Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Bicycles vastly outnumber cars in many urban centers
In some major cities, morning commutes look less like car traffic and more like a stream of cyclists.
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Who decided where time-zone borders go
Time-zone borders follow local administrative choices, so they often zigzag instead of tracking longitude in neat slices.
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Our solar system moves through the galaxy
As the Sun orbits the galactic center, it carries the planets with it—so Earth is traveling through space even when you're standing still.
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Milwaukee has a museum full of nodding heads
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum collects figures ranging from sports stars to mascots and unusual historical subjects. The same simple…
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Orange traffic cones rely on highly specific reflective tape
The silver bands are retroreflective: they send headlight beams back toward their source, making the cones easier to see at night.
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Toronto's castle has an 800-foot route to the stables underground
Casa Loma's tunnel connects the main house with its service and stable buildings beneath the intervening street. It is part of a residence designed with…
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French bistros cram tables closely
The tables can be so close that diners end up hearing the conversations of strangers nearby.
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Why Victoria's Secret catalogs can be confiscated in the Maldives
The Maldives bans imports deemed pornographic or contrary to religious values, and customs officers have confiscated fashion magazines and underwear catalogs.
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The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole
From above, it looks like a dark blue eye; below, the submerged sinkhole holds huge stalactites and lightless depths.
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Why weekend ATM withdrawals cost more
Banks may freeze exchange rates over the weekend and add a margin to guard against currency swings before markets reopen Monday.
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Massachusetts has a museum for bad art
The museum seeks out genuinely bad, unintentional art from thrift stores and dumpsters; deliberate parody doesn't qualify.
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The Taj Mahal keeps polluting vehicles away from its gates
The monument's visitor rules exclude polluting vehicles within a 500-meter radius. Battery buses and golf carts cover the last stretch from parking areas.…
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Yelling on thrill rides changes zero physics
Screaming may feel like taking control, but it doesn't change your velocity.
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Turboprop planes burn less fuel over short distances
On short commuter routes, turbine-driven propellers use much less fuel than jet engines, making them a cheaper choice for regional operators.
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Venice numbers addresses by district, not just street
The historic city uses numbering within its sestieri, or districts, so a high number is not necessarily part of a long conventional street sequence. A useful…
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One airport's land covers roughly 300 square miles
King Fahd International near Dammam holds the Guinness record for airport area, with an estate of roughly 780 square kilometers. That figure describes the…
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Two countries are surrounded by landlocked countries
Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan are doubly landlocked: a land route to the open ocean must cross at least two foreign borders. Being inland is only the first…
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Rocky Mountain oysters are ranch food, not seafood
The dish uses bull testicles, typically prepared and cooked as a savory food. Its ocean-going name supplies the surprise for anyone encountering it without an…
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Why authentic street tacos skip the cheese
Traditional street tacos usually keep the focus on the meat, with raw white onion and fresh cilantro instead of a pile of melted cheese.
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Why sunsets are so sudden at the equator
At the equator, the sun sets almost straight down, so twilight is brief and darkness arrives quickly.
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Deserts frequently plunge to freezing temperatures at night
With little moisture in the air to hold daytime heat, temperatures can drop sharply after sunset.
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Maine has thousands of offshore coastal islands
Maine's coast is broken up by more than 3,000 small, rocky islands, many with little or no human habitation.
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Swiss mayonnaise comes dressed like toothpaste
Metal tubes let you squeeze out a serving and close the cap without dipping a spoon into a jar. Swiss shops sell mayonnaise and mustard this way. The familiar…
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Zaouli makes a dancer's feet look almost detached from the body
The masked dance belongs to Guro communities in Côte d'Ivoire, combining music, costume and exceptionally rapid footwork. A comparatively steady upper body…
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