Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Japan has hotel rooms made for crying
Tokyo’s Mitsui Garden Hotel offered crying rooms stocked with tearjerker movies, luxury tissues, and warm eye masks. The amenity was designed to help stressed…
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That petition may be a distraction
A petition can draw your attention to the page while an accomplice targets your backpack or passport.
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Britain has a law against handling salmon suspiciously
The law was passed to combat poaching; its broad wording prohibits handling salmon in suspicious circumstances.
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Why driving a motorhome feels like steering a sail
Their height and soft suspension make motorhomes vulnerable to crosswinds, which can shove them across a lane and make steering feel like handling a giant sail.
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The Greenwich meridian is not where GPS puts it
The modern zero-longitude line used by GPS lies about 102 meters east of Greenwich's historic marker. The old observatory relied on the local direction of…
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Never trust the alarm clock in a hotel room
A hotel room clock may still be set to a previous guest's alarm, since housekeeping may not reset it. Check the clock before relying on it.
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New Orleans has neighborhoods below sea level
Low-lying areas depend on levees, floodwalls, and pumps to manage surrounding water and rainfall. Elevation varies across the city, so flood risk is not…
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Duty-free alcohol can still be forbidden at your destination
Buying a bottle legally in an airport does not make it legal to import. Saudi Arabia's travel rules prohibit bringing alcohol into the country and warn of…
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Eating cheese before bed does not cause nightmares
A vacuum draws heated plastic into dimples in one cylinder, forming cups; a second hot sheet seals them with air trapped inside.
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How planes are turned around in 25 minutes
Some budget airlines allow as little as 25 minutes between flights. Crews must unload passengers and bags, refuel, and make a quick visual cabin check—not…
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Some crocodiles can gallop instead of crawl
Several crocodile species can lift their bodies and bound along on land rather than dragging their bellies. The gait is a short burst, not a long-distance…
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Early travelers hauled heavy wooden chests on trips
Victorian travelers packed in heavy wooden-and-iron trunks before lightweight suitcases existed. Taking one along could signal that you could afford to have…
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Scissors can stand for a relationship being cut
In gift-giving superstitions, a cutting tool can symbolize severing a bond between people. The symbolism turns an ordinary useful object into a socially…
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Credit card networks charge extra for global processing
Even if your bank waives foreign transaction fees, network assessment fees may still be built into the exchange rate, so the waiver may not eliminate every…
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How a torn luggage tag can make a bag disappear
Automated sorting machines rely on luggage tags, so when a tag tears off, a bag can become unidentifiable and get stranded in the system.
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Florida's mermaids perform with hidden air hoses
Weeki Wachee's underwater shows began in 1947. Performers learned to use air hoses rather than wear tanks, allowing audiences to watch apparently effortless…
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In Milan, frowning can technically break the law
The rule’s stated exceptions are hospital workers and people attending funerals, so even a frown in public could technically violate it.
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How elephants became jungle bulldozers
Elephant riders can suggest a direction, but the animals do the heavy work themselves, crushing vegetation as they move.
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Why oil companies gave away road maps
Oil companies gave away road maps to encourage people to travel by car—and, in turn, buy more fuel.
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Michelin reviewers focus entirely on food quality
Restaurant inspectors focus on the consistency and quality of the food, not the décor.
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Oceans currently cover seventy one percent of Earth
That leaves the continents as dry patches in a world mostly covered by water.
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Steering a horse buggy requires staring at an animal rear
The driver needs to watch the horse closely to steer safely, so the view is more of its twitching hindquarters than the romantic streets ahead.
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Switzerland accidentally marched into Liechtenstein
In 2007, about 170 Swiss soldiers lost their bearings during an exercise and crossed into neighboring Liechtenstein. They turned back after realizing the…
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Why hotel alarm clocks can wake you with static
Older bedside radios can be confusing to program, so a previous guest may leave one tuned to static—and ready to wake the next guest.
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