In hindsight, it seems a bit silly to be surprised by the unexpected when traveling. After all, the entire point is to see and experience new things, otherwise, why spend all the time and money? So one should at least expect some amount of surprises and fortunately for all of us, these travelers made sure to document the unusual or unexpected things they encountered while traversing the globe.
So, wherever you are, get comfortable and prepare to scroll through all the memorable little things tourists and travelers have run into, upvote the experiences that caught you by surprise, and be sure to comment your own stories. And if some of the things listed here are pretty normal where you are from, let us know!
#1 Rainy Day In Ireland
Image credits: Mary Bardin
#2 A Tram On The Stuttgart Rack Railway With A Trailer For Bikes. Stuttgart, Germany
Image credits: LaSuze7
#3 This Museum In Berlin Has "Touchable" Versions Of Their Paintings For Blind People
Image credits: ppmtn
Despite the dangers and discomfort, humans have been fascinated with travel for thousands of years. There are early Medieval examples from all over the world, while the earliest example is “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea,” which is a first-century text describing travel conditions, currents, and weather patterns throughout the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Less a piece of literature, it was more like a guide for merchants who were looking to travel in these areas, though it seems likely that any merchant with half a brain would still need to hire captains and sailors with experience. Currently, it’s not even known who authored the text or if it even had one author, as there is the possibility that it functioned more like a collection of different people’s experiences.
#4 In Denmark, Some Of Our Light Signals Are Small Vikings
Image credits: Ulle82
#5 My Hotel Phone In Iceland Has A Special Button That Will Wake You Up If There Are Northern Lights In The Sky
Image credits: KristjanHrannar
#6 They Have Pet Carts In Grocery Stores In Italy
Image credits: MerleChi
Marco Polo is a more commonly known traveler, but he was not the only one of his contemporaries to write about his experiences. In China, one of Marco Polo’s many destinations, there were even writers who would make “day trip essays,” which would give readers some basic information about different locations that are, as the name suggests, a day’s travel away. However, these essays mainly focused on using the locations to provide some sort of moral lesson, which tells us that even a thousand years ago, people could not help from editorializing.
#7 The Coffee I Ordered In Bosnia Came With A Complimentary Cigarette
Image credits: Flitwick87
#8 This McDonald's Has A "Drive-Thru" For Boats. Located In Hamburg, Germany
Image credits: peter_the_meter
#9 The Algerian Sahara By Night. With No Light Pollution, The Sky Is Truly Incredible
I spent four days camping out in the remote Algerian Sahara - just me and a local guide. I took a million photos but this was one of my favorites. Freezing cold at night, but free of all light pollution the sky was breathtakingly beautiful.
Image credits: xe3to
Indeed, in the 16th century, traveling to what at the time was Persia (mostly modern Iran) and the Indian subcontinent was so popular, that these accounts were often put together into collections, so interested readers could just buy one book and compare. There were similar collections for Europe, though it was seen as less exotic than Asia, and often focused on a single region, such as the Italian peninsula.
#10 Some Roads In Australia Are So Long And Boring That They Have Trivia Signs To Keep Drivers Alert
Image credits: eppinizer
#11 Here In Italy Bars Are Starting To Use Pasta As Straws To Reduce Plastic Use. Our Technology Amazes The World Another Time
Image credits: GranFabio
#12 This Tree In Morocco Is Filled With Real Goats Standing On It
Image credits: freebird348
As maritime technology developed, the means of transportation itself became a topic of interest. Similar to the travel vlogs of today, there was a lucrative niche describing the realities of ocean voyages and the various sights and experiences one could have. Of course, the average person on, say, a transatlantic ship had a much worse experience than a literate, generally wealthy traveler.
#13 In Finland, There Are Buttons To Thank The Bus Driver
Image credits: _Goat_Juice_
#14 My Buddy And I Got Our Faces On The Foam Of Our Beers In Ireland
Image credits: Nick_C12
#15 This Church Under Water In Italy
Image credits: Furkan_122
This all goes to show that these travelers, documenting and photographing the things they saw are part of an ancient tradition. While we might think of Marco Polo’s writings as more highbrow, he probably would have used a camera, if he had the option, as a picture can really show you what a thousand words can’t. Hopefully, this list has put some wanderlust into you and there will be more interesting experiences from around the world for all of us to enjoy online.
#16 This Guy Makes Pizza Using Volcanic Vents On The Volcán De Pacaya In Guatemala
Image credits: Yellowman230
#17 This 2D Café We Visited In Seoul
Image credits: aasquared3
#18 The Town We Vacationed In Has Red Street Lights To Not Mess With The Wildlife
Image credits: MonkeyMcBucks
#19 Spotted The Hogwarts Express On My Trip To Scotland Last Year
Image credits: Kiwizftw
#20 Reusable McDonald's Containers In Paris
Image credits: MikaG_Schulz
#21 In Singapore, Elderly Pedestrians Can Tap Their Identity Cards To Have More Time At The Pedestrian Crossing
Image credits: NickyNek
#22 After 4 Days Of Trekking Over The Salkantay Pass To Get To Machu Picchu, I Woke Up Around 3:30 Am To Try To Get There Before The Rest Of The Tourists
100% worth it for seeing the sunrise alone.
Image credits: feastandexist
#23 These Sprinklers On The Road Near The Ski Resort I'm At In Japan To Keep The Road From Freezing Over (Salt Water If You Were Wondering)
Image credits: TheWolvis
#24 These Two Different Sets Of Shopping Baskets At A Department Store In Bangkok - For Those That Need Help Or Want To Be Left Alone
Image credits: saksith
#25 My Apartment For The Night In Porto, Portugal Has A Preserved 12th-Century Wall And Staircase Encased In The Bedroom
Image credits: Sirnando138
#26 Amsterdam Has Urinals Out In The Open On This Public Street
Image credits: grcosp
#27 This Building I Saw While On Vacation Is Made To Look Upside Down
Image credits: Bunnystrawbery
#28 Wuppertal's Suspension Railway (Monorail), Germany
Image credits: pangea
#29 Giant Hives Hanging From The Ceiling Enclosed In A Glass Case With Outdoor Access At The “Home Of Bees” In Poyales Del Hoyo, Spain
Image credits: addisonfun
#30 Green Train In Lower Silesia, Poland
Image credits: augustiner
#31 In Italy They Got Free Water In Little Towns. You Can Choose Between Water With Gas, Cooled Or Regular
Image credits: aex_n53
#32 This Warning Sign For Ghosts At An Old Castle In Poland
Image credits: Solvargen
#33 Train Seats In Japan Facing Outwards So You Can See The Scenery
Image credits: diohondoriavylv
#34 You Can Cross The Sahara By Hopping An Iron Ore Train
Image credits: fearlessandfar
#35 Stayed In A Boeing 747 Converted To Hostel At Arlanda Airport, Sweden (Jumbo Stay)
Image credits: EntirelyForgettable
#36 Today I Discovered That, In France, McDonald's Serves Mcbaguettes
Image credits: _ImpersonalJesus_
#37 This Supermarket In An Old Theatre In Venice, Italy
Image credits: Scrotus_8
#38 This McDonald's In New Zealand Has A Decommissioned Plane You Can Dine In
Image credits: timfox1
#39 A Stand For Bikers To Hold On To While Waiting For The Traffic Lights In Sweden
Image credits: medmik
#40 In The Ancient Egypt, Cats Were Sacred Animals. It Seems That Nothing Has Changed Since Then
Image credits: MorphaKnight
#41 An Albino Turtle I Saw On My Vacation In Sri Lanka
Image credits: mouthfulloflemons
#42 My Parents Met A Friendly Stingray On Vacation
Image credits: kebulatr
#43 A Non-Muslim Section At A Grocery Store In Dubai
Image credits: Bnmakr1
#44 I Found This Ceiling Light Full Of Rubber Ducks In A Pub In Edinburgh
Image credits: mALLIC2k6
#45 My Hotel In Hong Kong Includes This Local Phone To Use While In The City. It Even Works As A WiFi Hotspot
Image credits: FightOnForUsc
#46 Found A Door Entering A Field In Denmark
Image credits: michaelsj92
#47 I Visited Antarctica Recently
Image credits: _mitch_the_gr8
#48 This Slide At The Berlin Mall
Image credits: mikenice1
#49 My Hotel Room In Amsterdam Has A Mini Vending Machine Instead Of A Minibar
Image credits: enospork3
#50 The View Of Iceland's Active Volcano Behind A Mountain, Seen From My Balcony Tonight
Image credits: kouhei27
#51 Certain Hasidic Jewish Sects Travel With Blindfolds To Prevent Young Men From Seeing Immodestly Clad Women
Image credits: thenewyorkgod
#52 In Christchurch, NZ, The Tram Runs Through The Shopping Plaza
Image credits: JohnFeckerson
#53 One Of My Bucket List Items Was To Visit This Stunning Town Where The Houses Are Literally Under The Rock
Beautiful white houses line up the narrow streets of Setenil de Las Bodegas.
Image credits: screwywabbit
#54 Lisbon Consists Of 7 Hills. In Order To Make It Easier For Residents And Tourists To Move Between The Different Neighborhoods, This Open-Air Escalator Was Installed
Image credits: rebordacao
#55 My Hotel In China Has A Card To Give To A Taxi Driver So You Can Find Your Way Back
Image credits: why_im_single
#56 Very Long Escalator At The Subway Station In Chongqing, China
Image credits: tootsieroll174
#57 Found A Statue In Rome With Bunny Socks
Image credits: wigglingelephant
#58 UPS In Italy Use These "Bicycle Trucks" To Deliver Packages To Places In The Narrow Streets Of Rome
Image credits: hayaimonogachi
#59 Subways In Japan Have Women-Only Cars
Image credits: CommitteeOfTheHole
#60 The Children's Playground At The Airport In Zürich, Switzerland Is A Miniature Airport
Image credits: morbus
#61 I Visited Rouen Yesterday And Discovered WW2 Damage To The Town Hall Has Been Repaired With LEGO
Image credits: innocentshadows
#62 This 7-Eleven In Mexico Was Built Around A Tree
Image credits: kustomwithak
#63 Since There Are No Drivable Roads In Venice, They Use Boats To Deliver Packages
Image credits: CarolineLuvsU
#64 The Thinnest House In Amsterdam
Image credits: Master-Obvious
#65 Squared Trees In Sevilla, Spain
Image credits: thesantman
#66 Went To A Beach In Iceland And Took A Full-Color Picture That Looks Entirely Grayscale
Image credits: AcerRubrum
#67 In Australia, High Is The Second Lowest Fire Danger Rating
Image credits: Brinq
#68 In Cairns, Australia You Can Just Buy Bananas In Unmanned Stands Based On Honesty
Image credits: vfstevens
#69 My Flight Flew Over A Wind Farm, The Northwest Coast Of England
Image credits: Vladnightfury
#70 These Roman Columns Inside A Supermarket In Split, Croatia
Image credits: TiredArchie
#71 This Bathroom Mirror In Tallinn Airport Has Instructions On How To Tie A Tie
Image credits: themiths35
#72 Mexican Government Puts Warnings On High Sugar And Caffeine Products With The Warning “Not For Children”
Image credits: YaGuey09
#73 Someone Taking The Platinum Jubilee Very Seriously This Morning In Greggs
Image credits: reddit.com
#74 Flew Over Greenland On A Clear Day
Image credits: polarbearwithaspear
#75 Rush Hour In Copenhagen, Denmark
Image credits: Drahy
#76 This Sidewalk Clock In Barcelona
Image credits: coffeehandler
#77 Α Trireme At The Piraeus Port, Greece
Image credits: Athalos124
#78 This Public Restroom In Iceland
Image credits: Cogsmith13
#79 The Vacation House We Rented Has A Toaster Built Into The Wall
Image credits: lil_caprese
#80 Eating A Haring In The Hague, Netherlands
Image credits: BabaYaga17
#81 Train Station In Paris Had A Machine That Printed Out Short Stories To Read While You Wait
Image credits: jonnyking20
#82 This Traffic Light In Germany Has A Little Girl And A Camel As Signal Lights
Image credits: ShroomzTV
#83 Sign I Found In Bali, Downstairs For Fire, Up For Tsunami
Image credits: Bs170699
#84 I Saw This Social Distancing Sign Today In Sydney
Image credits: Davethxcore
#85 Japan’s Highest Bridge’s Height Is Compared To Godzilla
Image credits: notneededjunk
#86 Walked Into A Store In Hong Kong And Saw These Stacked Side By Side. Noodle-Flavored Pringles And Pringle-Flavored Noodles
Image credits: Metonix
#87 This UV Handrail Sterilizer On An Escalator In Hong Kong
Image credits: ceowin
#88 I Went To North Korea In 2016 And Took This Picture From The Top Of The Juche Tower In Pyongyang
Image credits: Free_KarlMarx
#89 Traveling Within Iceland Because We Couldn’t Go Elsewhere. Found These Guys Sheltering From The Wind
Image credits: Microrator
#90 This Bar In Mexico Has Swings Instead Of Chairs
Image credits: Jpaynesae1991
#91 There Are Random Freezers On Some Streets Of Dubai That Have Food And Drinks For Whoever Needs It
Image credits: AliGhost47
#92 Emergency Alarm Chords Running Along The Floor Of The Disabled Toilet In Berlin Airport In Case Someone Falls Over And Requires Assistance
Image credits: EGPL21
#93 The Bone Church In The Czech Republic
Image credits: LightRifter
#94 The Lobby Of My Apartment Building Has A Glass Floor So You Can See The Ancient Ruins Beneath (Italy)
Image credits: lovelessowl
#95 Police In Venice Move Around On Jet Skis
Image credits: JeroHasCrow
#96 Mario Kart Tour That I Encountered At The Famous Shibuya Crossing
Image credits: tvz32
#97 This Tiny Bag Of Pasta I Got In Italy
Image credits: redditorrro
#98 In India Subway Has A Separate Line For Normal Subs And Vegetarians. The One On The Left Is For Vegetarians
Image credits: pussynutter
#99 Dawn Breaking, As Seen From Floor 121 Of The Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Image credits: RoseGoldRubberBand
#100 Chip Bags In India Come With Free Mobile Data
4G data is so cheap in India that you get 2GB free with a ₹20 ($0.27) pack of chips.
Image credits: pauldmps
#101 The Old Escalators Of Wynyard Train Station In Sydney Now Hang From The Ceiling
Image credits: HoggyOfAustralia
#102 In The Narita Airport Of Japan, While It Says "Welcome To Japan" In English, The Japanese Text Says "Welcome Back"
Image credits: memetaro
#103 The Way These Trees Grew On A Street In Amsterdam
Image credits: Neanderthal_Gene
#104 This Kindergarten In Australia Enforces A One-Way Road With Spikes
Image credits: EveningFold3107
#105 Desert Oasis In Peru - Huacachina
Image credits: Forward2323
#106 This Dog-Needs Station At The Airport I Traveled Through A Couple Of Days Ago, Complete With A Fire Hydrant
Image credits: netpastor
#107 This Tiny Self-Driving Bus I Saw In Berlin, Germany
Image credits: el_wes
#108 Several Apartment/Condo Towers I Visited In Brazil Have Built-In Charcoal Or Wood Barbeques On All The Balconies
Image credits: jaspy_cat
#109 Bath In The Floor. Hull, UK
Image credits: sophie-man
#110 This Wet Umbrella Contraption At A Hospital In England, I Have Never Seen This Anywhere
Image credits: Low_Field7738
#111 Some WW2 Defenses Were Uncovered After Some Recent Erosion. Newcastle, Australia
Image credits: GrogMundi
#112 Hotel In Europe Offers A Rent A Pet Fish For Single Travelers
Image credits: Mich_Cooke
#113 My Father Is Visiting Bangkok. The Hotel That He Is Staying At Serves Honey On The Honeycomb
Image credits: Alienwho
#114 We Visited The Largest Bench In Germany
Image credits: hobbyhoarder
#115 An Underground Church In Poland With A Train Passing Right Through Its Middle
Image credits: jojna54
#116 The Hotel I'm Staying At In Brazil Has A Remote That Comes With An Immediate Soccer-Watching Button
Image credits: Usernametakenha
#117 I Recently Visited Muskoka, Ontario. Stayed In The Same Room As Barack Obama During The G8 Summit
Image credits: Frodi
#118 I Was Visiting The Gulf Of Mexico Last Week, And It Was Genuinely Difficult To See Where The Sea Stopped And The Sky Started
Image credits: EkantTakePhotos
#119 Some Trams In Australia Have Spots For Your Surfboard
Image credits: fryry11
#120 This Supermarket In Hong Kong Has A Mini IKEA In The Back
Image credits: BaguetteOfDoom
#121 In Bali The Cars Don't Have Heating Available On The Air Conditioning
Image credits: reddit.com
#122 When You Exit The Airport In Basel, You Can Exit Into France, Germany Or Switzerland
Image credits: zeitlinman5445
#123 This KFC In Japan Has Colonel Sanders Dressed In A Samurai Attire (And A Matching Mask)
Image credits: kjais
#124 This Really Long Table Football At The Milan Airport
Image credits: Yankee9204
#125 Bike Police In Downtown Minneapolis Travel With Tons Of Helmets To Give Away To Bikers Without One
Image credits: Punkydactual
#126 In A French Village I Am Staying In, They Have Camouflaged The Rubbish Bins To Have A Less Visual Impact On The Village
Image credits: pawnografik
#127 Enough Rattlesnakes Have Visited This Bench That They Had To Put Up A Warning Sign
Image credits: scottsinct
#128 A Phone Holder For Selfies In A Town I Visited
Image credits: santiagozky
#129 It Ain't So Bad Stopping At Red Lights In Colorado
Image credits: reddit.com
#130 This Albino Reindeer I Saw While Traveling In Finnish Lapland
Image credits: reddit.com
#131 Vacationing In Cocoa Beach, FL. Got To See A Rocket Launch
Image credits: pyanan
#132 In México, There Are McDonald's Stands That Serve Only Ice Cream
Image credits: maddawg300
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