Author: Maarten Van Den Driessche
-
Why Does London Heathrow Have No Terminal 1? The Story Behind the Missing Terminal
London Heathrow has a Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5. But where is Terminal 1? If you’ve ever flown through , you might have noticed something strange. One of the world’s busiest international airports has four passenger terminals, numbered 2 to 5. There is no Terminal 1. It almost sounds like somebody…
-
Kunashir Island: The Island Where Russia and Japan Almost Touch
Imagine standing on a Russian island and looking across the sea towards Japan. On a clear day, the Japanese island of Hokkaido is visible on the horizon. The two countries are separated by just 16 kilometres of water, yet more than 80 years of unresolved history lie between them. Welcome to Kunashir Island, one of…
-
Goodbye Nauru, Hello Naoero: A Pacific Nation Reclaims Its Original Name
One of the world’s smallest countries has made a big statement. In 2026, Nauru officially became Naoero, reclaiming a name that existed long before Europeans arrived on its shores. There are 193 member states of the United Nations, and we tend to think of their names as permanent. But countries change their names more often…
-
November 4, 1979: The Day Iran Took Over the American Embassy
444 days of captivity, decades of foreign interference, and a diplomatic crisis that still shapes the relationship between Iran and the United States. On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian revolutionary students stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran. What began as a protest against decades of American interference in Iran turned into one…
-
How to Pay Your Way Around the World: From Cash and QR Codes to Friends and Kind Strangers
Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, cash, bank transfers, friends, and occasionally a complete stranger who refuses to let you pay. Travelling around the world has taught me that there are almost as many ways to pay for something as there are ways to travel. You would think that paying for a cup of…
-
Rat Park: What a Rat Experiment Can Teach Us About Addiction, Loneliness and Society
What if addiction is not only about the substance we consume, but also about the world we live in? In the late 1970s, a Canadian psychologist named Bruce K. Alexander began questioning one of the most common assumptions about addiction: that exposure to an addictive drug would almost inevitably lead to compulsive consumption. His experiment,…
-
China Is Not What You Think It Is — And That’s Why You Should Visit
Beyond the headlines, stereotypes and political debates lies a country that might challenge everything you thought you knew. I have just spent another two weeks travelling through China, visiting Chongqing, Chengdu, Luoyang and Beijing. And once again, I was reminded of something I have learned throughout my travels: the world is often very different from…
-
Kinshasa and Brazzaville: Two Capitals, One River, No Bridge
Two countries, two capitals, and just a few kilometres of water separating them. Welcome to one of the world’s most fascinating geographical curiosities. Imagine standing in the capital of one country and looking across a river at the capital of another. That’s exactly what happens in Central Africa, where Kinshasa and Brazzaville face each other…
-
Ulaanbaatar: Why Mongolia Has the World’s Coldest Capital
Forget Moscow, Helsinki or Reykjavík. The coldest national capital on Earth is found in the heart of Mongolia. When you think of the world’s coldest capital cities, Moscow, Helsinki or perhaps Reykjavík might come to mind. But the title belongs to a city much farther east: Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Situated between the vast Mongolian steppe and the mountains of Central Asia, Ulaanbaatar experiences some of the harshest winters of any…