travel

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The Random People Running Sweden's Twitter Account

Most democratic governments claim to be representatives of their citizens, but few would be so bold as to let a random citizen speak out on behalf of the government. But in Sweden's new "Curators of Sweden" project, the country is offering different citizens a chance to control the country's Twitter account, @Sweden, for a whole week. There seems to be no real limit to what the guest account holder can say, as past Twitterers have already cursed up a storm, criticized some of the countries biggest tourist... READ ON

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Is This Really the Busiest Travel Day?

So far, it seems that airport delays and other inconveniences have been minimal today, a good sign for millions of Thanksgiving travelers. That especially bodes well after the traditional hand-wringing about the busiest travel day of the year. But is today actually the busiest travel day of the year? That depends how you're going, but for airlines the answer is a clear no. And it's not even close. Federal statistics found that in recent years, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving didn't rank in the top... READ ON

List

11 Things You Can Take on a Plane

Carolina K. Smith, M.D. / Shutterstock.com The Transportation Security Administration has an extraordinary amount of power: they can root through personal belongings, force people to take off their shoes, and act all suspicious around any sort of liquid. But the TSA doesn't ban everything. Here is a list of things will make it through the security inspection. 1. Delta will make special accommodations for flying Christmas trees. Of course, you’ll also have to make room in your luggage for the... READ ON

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Pictures of People With Everything They Own

We always hear about how materialistic Americans are, but how do we compare on a global scale—say, in contrast to a family from Kuwait or China or Mali? That's just what photographer Peter Menzel wanted to explore when he started his Material World project. Since the 1990s, Menzel has been traveling the globe and analyzing UN and World Bank statistics to find statistically average families. He then asks them to step outside with all of their possessions so he can visually compare the average family... READ ON

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The Money Trees of the UK

Imagine wandering through the forest when all of a sudden you stumble upon a massive tree completely covered in coins dating back centuries. No, you haven't discovered a magical giving tree. You've found one of the UK's mystical "money trees", and each of those coins represents one person's wish for health and luck. Apparently the practice of hammering coins into trees started back in the 1700s. The locals believed that offering low-denomination coins to the tree would take away their sickness. But if... READ ON

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8 American Snacks & Their Foreign Flavors

It doesn’t matter what country you live in, you’ve undoubtedly encountered your share of American junk foods. But if you live outside of the states, you're very likely getting flavors of these treats that Americans can’t buy at home. And the more you travel, the more strange flavors of salty and sweet snacks you’ll run into. 1.... READ ON

Article

The Fascinating Story of the Fleet River

You've probably already heard of Fleet Street, as it happens to be the home of a certain notable "demon barber," but did you know the street is named for something equally as dark—namely a polluted, underground river? The Fleet wasn't always so filthy, though. In London's early days, it was a sparkling source of clean water for the fledgling city. Unfortunately, as the city began attracting industrial services such as butchers, tanners and mills, the businesses needed a place to dump their waste. The... READ ON

Article

European Ghost Towns

Boots N' All has a great article featuring 8 ghost towns—not in the Old West, but in Europe. The photos are stunning and the stories of how the locations became abandoned are always interesting. My personal favorite on the list is Balestrino (pictured), which was once owned by the Benedictine abbey of San Pietro dei Monti. It's still not known why the city became abandoned, but earthquakes in the area might have played a role. Have any of you ever been to one of these—or any—abandoned... READ ON

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Best Directions Ever: "Take the Exit that Goes Through the Office Building"

Directions to my house go something like, "Take the highway that runs through town and get off on exit 9, then take a left at the stoplight." If you live in downtown Osaka, your directions might be more along the lines of, "Take the Umeda Exit of the Ikeda Route. You know, the one that goes through the building." Though Gate Tower Building has been there since the early '90s, the whole affair actually started a decade earlier. The property owners desperately wanted to build on this piece of land, but... READ ON

List

The Quick 10: 10 Places You Don't Want to Swim

With the high temperatures lately, my neighbor has made a habit of taking midday dips in the kiddie pool in her backyard. (I know this because she sings with the radio and splashes water in rhythm.) Speaking of places I never want to swim, here are ten lakes, pools, and beaches you should approach with caution. 1. Nyriragongo Crater's lava lake [Photo Credit: Olivier Grunewald] 282 million cubic feet of molten rock won't make for a pleasant game of Marco Polo, but you can probably roast a... READ ON