return journey.

Niue: Mickey Mouse money

The nation of Niue has introduced commemorative coins featuring Disney characters, which it hopes will boost tourism to the Pacific island. Officials agreed a deal with New Zealand Mint to produce the one-dollar coins, which will feature a much more serious looking Queen Elizabeth on the reverse. The monarch has previously shared Niue’s currency with Darth Vader.