Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Hoarding paper coasters is a compulsive souvenir habit
When faced with a lack of funds for actual souvenirs, the human brain resorts to blatant theft. We convince ourselves that slightly damp, branded cardboard…
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Why tourists dress like exaggerated locals
The phenomenon of the 'fake local' is universally embarrassing. The moment people cross a border, they immediately abandon their normal wardrobe and purchase…
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Your travel pillow may be facing the wrong way
Congratulations, you've been using that overpriced foam horseshoe incorrectly your entire life. Those U-shaped pillows are actually designed to have the gap…
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Buying an oversized straw hat is a rite of passage
Every traveler eventually hits a point of desperation where the sun defeats them. This inevitably results in purchasing a comically large, incredibly fragile…
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When postcards were banned from showing pictures
Imagine a postcard that is literally just a blank piece of cardboard. In the late 1800s, postal regulations heavily restricted the use of images, forcing…
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The city T-shirt design copied everywhere
The simplistic design format of declaring your love for a specific city via a heart symbol is universally exploited. The moment the original design was…
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Why coming home from vacation can feel so bleak
That sinking, existential dread you feel on the Sunday night after a trip isn't just you being dramatic. Psychologists actively study the sharp depressive…
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Why the British call fanny packs bum bags
Linguistics forces the UK to completely rename this tragically uncool accessory. In British English, the original term contains a highly inappropriate slang…
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Snow globes exploit our desire to control an environment
There is a deeply weird psychological comfort in shaking a tiny, trapped ecosystem. The enduring appeal of the snow globe relies heavily on humans loving the…
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Cargo shorts were initially designed for the military
Those bulky, pocket-riddled shorts you wear to carry three chapsticks and a crumbled receipt were originally lethal. The British military developed them in…
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Why your vacation photos may never be seen again
We rigorously document every single angle of a mediocre statue out of pure habit. Yet statistics show the vast majority of these desperately hoarded digital…
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Flip-flops have an ancient ancestor
The flimsy foam shoes you wear purely to avoid touching public surfaces are deeply historical. Variations of the Y-shaped strap sandal have been worn by…
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Etihad's three-room sky suite costs over $30,000
For the price of a brand-new sedan, you too can experience the sheer thrill of avoiding poor people at 35,000 feet. The Residence suite comes with a living…
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Hawaiian has an alphabet of just 13 letters
Good luck trying to punch "Humuhumunukunukuapua'a" into your rental car's GPS without pulling your hair out. The traditional Hawaiian alphabet consists of…
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George Washington's Mount Vernon grew into an enormous rural complex
Before stepping down from power, the first president expanded his rural mansion into an enormous complex. It sits peacefully by the river, serving as a…
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The Dublin museum where you tower over the furniture
Capitalizing on stereotypes can be highly educational. Instead of just selling cheap green hats, this interactive exhibit actually plunges visitors into…
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Fenway Park features a massive green wall on one side
Cramming a sports stadium into an awkward urban grid means getting wildly creative with the outfield. They just built an obnoxiously tall green wall to stop…
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How a farmer's string ball became a 20,000-pound giant
Boredom in the rural midwest leads to extraordinary hoarding. What started as a single farmer rolling string in his barn has escalated into a colossal…
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Before Alcatraz was a prison, it was a fort
Before housing notorious gangsters, this rocky outcrop was heavily armed with cannons. The military realized that an inescapable rock in the middle of…
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The Space Needle was meant to be temporary
Constructing a massive futuristic tower for an expo usually means tearing it down later. However, the skyline looked too cool with it, so the city just kept…
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Why the Washington Monument changes color
Running out of cash midway through construction leaves an undeniable mark. When builders finally resumed work decades later, they couldn't source the original…
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Willis Tower features glass balconies extending outward
Stepping out onto a transparent ledge suspended over a massive city grid is pure adrenaline. These retractable glass boxes allow visitors to stare straight…
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The Gateway Arch moves in strong winds
A massive metal parabola in the midwest is basically a giant sail. The sheer flexibility of the steel allows the top of the arch to shift significantly during…
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Why lightning keeps damaging Christ the Redeemer
Placing a massive stone figure on the highest peak in a stormy city guarantees a lot of voltage. The iconic statue routinely loses chunks of its thumbs and…
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