Watch Out for Time and Date Differences When You Book Your Next Flight
If you’ve ever been confused by time differences around the world, you’re not alone. The subject can be a little confusing, but it affects all of us – especially when we plan trips, work meetings or calls with friends and family abroad. Even when booking a flight, time zone mistakes are common, and I hear about it quite a lot from people who made a mistake booking their flight date. You can also listen to the short podcast I made on this topic here. Let’s review time differences around the world, understand how they work and present some facts that will help you find your way better.
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What Are Time Differences Around the World?
Time differences are essentially the division of the Earth into different time zones, based on its rotation on its axis. Each time zone is separated from the previous one by one hour (on average), according to its distance from the Greenwich meridian (London) in England (GMT). For example, Israel’s time zone is GMT+2, meaning two hours ahead of Greenwich.
Today there are 24 main time zones in the world, representing all the hours of the day. Time zones are usually set according to political borders, but some countries have unique time zones or half-hour offsets.
List of Countries and Their Time Zones
To get organized, here’s a short list of cities around the world and their time zones:
| City/Country | Time Zone (GMT) | Difference from Israel (GMT+2) |
| Israel | GMT+2 | 0 |
| New York, USA | GMT-5 | -7 |
| Los Angeles, USA | GMT-8 | -10 |
| London, England | GMT+0 | -2 |
| Paris, France | GMT+1 | -1 |
| Rome, Italy | GMT+1 | -1 |
| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | GMT-3 | -5 |
| Tokyo, Japan | GMT+9 | +7 |
| Sydney, Australia | GMT+10 | +8 |
| Moscow, Russia | GMT+3 | +1 |
| Beijing, China | GMT+8 | +6 |
| Delhi, India | GMT+5:30 | +3:30 |
| Cairo, Egypt | GMT+2 | 0 |
| Istanbul, Turkey | GMT+3 | +1 |
| Bangkok, Thailand | GMT+7 | +5 |
| Cape Town, South Africa | GMT+2 | 0 |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | GMT-3 | -5 |
| Mexico City, Mexico | GMT-6 | -8 |
| Seoul, South Korea | GMT+9 | +7 |
| Dubai, UAE | GMT+4 | +2 |
| Hong Kong | GMT+8 | +6 |
| Singapore | GMT+8 | +6 |
| Auckland, New Zealand | GMT+12 | +10 |
| Montreal, Canada | GMT-5 | -7 |
| Vancouver, Canada | GMT-8 | -10 |
| Havana, Cuba | GMT-5 | -7 |
| Edinburgh, Scotland | GMT+0 | -2 |
| Madrid, Spain | GMT+1 | -1 |
In addition, countries such as the United States and Russia span many time zones, which sometimes makes it hard to coordinate schedules between different regions within the same country.
Countries with Several Time Zones
Of course, some countries have several different time zones. For example, the United States has 6 main time zones, including the East Coast (Eastern Time) and the West Coast (Pacific Time).
The 25-Hour Story
One of the most interesting stories is the 25-hour difference between the Line Islands in Kiribati and Hawaii. Although the islands are geographically close, they’re on opposite sides of the International Date Line (IDL). The result? A whole day separates them. This means that if you fly from Hawaii to the Line Islands, you’ll jump a day ahead – and vice versa. At New Year celebrations, some residents celebrate twice, one day after the other, by quickly crossing between the islands on a short boat trip.
Interesting Facts About Time Differences
- Russia: the country with the most time zones – 11 different time zones!
- China: despite its enormous size, it has a single time zone (GMT+8).
- Iran: famous for a time zone that includes a half hour (GMT+3:30).
- France: if you include its overseas territories, France has 12 different time zones.
- See also: The flight that took off in 2025 and landed in 2024.
This information was gathered from various online sources.
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