Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Orlando put a permit limit on sharing meals in downtown parks
The city's rule covers organized food distribution attracting 25 or more people, including the servers. It requires a permit and limits the same group to two…
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Why Alcatraz kept its showers dangerously hot
The showers were kept hot so prisoners wouldn't get used to cold water, which might have helped them tolerate the frigid bay during an escape.
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The time Snoop Dogg tried to rent Liechtenstein
In 2010, Snoop Dogg's management asked to rent the entire country for a music video. Officials considered the proposal but declined, saying they didn't have…
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Colorado turned a frozen man's story into coffin races
Frozen Dead Guy Days began in Nederland around the story of a preserved body kept there. The festival later moved to Estes Park, where coffin races remain…
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The secret airline flying workers to Area 51
Unmarked white jets with a single red stripe, using the callsign Janet, carry defense contractors from a guarded terminal at Harry Reid International Airport…
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Bed bugs can wait a year for their next meal
Bed bugs can survive for up to 12 months without a meal by entering a dormant state, waiting in crevices around a headboard for a host to return.
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Wild wallabies live on a Scottish island
A wild wallaby colony lives on a Scottish island, descended from animals introduced by an aristocrat in the 1920s.
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Mount Hood roads are heavily covered in ice year round
High-elevation roads can stay icy even when the valleys below are warm, so drivers may need tire chains year-round.
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Why thousands of people happily wrestle in Korean mud
Boryeong’s festival draws thousands of visitors to wrestle and slide through massive gray mud pits. The town brings in tons of specialized dirt, with…
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Why Universal Studios Florida uses fireballs every day
The park’s stunt shows use daily pyrotechnics, with safety perimeters keeping spectators away from the intense heat of the flames.
Discover moreWalt Disney studied Copenhagen's Tivoli before building Disneyland
The park offered a model of carefully maintained gardens, rides and evening atmosphere that adults could enjoy alongside children. Its appeal was not one…
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Souvenir keychains began as promotional business gifts
They began as cheap corporate giveaways—tiny ads companies handed out for free—before souvenir shops started selling them.
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Nebraska has a museum for the history of going in circles
Lincoln's National Museum of Roller Skating holds skates dating to 1819, costumes, patents, and thousands of photographs. One key invention on display is the…
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Why a North American bird is named after Turkey
British importers confused the North American bird with a different fowl sold by Turkish merchants, and the mistaken name stuck.
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Exploring hill towns involves an absurd amount of walking
Restaurants, viewpoints, and plazas can mean steep streets and staircases, so exploring a hill town may involve a serious climb every day.
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New York's yellow taxis became a citywide rule in 1967
The city required medallion cabs to share the yellow color, making them easier to distinguish from other vehicles offering rides. What now looks like an…
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Why booking sites steer you toward mediocre stays
Booking sites may promote partner properties that pay higher commissions, even when those stays are only average.
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Why you shouldn't photograph Amsterdam's red-light windows
Photographing sex workers in Amsterdam's red-light district violates their privacy, even though sex work is legal and regulated in the Netherlands. It can…
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Why tuk-tuks sound like their name
The name echoes the rattling sound of the vehicles’ two-stroke engines as they zip through crowded streets.
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Postcards sent from overseas routinely take months to arrive
A postcard can arrive months after its sender gets home, so a sunny vacation greeting may land in the middle of winter.
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Suya is a spicy meat skewer coated in peanut spice
Suya gets its punch from a coating of crushed peanuts, ginger, and chilies, then it’s grilled until charred.
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You can walk across the roof of Oslo's opera house
The white marble roof slopes gently up from the water, and visitors are encouraged to walk across it like a public plaza.
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Chlamydia can threaten a koala's sight and fertility
The bacterial infection can cause eye disease, urinary problems and infertility, making it a serious conservation issue as well as an individual illness. A…
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Yellow jackets aggressively defend their underground nests
Unlike bees, yellow jackets can sting repeatedly because they don’t lose their stingers after one strike. They may pursue someone who accidentally steps on…
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