15 surprising travel facts that’ll make you see the world in a whole new light
Check out our 15 surprising travel facts that’ll make you see the world in a whole new light
Travel: we sort of know all about it, right? Wrong. Scratch beneath the surface and it turns out we know nothing of this world. Do you know how long the world’s shortest commercial flight lasts, for example? (clue: shorter than the time it takes to boil an egg.) How about which country has no rivers? Or what unconventional pizza topping is popular in Sweden?
With international travel currently off the table, why not use this time to swat up on surprising travel trivia, offering a few precious minutes of sweet relief from the constant news cycle and providing some fun facts to fill awkward pauses during video calls with friends and family; trust us, nothing plugs a silence better than a stat about how many steps from the nearest trash bin you are in Disneyland at all times.
Without further ado, here are 15 travel facts that are certain to shock and surprise.
1. The world’s longest commercial flight took around 30 hours.
The so-called ‘Double Sunrise’ service by Qantas, which ran from Australia to Sri Lanka from 1943-45, often lasted over 30 hours, with passengers seeing the sunrise twice. Today the longest commercial flight is the Singapore Airlines Singapore to New York route, with an average journey time of 17 hours and 50 minutes.
2. The shortest commercial flight takes less than two minutes.
Incredibly, the shortest commercial flight, operating between the neighboring islands of Westray and Papa Westray in Scotland’s Orkney islands, takes around one and a half minutes. With the fastest recorded flight taking less than 50 seconds.
3. Japanese railways hand out ‘certificates’ for delays of more than five minutes.
Japanese trains, reputedly the most punctual in the world, issue passengers with a ‘delay certificate’ if a train is running more than five minutes behind schedule. The documents can be shown to bosses or teachers to explain a passenger’s lateness. Delay certificates are also issued on some trains in Germany and in Paris.
4. Saudi Arabia has no rivers.
The country in the Arabian peninsula has no permanent rivers. It is one of the 17 countries in the world without a single river flowing through it.
5. In Ethiopia the current year is 2013.
Ethiopia maintains its own calendar, which, due to a difference in the perceived date of the Annunciation (the proclamation of the birth of Christ), is seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar (which is used as standard across most of the world). In Ethiopia, the new year also begins on either August 29 or August 30.
6. It is the same time at both ends of China.
Despite spanning five geographical time zones, China only has one set time, which is observed throughout the country. China Standard Time is UTC+8.
7. The UK has the world’s longest country name.
The UK’s official title of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland makes it the longest recognized country name in the world.
8. Russia only classified beer as an alcoholic drink in 2011
Remarkably before then any drink with less than 10% alcohol was considered a ‘foodstuff’.
9. Pilots and co-pilots do not eat the same meal before a flight.
As part of standard convention, pilots and co-pilots do not eat the same food before a flight in case of food poisoning (or worse). If one of the pilots is incapacitated (unable to leave the bathroom) then the other pilot can take over.
10. Banana is a popular pizza topping in Sweden.
Often paired with curry powder believe it or not.
11. Instant noodles topped a Japanese poll of the country’s greatest inventions of the 20th century.
In the poll, conducted in the year 2000 by Fuji Research Institute, respondents placed instant noodles at the top of the list, followed by karaoke in second place. Incidentally, karaoke translates from Japanese into English as ‘empty orchestra’.
12. Despite what people say, the Great Wall of China is not visible from space.
Even from a low Earth orbit, the structure requires magnification to be seen by the human eye.
13. The Eiffel Tower was initially greatly disliked by the Parisian art community upon opening.
The iconic tower was labeled as ‘monstrous’ and ‘ridiculous’ after it was unveiled to the world. It’s even claimed that contemporary writer Guy de Maupassant disliked the structure so much that he ate lunch in the tower every day because it was the only place in Paris where the landmark was not visible.
14. Sudan has more ancient pyramids than Egypt.
Sources vary, but Sudan is claimed to be home to around 250 pyramid structures, that were built by the rulers of the ancient Kushite kingdoms between 2500BC to 300AD. Egypt is thought to have just over 100 pyramids.
15. The minarets of the Taj Mahal lean outwards slightly.
This was done deliberately to ensure that if the structure collapsed the minarets would fall away from the central tomb, and not destroy it. It’s also true that a team of 20,000 artisans and craftsmen built the iconic structure, but the popular story about them all being amputated by Shah Jahan, the ruler who commissioned it, upon completion (so they’d never build anything as beautiful), is most likely a myth.
Source: https://bit.ly/3aNKCSg
