Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
That friendly local may be part of a tourist scam
A local who steers you to a particular rug shop may be earning a commission; similar scams send tourists to overpriced restaurants or fake artisan shops.
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The Cold War bunker network beneath Beijing
Beginning in the late 1960s, Beijing dug extensive shelters and passages amid fears of war. The work created a second layer of space below an already crowded…
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Jumbo jets are held together by millions of metal rivets
A Boeing 747 is assembled with roughly six million metal rivets, which clamp its aluminum sections together.
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Vanuatu has a post office underwater
At Hideaway Island, Vanuatu’s postal service operates a submerged post office for waterproof postcards. Visitors can snorkel or dive to post them. The message…
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Why Juneau has no road connection
Mountains and a massive icefield separate Juneau from the rest of North America, leaving no road connection; visitors must arrive by boat or plane.
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Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas is one of the only airports in the world where you can gamble directly at your departure gate, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue each year.
Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas is one of the only airports in the world where you can gamble directly at your departure gate, generating tens…
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A Welsh road sign accidentally told drivers the translator was out of the office.
A Welsh road sign accidentally told drivers the translator was out of the office. In 2008, officials in Swansea emailed for a translation of a restriction on…
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Swab tests repeatedly show that the fold-down tray table at your airplane seat is the absolute dirtiest surface on the entire aircraft, harboring roughly eight times more bacteria than the lavatory flush button.
Swab tests repeatedly show that the fold-down tray table at your airplane seat is the absolute dirtiest surface on the entire aircraft, harboring roughly…
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Canada's 'longest street' claim had a catch
The 1,178-mile figure combined Yonge Street with a long rural highway.
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Brazil's Snake Island has a snake found nowhere else in the wild.
Brazil's Snake Island has a snake found nowhere else in the wild. The golden lancehead lives on Queimada Grande, a protected island off São Paulo. Adult…
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Saudi Arabia literally imports camels and millions of tons of sand from Australia because the local desert resources are unsuitable for construction and their native camel populations are dwindling.
Saudi Arabia literally imports camels and millions of tons of sand from Australia because the local desert resources are unsuitable for construction and their…
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A Chinese housing development borrowed Paris's most recognizable skyline.
A Chinese housing development borrowed Paris's most recognizable skyline. Tianducheng, near Hangzhou, includes a roughly 108-meter Eiffel Tower replica and…
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A domestic French flight can cross the Indian Ocean.
A domestic French flight can cross the Indian Ocean. Réunion is an overseas department of France, thousands of miles from mainland Europe. Flying there from…
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A Vatican ATM has offered banking instructions in Latin.
A Vatican ATM has offered banking instructions in Latin. The language appears as a selectable interface option rather than only in ceremonies or old…
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Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau are two municipalities that form a ridiculously complex border between Belgium and the Netherlands, with the international line cutting directly…
Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau are two municipalities that form a ridiculously complex border between Belgium and the Netherlands, with the international…
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Mount Rushmore keeps an explanation of itself behind Lincoln's head.
Mount Rushmore keeps an explanation of itself behind Lincoln's head. An unfinished Hall of Records was eventually given a repository containing sixteen…
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The border village designed to be seen from South Korea.
The border village designed to be seen from South Korea. Kijong-dong stands on North Korea's side of the demilitarized zone, facing a South Korean village.…
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Centralia's underground fire outlived the town around it.
Centralia's underground fire outlived the town around it. A mine fire has burned beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania, since 1962. State officials trace its likely…
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Salt concentration in the Dead Sea is nearly ten times higher than that of the regular ocean, making the water so dense that human beings naturally float on the surface.
Salt concentration in the Dead Sea is nearly ten times higher than that of the regular ocean, making the water so dense that human beings naturally float on…
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Falling coconuts are statistically far more likely to cause human fatalities on tropical vacations than unprovoked shark attacks. Coconuts average about three pounds and can fall from palms up to 100 feet tall.
Falling coconuts are statistically far more likely to cause human fatalities on tropical vacations than unprovoked shark attacks. Coconuts average about three…
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Pisa's tower is curved as well as tilted.
Pisa's tower is curved as well as tilted. The lean began during construction as the ground settled unevenly. Later builders tried to compensate by making…
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British colonial authorities actually built a massive scaffold of bamboo over the entire Taj Mahal during World War Two in order to disguise the glowing white marble monument from Japanese bomber planes.
British colonial authorities actually built a massive scaffold of bamboo over the entire Taj Mahal during World War Two in order to disguise the glowing white…
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Stonehenge was bought at auction for £6,600.
Stonehenge was bought at auction for £6,600. Cecil Chubb purchased the monument in 1915 and gave it to the nation three years later. The familiar prehistoric…
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A highway rule nearly collided with Times Square’s billboards
When streets around Times Square joined the National Highway System in 2012, they also came within the reach of federal billboard restrictions. That created…
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