Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
When funhouses were designed to embarrass you
Some early fairground funhouses used hidden operators and blasts of compressed air to send women’s skirts flying, making embarrassment part of the attraction.
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In the UAE, swearing in public can get you deported
Public insults or offensive gestures can be criminal offenses in the UAE and may lead to deportation for expatriates.
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Why New Orleans' French Quarter looks Spanish
Fires destroyed the French Quarter’s original wooden buildings, and Spanish rulers rebuilt it in their own style, with wrought-iron balconies and colorful…
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Boston's street map preserves a city that grew in pieces
Routes developed around an older peninsula, its shoreline, and successive areas of expansion rather than one uniform grid. Later land-making and redevelopment…
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A patch of Yukon sand remembers an ancient lake
The Carcross dunes contain sand and silt left by a glacial lake near the end of the last ice age. Wind keeps redistributing the loose material, producing a…
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Why some windowless hotel rooms have fake windows
Glowing panels behind curtains imitate daylight and give the room a windowlike feel, making a windowless space seem less like a bunker.
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In Spain, footwear matters when it affects control of the car
Driving in flip-flops is not automatically an offense simply because of the shoe style. Spain's traffic authority explains that a penalty depends on behavior…
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You may not need to check out at a hotel
At hotels with automated billing, you can often leave without stopping at the desk. You may still want to check out in person if you need a paper receipt to…
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Giant tourist buses perfectly block the most scenic views
A coach can block a valley panorama simply by pulling into the foreground. Sometimes the only way to get a clear photo is to wait for it to move.
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Using a toothpick openly in Italy shows bad manners
In Italy, using a toothpick at the table is considered rude unless you cover your mouth with your other hand.
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Why kimchi was once fermented underground
Buried earthen pots kept salted cabbage from freezing during winter while it slowly fermented into kimchi.
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Why fast-food menus change when you travel abroad
Chains adapt menus to local tastes, so a familiar restaurant abroad might offer teriyaki burgers, spicy paneer wraps, or seafood sandwiches alongside its…
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In Canada, too many pennies can be refused as payment
Canada’s Currency Act set the limit at 25 pennies in one transaction, even before the country phased out the coin.
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One marker lets you stand in four U.S. states at once
Visitors pay an entry fee to stand on a brass marker where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet.
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Why raw oysters may still be alive when served
They’re kept alive until they’re shucked, so a freshly served oyster may still be alive.
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Canada kept the name Kraft Dinner—and made it KD
Introduced in Canada and the US in 1937, the boxed meal became a particularly familiar part of Canadian food culture. Canadians kept the Kraft Dinner name…
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Why McDonald’s arches turn turquoise in Sedona
Sedona officials required the franchise to use turquoise instead of yellow so the arches wouldn't clash with the area's red-rock landscape.
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Japan has a visitor park full of foxes
At Zao Fox Village, visitors can observe foxes moving through a shared enclosure and hear their startling calls. This is a managed animal facility, not a…
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Dopp kits are named after a leather craftsman
The name comes from Charles Doppelt, a German leather craftsman who invented the pouch in the 1920s.
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France recorded more tourist arrivals than it has residents
Atout France reported 100 million international tourists in 2024, a year that included the Paris Olympics. That is a count of arrivals, not 100 million…
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Why the Galápagos won’t let you bring in outside food
Seeds and fruit flies can hitch a ride in food and threaten the islands’ fragile ecosystem. Inspectors check boots for mud and may confiscate snacks to help…
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At Lambert's Cafe, catching the bread is part of dinner
The Missouri restaurant traces its roll-throwing tradition to a crowded day in 1976, when passing bread through the room was awkward. Tossing a roll to a…
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Fancy hotels charge high daily parking fees
Some five-star hotels charge steep daily valet fees, even when the parking lot is far from the lobby.
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Why absinthe doesn't make you hallucinate
Its reputation is mostly marketing: absinthe is high-proof alcohol, so its effects are those of strong liquor, not a special hallucination-inducing property.
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