Millennials are known to favor traveling over, say, buying a house. According to some studies, millennials deem the opportunity to travel more important than investing in a new house or a new car. This phenomenon has got some of the older folks thinking. But, an explanation has been offered—millennials love to travel because it is an opportunity to experience things first hand. So, are you one of those people who are itching to put on their travel shoes once the pandemic ends? Here’s a list of interesting facts about the world to help you quench your thirst for worldly knowledge.
The World’s Biggest Party!
First of all, you may have heard of Carnival—a festival that signals the beginning of the season of Lent. It is celebrated all throughout the world. However, the most noted Carnival celebration is the one held in Rio, Brazil. If you’re looking for a reason to party like there’s no tomorrow, then you should think about visiting Brazil during Carnival season.
During the festival, people throw themselves into celebrating excessively. That is, there is much singing, much dancing, much feasting, and much drinking. This is due to the whole point of the Carnival being a preparation for the fasting and abstinence that comes during the period of Lent.
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Since the Carnival is the most popular holiday in Brazil, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock in just to join the festivities. Although each city celebrates the festival in different ways, the outpour of food, music, and beer remains the same. In fact, around 10 million liters of wine and beer are consumed in the city of Salvador alone. Can you imagine how much more in Rio?
So, if you want to join in the world’s biggest party, Brazil is the place to be.
Love Art? Visit the Louvre!
Are you an art lover? Or are you just a true blue Renaissance person? If you answered yes to either of these two questions, then this next batch of interesting facts is for you: The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) is the largest art museum in the world. Located in Paris, France, the Louvre holds a collection of more than 380,000 works of art (however, not all of them are on display). In fact, the Louvre contains so much art that it would take you a hundred days to be able to view them all.
Some of the most famous residents of the Louvre include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, Liberty Leading the People, and the stone slab that contains Hammurabi’s Code.
The City with the Longest Name
Have you heard about the city of Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit? No? Well, what about the city of Bangkok? This might surprise some of you, but both names only refer to one city—the capital of Thailand. Here are some interesting facts regarding Bangkok.
The locals call their capital ‘Krungthep’, which means ‘city of angels’. Other than its name, what else makes Bangkok interesting? Besides the amazing food found in the Train Market and in Yaowarat, Bangkok is also home to some amazing temples. Aside from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, you may also want to visit these other stunning temples:
- A Hindu Shrine: Wat Khaek – Sri Maha Mariamman Temple
- Chinese temple with Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian deities: Wat Mangkon Kamalawa
- Contains the largest golden seated Buddha in the world: Wat Traimit
- The original sacred tattoo temple: Wat Bang Phra
The World’s Highest Peaks
This next set of interesting facts is all about the world’s mountain peaks. If your typical holiday includes taking a hike up the world’s most memorable peaks, then you should include traveling to Nepal. Why? Simply because around eight of the top ten highest peaks in the world are found in the Himalayan mountain range, including the highest peak in the world—Mt. Everest!
Of course, climbing Mt. Everest is definitely part of every mountaineer’s bucket list. But then, there are others who aim to achieve something else; like climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents. The first mountaineer who achieved such feat was Dick Bass, an American businessman. He accomplished the “Seven Summits Challenge” on April 30, 1985 when he successfully reached the top of Mt. Everest.
Interested in taking on this challenge? Then, you will have to climb the following summits:
- AFRICA: Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
- ANTARCTICA: Vinson Massif (Ellsworth Mts.)
- ASIA: Mt. Everest (Nepal)
- AUSTRALIA: Mt. Kosciusko (Australia)
- EUROPE: Elbrus (Border of Russia and Georgia)
- NORTH AMERICA: Mt. McKinley (Alaska)
- SOUTH AMERICA: Mt. Aconcagua (Argentina)
Visit Middle-Earth in New Zealand
Fans of the fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien can rejoice. At last, visiting Middle-Earth is finally possible. When Peter Jackson filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he also transformed the landscape of New Zealand.
The elaborate sets remained after the filming of the movie. Now, true fans can take a tour to Hobbiton, where they can visit The Shire, or have a glass of ale in The Green Dragon—all iconic places in the film. Lastly, fans can also take a tour of Bag End, also known as the home of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins.
The world is such a lovely place. And in order to get to fully experience the magic and wonder the world has to offer, you need to seek it. Sure, you can still have fun inside your own house or apartment, but nothing can beat seeing the world with your own eyes.
Are you planning a trip to somewhere anytime soon? We would love to hear about it in the comments.
