Jaunted

Drugs / Money / Studies / → All Tags

Cocaine in Spain Stays Mainly on the Bills

We don't do this, of course, but some people like to get some illegal snorting pleasures on their travels. And new statistics show that Spain is a surprisingly good destination for this practice: a recent study suggested that traces of cocaine are present on 94% of banknotes in Spain.

Whether the study is totally legit or not is not quite clear; all the notes tested were collected from supermarkets, gyms and pharmacies, with the latter two suggesting some kind of bias. And there's some suggestion that not all the notes were used to snort cocaine--some bills could've just picked it up off other bills, kind of like catching a cold. But the Spanish daily El Mundo has publicized all this widely, so we think perhaps it's some kind of tourism campaign. Already it's known that Colombian smugglers love to use Spain as an entry point to Europe, but perhaps more tourists are needed. "Come to where the cash ain't clean" sounds like a suitable slogan.

[Photo: Immortal Thrill-Seeker]

Related Stories:
· Cash With Cocaine in Spain [The Australian]
· Blowing Through Colombia [Jaunted]

Surveys / Studies / Airplanes / Hotels / → All Tags

Get Renewed and Get Closer to God

Ever noticed how surveys seem to prove exactly what the company wants them to? When the Westin hotel chain introduced its renewal program for "weary travelers," it was no surprise that their big-deal study discovered that--drum roll, please--frequent travelers are, indeed, weary.

Just the same, they did come up with a few interesting factoids about flying habits. For example, 16% of travelers worry about their home finances while flying, but almost half of all flyers feel rejuvenated and 54% of travelers can think more clearly in the air. Three-quarters of flyers feel serene and relaxed while flying (the other quarter are gripping their seat or the nearest passenger in blind panic); and most importantly, because they are above the clouds, 42% of frequent travelers feel closer to God. We're always hoping we're not just about to meet him.

[Photo: robonline]

Related Stories:
· Westin Rolls Out Travel Renewal Program [HotelChatter]
· Renewal Study Findings [Westin]

Travel News / Studies / → All Tags

Europe's Shoplifting Stats

Sometimes we like to differentiate ourselves from those crafty Euros, and now is one of those times.

A new study released yesterday spotlights Europeans' little five-finger-discount problem. Britain has the most prolific shoplifters, followed by Finland, Portugal and Greece. The British stole 3.58 billion lbs of goods last year, with razor blades topping the list (huh?).

Related Stories:
·   And the most prolific shoplifters are... [Reuters]