Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
One tower holds much of an Alaskan town.
One tower holds much of an Alaskan town. Begich Towers in Whittier is a fourteen-story former military building converted into a residential hub. The town's…
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Las Vegas Strip shoots a beam of light from the Luxor pyramid so intensely bright that it can be seen from space, but its real achievement is functioning as the world's most effective bug zapper.
Las Vegas Strip shoots a beam of light from the Luxor pyramid so intensely bright that it can be seen from space, but its real achievement is functioning as…
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Amsterdam is actively trying to discourage young male tourists from visiting their city, even launching targeted digital advertising campaigns explicitly telling budget travelers and bachelor parties to stay away.
Amsterdam is actively trying to discourage young male tourists from visiting their city, even launching targeted digital advertising campaigns explicitly…
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TSA PreCheck moves part of screening to before the airport.
TSA PreCheck moves part of screening to before the airport. Applicants provide information for a security assessment, allowing eligible travelers to use…
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Bad coordinates can send a map pin to an imaginary island.
Bad coordinates can send a map pin to an imaginary island. Null Island is the nickname for zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude, a real point in…
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Your passport photo is designed to be boring.
Your passport photo is designed to be boring. A plain background, visible eyes, and a straightforward pose give identity checks a consistent view of your…
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Your nearest airplane exit may be behind you.
Your nearest airplane exit may be behind you. The FAA advises passengers to locate exits both ahead of and behind their seats and count the intervening rows.…
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Four letters on a boarding pass mean extra screening.
Four letters on a boarding pass mean extra screening. SSSS is the code that tells airport security officers a passenger requires enhanced screening. The…
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Times Square is not technically a square in any geometric sense, but rather a pair of triangles created by the awkward intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue.
Times Square is not technically a square in any geometric sense, but rather a pair of triangles created by the awkward intersection of Broadway and Seventh…
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A Japanese hot-spring inn traces its history to 705.
A Japanese hot-spring inn traces its history to 705. Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan was run for centuries by a succession of family generations, including adopted…
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Iceland has a highly restrictive official naming committee that legally dictates what citizens are allowed to name their children in order to fiercely protect the linguistic purity of the native Icelandic language.
Iceland has a highly restrictive official naming committee that legally dictates what citizens are allowed to name their children in order to fiercely protect…
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Paint is part of what keeps the Eiffel Tower standing.
Paint is part of what keeps the Eiffel Tower standing. The iron needs protection from corrosion, so periodic repainting is structural care as well as a color…
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Park rangers at the Grand Canyon have to constantly rescue tourists who blatantly ignore warnings and attempt to hike all the way down to the river and back up in a single day,…
Park rangers at the Grand Canyon have to constantly rescue tourists who blatantly ignore warnings and attempt to hike all the way down to the river and back…
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Sloths get rope bridges so they don't have to cross roads on the ground.
Sloths get rope bridges so they don't have to cross roads on the ground. A gap in the treetops can force a sloth into a slow, exposed crawl through traffic…
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An airplane lavatory lock has an emergency override.
An airplane lavatory lock has an emergency override. Cabin crew can use an external release to open the door if a passenger becomes unresponsive or needs…
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Some airliners hide beds above the passenger cabin.
Some airliners hide beds above the passenger cabin. On certain long-haul aircraft, crew-rest compartments fit into space over the cabin or below it, reached…
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London Heathrow and many other major international airports employ dedicated wildlife control teams whose sole, full-time job is to aggressively scare birds away from the runways to prevent catastrophic engine strikes.
London Heathrow and many other major international airports employ dedicated wildlife control teams whose sole, full-time job is to aggressively scare birds…
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A 'mishandled' suitcase is often delayed, not gone forever.
A 'mishandled' suitcase is often delayed, not gone forever. Baggage statistics group together different failures, including delay, damage, pilferage, and…
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Travel insurance policies are notorious for containing endless pages of dense legal loopholes specifically written to ensure the company almost never has to pay out a claim when your trip is ruined.
Travel insurance policies are notorious for containing endless pages of dense legal loopholes specifically written to ensure the company almost never has to…
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This garden forbids visitors from even smelling its plants.
This garden forbids visitors from even smelling its plants. Alnwick's Poison Garden gathers around a hundred toxic, intoxicating and narcotic plants behind…
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Swiss military historically disguised hundreds of fully operational artillery bunkers as adorable, traditional wooden chalets scattered across the picturesque Alps.
Swiss military historically disguised hundreds of fully operational artillery bunkers as adorable, traditional wooden chalets scattered across the picturesque…
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Giethoorn's old village makes canals feel like streets.
Giethoorn's old village makes canals feel like streets. In its historic center, waterways and small footbridges connect homes and routes that visitors explore…
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TSA agents once genuinely confiscated a spectacularly sharp, fully functional batarang from a profoundly confused passenger's carry-on luggage at a major American airport checkpoint.
TSA agents once genuinely confiscated a spectacularly sharp, fully functional batarang from a profoundly confused passenger's carry-on luggage at a major…
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Ecuador's famous equator monument misses the equator.
Ecuador's famous equator monument misses the equator. The painted line at Mitad del Mundo sits about 240 meters south of the equator as located by modern…
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