Random bits of information that are more interesting than useful.
30
votes
3answers
1k views
Why do airplanes at every airport disembark at the left (port) side?
I travel by air a lot, and at virtually every airport I've ever been too, including where you disembark by stairs, as opposed to by jet bridge, the left-hand-doors are always used; and the ...
20
votes
9answers
578 views
What is the LONGEST Tour operated by travel companies?
I remember 6 years ago, discovering "The Great South American Journey" operated by Gap adventures (now G Adventures), a 5 month trip around the continent (although essentially a bunch of their smaller ...
19
votes
3answers
966 views
What is the SHORTEST commercial passenger flight (with a flight number) in the world?
With the occasional debate about Oxford airport in the UK becoming a new London airport, and hearing of a flight that once landed at Heathrow due to fog, then flew on to Gatwick, I was wondering - ...
18
votes
6answers
742 views
Can you get married while traveling?
As a traveler getting married while traveling must be the ultimate experience. Can you actually legally get married while traveling?
18
votes
4answers
617 views
How many countries are there in the world to travel to?
If you've travelled a bit, at some point you'll either have dreamed of or been asked - 'will you visit every country in the world?'. However, it's not a straightforward goal to aim for...
I've heard ...
18
votes
2answers
1k views
What (if any) regularly scheduled airline flights pass over Antarctica?
We were just discussing at lunch if there are any such flights.
18
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3answers
2k views
What is the fastest theoretical route for the London “Tube Challenge”?
The "Tube Challenge" is the accepted name for the Guinness World Record attempt to visit all the stations on the London Underground network in the fastest time possible.
The rules are here.
The ...
17
votes
3answers
5k views
Does the rotation of the earth affect the travel time from Europe to Australia?
Assuming that a place in Europe is exactly on the opposite side of the earth than Sydney. Now I want to take a plane to travel there. Does it matter if the plan flies with the rotation of the earth or ...
16
votes
4answers
3k views
What's the highest number of countries whose borders meet at a single point?
What is the maximum number of countries meeting at a single point on earth?
Where is it?
What are the countries?
16
votes
3answers
1k views
Most radioactive places on earth
I recently visited Iwaki, Fukushima province to visit Spa Resort Hawaiians. Partially because it sounded interesting, and partially to buck the trend of overseas tourists avoiding Fukushima province.
...
16
votes
2answers
1k views
Can the ship's captain really perform your wedding when in international waters?
On the question about whether you can get married while travelling, Mark Mayo posted a comment that any marriage has to be on dry land or close to it.
But I'm sure all of us have heard of ships' ...
15
votes
5answers
868 views
The most difficult countries to travel in?
Now at first sight that's a subjective question. But I'll explain now that it's not. So please don't answer subjectively either!
Pamir Highway between Dushanbe and Khorog, Tajikistan
When papers ...
14
votes
6answers
477 views
Most remote exclave?
I'm a big fan of traveling to some extreme points, like for example the most northern point of Europe or the highest point of each country in Europe, etc. To find new ideas I would like to know the ...
14
votes
5answers
829 views
Snowfall at sea level closest to the equator?
My question is simple. Which is the place closest to Equator, in any country, where has snowfall occured? By that I mean snowfall only at sea level - mountains are excluded.
I can't find anything ...
13
votes
7answers
1k views
Are there any man-only places in the world?
I know it is forbidden to enter to Muslim's mosques/shrines without proper Islamic cover or having your shoes during walking through temples/tombs/shrines in India and some other Hindu countries or ...
13
votes
2answers
396 views
Oldest subway/underground/metro rolling stock still in operation
As a rider of various subway/metro/underground systems I was curious where would I find the oldest fleet still in operation.
NYC subway C line has cars built in the mid 60s. I was wondering if there ...
12
votes
3answers
462 views
What's the easternmost place in Asia?
On my current trip (like my previous) I've been in Europe and crossed the Bosphorous to Asia and proceeded further east (currently Tbilisi, Georgia).
At some point I'd like to move even further east, ...
12
votes
5answers
1k views
What is the most expensive train ride in India?
Considering a lot of people use trains in India, train tickets tend to be cheap, depending on class of travel, of course.
What I am interested in is finding out which train ride or which route (since ...
11
votes
4answers
3k views
What are the two closest capital cities in the world?
Recently, there was a discussion here on Travel.SE about what are the two closest capital cities in the world. One user argued that it is Vienna and Bratislava. Another one stated either Vatican City ...
11
votes
1answer
885 views
Fastest route around the world on regularly scheduled transportation?
After a heated internal discussion about whether it was possible to go around the world within a day (24 hours), I thought I'd ask this question.
Using regularly scheduled flights, it is possible to ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
Is there any other country than Germany with no speed limits?
I'm very into road trips. Therefore I'm always looking for something special.
I think it is very special that at least parts of Germany's highways have no speed limits. But since I live very close to ...
11
votes
2answers
263 views
Are there any international train services in South America?
As a European, I'm used to being able to take trains just about everywhere. I'm finding that that is not so common in South America, however.
If I was taking a trip through South America and wanted ...
10
votes
4answers
384 views
Are there any women-only places in the world?
It looks like reports of a women-only city in Saudi Arabia are greatly exaggerated. But are there any other places in the world where the population is entirely or almost entirely female?
The place ...
10
votes
2answers
196 views
What is the cheapest hostel in the world?
I'm asking about the cheapest bunk-bed or similar in a hostel in the world if only one traveller arrives to the hostel.
10
votes
1answer
223 views
What's the deepest underwater tour available?
Clearly scuba can only get you so far, and while we've discussed submarine tours in the past, they are just jaunts.
What's the deepest you can actually go as a tourist, and what about if you were ...
9
votes
4answers
1k views
What is the LONGEST passenger flight (with a flight number) in the world?
For example, JQ151 from Sydney to Christchurch is around 3 hours. NZ1 however, is about another 7 to Hong Kong.
Will need a regular flight number to verify.
Definition is longest in terms of flight ...
9
votes
3answers
255 views
Longest distance ordinary road sign?
Outside Narvik, Norway (at Gratangseidet north of Bjerkvik, at the border between Nordland and Troms) is a road sign indicating the distance to Kirkenes along the E6 as 1042 km:
Kirkenes 1042 km
...
9
votes
3answers
209 views
Fastest public elevator in the world
The Main Tower is my favorite attraction in Frankfurt(Main) not only because of the wonderful public viewing platform, but also because of the amazing speed of the elevator - 25,2 km/h. I think the ...
8
votes
4answers
415 views
What's the highest price a country charges citizens of another country for tourist visa?
Many countries charge money to issue visas to people wishing to enter, and many charge different fees for citizens of different countries.
On my current trip the most I've had to pay was $20. One ...
8
votes
2answers
537 views
What is the cheapest metro system in the world?
When traveling I am trying to avoid using the underground/metro/subway because I want to see the city I am visiting, but sometimes for long distances it is much quicker than any other form of ...
8
votes
3answers
231 views
World's fastest ferry route
Last summer, I was impressed by the speed of the Norwegian hurtigbåt M/S Fjordprinsessa, operating near Tromsø, travelling so fast that travellers are not allowed on-deck and are recommended to remain ...
8
votes
1answer
80 views
Oldest monument in Rome
I know this question might seem a bit weird, but this is really difficult to find an answer to me.
Rome is well known to be one of the city in the world which has the biggest quantity of ancient ...
7
votes
2answers
140 views
Are there any mosques in Liechtenstein?
Are there any mosques in Liechtenstein? I like to visit a local mosque in every city I visit. Any Idea?
6
votes
2answers
462 views
I've been told one state in the US is the easternmost, westernmost and northernmost state. How to visit the points?
According to what I've been told, one state (Alaska) has land which is considered the easternmost, northernmost, and westernnmost in all of the USA. What are the three points that allows it to claim ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
What is the fastest speed a passenger airplane flies at?
How fast does the world's currently fastest passenger plane fly (cruise speed)? Do any passenger planes fly faster than the speed of sound?
5
votes
2answers
248 views
Hypothetically, how long would it take to circumnavigate New Zealand by foot?
This would include looping around the three major islands - the North Island, the South Island, and Stewart Island.
Some calculation or reference would be useful, rather than a stab in the dark, ...
5
votes
3answers
146 views
Where can I visit the most northerly Australian fauna in the world?
In Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido, Japan (43.768533,142.482717), I saw a pair of emus. Are they the northernmost Australian fauna in the world, or is there a place even further north that has distinctly ...
5
votes
1answer
142 views
How punctual are Swiss trains?
Yesterday, I was on a Swiss train that was 10 minutes late. I thought perhaps it was the end of the world ...
The Swiss railways have a reputation for being very punctual (the joke being you can set ...
5
votes
2answers
148 views
What is the nearest underwater hotel to Germany?
I'm trying to find an underwater hotel that is not too far away from Germany. What's is the nearest one?
5
votes
2answers
173 views
Mile posts on US Interstates
Not sure if this will be on topic but I'd like to know anyway:
Why do mileposts on US Interstates increase South to North instead of North to South?
5
votes
2answers
234 views
Longest possible single-fare journey in London Fare Zone 2?
I've noticed that it is theoretically possible to perform an almost complete circuit of London by rail without leaving fare zone 2 and without having to swipe in / swipe out with an Oyster card ...
5
votes
2answers
735 views
What is the most active volcano in Central America?
What is the most active volcano in Central America, in terms of eruptions, explosions, lava, gases, etc.? Is it possible to visit it?
4
votes
5answers
252 views
Places with unusual platform numbers
I just came across platform zero at JR Kyoto station. Are there places with more exotic station numbers, such as negative numbers, fractions or complex numbers? I'm interested in places that have such ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Does flying east to west generally take longer than west to east in America?
I noticed for a particular round-trip that the portion from the east coast to the west was scheduled to take over an hour longer than the return trip. I initially thought this was a mistake due to ...
4
votes
1answer
372 views
Visiting the sunniest place on earth - country and city
This is a two parter.
Vancouver has rain for like, 9 months a year. I've been told it gets quite heavy.
If you wanted to go to the opposite extreme...
What country gets the most sunlight hours ...
3
votes
1answer
174 views
What's the longest take-off run of a commercial flight? [closed]
I listen to the Dr Karl podcast where in a recent one he stated the longest take off run was by a C-130 (Hercules) plane in Greenland a long while back (I gather it was some unusual condition and not ...
2
votes
1answer
88 views
Are there any inhabited condominiums (joint sovereignties) apart from Brčko District?
The Wikipedia article on condominium (in the meaning of joint sovereignty) lists a number of present condominiums, including Brčko District, which has almost 90000 inhabitants and is a condominimum ...
1
vote
1answer
436 views
Why do the Japanese wear masks like Surgeons in Tokyo? [closed]
In Japan, Tokyo it is common to see Japanese people walking around with masks like the kind Surgeons wear during surgeries.
Why do the Japanese wear masks like Surgeons in Tokyo?
0
votes
0answers
71 views
Places with 27°C around the year? [closed]
At which places (parts of countries) do I find constant 27°C (80.6°F) around the year?
0
votes
0answers
117 views
What is the furtherest distance between two stations travellable on one ticket bought from a city's public transport? [closed]
While having a play with Sydney's public transport site as triggered by What is the cheapest metro system in world?, I found I could travel up to 522.32km one way Bathurst to Scone on a $8.20 fare ...
