Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Air guitar's winner gets a real guitar
Thrashing around to invisible music is recognized as a legitimate competitive sport. The winner of this bizarre spectacle takes home a genuine, physical…
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St. Basil's Cathedral features completely mismatched domes
Symmetry is apparently highly overrated. This iconic red square church embraces absolute chaos, featuring brightly colored, swirling onion domes that look…
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A museum filled with exes' belongings
Monetizing heartbreak is surprisingly effective. This exhibition features seemingly mundane objects submitted by jilted lovers worldwide, complete with bitter…
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Burj Khalifa operates incredibly high-speed elevators
Getting to the top of the tallest structure on earth cannot be a leisurely commute. The cars rocket upwards so fast that your ears relentlessly pop, shooting…
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The Times Square ball sits on the roof all year
Moving a massive glowing orb is a logistical nightmare, so they simply don't. The iconic ball sits exposed atop the One Times Square building all year long,…
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Why the Great Sphinx has no nose
Contrary to popular belief, a cannonball did not blow off the facial features. The soft limestone just eroded naturally while vandals took a few chisels to it…
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The White House has a private bowling alley
When you lead a nation, rolling strikes is a mandatory stress reliever. Tucked away beneath the executive mansion is a fully functional bowling lane installed…
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Why the Alamo has no basement
Despite a famous movie joke convincing a generation otherwise, the historic mission has no subterranean floor. Tour guides are endlessly exhausted by visitors…
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Pentagon consists of exactly five sides and five floors
Committing to a geometric theme is serious business. Not only does the massive military headquarters boast five outer walls, but it also strictly limits…
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Ethiopia has 13 months in its year
If you made terrible life choices this year, just buy a plane ticket to Addis Ababa where you can get a do-over. Ethiopia never adopted the standard Gregorian…
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Mosquitoes kill more people than sharks, bears and snakes
Forget the Great White sharks or the exotic jungle panthers; the true apex predator of your expensive tropical vacation weighs less than a paperclip. By…
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Australia's bizarre frozen-tuna throwing contest
Forget throwing javelins or discuses; the true test of athletic prowess down under involves hurling a massive, frozen block of raw seafood. The Port Lincoln…
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Why tourists mail stolen Roman stones back to Italy
Stealing a piece of the Roman Empire seems like an incredibly cool idea until the Catholic guilt inevitably kicks in. Every year, tourists pry loose…
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The island where centenarians eat bread, cheese and wine
Welcome to the magical "Blue Zone" where all your modern diet advice goes directly out the window. Wellness influencers flock to this Italian island to…
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The honeymoon that lasted a full lunar cycle
The modern concept of flying to a beach after getting married is a massive downgrade from the original pagan tradition. Newlyweds were historically required…
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The garden gnome liberation front was real
Stealing a neighbor's yard ornament and photographing it in front of famous monuments feels like an internet-era meme, but it started down under decades ago.…
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The first package holiday was created for a temperance rally
The modern vacation industry was essentially launched by a guy trying to keep people sober. Thomas Cook organized the first official group excursion in 1841…
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How The Bucket List made its phrase famous
You might think writing down grand goals before you kick the bucket is an ancient human tradition. In reality, the specific phrase was almost nonexistent in…
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The view from space can change how astronauts see Earth
Leaving the atmosphere does something profound to the human brain. Upon seeing our floating blue sphere against the infinite void, spacefarers routinely…
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The word “mancation” was once trademarked
A group of guys hanging out together is apparently intellectual property. In 2006, a film studio officially trademarked the word to describe an all-male…
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The surprising reason gap years became popular
Taking a twelve-month hiatus to 'find yourself' overseas was originally just a clever British scheme to keep young adults out of the workforce for an extra…
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Armchair travel was for the broke in the 1800s
Long before you could watch high-definition walking tours on YouTube, Victorians who lacked the funds to board a ship simply stayed home and read heavily…
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Cabin fever began with settlers trapped by snow
The feeling of going completely unhinged after staying indoors too long is a documented historical phenomenon. In the 19th century, settlers trapped in tiny…
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Why carriages once carried hired bodyguards
Before the invention of smooth highways and roadside assistance, navigating a dirt path was an invitation for robbery. Wealthy individuals would literally…
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