The world is a peculiar place and some findings are simply astonishing. Here’s the top 15 travel fun facts from around the globe
#1 The world’s oldest airline is KLM, established in 1919. Its first-ever flight was in 1920 between Amsterdam and London. Second oldest is Qantas from 1920.
#2 In 1987, American Airlines managed to save $40,000 after it had removed one olive from each salad in first class!
#3 Australian coastline is almost 50,000 km long and dotted by about 10,000 beaches — more than any other country in the world. If one wanted to visit a new beach every day, it would take 27 years!
#4 The atmosphere in the cabin dries out before take off and as the plane ascends, the air pressure numbs about one third of a person’s taste buds.
#5 Alaska Airlines was the first airline to offer online check-in. It was offered on a limited basis in 1999 and a month later it was offered to the general public on selected flights.
#6 It is believed that about 90 per cent of south-east Asians are lactose intolerant, missing or having lower levels of the enzyme called lactase. On the other hand, Asians eat about 90 per cent of the world production of rice.
#7 However, when it comes to chocolate, Europeans win. Almost 50 per cent of total chocolate production is consumed by Europeans. The Swiss eat the highest amount per capita, followed by Germany.
#8 It is healthy to travel! Men that do not go on vacation at least once a year have a 20 per cent greater chance of death and about 30 per cent higher risk of heart disease. Women who travel two or more times a year have a smaller risk of suffering from depression.
#9 The most visited country in the world is France, with about 82 million international visitors a year. The United States and Spain both follow with about 75.6 million.
#10 With over 30,000 flights per year, the route between Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, and Changi Airport in Singapore is the busiest international connection in the world.
#11 Norway has a village that is just called Å.
#12 With a distance over 16,700 km, the flight from Singapore to New York is the longest commercial connection currently operating. The route was launched in October 2018 and overcame its predecessor, flight from Doha to Auckland.
#13 With its diameter from east to west being almost 4,000 km, Australia is actually 600 km wider than the Moon. The Land Down Under simply rocks in this list.
#14 Spanish has been named the happiest language in the world. Researchers have found that it has the highest number of positive words and is closely followed by Portuguese and English.
#15 One of Italy’s most famous delicacies is, of course, ice cream. However, the place of origin of this dessert is not the boot-shaped peninsula, but an actual desert. It is believed that the sweet frozen dish was invented by Mongolian horsemen who carried cream in animal intestines through the Gobi Desert in winter. In the harsh weather and on a horseback, the cream would get shaken up and then frozen. And then, Marco Polo stole it.
