Travel News: You Say Granada, They Say Grenada

It was the week that the clocks went back, St Jude the storm came to town and Halloween, er, happened.

But while storms were shaking up the south, there was other news afoot in the travel world.

Missed it? Don’t worry. Here is the latest assortment of strange travel tales from this week – as well as some brilliant Christmas holiday deals if this winter malarkey is all getting a bit much.

A Gran-d Detour

A Plymouth pensioner made headlines this week for accidentally hopping on a flight to Grenada in the Caribbean instead of Spain’s Granada. After purchasing her ticket over the phone, it wasn’t until midway through her 10 hour journey that the 62 year old realised she’d booked a return trip to an entirely different continent. Granada may have been on her bucket list, but it didn’t work out too badly for the former life coach, who was quickly flown back to Spain (first class) and racked up enough air miles to visit her dream destination, New Zealand.

Snooze Control

Recent research has revealed that when it comes to your inflight comfort, every inch matters – quite literally. Scientists found that adding just an inch to the standard 17-inch wide airline seats could not only double the quality of a passenger’s sleep, but could also improve overall wellbeing. If this means avoiding waking up to a stranger drooling on your shoulder, we’re all for it.

The Leaning Tower of Posture

According to the latest figures, Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa has straightened its slouchy ways, and is 2.5cm more upright today than it was in 2001. In order to stop the structure from collapsing altogether, the tower underwent an extensive stabilisation process to help reduce its tilt, which has now proved successful. We just hope they don’t take its signature slant away altogether.

The Great British Take Off

This week marked great news for cash-strapped travellers hoping to tick off some of Lonely Planet’s 2014 ‘best-of’ destinations. While Brazil and Antarctica topped the list, Scotland came in third place for its breathtaking highland scenery and Gothic-style cities. However, the Celtic country wasn’t the only area in the UK to be selected – Yorkshire also made its way onto the list as one of the world’s ‘best regions’ to visit.