You want to check-in WHAT ??????????????????????

You never know what people will try to check in before their flight. Take these strange items that members of the Virgin Atlantic Airways check-in staff have encountered:

* A bathtub.   A woman passenger who had her family carry the tub through the airport at JFK expected the item to be checked in. It wasn't even wrapped or packaged.

* A pet tarantula hidden in a woman's coat at JFK airport. * A dead cow wrapped in plastic at JFK..  

* A bag of cutlery previously stolen from a Virgin Atlantic flight at Delhi airport.  

* A bag full of sand, sea and water. You see,  a couple fell in love on the island of Grenada and wanted to check in a memory.  

* A bag of soil and coconut trees at Grenada airport.

And how does the check-in staff react to such swell stuff? A Virgin Atlantic executive put it this way: "It certainly brightens up their day." 

Trivial question

 On what sea is Poland located? (Answer somewhere below.)

Funjet Vacations is having a Disney sale

Funjet Vacations says that when travelers booka vacation package to a Walt Disney World resort at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort hotel, they’ll save up to 30 percent for stays through Aug. 13. In addition, Funjet  will include the following when a package is booked by April 30 or  a $50 discount at Moderate Resorts; an additional $75 discount on Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts. Savings will automatically be included when booking a qualifying reservation. Click here or call 800-FUNJET-1.

Worth quoting

"I guarantee the flying public we will not sleep until we can guarantee that there's good safety in the control towers when these planes are coming in and out of airports." -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to ABC World News about several recent cases of about the several cases of air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job.  

A 2-for-1 Bahamas flight deal

For a limited time, The Bahamas is offering 2-for-1airfare or an instant air credit up to $300 for bookings of four or more nights. Book by May 9, and travel April 24 through Dec. 22, at one of 40 participating resorts and hotels throughout Nassau/Paradise Island, Grand Bahama Island, The Abaco Islands, Cat Island, Harbour Island and The Exuma Islands, among others. For a full list of participating hotels and to book the offer, visit www.bahamas.com or call 800-BAHAMAS. No blackout dates apply. Visit www.Facebook.com/VisitTheBahamas to find out who’s been there, interact with fans of the islands, and get information, photos and a free Island Guide.

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Fascinating fact

Finland appears to be the country with the most islands -- 179,584. But to be fair, the number of Canada's islands has never been counted. There are an estimated 30,000 islands along the eastern shore of Georgian Bay alone. 

Half off a second room with Florida baby boomer package

Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa in Jupiter, Fla. (of all places) has a Beach Boomers package starting at $169 per night.It includes 20 percent off the resort's best available rate, overnight luxury accommodations, daily breakfast for two, two-for-one bicycle rentals, a 10 percent discount in The Spa and Sinclairs Ocean Grill as well as daily beach chair and umbrella rentals.  Encouraging multi-generation travel, the package also allows guests to book a second room at a 50 percent discount, perfect for bringing the children and grandkids.  Call 800-228-8810 or visit www.jupiterbeachresort.com and use promo code BOOMERS.

Trivial answer

Poland is on the Baltic Sea.

Love is in the air -- and on the slopes

As Valentine's Day approaches, here is a story of the heart from Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vt.

On Jan. 31, James Croswell, of Roxbury, Conn., wrote a message to his girlfriend,  Jenna Winter of Ludlow, Vt., in giant block letters written on the snow under Okemo’s Black Ridge triple chair. It read, “I [heart] U Jenna. Will you marry me?” How could anyone refuse a proposal like that? Jenna and James (pictured) are heading to the altar.

 And the romance will continue at Okemo.  On Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, the resort advises single skiers and  riders in search of a match to ride the Black Ridge Triple Chair starting at 1 p.m. Couples will be paired randomly, on-the-spot, and in the time it takes to ride the lift to the top, fate will make a love connection, or skiers and riders can go their separate ways and return to the “Lookin’ for Love Line” again. 

 That's hardly all, though. Ten oversized red hearts will be hidden along some of Okemo’s easiest ski trails on Valentine’s Day. When a skier or rider finds a heart and takes it to the Real Estate Info Desk in the Okemo Clock Tower Base Area base lodge, they will win a prize package of confections. Also on the big day, one of Okemo’s lift attendants will be wearing a bright red heart on his or her uniform. Skiers and riders who report the name of the lovable liftie to the Clock Tower Base Area base lodge Real Estate Info Desk, will likewise win a sweet  treat. Also, social media sweethearts who take a photo of themselves in front of Okemo’s digital lift signs when a special Valentine message is displayed can win a Snowcat dinner adventure for two. When they e-mail their photo to info@okemo.com, they become eligible to be a finalist in a Valentine Facebook photo contest.

Okemo is offering a Romance Lodging Package starting at $699.95 per couple and including two nights of lodging in a Jackson Gore Inn Executive room, a three-course dinner for two at Coleman Brook Tavern, a 50-minute massage for each guest, a Vermont gift basket and optional two-day lift tickets at a discounted rate of $112.20 per person. This package includes all taxes and a travel protection plan and is valid any midweek (Sunday-Thursday) non-holiday period, excluding March 13-18. Call 866)-706-5366. For more information about the resort, call 802-228-1600 or visit www.okemo.com.

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Trivial question

What are France's two longest rivers? (Answer to this easy question somewhere below.)

Spring on Nantucket starts at $125 a night

Guests who book Nantucket vacations by Feb. 18 get the lowest rates of the spring season with a  Hot Dates, Cool Rates Guarantee. Other benefits include a dinner credit ($25 on $100 spending, or $50 on $150) and two $25 spa treatment credits. The participants:    Jared Coffin House, from $125;    The Cottages & Lofts at the Boat Basin, from $175;  White Elephant, from $195,  The Wauwinet, from $225; and White Elephant Hotel Residences, from $350.  To book, click on the hotel name, navigate to reservations and enter the code GTDLOW, or call 800-ISLANDS (800-4752637) or 508-325-1000 and mention booking code GTDLOW. 

Worth Quoting

"It would be a great country if it had a roof over it!" -- comedian Noel V. Ginnity on sometimes-rainy Ireland. 

 Companions can fly free to the Bahamas

Goin to the Bahamas? Book through Feb. 28 to get free companion airfare or an instant air credit up to $300 for bookings of four or more nights. The offer is valid for travel now through June 30 (some blackout dates  apply). Companion’s Fly Free is The Bahamas’ most successful promotion of all time, with  more than 40 participating resorts and hotels located throughout Nassau/Paradise Island, Grand Bahama Island,  The Abacos, Cat Island, Harbour Island and The Exuma. Visit www.Bahamas.com for a list of participating hotels.

Fascinating fact 

Chinese immigrants first came to San Francisco in 1848. But, according to About.com, the Japanese Hagiwara family invented "Chinese" fortune cookies at Golden Gate Park's Tea Garden.

Give honey to your honey

Kimpton's The Muse New York has a honey of a package, called Bee Mine. Throughout February, guests will receive premier accommodations, 14 percent off the best available rate, in-room and take-home Burts Bees products, two honey cocktails at the in-house restaurant Nios and a complimentary evening wine hour in the hotel's living-room-style lobby. The package starts at $175 per night.  Call  212-485-2400 or book  at www.themusehotel.com with rate code PVAL.

Trivial answer

France's two longest rivers are the Loire and the Seine.