Gotta hand it to the Brits: They know how to go crazy when on vacation.

A group of British women are facing prostitution charges after they took part in an oral sex competition on the Greek island of Zakynthos this past weekend, according to eTurboNews

Nine women received money to "perform" in the competition, which was recorded and posted on the Internet.

Another six British men and six Greek men (two of whom owned the bar) are also facing charges of "encouraging obscene behavior," eTurboNews says.

Zakynthos has the reputation of being pretty full on when it comes to its party scene, not unlike Majorca and Ibiza.

The competition took place on Leganas beach, with is in the south of the island.

No word on who won it.

When I headed to the West Hollywood Book Fair last September, I didn't know which writers I would meet or what to expect. The scope of offerings was impressive, and one book in particular caught my eye. Sacred Places of the Goddesses: 101 Destinations pulled me in for a chat with the author, Karen Tate.

Tate, who lives with her husband, Roy in one of my most favorite towns, Venice, California, is a world traveler, tour guide and an expert on goddesses. She knows exactly where to see their traces and influences.

Her book--part travel guide, part spiritual guide and part chronicle of history, includes each section of the world. [See earlier post review.]

Since we chatted in the shade of her display booth, Tate has been busy launching her weekly Internet radio show "Voices of the Sacred Feminine" and promoting her new book, Walking an Ancient Path.

We talked on the phone last fall, and I've kept up with her various activities ever since. As a person with a lens focused on travel and spirituality, Tate offers a unique perspective about how one can experience the world.

For those in search of that little extra umph when they travel--the something more that connects them to self or something bigger than they are, sacred place travel can offer a sense of purpose. Traveling with a contemplative eye can move one deeper into an experience.

Here is a book that offers up sacred places to visit with a twist. In Sacred Places of Goddess, 108 Destinations, author Karen Tate, presents the history of goddess worship, the role of the Divine Feminine around the world, the significance of each particular goddess, and how do you get to the places where you can experience their influence. This is part travel guide, part history lesson, part cultural analysis, --and more. Much more.

Whether it's a sacred, spiritual boost you're after, or just an unusual way to look at the places you are wandering though, here's a book to consider.

Tate's book caught my eye when I was wandering around the West Hollywood Book Festival last September. With spiritual travel showing up on the radar lately, I wanted to point this one out as a fascinating read that presents sites and information you may not come across otherwise.

Divided into sections by continents and countries, the book delves into the archaeological, sociological and historical significance of particular places and their goddess connection. Sites include: grottoes, churches, temples, ruins, particular statues or artwork of note.

5 heads of 3 Euros. Life can hardly get better than that.

If you're interested in finding out about good or bad health habit travel, turning into Gadling this week would have been a good place to start.

• Anna tuned us into the countries where people smoke the most--if you value your lungs, perhaps you should rethink that trip to Greece, or at least avoid indoor eating establishments while you're there.
• Iva gave us a tip on how to not get sick after flying--can you say inhale? Plus, she gives the lowdown on the best sunblock formula.
• If you're wondering what eating goat meat morning noon and night might due to your digestive system, read Jerry's post on how time on the Galapagos almost did him in stomach-wise.
• Kelsey provides first hand know hows on how to protect yourself from food poisoning and
• Abha looks at the use of breathalysers in clubs as a way to prevent drunk driving.

Is this a PR strategy to get more tourists to visit Lesbos Island or do they really care?

Three islanders from Lesbos - Greek island and home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women - have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name, Newsweek reports. One of the plaintiffs said that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

The three plaintiffs are seeking to have the group barred from using "lesbian" in its name.

Lesbos should just use the term lesbian to advertise the island: "Lesbos: where Lesbians love men." Tell me that wouldn't work.

At first, it sounded like a great, simple idea. The husband pretends he is dead while the wife collects his life insurance. She will send him money periodically as he assumes new identity abroad. It almost happened that way, Czech press reports.

A Hungarian man, Zoltan Rex, and his wife were vacationing in Greece in 2001, when Zoltan "disappeared" while surfing. Of course, the wife and a few friends were in on the scam and played along. The authorities proclaimed him dead after about a year, but they never found his body. The insurance company, however, refused to pay the roughly $1.3M, because they found it strange that a man would take out several life insurance policies and then disappear. (Note to self: When faking death, remember that insurance companies are not stupid.)

Poor Zoltan escaped to Crete, then Italy, and finally ended up in the Czech Republic, where he lived under the name László Boros until his true identity was discovered last year. The plan never really worked the way they intended. His wife lost hope of ever getting the money and got remarried in 2005.

Now, Zoltan's only hope is either a) reality show, b) book deal, or c) flourishing career in Eastern European politics.

I've always felt that movies have a much larger impact on a location than a book ever does, attracting tourists by the tour busload to see for themselves the wonderful images portrayed in a particular film.

But books have their draw as well. Earlier today, for example, we shared with you the Tolkien Trail in Birmingham, England where fans of Lord of the Rings can explore the landscape which inspired Middle Earth.

Condé Nast Traveler seems to have books on their mind as well. The recent September issue highlights a list of places where literature has had a dramatic impact on tourism--the most famous example being the annual increase of 800,000 visitors to the Louvre since The Da Vinci Code was published.

Condé Nast Traveler dives into eight other examples--such as Kefalonia, Greece where Corelli's Mandolin takes place--that makes me want to read and travel much, much more. I hope their list inspires you to do the same--although you can easily cheat since most of these books have also been made into movies.

I was 21, fresh out of a destructive relationship and going to school full-time when fate stepped in. I was one of those people who told everyone that I loved travel, but until that point, I'd only really gone away with my parents and of those trips had only left North America once. It wasn't my fault -- all my friends were either not into travel or too into their boyfriends to make it priority. And I didn't want to go alone.

I don't know what made me stop to read the generic poster on the wall that snowy day when I was embedded in studying procrastination, but I did. Good Times! Student Tour Around the Greek Islands, or something to that effect, it read. The info session was set to start in 20 minutes. I grabbed my books and headed in there. Within a week, I signed up an paid for a 4-week trip with a bunch of strangers.

Americans have a reputation as car-loving people. I would rephrase that. Americans don't love their cars. They need their cars. They use and abuse them. They don't love them with passion like, say, the Italians or Greeks. Where else do you see men lovingly polish their old Fiats on a sunny Sunday afternoon? Most Americans wouldn't treat a Porsche with such affection.

I just got back from Athens last week. The car-inspired street fight aside, I was generally surprised what a car-culture Athens is. Everybody drives and parks wherever they want. There are hardly any sidewalks or pedestrian zones, let alone parks. You certainly don't feel welcome or safe as a pedestrian. If you ask me, it is a mistake that they accommodate drivers so generously.

This NY Times article talks about some of the civic groups trying to fight back by placing stickers on illegally-parked vehicles that the police seem to ignore. They also point out that Athens has the highest per-capita car ownership in the European Union: 450 registered cars per 1000 residents, which is close to the US-level of car ownership. Of course, Greece is a lot more congested than the US...hence the gridlock. Yet, their public transportation is great. I don't get it...