Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Your suitcase can fill up with trips you never take.
Your suitcase can fill up with trips you never take. Packing invites a chain of 'what ifs': what if there's a formal dinner, a sudden workout, or unexpected…
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London Eye began as a temporary attraction for the new millennium, but it proved so immensely lucrative that the city decided to keep it forever. Each ride lasts half an hour in a glass pod.
London Eye began as a temporary attraction for the new millennium, but it proved so immensely lucrative that the city decided to keep it forever. Each ride…
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In-flight Wi-Fi providers charge exorbitant rates for service by utilizing a network of satellites or ground-based towers to beam a terribly weak internet connection to your seat.
In-flight Wi-Fi providers charge exorbitant rates for service by utilizing a network of satellites or ground-based towers to beam a terribly weak internet…
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The Vatican fits a country inside a city.
The Vatican fits a country inside a city. Vatican City is the smallest internationally recognized independent state, enclosed by Rome. Its tiny area contains…
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Verona’s incredibly popular Casa di Giulietta features a famous balcony where tourists flock to recite Shakespearean lines, despite the fact that Juliet is a fictional character…
Verona’s incredibly popular Casa di Giulietta features a famous balcony where tourists flock to recite Shakespearean lines, despite the fact that Juliet is a…
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Buckingham Palace has 78 bathrooms.
Buckingham Palace has 78 bathrooms. The palace's 775 rooms include 19 State Rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, and 188 staff bedrooms. That scale makes it a…
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Niagara's nighttime flow is partly a human decision.
Niagara's nighttime flow is partly a human decision. An international treaty sets minimum flows over the falls, with more water required during daytime…
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Lotteries helped pay for the Sydney Opera House's $102 million bill.
Lotteries helped pay for the Sydney Opera House's $102 million bill. The ambitious roof design required years of engineering work, and costs far exceeded the…
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Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was a maximum-security federal penitentiary famous for housing notorious criminals like Al Capone, yet its most effective security measure…
Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was a maximum-security federal penitentiary famous for housing notorious criminals like Al Capone, yet its most effective…
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Giza's builders left a neighborhood behind the pyramids.
Giza's builders left a neighborhood behind the pyramids. Archaeologists have uncovered workers' housing, storage areas and bakeries near the monuments. Bread…
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Oktoberfest in Munich is actually held mostly in September because the weather is slightly warmer, proving that even the most deeply held Bavarian traditions will happily bend to the practicalities of outdoor drinking.
Oktoberfest in Munich is actually held mostly in September because the weather is slightly warmer, proving that even the most deeply held Bavarian traditions…
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Los Angeles began with a name far longer than LA.
Los Angeles began with a name far longer than LA. The city traces its founding to a small farming settlement established in 1781 by people of Indigenous,…
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Australia aggressively leans into the terrifying myth of the drop bear, entirely to terrorize gullible foreign tourists who are already terrified of the continent's genuinely lethal wildlife.
Australia aggressively leans into the terrifying myth of the drop bear, entirely to terrorize gullible foreign tourists who are already terrified of the…
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Wealthy neighborhoods in coastal cities like Miami and Dubai are currently fighting a losing battle against massive gangs of feral peacocks that actively terrorize millionaires…
Wealthy neighborhoods in coastal cities like Miami and Dubai are currently fighting a losing battle against massive gangs of feral peacocks that actively…
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Flights traveling from east to west consistently take longer than the same routes flown west to east because of high-altitude winds known as jet streams.
Flights traveling from east to west consistently take longer than the same routes flown west to east because of high-altitude winds known as jet streams.…
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The capsule hotel turned a hotel room into just its sleeping part.
The capsule hotel turned a hotel room into just its sleeping part. Capsule Inn Osaka opened in 1979 with compact pods designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa.…
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The upgrade list cares more about your ticket than your outfit.
The upgrade list cares more about your ticket than your outfit. Airlines publish priority rules for complimentary upgrades rather than simply choosing the…
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Federal law establishes strict no-fly zones directly over Walt Disney World and Disneyland, prohibiting any aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet within a three-mile radius of the parks.
Federal law establishes strict no-fly zones directly over Walt Disney World and Disneyland, prohibiting any aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet within a…
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The Bahamas' swimming pigs have learned that boats can mean food.
The Bahamas' swimming pigs have learned that boats can mean food. At Big Major Cay, pigs wade or swim toward visiting boats and associate people with feeding.…
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A tiny Rome museum collects objects said to bear marks from purgatory.
A tiny Rome museum collects objects said to bear marks from purgatory. The display in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffrage includes books and clothing…
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Cabin pressure helps hold a passenger door shut at cruising altitude.
Cabin pressure helps hold a passenger door shut at cruising altitude. A pressurized aircraft keeps denser air inside than outside, producing a large force…
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An Austrian village changed its name to stop being a tourist joke.
An Austrian village changed its name to stop being a tourist joke. The village of Fucking became Fugging on January 1, 2021, following a council decision in…
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Some Stonehenge stones stand on modern concrete foundations.
Some Stonehenge stones stand on modern concrete foundations. Twentieth-century restoration straightened leaning stones and raised fallen ones, using cranes…
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Rome’s ancient ruins share their address with a cat sanctuary.
Rome’s ancient ruins share their address with a cat sanctuary. At Largo di Torre Argentina, cats live among the remains of Roman temples beside the site…
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