Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Hoarding paper coasters is a compulsive souvenir habit
People sometimes keep slightly damp, branded cardboard coasters from bars as souvenirs, treating an ordinary giveaway as something worth saving.
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Why tourists dress like exaggerated locals
Some tourists trade their usual clothes for exaggerated regional stereotypes in an attempt to blend in.
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Your travel pillow may be facing the wrong way
With some U-shaped pillows, placing the opening at the back leaves the thicker section under your chin, helping keep your head from tipping forward as you…
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Buying an oversized straw hat is a rite of passage
A traveler seeking sun protection may end up with an oversized woven hat that’s too fragile and bulky to pack for the trip home.
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Early American postcards forced messages onto the picture side
Before the divided back was allowed in 1907, the address side was reserved for the address. Senders squeezed notes beside or across the image instead. A…
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The city T-shirt design copied everywhere
A simple heart paired with a city name became a T-shirt formula copied by destinations around the world.
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Why coming home from vacation can feel so bleak
The abrupt shift from vacation back to work can make the return feel like a crash. Psychologists study this post-vacation dip.
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Why the British call fanny packs bum bags
In British English, “fanny” is an inappropriate slang term, so the waist pouch is called a “bum bag” instead.
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Snow globes exploit our desire to control an environment
Shaking the globe lets you create a tiny storm, then watch it settle inside a world you can hold in your hand.
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Cargo shorts were initially designed for the military
The British military developed them in the 1930s so soldiers could carry extra ammunition in their roomy pockets.
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Why your vacation photos may never be seen again
People often photograph every angle of a statue out of habit, then leave the images in cloud storage.
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Flip-flops have an ancient ancestor
Y-shaped strap sandals have been worn for thousands of years, though today's foam versions are not themselves ancient artifacts.
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This airline suite has a bedroom and its own shower
Etihad's A380 Residence separates the living area, bedroom and bathroom into three rooms. The bed is not just a seat folded flat, and the shower is part of…
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Hawaiian has an alphabet of just 13 letters
The standard Hawaiian alphabet has five vowels and eight consonants, including the ʻokina, which marks a glottal stop. A kahakō above a vowel indicates length…
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Mount Vernon grew into a vast agricultural complex
The riverside estate became a large complex reflecting Washington's ambitions as an agricultural landowner, not just a president's home.
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The Dublin museum where you tower over the furniture
Visitors navigate oversized furniture as part of an interactive exhibit on Celtic mythology.
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Fenway Park features a massive green wall on one side
Balls that might clear a shorter fence can ricochet off the towering left-field wall and back into play.
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How a farmer's string ball became a 20,000-pound giant
A single farmer's habit of rolling string in his barn grew into a community project that now weighs 20,000 pounds and takes a forklift to handle.
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Before Alcatraz was a prison, it was a fort
It was heavily armed with cannons, and its isolated position in the bay later made it useful for holding prisoners.
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Seattle built the Space Needle in about 400 days
The tower opened for the 1962 World's Fair after a remarkably compressed building schedule. Its foundation required roughly 5,600 tons of concrete, anchoring…
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Why the Washington Monument changes color
Construction stopped when the money ran out. When work resumed decades later, builders used different stone, leaving a visible color change about a third of…
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Willis Tower features glass balconies extending outward
The transparent boxes extend beyond the tower, letting visitors look straight down at the pavement far below.
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The Gateway Arch moves in strong winds
Its flexible steel structure lets the top shift during storms.
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Why lightning keeps damaging Christ the Redeemer
Its mountaintop position in stormy Rio leaves the statue exposed to frequent lightning strikes, which have damaged its thumbs and eyebrows.
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