Gadling

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia, the game for people who love the answers and questions on Jeopardy but can’t stand Alex Trebek. “Big ups” to last week’s winner Craig Howat, who impressed me (and the trivia gods) with a flawless 10 out of 10 performance.

Now here’s your chance to win fame, fortune, and loads of trivia groupies. Answer the following ten questions in the Comments, and come back next week for the answers. Good luck!

1. What 1980 movie contains the following classic exchange: “Can you fly this plane and land it?” “Surely you can’t be serious!” “I am serious– and don’t call me Shirley.”
2. What country is the world’s most populous democracy?
3. There are cities named “Tripoli” in at least four countries. Name two of them.
4. The fifth-largest banking center in the world, this group of islands in the Caribbean is home to more registered businesses than people.
5. How many countries in the world end with the suffix “stan,” meaning “land”?
6. What is geographically unique about the Russian territory called Kaliningrad?
7. Michelangelo’s statue of David is located in a museum in what Italian city?
8. The name of one African country contains in the middle of it (not at the beginning or end) the complete name of another African country. What are the two countries?
9. True or false: The world’s 100 tallest mountains are all located in Asia.
10. What American author wrote The Innocents Abroad, the story of his journey aboard a retired Civil War ship, the USS Quaker City?

Check out last week’s answers below the fold…

1. Let’s start out with an aviation-related physics analogy: Lift is to gravity, as thrust is to _______. Answer: Drag
2. Which world capital is northernmost: Berlin, Germany; Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia; or Ottawa, Canada? Answer: Berlin
3. Table Mountain, a popular destination for rock climbers, hikers, and cavers, is an important landmark in what large African city? Answer: Cape Town
4. Which of these cities is located on Australia’s western coast: Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, or Brisbane? Answer: Perth
5. What’s the name of the heroic pilot who landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River last week? Answer: Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger
6. Who hosts the Travel Channel’s globe-trotting, gross-out travel show Bizarre Foods? Answer: Andrew Zimmern
7. What three countries, located in the northeast part of South America, are the continent’s smallest? Answer: Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname
8. There’s only one country in the world where women are still not permitted to drive. What is it? Answer: Saudi Arabia (surprise!)
9. The subtitle of what 2002 book is “An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-term World Travel”? Answer: Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding
10. True or false: There is a town called Springfield in every state in the United States. Answer: False

Chicks dig trivia. That’s why we’re back this week with our thirteenth installment of Tuesday Travel Trivia, a game played by literally tens of people every week.

We had a brand new winner last week, Jennifer M, who shocked the world by getting 9 out of 10 of my brain-busting questions correct. Can you replace her as champion this week? Check out these questions to find out, and leave your answers in the comments. No Googling!

1. Let’s start out with an aviation-related physics analogy: Lift is to gravity, as thrust is to _______.
2. Which world capital is northernmost: Berlin, Germany; Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia; or Ottawa, Canada?
3. Table Mountain, a popular destination for rock climbers, hikers, and cavers, is an important landmark in what large African city?
4. Which of these cities is located on Australia’s western coast: Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, or Brisbane?
5. What’s the name of the heroic pilot who landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River last week?
6. Who hosts the Travel Channel’s globe-trotting, gross-out travel show Bizarre Foods?
7. What three countries, located in the northeast part of South America, are the continent’s smallest?
8. There’s only one country in the world where women are still not permitted to drive. What is it?
9. The subtitle of what 2002 book is “An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-term World Travel”?
10. True or false: There is a town called Springfield in every state in the United States.

The answers to last week’s questions are below the fold…

1. What well-known Himalayan hiking trail in Nepal reaches its summit at Thorung La (5416 m) and often takes up to three weeks to complete? Answer: Annapurna Circuit
2. The exotic-sounding Zanzibar Archipelago is located off the coast of what East African country? Answer: Tanzania
3. What Hawaiian airline disappointed many travelers when it shut down service in 2008? Answer: Aloha Airlines
4. In what year was the name of the Indian city of Bombay changed to Mumbai? (I’ll give you two years either way.) Answer: 1996
5. What European nation hosted the World Cup in 2006? Answer: Germany
6. The world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni, is located in what landlocked South American country? (That’s a big hint.) Answer: Bolivia (The only other landlocked South American country is Paraguay.)
7. What travel writer, formerly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, recently began writing for the online travel website World Hum? Answer: Tom Swick
8. On many of its flights, American Airlines offers headphones for sale. How much do they charge? Answer: Two bucks
9. True or false: Americans and Canadians need to obtain a visa to enter Brazil. Answer: True (unfortunately)
10. Jorge Luis Borges described the war between Britain and Argentina over what group of islands as “two bald men fighting over a comb”? Answer: The Falklands

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia, the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? of the travel world, without all the money. Congrats to last week’s big winners Eva and Matthew O’Connor, who were barely even challenged by last week’s brain-busters. (Hey, I thought they were hard.)

As always, leave your answers to the following ten questions in the comments, and come back next week for the answers. Good luck!

1. What well-known Himalayan hiking trail in Nepal reaches its summit at Thorung La (5416 m) and often takes up to three weeks to complete?
2. The exotic-sounding Zanzibar Archipelago is located off the coast of what East African country?
3. What Hawaiian airline disappointed many travelers when it shut down service in 2008?
4. In what year was the name of the Indian city of Bombay changed to Mumbai? (I’ll give you two years either way.)
5. What European nation hosted the World Cup in 2006?
6. The world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni, is located in what landlocked South American country? (That’s a big hint.)
7. What travel writer, formerly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, recently began writing for the online travel website World Hum?
8. On many of its flights, American Airlines offers headphones for sale. How much do they charge?
9. True or false: Americans and Canadians need to obtain a visa to enter Brazil.
10. Jorge Luis Borges described the war between Britain and Argentina over what group of islands as “two bald men fighting over a comb”?

Look below the fold for the answers to last week’s questions…

1. About once a month, an all-night party takes place on the beaches of Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand, to celebrate what event? Answer: The Full Moon
2. IMDB.com describes the plot of a particular movie like this: “A strait-laced French student moves into an apartment in Barcelona with a cast of six other characters from all over Europe. Together, they speak the international language of love and friendship.” What 2002 movie does this describe? Answer: L’Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)
3. What ever happened to the African nation of Zaire? Answer: It became the Democratic Republic of the Congo back in 1997.
4. What travel writer’s book Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? drew controversy when its author was quoted as saying that Lonely Planet hadn’t paid him enough to travel to Colombia to research a guidebook, so instead he wrote part of it in San Francisco? Answer: Thomas Kohnstamm
5. What proper adjective describes the roughly six million people living in Flanders in the northern half of Belgium? Answer: Flemish
6. Canada’s Prime Minister recently made international headlines after he dissolved the country’s parliament. But who is Canada’s Prime Minister? Answer: Stephen Harper
7. What massive temple in Cambodia appears on the country’s flag and is an extremely popular tourist destination? Answer: Angkor Wat
8. What tiny country is sandwiched between France and Spain? Answer: little Andorra
9. What Chilean island, located over 2,200 miles from mainland Chile, is well known for its legendary moai statues? Answer: Easter Island
10. What country receives almost 80 million international tourists per year, the most of any nation? Answer: France

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia, the game for people with tons of useless knowledge looking for a place to show it off. Congrats to last week’s big winners, Here to Clear and Eva, who were faced with ten wickedly difficult questions.

As always, check out the questions below and leave your guesses/answers in the comments. Come back next Tuesday for the answers… Good luck!

1. About once a month, an all-night party takes place on the beaches of Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand, to celebrate what event?
2. IMDB.com describes the plot of a particular movie like this: “A strait-laced French student moves into an apartment in Barcelona with a cast of six other characters from all over Europe. Together, they speak the international language of love and friendship.” What 2002 movie does this describe?
3. What ever happened to the African nation of Zaire?
4. What travel writer’s book Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? drew controversy when its author was quoted as saying that Lonely Planet hadn’t paid him enough to travel to Colombia to research a guidebook, so instead he wrote part of it in San Francisco?
5. What proper adjective describes the roughly six million people living in Flanders in the northern half of Belgium?
6. Canada’s Prime Minister recently made international headlines after he dissolved the country’s parliament. But who is Canada’s Prime Minister?
7. What massive temple in Cambodia appears on the country’s flag and is an extremely popular tourist destination?
8. What tiny country is sandwiched between France and Spain?
9. What Chilean island, located over 2,200 miles from mainland Chile, is well known for its legendary moai statues?
10. What country receives almost 80 million international tourists per year, the most of any nation?

Look below the fold for the answers to last week‘s questions…

1. The world’s largest art gallery is located in St. Petersburg, Russia. What is it called? Answer: The Hermitage
2. Set mostly in India, the 2007 travel film The Darjeeling Limited was directed by whom? Answer: Wes Anderson
3. In what country is the world’s tallest man-made structure located? Answer: The United Arab Emirates (The Burj Dubai)
4. If I wanted to eat a pierogi in the place of its origin, to what part of the world would I go? Answer: Poland, Eastern Europe
5. What Chinese dialect is more widely spoken, Cantonese or Mandarin? Answer: Mandarin
6. In what easternmost Mexican state is Cancún located? Answer: Quintana Roo
7. Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert had an ongoing fake feud with what Korean pop singer after a 2007 Time Magazine online poll cited the singer as the world’s most influential person? Answer: Rain
8. New York City is composed of five boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and two others. What are they? Answer: Staten Island, Brooklyn
9. What two-letter website is useful for calculating the exchange rates of currency from all over the world? Answer: xe.com
10. About how many islands make up the Asian nation of Indonesia? A) 17,000 B) 3,200 C) 102,000 Answer: A

Welcome back to another edition of Tuesday Trav-Triv. Hopefully you’ve all got some New Year’s Eve plans figured out by now, so you don’t find yourself sitting on the couch at home with just Dick Clark and a bowl of Rocky Road to keep you company… again.

Big congrats go to last week’s trivia winners! This week we’ve got ten more brain-busting questions for you to anguish over. Check ’em out below and leave your answers in the comments. Come back next Tuesday– same time, same place– for the answers.

1. The world’s largest art gallery is located in St. Petersburg, Russia. What is it called?
2. Set mostly in India, the 2007 travel film The Darjeeling Limited was directed by whom?
3. In what country is the world’s tallest man-made structure located?
4. If I wanted to eat a pierogi in the place of its origin, to what part of the world would I go?
5. What Chinese dialect is more widely spoken, Cantonese or Mandarin?
6. In what easternmost Mexican state is Cancún located?
7. Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert had an ongoing fake feud with what Korean pop singer after a 2007 Time Magazine online poll cited the singer as the world’s most influential person?
8. New York City is composed of five boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and two others. What are they?
9. What two-letter website is useful for calculating the exchange rates of currency from all over the world?
10. About how many islands make up the Asian nation of Indonesia? A) 17,000 B) 3,200 C) 102,000

The answers to last week’s questions are hidden below the fold…

1. Who wrote the critically acclaimed travelogue The Sex Lives of Cannibals, a book about the author’s time spent living in the island nation of Kiribati? Answer: J. Maarten Troost
2. What western US town is known as the “Biggest Little City in the World”? Answer: Reno, Nevada
3. Name two of South Africa’s three capitals. Answer: Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein (you can be forgiven for forgetting the last one)
4. What well-known TV travel host and guidebook publisher is on the advisory board of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws? Answer: Rick Steves, who probably just got a LOT cooler to some of you
5. The three-letter abbreviation for what busy airport comes from its previous name, Orchard Field Airport? Answer: Chicago’s O’Hare Airport (ORD)
6. American Airlines acquired what large US-based carrier in 2001? Answer: TWA (remember them?)
7. What large body of water gets its name from the Latin for “in the middle of land”? Answer: Mediterranean Sea
8. The often-mispronounced city of Wrocław is located in what European country? Answer: Poland (just FYI, it’s “Vrots-wav”)
9. The first Australian aboriginal word to appear in the English language was the name of what animal? Answer: Kangaroo
10. In what Russian town will the 2014 Winter Olympics be held? Answer: Sochi