Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Why Disneyland Paris serves wine and beer
Because no adult can handle an overgrown mouse in a tuxedo completely sober. The European counterpart to the American parks leaned into local culture and…
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The desert circle astronauts use as a landmark
Sitting out in the Mauritanian desert is a 25-mile-wide circular geological anomaly that looks so much like an eye that astronauts use it as a visual landmark…
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Why zoo pandas are technically on loan from China
Every single adorable bamboo-eater you see in an international zoo is basically a highly diplomatic, rented piece of property from Beijing. If a panda has a…
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Free public networks usually demand a local phone number
Getting online at a foreign cafe usually requires handing over personal contact digits you obviously do not possess. Local businesses secure their supposedly…
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Jellyfish travel by pulsing their bellies
Lacking a brain, bones, or a real heart, these gelatinous blobs traverse the seas using pure hydrostatic pressure. They contract their bell-shaped bodies to…
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Thailand’s annual buffet for hungry monkeys
The only thing worse than a regular buffet line is one completely dominated by screeching feral primates. Every year, the Thai city of Lopburi hosts the…
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Why ships have a port side and a starboard side
Because early vessels relied on a massive steering board mounted firmly on the right side, captains were strictly forced to dock on the left side to avoid…
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Why your hotel thermostat may be fake
Welcome to the illusion of autonomy, where your frantic button-mashing does absolutely nothing. To save money on utility bills, modern hospitality chains…
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In Thailand, going commando can break the law
Going commando isn't just a breezy lifestyle choice in Thailand; it's a direct violation of public decency laws. While nobody is exactly sure how the police…
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Shooting stars are traveling space debris
Those romantic streaks of light you wish upon are literally just burning space garbage. Tiny flecks of rock and dust smash into our upper atmosphere at…
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The Matterhorn hides an emergency shelter
Because climbing a deadly, jagged peak is apparently not exclusive enough. There is a tiny, hidden igloo-like emergency room carved into the ridge, giving…
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Why Hawaii ignores daylight saving time
Hook: The smartest state in America refuses to participate in our collective biannual delusion. The entire point of daylight saving time is to maximize…
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Why Australian roadhouses blast classical music at night
Weaponized Beethoven is apparently the ultimate cure for juvenile delinquency. To stop bored kids from aggressively loitering and vandalizing gas stations in…
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The Statue of Liberty's copper skin is shockingly thin
Despite looking like an entirely solid metal behemoth, the outer skin is shockingly fragile. The hammered copper sheets form an incredibly thin shell entirely…
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Why the Nazca Lines were made where no one could see them
Ancient civilizations apparently spent decades painstakingly digging massive monkey and spider shapes into the dirt just so wealthy tourists in tiny Cessnas…
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Folding wooden luggage racks keep suitcases off the bed
Providing a wobbly wooden stand with nylon straps isn't a gesture of luxury. It is a desperate attempt by housekeeping to prevent you from tossing a wheeled…
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Why shower curtains cling to your legs
Stepping into a tiny, budget hotel shower activates a terrifying physical phenomenon. Due to the Bernoulli principle, the drop in air pressure from the hot…
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Mexico City is sinking a few inches every year
Who needs solid ground anyway? Built directly over a former massive water body, this massive metropolis goes down a few inches every twelve months, meaning…
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Plane windows consist of stretched acrylic panels
Real glass is far too heavy and entirely too brittle to survive the massive pressure shifts of climbing into the sky. Instead, manufacturers stretch thick…
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Terriers once hauled groceries and children
Long before engines existed, some people would simply harness their aggressive, easily distracted domestic dogs to tiny wooden wagons to haul groceries or…
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How to stop a runaway horse
If your giant, completely panicked transport animal decides to sprint into the dense wilderness, pulling straight back on the reins does absolutely nothing.…
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In Italy, sitting with your coffee costs extra
Because your legs need punishing. In Italy, drinking espresso standing at the counter costs a fraction of the price of sitting at a table, where you are…
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Why boutique hotels smell so strongly
Scent branding is just aggressive perfume. Trendy accommodations pump massive amounts of proprietary heavy floral scents into their lobbies to mask mundane…
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Your delayed European flight may owe you money
Unlike the lawless wild west of other regions, the European Union actually holds corporations accountable. Under EU261 regulations, if your flight is delayed…
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