Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Japan has hotel rooms made for crying
If you have ever felt the overwhelming urge to sob uncontrollably on vacation, Japan has your back. The Mitsui Garden Hotel in Tokyo introduced specialized…
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That petition may be a distraction
A group of earnest-looking youths approaches you with a clipboard, asking you to sign a petition for a noble cause. The moment you grab the pen and focus on…
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Britain has a law against handling salmon suspiciously
Lurking in the shadows with a freshly caught fish is a verified violation of the UK's 1986 Salmon Act. Originally passed to combat aggressive poaching, the…
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Why driving a motorhome feels like steering a sail
People spend absolute fortunes on giant recreational vehicles, expecting the smooth ride of a luxury car while hauling an entire apartment. In reality, the…
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The Greenwich meridian is not where GPS puts it
The very line dividing our global hemispheres is awkwardly placed. Modern GPS reveals that the legendary Greenwich marker is actually a few hundred feet off…
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Never trust the alarm clock in a hotel room
Trusting a dusty electronic box next to a hotel bed is a rookie mistake that will absolutely ruin your morning. Previous guests invariably smash buttons until…
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New Orleans sits below modern sea level
Building a major settlement in a literal bowl surrounded by water was certainly a choice. Navigating this vibrant city means accepting that you are constantly…
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In Saudi Arabia, a drop of alcohol can mean deportation
Thinking about sneaking a mini vodka bottle in your checked bag? Say hello to swift deportation. The kingdom's zero-tolerance policy on alcohol means that…
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Eating cheese before bed does not cause nightmares
Blaming your terrifying nocturnal visions on a late-night slice of cheddar is incredibly unfair to the cheese. Studies actually show that dairy before…
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How planes are turned around in 25 minutes
That pristine airplane cabin is a complete lie. Budget airlines schedule ground turnaround times as tight as 25 minutes to maximize flight rotations. In that…
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Crocodiles can gallop, not just crawl
Usually seen lazily drifting in rivers, these ancient reptiles are entirely capable of exploding into a full sprint. They can launch their heavy bodies…
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Early travelers hauled heavy wooden chests on trips
Imagine trying to stuff your weekend outfits into a literal pirate chest. Before the invention of the modern lightweight suitcase, Victorian globetrotters…
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Why you shouldn't hand scissors directly in Japan
Passing blades point-first is just bad strategy anywhere, but passing them directly from hand to hand in Japan implies a severing of ties. Set them down on a…
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Credit card networks charge extra for global processing
Even if your bank waives their foreign transaction fee, the massive corporate networks powering the card still extract a toll. Visa and Mastercard bake…
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How a torn luggage tag can make a bag disappear
When your suitcase vanishes into the void, it is rarely stolen. The automated sorting machines rely entirely on reading the sticky tag, and if a rogue…
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In Florida, singing in a swimsuit can break the law
Because Florida lawmakers clearly saw musical theater kids as a direct and existential threat to public decency. It remains an obscure, archaic law on the…
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In Milan, frowning can technically break the law
Resting witch face is apparently an actual punishable offense in the global capital of high fashion. An archaic Austro-Hungarian law that was never officially…
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How elephants became jungle bulldozers
When an off-road vehicle simply couldn't clear a path, humans historically decided to just climb on top of the largest mammal available and hope for the best.…
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Why oil companies gave away road maps
Oil executives happily handed out completely free navigational guides for one aggressively simple reason: they desperately needed you to get hopelessly lost…
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Michelin reviewers focus entirely on food quality
The fancy tablecloths will not earn you a star. Prestigious restaurant inspectors are trained to obsess purely over the absolute consistency of the plate,…
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Oceans currently cover seventy one percent of Earth
We boldly call our planet 'Earth' despite the fact that nearly three quarters of it is completely submerged. The dry parts are basically just temporary life…
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Steering a horse buggy requires staring at an animal rear
Romantic carriage rides down cobblestone streets completely gloss over the primary view afforded to the person actually driving the vehicle. To navigate the…
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The time Liechtenstein accidentally invaded Switzerland
Who says military conflicts cannot be painfully adorable? Back in 2007, the famously tiny, aggressively neutral nation of Liechtenstein managed to…
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Why hotel alarm clocks can wake you with static
A heart attack is a great way to wake up. The bedside radios in older rooms are so aggressively confusing to program that previous guests inevitably leave…
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