Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
The prison where tourists pay to be mistreated
At Latvia's Karosta Prison, tourists can sign a waiver for an overnight stay in which actors in KGB uniforms bark orders, make them exercise at night, and put…
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The dam that survived a 250-meter wave
A landslide into the reservoir sent a wave over the Vajont Dam in 1963, devastating the town of Longarone below. The dam itself remained intact.
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The bridge that lets you walk through a moat
The Moses Bridge is a sunken wooden passage built at the waterline of a 17th-century moat. From a distance, visitors seem to walk straight through the water.
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An earthquake opened Los Angeles’ hidden Nazi compound
The 1987 Whittier earthquake damaged the entrances to Murphy Ranch, a compound built in the 1930s by wealthy Nazi sympathizers. Its crumbling ruins are now a…
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Lonely Planet began with a couple's overland travel notes
Tony and Maureen Wheeler published Across Asia on the Cheap in 1973 after their journey through the region. Practical information helped other travelers…
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Pre-mass tourism canal trains built for bragging
The canal crossings on the Danyang–Kunshan precursor route gave travelers a close-up view of trains negotiating major infrastructure—an attraction in its own…
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Bullet trains factory-produce romance trips
In the 1960s, package honeymoon trains carried thousands of couples to Kyushu resorts on coordinated schedules.
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The golden elephant that caused traffic
The elephant carried a 750-kilogram gold armchair, and tourists traveled to India just to see the royal procession.
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Europe erases borders to skip customs lines
The agreement began as a practical effort to reduce delays for truck drivers; it later enabled passport-free travel across participating countries.
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Freya Stark reached remote Arabia—and needed an RAF rescue
Her 1934 expedition ended after she contracted measles and suffered a relapse. The Royal Air Force evacuated her, but illness did not end her travel-writing…
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Thomas Cook let tourists travel with a claim on money instead of cash
His 1874 circular notes could be exchanged through participating banks for local currency. Travelers could fund a journey without carrying its entire cost in…
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Egypt commissioned Aida after its new opera house opened
Cairo's Khedivial Opera House opened with Verdi's Rigoletto in 1869; Aida followed in 1871. Its Egyptian setting helped turn a new European-style cultural…
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The guidebooks that taught tourists what to skip
John Murray III’s guidebooks helped wealthy Victorian travelers decide which Italian ruins to visit and which to skip—an early checklist for avoiding tourist…
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The stranded tycoon behind traveler's checks
American Express president James C. Fargo reportedly struggled to obtain cash during a European trip despite carrying letters of credit. The company’s…
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The Orient Express had to hide its liquor at borders
At each border, staff locked the dining car's liquor cabinets to avoid customs taxes on the train's alcohol.
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U.S. immigration screening moved part of the border overseas
Visa requirements introduced during World War I made travelers seek permission from U.S. officials before departure. The 1924 law gave consuls responsibility…
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The hotel bubble that kept tourists from local life
In 1927, Raffles formalized a network of travel services that let wealthy visitors move through Southeast Asia while largely avoiding contact with local…
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Railroads helped create Yellowstone
Railroad companies lobbied for Yellowstone’s creation, hoping to profit from tourists drawn to its geysers and scenery.
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Harry Franck worked his way around the world
In his travel book, Franck described setting out to test whether a healthy, resourceful traveler needed a large bank balance to circle the globe. He relied on…
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Kowloon Walled City's maze was replaced by a park
The densely packed enclave was demolished in 1993–94, and Kowloon Walled City Park opened on the site in 1995. Parts of its older history, including the…
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Agatha Christie experienced her own Orient Express delay
In 1931, storms and flooding stopped her train, and she described the journey in a letter to her husband. The disruption and fellow travelers helped feed…
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Two Swiss women drove from Geneva toward Kabul in 1939
Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart set out together in a Ford as Europe approached war. Their journey crossed countries by road rather than following a…
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The first global flight was a multi-day ordeal
Pan Am’s Flight 001 circled the globe, turning air travel into a grueling, multi-day journey for wealthy passengers.
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A French aristocrat wrote a travel guide to one room
After being confined to his quarters for 42 days following an illegal duel, Xavier de Maistre wrote A Journey Around My Room, treating his bed, armchair, and…
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