This is Why Canada is the World’s Friendliest Country
250,000 players later: a year of Insightful Travel Trivia
In January 2023, we put out a challenge. Test your world knowledge against our leading travel experts on the most curious destinations, and see how Insightful you really are.
And what a year it was.
From the vast Americas all the way to South Asia, we’ve traversed the globe – discovering insightful facts along the way.
Now it’s time to reflect. Let’s take a look back at the past year together, seeing your favorite destinations, popular articles, and the tours that piqued your curiosity the most. This is Insightful: a year review.
The Insightful Travel Trivia Game
If this is your first time hearing about the Insightful Travel Trivia Game, welcome. The game is simple. Each week, our curious travelers answer trivia 5 questions on fascinating destinations around the world.
When you finish the 5 questions, you earn points that push you up in the global leaderboards. You get the really high scores by playing consistently every week, getting more questions right, and answering quickly. The higher your leaderboard position, the more chance you have to win thousands of dollars in travel credits.
In December, we introduced the popular group play feature, where players made groups with their friends and challenged each other to win a very special prize: a group trip to Portugal for four.
Insightful in numbers
When we set our Insightful challenge 12 months ago, we knew you would answer the call.
We feel incredibly privileged to have 250,000+ curious travelers joining us to explore 46 unique destinations, meet 46 destination experts, and answer 230 trivia questions together.
Your travel trivia knowledge blew us away. You answered questions on a range of subjects, from the number of individual falls that make up Niagara Falls (three), to Iceland’s unique national sport (Glíma wrestling) – with a bit of the King of England’s morning routine in between.
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Most popular locations by gameplay
Great Britain
Out of all the countries explored, our curious trivia travelers loved Britain the most. Together, we learnt all kinds of British trivia – from York’s Roman past to the fact that seals go sunbathing on the Welsh coast!
Portugal
In second place is Britain’s close friend (they have the oldest known alliance in known history) – Portugal. In this sun-drenched part of Iberia, we learnt all kinds of new things, like the fact that the Duoro Valley is the oldest wine-growing region in the world.
Ireland
Third place goes to Ireland – did you know that we have them to thank for Halloween?
Close by in Europe were runners-up France and Spain, who both dazzled players with their artistic and architectural history.
What you were reading
With each week of Insightful, we interviewed a different destination expert for their unique insights. These Insightful articles gave clues for that week’s questions, as well as unique perspectives that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.
These were your favorite articles.
Golden idea: understanding the genius of Amsterdam’s canals
‘An intricate network of waterways that crisscross the city – Amsterdam’s canals are not just visually gorgeous, they’ve played a crucial role in shaping the city, quite literally. Travel Director Gary Junge is someone who knows all about Amsterdam, its canals, history and culture. We sat down with him for an introduction to this special city.’
You learned: nearly a third of the Netherlands lies below sea level, and without its landscape of ditches, canals, lakes, rivers and windmills, half would be flooded.
11 rare and little known facts about a Parisian icon – Le Moulin Rouge
‘The world’s most famous cabaret Le Moulin Rouge is a Parisian icon. A whirlwind of dance and entertainment, this extravagant cabaret has been enthralling guests for more than 130 years.’
You learned: 240,000 bottles of champagne are served each year at the cabaret in 750 silver Champagne buckets. This makes the Le Moulin Rouge the largest retail consumer of champagne in Europe.
A very musical life: in conversation with Johannes Von Trapp
‘The Von Trapp family and their remarkable story, portrayed in The Sound of Music, has captured the hearts of millions. We sat down with Johannes, the youngest of the Von Trapp children, for a rare glimpse into the lives of this legendary family.’
“To say that music was a part of my life is an understatement. I would run off into the woods to escape rehearsals.” – Johannes Von Trapp
You learned: you can visit the Trapp Family Lodge where Johannes grew up in Stowe, Vermont, for “a little of Austria, a lot of Vermont”.
8 things you never knew about Argentina’s iconic dance, the tango
“When you step into a tango salon you see so many beautiful things in just one minute,” Argentinian Travel Director Nicola tells us. “Visitors have told me it is like a Fellini movie, with his dreamy, fantasy world. It’s quite amazing.”
You learned: Rock n’ Roll almost killed the Tango in Argentina. Then, in the 1980s, there was a famous show that went to the United States called ‘Tango Argentino’. The tango started to rise again.
Legends of the fjords: discover Norway’s Viking connections
The Norwegian Fjordland is a dream world of soaring mountains, icy glaciers and rivers which cascade hundreds of meters into the green valleys below.
You learned: for Norway’s Viking population who called the fjords home, it was believed Mother Nature was born from the body of a dead giant and that the Earth was made of its flesh.
The tours you loved the most
Some of you followed your curiosity all the way to the end. After playing the game and learning the facts, you wanted to experience these amazing destinations for your self. These were the top tours that you loved the most.
Best of Spain & Portugal
Grand Castles, Incredible Art & Iconic Sights: A 15-Day Guided Tour of Spain and Portugal
Best of Ireland & Scotland
Explore Northern Ireland & Ireland alongside Scotland’s Gaelic Grandeur on This 2-Week Guided Tour
Britain & Ireland Discovery
Explore the British Isles on a 24-Day Guided Tour of England, Scotland & Ireland
Country Roads of Portugal
Travel Through the Best of Portugal’s Cities and Countryside on this 11-Day Guided Tour
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley
From the City of Light to Infamous Cemeteries: See France on an 8-Day Guided Tour.
Here’s to our Insightful anniversary, to discovering our beautiful world together, and more years to come. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or this is your first time, come discover all the sights and insights of our curious world together each week on Insightful.
About Jason Brasier
I'm Jay – born in Italy, raised in South London. Having French sisters and Hungarian ancestors, I've always been fascinated with the world and its cultures, and I carry this curiosity into my writing for Insightful. My favourite destinations I've traveled to so far have been Italy, Peru, France and Brazil.
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