Gadling

Welcome to Tuesday Travel Trivia, the web’s best weekly trivia contest with absolutely no prizes. A hearty congratulations to last week‘s champs Jessica and NeedCaffeine, who dominated last week’s questions like Liza Minelli dominated David Gest. (Too soon? Not soon enough?)

Want to become this week’s trivia winner? Check out the following ten questions and leave your wild guesses in the Comments. (And don’t Google the answers, ya cheaters!) Good luck!

1. What group has described itself as “New Zealand’s Fourth Most Popular Folk Parody Duo”?
2. Home to some of the Atlantic Ocean’s harshest weather, the Bay of Biscay is located between which two countries?
3. Although located in Switzerland, the tiny Alpine town of Meiringen is home to a museum dedicated to what British literary character?
4. The island nation of the Maldives (pictured) is the smallest country belonging to what continent?
5. What is the title of Robert Frost’s famous poem which ends, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”?
6. In 2006, Chicago’s city council banned what French dish in restaurants, causing an uproar that eventually resulted in the ban being overturned?
7. What upcoming two-letter computer-animated film from Pixar partially takes place in the jungles of Venezuela?
8. What country is home to the beermaker Heineken?
9. Borscht, a red vegetable soup whose principal ingredient is beetroot, originates from what region of the world?
10. Named the Best Hostel Chain for 2008 by the website Hostel World, Wombats has locations in which two European countries?

Last week‘s answers are hidden safely below the fold…

1. What anise-flavored spirit was popular among late 19th and early 20th Century artists living in France, including Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Ernest Hemingway? Answer: Absinthe
2. “BKK” is the three-letter code for the largest airport in what world city? Answer: Bangkok
3. The city of Minsk is the capital of what Eastern European nation? Answer: Belarus
4. The fictional “Brokeback Mountain” (yes, like the movie) was supposed to be located in what US state? Answer: Wyoming
5. Located in Morocco, the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are the only two European Union territories in Africa. What European country do they belong to? Answer: Spain
6. What mountain range is traditionally thought of as separating Europe from Asia? Answer: The Urals
7. What is the oldest Major League baseball stadium still in use? Answer: Boston’s Fenway Park
8. What travel writer and blogger for the LA Times penned the humorous travel books Sand in my Bra, Whose Panties are These?, and The Thong Also Rises? Answer: Jen Leo
9. The travel section in last Sunday’s Washington Post contained a plea for Washingtonians to “take back” what US city (specifically, a borough), writing that it is now “ripe for the taking, instead of ripe for getting taken”? Answer: Manhattan
10. What are the two official languages of the Philippines? Answer: Tagalog (even Tuesday Travel Trivia makes mistakes once every 29 weeks– thanks, Eva, for the correction) Filipino and English

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia! This is now our 28th week, which means that we’ve officially lasted longer than Saved by the Bell: The College Years.

Congrats to last week‘s winner JohnMC, who navigated his way through questions frightening enough to scare both children and cowardly adults.

Want to become this week’s trivia champion? If you can handle all the prizes, press, and interviews that follow such a distinction, check out the following ten questions and leave your answers in the comments. Good luck!

1. What anise-flavored spirit was popular among late 19th and early 20th Century artists living in France, including Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Ernest Hemingway?
2. “BKK” is the three-letter code for the largest airport in what world city?
3. The city of Minsk is the capital of what Eastern European nation?
4. The fictional “Brokeback Mountain” (yes, like the movie) was supposed to be located in what US state?
5. Located in Morocco, the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are the only two European Union territories in Africa. What European country do they belong to?
6. What mountain range is traditionally thought of as separating Europe from Asia?
7. What is the oldest Major League baseball stadium still in use?
8. What travel writer and blogger for the LA Times penned the humorous travel books Sand in my Bra, Whose Panties are These?, and The Thong Also Rises?
9. The travel section in last Sunday’s Washington Post contained a plea for Washingtonians to “take back” what US city (specifically, a borough), writing that it is now “ripe for the taking, instead of ripe for getting taken”?
10. What are the two official languages of the Philippines?

As always, last week’s questions and answers are posted below the fold…

1. What five-letter word is used broadly to describe almost any spiced, sauce-based dish in southern and southeastern Asian cuisine? Answer: Curry
2. How much does the “September 11 Security Fee” add to the cost of every plane ticket purchased for flights originating in the United States? Answer: $2.50
3. What is Africa’s most populous city? Answer: Cairo
4. Who was the host of the popular show Survivorman, which tested the host’s ability to survive for seven days in extreme climates and locales? Answer: Les Stroud
5. What French novelist born in 1871 once wrote that “the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”? Answer: Marcel Proust
6. Next year’s World Cup will be held in South Africa, but what country has been chosen to host the 2014 World Cup? Answer: Brazil
7. What German filmmaker was the creator of the critically-acclaimed documentaries Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World? Answer: Werner Herzog
8. What legendary actor is currently Priceline.com’s “Negotiator” pitchman? Answer: William Shatner
9. How many runners participated in this year’s Boston Marathon (within 3,000)? Answer: Just over 25,000
10. Which US President was in office when travel to Cuba by Americans was first prohibited? Answer: John F. Kennedy

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia, a weekly ritual for literally tens of travel-loving people all over the world.

Congrats to last week‘s big winner, my old pal Jen Laceda, whose travel blog Folie à deux would be worth a bookmark even if Jen wasn’t a trivia whiz.

Want to become this week’s champ? Check out the following ten questions, leave your guesses in the comments, and come back next Tuesday for the answers. No Googling!

1. What five-letter word is used broadly to describe almost any spiced, sauce-based dish in southern and southeastern Asian cuisine?
2. How much does the “September 11 Security Fee” add to the cost of every plane ticket purchased for flights originating in the United States?
3. What is Africa’s most populous city?
4. Who was the host of the popular show Survivorman, which tested the host’s ability to survive for seven days in extreme climates and locales?
5. What French novelist born in 1871 once wrote that “the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”?
6. Next year’s World Cup will be held in South Africa, but what country has been chosen to host the 2014 World Cup?
7. What German filmmaker was the creator of the critically-acclaimed documentaries Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World?
8. What legendary actor is currently Priceline.com’s “Negotiator” pitchman?
9. How many runners participated in this year’s Boston Marathon (within 3,000)?
10. Which US President was in office when travel to Cuba by Americans was first prohibited?

Last week‘s questions and answers can be found below the fold…

1. The world’s largest swimming pool is located in what South American country? Answer: Chile
2. Spain has one official language (Spanish, duh) and four co-official languages. Name two of them. Answer: Basque, Catalan/Valencian, Aranese, Galician
3. Home to the Pilsner Urquell brewery, the town of Plzen is located in what European country? Answer: The Czech Republic
4. Which of the following airlines has had no “fatal events” (also known as deaths) since 1970? A) American Airlines B) US Airways C) Southwest Airlines D) Delta Airlines Answer: C – Southwest
5. What Chinese philosopher famously wrote, “The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step”? Answer: Lao-Tzu (not Confucius)
6. In a recent contest between Ashton Kutcher and CNN to see who could be the first to acquire one million followers on Twitter, Kutcher promised that if he won, he would donate 10,000 of what item to families in Africa? Answer: Bed nets
7. The famed “Three Tenors” was a group composed of the Spanish vocalist Placido Domingo, the Italian Luciano Pavarotti, and… that other guy. Who was the other guy? Answer: Jose Carreras (although I like one player’s guess of Frank Stallone)
8. What is the origin of the word “Sabbatical,” which refers to a rest from work which usually lasts several months? Answer: It’s from the word “Sabbath,” the Jewish day of rest
9. Ireland uses one currency, but Northern Ireland uses another. What do each use? Answer: Euro and Pound, respectively
10. Which US state is home to Badlands National Park and Custer State Park? Answer: Beautiful South Dakota

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia– just like your bar’s trivia night but without all the alcohol. (Get that disappointed look off your face; it’s 10:00 in the morning, for chrissakes.)

A heartfelt congratulations goes to last week‘s big winner, Zeta, who is hereby permitted to cast condescending glances at all those who were insufficiently intelligent to know that the city of Sapporo hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics. (That doesn’t include you, does it?)

If you’d like to become next week’s big winner, check out the following ten questions and submit your answers in the comments. Come back next Tuesday for the answers… And don’t use Google, ya cheaters!

1. The world’s largest swimming pool (pictured above) is located in what South American country?
2. Spain has one official language (Spanish, duh) and four co-official languages. Name two of them.
3. Home to the Pilsner Urquell brewery, the town of Plzen is located in what European country?
4. Which of the following airlines has had no “fatal events” (also known as deaths) since 1970? A) American Airlines B) US Airways C) Southwest Airlines D) Delta Airlines
5. What Chinese philosopher famously wrote, “The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step”?
6. In a recent contest between Ashton Kutcher and CNN to see who could be the first to acquire one million followers on Twitter, Kutcher promised that if he won, he would donate 10,000 of what item to families in Africa?
7. The famed “Three Tenors” was a group composed of the Spanish vocalist Placido Domingo, the Italian Luciano Pavarotti, and… that other guy. Who was the other guy?
8. What is the origin of the word “Sabbatical,” which refers to a rest from work which usually lasts several months?
9. Ireland uses one currency, but Northern Ireland uses another. What do each use?
10. Which US state is home to Badlands National Park and Custer State Park?

Check out last week’s questions and answers below the fold…

1. What Willie Nelson song was recently voted by World Hum contributors as the top travel song of all time? Answer: “On the Road Again”
2. What Persian word is used throughout the Middle East to describe tipping, charitable giving, and occasionally bribery? Answer: Baksheesh
3. In the 2005 movie Hostel, three backpackers are told about an Eastern European city in which all the women are gorgeous and can’t resist American men. In what country do they find the (sadly fictional) city? Answer: Slovakia (though it was filmed in the Czech Republic)
4. What disease often brought on by air travel is typically marked by blood clots in the leg or pelvis? Answer: The dreaded Deep Vein Thrombosis
5. What Japanese city which hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics is also the name of a well-known beer maker? Answer: Sapporo
6. In British English, an “elevator” is commonly called a “lift.” What is a “truck” known as? Answer: A lorry
7. How many UNESCO World Heritage sites are there in the world? A. 878 B. 1151 C. 1596 D. 2347 Answer: A
8. With over 4,200 hotels in 80 countries, what is the world’s largest hotel chain? Answer: Best Western
9. Name a country whose name is also a past-tense sentence. (Hint: Add one space in the country’s name to separate a pronoun and verb.) Answer: Iran (get it?)
10. Which country’s population density is the world’s lowest with only 1.9 people per square mile? Answer: Mongolia