Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Travel

a photocomposite of a dust mite and a fecal pellet

New Research

Travel Spreads Dust Mite Poop All Over The World

Dust mites’ ubiquity comes in part from their ability to digest dead skin cells (which is what makes us allergic to their waste)

Small town travel, the Monuments Men, Chernobyl and Stonehenge were all among reader favorites in 2014

Our Top Stories of 2014

From weird red waterfalls to the pleasures of small-town America, these were the most read articles on Smithsonian.com this year

A still from Ben Sturgulewski's travel drone video "Solstice."

The Most Beautiful Drone Travel Videos of 2014

2014 was the year of the aerial drone travel video—here are some of the best of the best

Cuban Fruit peddlers stopped along Malecon Sea drive in Havana, to peddle their wares: Mangos, melons, and pineapples. March 30, 1949,

Trending Today

Back When Americans Could Travel Freely to Cuba, Here’s What It Looked Like

The U.S. broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1960

New Research

Pollution Is Turning the Taj Mahal Brown

Workers must periodically cover the Taj Mahal in clay to remove the pollutants stuck to its marble walls

The T5 Gallery located inside London's Heathrow Airport.

Stuck at the Airport? Why Not Take In an Art Exhibit

A missed connection or delayed arrival doesn’t have to ruin your time at the airport, especially if your airport has an art show

"The Traveler's Eye: Scenes from Asia," at the Sackler Gallery through May 2015, features more than 100 mementos from travels around the Asian continent. This postcard is from early-20th-century China.

Before Instagram, Memorializing Asia’s Most Traveled Roads

From Moroccan postcards to Japanese scrolls, the Sackler Gallery explores five centuries of travel around the Asian continent

Smaug now resides at the Wellington airport.

Cool Finds

Smaug the Dragon And Other Unexpected Airport Surprises

There’s more to the world’s airports than newsstands and food courts

Karo warriors, Omo Valley, Ethiopia. "Five warriors show off their gorgeous body painting and the ostrich plumes sticking out of their headplates, distinguishing adornments of their culture."

“I’ve Lived the Life of 500 People”: The Photography of Art Wolfe

Earth Is My Witness chronicles Wolfe’s 40-year career as a photographer

New Research

Your Microbes Get Jet Lagged, Too

When bacteria’s circadian rhythm is disrupted, they become worse at their jobs

Dinosaur bone fossils at the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.

The Best Places in America to See Fossils

October 14 is National Fossil Day—here are some of the best places in America to take a trip back in geological time

Autumn in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia.

America’s Best Fall Color Drives

Want to be dazzled by Mother Nature’s fall foliage display? Just hop in the car.

Northern lights ignite the sky.

On the Hunt for the World’s Most Spectacular Sky Show

Photojournalist Randall Hyman journeys north to Tromsø, Norway, in search of the northern lights

To enter Son Doong Cave in Vietnam, visitors must descend over 260 feet.

American South

From the Biggest to the Longest, Five Amazing Caves To Visit

New measurements revealed the world’s largest cave, which is unfortunately off-limits. But what are some other impressive underworlds open for visitors?

A fresco from Augustus' house in Rome

Cool Finds

Visitors to Emperor Augustus’ Home Can Now See the Same Frescos He Did

Just in time for the 2,000th anniversary of Augustus’ death, new wings of Augustus’ home are opened

Cool Finds

20 Years Later, “Shawshank Redemption” Has Made This Former Prison a Tourist Attraction

The Ohio State Reformatory now draws 80,000 tourists a year

Revelers celebrating Oktoberfest Brisbane

Best Places to Celebrate Oktoberfest Other Than Munich

If drinking beer and eating schnitzel alongside 6 million people doesn’t appeal to you, here are places to celebrate while avoiding Munich’s crowds

Back in 2005 Virgin Galactic and New Mexico worked out a deal for the state to build a multimillion dollar spaceport. Here's Richard Branson (right) giving Governor Bill Richardson a model airplane to commemorate the occasion.

Cool Finds

Delay-Plagued Virgin Galactic Finds Itself Delayed, Again

It will be hard for Virgin Galactic to fly by 2015 without a fully tested rocket engine

Sculpture inspired by traditional Norwegian fiskehjeller (fish racks) and designed by Rintala Eggertsson Architects

Cool Finds

This Beach Sculpture Is Modeled After Norwegian Fish Drying Racks

Norway’s SALT festival involves music, sauna’s and architecture

Annecy is known as the Venice of Savoie, a region in France.

10 Historic Canal Towns to Visit That Aren’t Venice

Venice might be the most famous town to feature picturesque waterways, but beautiful canals can be found all over the globe

Page 69 of 132