Sunday, May 22, 2016

It's Possible to Get a Good Night's Rest on a Plane - Jumbo Stay Hotel


Are you the kind of person who doesn't get a wink of sleep while on a plane? Maybe you should try the Jumbo Stay Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. The hostel is situated in a retired Boeing 457 whose interior was completely redesigned to include 27 guestrooms, a suite in the cockpit, and a café. Plus, the hotel is located right outside a real airport, so you can roll out of bed and catch your actual flight with no worries. It may the closest I'll ever come to flying first class.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Waterfall Fake Out - Hierve el Agua


"Oh, another waterfall?" you say. "What's the big deal?" The big deal, my friend, is that what we have here is a petrified waterfall - so not cascading waters at all, but a rock formation in Oaxaca, Mexico, called Hierve el Agua. It was created by fresh-water, calcium-loaded springs over thousands of years. At the top, however, is actual spring water that you can bathe in as you peer over the edge of the cliff. I know where I'm headed the next time I want to feel both relaxed and terrified all at once.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Do Some Laundry, Have Some Beer - Spin Laundry Lounge


In my day, doing a load at the laundromat was something to be dreaded and put off. Now it seems that laundrobars like Spin Laundry Lounge in Portland, Oregon, are the place to be on a Friday night. You come with your laundry, stay for a few craft beers and locally sourced menu items, and leave with a pile of clean clothes and maybe some new friends. Gotta love the efficiency.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Green Mountains Are Boring - Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park


Mountains may be beautiful, but don't you find them a little monochromatic sometimes? All that green can get a little boring, amirite? If you're in the market for a more colorful mountain, journey to the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park in Gansu, China, where the mountain ranges are decidedly more technicolor, having been formed by various layers of sandstone and minerals over 24 million years. Go, just go.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Dangling Over the Edge - Swing at the End of the World


Hiking up a mountain in Baños, Ecuador, you might come upon a treehouse and a swing that's unlike anything you'll find in the 'burbs. The treehouse, Casa Del Arbol, is a seismic monitoring station and the swing is a crude contraption hanging on a tree branch -- that flies you over the edge of a canyon, more than 8,500 feet above sea level. At the risk of sounding like your mother, make sure you hold on tight!

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Pooling Together - Spotted Lake


Um, so what's going on here? Is it a natural mineral deposit? A toxic wasteland? A painting palette for a giant? If you chose the first option then you're right, if a little boring. Spotted Lake, located in the town of Osoyoos in British Columbia, is created every summer when the lake evaporates from the heat and leaves behind these distinct pools of minerals. Each one has a different mineral composition, which explains all the different, beautiful colors.

That's pretty cool ... but not as cool as the idea of a giant who likes to paint.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

World's Most Relaxed Monkeys - Jigokudani Monkey Park


What's better than bathing in a Japanese hot spring? How about watching monkeys bathe in a Japanese hot spring! At Jigokudani Monkey Park in Yamanouchi, wild Japanese macaques hang out in the naturally heated water all winter long, working out those knots as visitors observe them relaxing.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Take a Trip Around the World - Verdenskortet


Do you want to see the world but have no time? Verdenskortet in Hobro, Denmark, may be the answer. The attraction features a to-scale map of the world measuring approximately 150 x 300 feet and constructed entirely out of dirt and rocks.

You can walk through all of Asia in just a few steps. Take a rowboat across the Pacific Ocean. Break for lunch at the adjoining cafe ... because even small-scale world travelers need to eat.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Get Lost - Longleat Hedge Maze


You know what they say if you're ever lost in a hedge maze: Just place one hand on a wall, and start walking. You'll eventually get out that way. That's something to keep in mind if you ever find yourself stuck in the Longleat Hedge Maze, otherwise known as the longest hedge maze in the world. It consists of more than 16,000 English yews and 1.75 miles of twists and turns. 

I've always wanted to get lost in an English hedge maze. Until it was time for afternoon tea, at which point I'd want someone to helicopter me out. 

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Catch Your Own Dinner - Zauo Fishing Restaurant


Everyone wants their seafood to be fresh. So Zauo Fishing Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, decided to give the customers what they want: a fishing pole with which to fish out their own dinner. Patrons can fish from their seats aboard a fishing vessel, or if you find that you're simply not an effective fisherman, you can go to a tank full of already "caught" fish and simply point at what you want.

Sounds delicious, if a bit unfair for the fish.


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