How fast could you travel across the U.S. in the 1800's?

The experience of traveling can often feel frustratingly slow. But despite the traffic jams on the roads and congested airports, we don’t know how good we have it today compared to our great-great grandparents.

Indeed, in this age of instant digital communications and fast travel, we tend to forget that not so long ago traveling distances were subjectively very different. In the 1800s, for example, traveling a few hundred miles across the U.S. meant taking a steam-powered train, and the trip could take days. Going from coast to coast, which now takes less than a day, could take weeks. [continue reading]

Unusual Things To Do in London

What should you do once you’ve seen the classics? With Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye under your belt, here are some of the more unusual things to do in London…

1) Unusually Wild: Roaming around Richmond Park

Of all the Royal Parks, Richmond Park is the biggest and arguably the best. Here you’ll find hordes of deer running wild, catch pro cyclists in training and even stumble on the home of the Royal Ballet School. It’s further from the centre than most, with even the London Underground not making it that far. Yet amidst these rolling hills and hefty oaks, there’s one spot where you can see all the way back to St Paul’s. Legend has it that this was where King Henry VIII brought Anne Boleyn on honeymoon – and also where he waited for the signal that told him of her death. Shiver…[continue reading]