Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Machu Picchu now sends visitors along assigned circuits.
Machu Picchu now sends visitors along assigned circuits. A ticket gives access to a particular route rather than unrestricted wandering around the citadel.…
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A 1920 conference helped give passports a shared format.
A 1920 conference helped give passports a shared format. The League of Nations pushed for common passport specifications after World War I expanded border…
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This scheduled flight can be shorter than a song.
This scheduled flight can be shorter than a song. Loganair connects Westray and Papa Westray in Orkney across just 1.7 miles. The schedule allows about two…
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Hotel key cards are universally terrible because they operate on ancient magnetic stripe technology that can be completely erased if you happen to put the card in the same pocket…
Hotel key cards are universally terrible because they operate on ancient magnetic stripe technology that can be completely erased if you happen to put the…
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Lake Hillier's pink water contains a community of pigment-making microbes.
Lake Hillier's pink water contains a community of pigment-making microbes. A 2022 microbiome study found salt-loving organisms with genes associated with…
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Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta has somehow maintained its miserable status as the busiest airport in the entire world for over two decades, processing more…
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta has somehow maintained its miserable status as the busiest airport in the entire world for over two…
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Desperately popularizing the depressing modern concept of a staycation during the 2008 financial crisis happened when consumers literally could not afford to buy plane tickets for a real getaway!
Desperately popularizing the depressing modern concept of a staycation during the 2008 financial crisis happened when consumers literally could not afford to…
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San Marino has recorded more registered cars than residents.
San Marino has recorded more registered cars than residents. A World Bank comparison using 2010 figures listed about 1,139 passenger cars per thousand people…
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The Vatican's wine statistic comes with a tiny denominator.
The Vatican's wine statistic comes with a tiny denominator. Per-person rankings have placed Vatican City exceptionally high for wine consumption. But dividing…
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Maine is the U.S.
Maine is the U.S. state nearest to Africa. Northeastern North America reaches toward northwestern Africa, while Florida sits much farther west. The shortest…
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In Istanbul, a commuter ferry can take you to another continent.
In Istanbul, a commuter ferry can take you to another continent. The Bosphorus separates the city's European and Asian sides, so crossing a continental…
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A river in Peru's Amazon rainforest runs hot enough to scald, even far from an active volcano.
A river in Peru's Amazon rainforest runs hot enough to scald, even far from an active volcano. Geothermal researcher Andrés Ruzo measured water averaging…
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Only one country lies between Finland and North Korea: Russia.
Only one country lies between Finland and North Korea: Russia. Both share a land border with it, despite being thousands of miles apart. That means crossing…
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Hollywood's iconic hillside sign originally read Hollywoodland when it was erected in the nineteen twenties as a massive, illuminated billboard to promote a segregated upscale real estate development.
Hollywood's iconic hillside sign originally read Hollywoodland when it was erected in the nineteen twenties as a massive, illuminated billboard to promote a…
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You can rent a private-jet photo without renting a private jet.
You can rent a private-jet photo without renting a private jet. Studios have offered sets resembling luxury aircraft cabins, complete with seats and…
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A short rental stay can make a cleaning fee dwarf the nightly rate.
A short rental stay can make a cleaning fee dwarf the nightly rate. A fee charged once per booking barely changes with the number of nights. Spread it across…
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Some tropical beach sand has passed through a fish.
Some tropical beach sand has passed through a fish. Parrotfish scrape food from reef surfaces and grind up calcium-carbonate material, excreting it as sand. A…
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The Maldives' highest natural ground is only about 2.4 meters above sea level.
The Maldives' highest natural ground is only about 2.4 meters above sea level. That is roughly the height of a doorway plus a little extra, not a mountain…
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Reclining your airplane seat a mere two inches has become the ultimate catalyst for low-stakes modern warfare, turning perfectly normal adults into vindictive sociopaths trapped in a pressurized cabin.
Reclining your airplane seat a mere two inches has become the ultimate catalyst for low-stakes modern warfare, turning perfectly normal adults into vindictive…
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International cell phone roaming charges are essentially a form of legalized extortion, designed to severely punish travelers who forget to toggle a tiny switch in their device settings.
International cell phone roaming charges are essentially a form of legalized extortion, designed to severely punish travelers who forget to toggle a tiny…
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A hotel-theft survey included a disappearing grand piano.
A hotel-theft survey included a disappearing grand piano. In a 2019 survey of 1,157 hoteliers, respondents reported losses ranging from ordinary room items to…
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Rental car companies intentionally purchase massive fleets consisting almost entirely of white, silver, and black vehicles because those specific colors hold the highest resale value in the used car market.
Rental car companies intentionally purchase massive fleets consisting almost entirely of white, silver, and black vehicles because those specific colors hold…
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An airline can sell identical seats at different prices.
An airline can sell identical seats at different prices. Seats are sold through fare categories with different prices and conditions. When a cheap allocation…
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Lawrence Sperry officially invented the airplane autopilot system in the early twentieth century and subsequently became the very first founding member of the infamous mile-high club just a few years later.
Lawrence Sperry officially invented the airplane autopilot system in the early twentieth century and subsequently became the very first founding member of the…
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