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!
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They Have Pet Carts In Grocery Stores In Italy
This Museum In Berlin Has "Touchable" Versions Of Their Paintings For Blind People
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.
The whole world is incredible if we could just stop fighting over it and learn to cooperatively enjoy it!
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.
An Albino Turtle I Saw On My Vacation In Sri Lanka
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.
Rainy Day In Ireland
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.
In Denmark, Some Of Our Light Signals Are Small Vikings
My Hotel Phone In Iceland Has A Special Button That Will Wake You Up If There Are Northern Lights In The Sky
My Hotel In China Has A Card To Give To A Taxi Driver So You Can Find Your Way Back
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.
Train Seats In Japan Facing Outwards So You Can See The Scenery
Spotted The Hogwarts Express On My Trip To Scotland Last Year
A Tram On The Stuttgart Rack Railway With A Trailer For Bikes. Stuttgart, Germany
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.
In The Ancient Egypt, Cats Were Sacred Animals. It Seems That Nothing Has Changed Since Then
These Two Different Sets Of Shopping Baskets At A Department Store In Bangkok - For Those That Need Help Or Want To Be Left Alone
Wuppertal's Suspension Railway (Monorail), Germany
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.
This Tree In Morocco Is Filled With Real Goats Standing On It
The Way These Trees Grew On A Street In Amsterdam
Subways In Japan Have Women-Only Cars
In Finland, There Are Buttons To Thank The Bus Driver
Found A Door Entering A Field In Denmark
My Buddy And I Got Our Faces On The Foam Of Our Beers In Ireland
Went To A Beach In Iceland And Took A Full-Color Picture That Looks Entirely Grayscale
I Visited Antarctica Recently
This Albino Reindeer I Saw While Traveling In Finnish Lapland
Found A Statue In Rome With Bunny Socks
Some Roads In Australia Are So Long And Boring That They Have Trivia Signs To Keep Drivers Alert
This 2D Café We Visited In Seoul
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.
How have I not heard of this beautiful place before? I must be living under a rock-
Traveling Within Iceland Because We Couldn’t Go Elsewhere. Found These Guys Sheltering From The Wind
Desert Oasis In Peru - Huacachina
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
I Found This Ceiling Light Full Of Rubber Ducks In A Pub In Edinburgh
Giant Hives Hanging From The Ceiling Enclosed In A Glass Case With Outdoor Access At The “Home Of Bees” In Poyales Del Hoyo, Spain
This Slide At The Berlin Mall
Here In Italy Bars Are Starting To Use Pasta As Straws To Reduce Plastic Use. Our Technology Amazes The World Another Time
The Town We Vacationed In Has Red Street Lights To Not Mess With The Wildlife
UPS In Italy Use These "Bicycle Trucks" To Deliver Packages To Places In The Narrow Streets Of Rome
This Guy Makes Pizza Using Volcanic Vents On The Volcán De Pacaya In Guatemala
I'd not be able to. These vents release SO2 gas which would probably infest the pizza and give me asthma. Terrible stuff.
Green Train In Lower Silesia, Poland
This Warning Sign For Ghosts At An Old Castle In Poland
Are the ghosts married, the ball and chain? Edit to add, "/just kidding".
In Italy They Got Free Water In Little Towns. You Can Choose Between Water With Gas, Cooled Or Regular
I Was Visiting The Gulf Of Mexico Last Week, And It Was Genuinely Difficult To See Where The Sea Stopped And The Sky Started
My Apartment For The Night In Porto, Portugal Has A Preserved 12th-Century Wall And Staircase Encased In The Bedroom
Α Trireme At The Piraeus Port, Greece
A Non-Muslim Section At A Grocery Store In Dubai
I have ZERO interest to go there. They have been giving refuge to the corrupt guys who stole 50bn of our government's money. (SA).
This McDonald's Has A "Drive-Thru" For Boats. Located In Hamburg, Germany
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)
We have something like this in the US. They normally use magnesium chloride and not salt. Still not good on cars but better then salt.
Today I Discovered That, In France, McDonald's Serves Mcbaguettes
The Bone Church In The Czech Republic
This McDonald's In New Zealand Has A Decommissioned Plane You Can Dine In
Flew Over Greenland On A Clear Day
Rush Hour In Copenhagen, Denmark
This Supermarket In An Old Theatre In Venice, Italy
The View Of Iceland's Active Volcano Behind A Mountain, Seen From My Balcony Tonight
Reusable McDonald's Containers In Paris
Law makes it compulsory, for "on-site" meals. "To-go" containers are still disposable ones, but must be paper and cardboard, not plastic.
I Visited Rouen Yesterday And Discovered WW2 Damage To The Town Hall Has Been Repaired With LEGO
In downtown Budapest you can see war wounds on the walls, without Lego. You can guess whether the damages were done in '44 or '56.
The Lobby Of My Apartment Building Has A Glass Floor So You Can See The Ancient Ruins Beneath (Italy)
My Flight Flew Over A Wind Farm, The Northwest Coast Of England
Eating A Haring In The Hague, Netherlands
The Children's Playground At The Airport In Zürich, Switzerland Is A Miniature Airport
Seems like a good way to help kids that are afraid of flying
The Thinnest House In Amsterdam
These Roman Columns Inside A Supermarket In Split, Croatia
This Bar In Mexico Has Swings Instead Of Chairs
This 7-Eleven In Mexico Was Built Around A Tree
This Bathroom Mirror In Tallinn Airport Has Instructions On How To Tie A Tie
In Christchurch, NZ, The Tram Runs Through The Shopping Plaza
Since There Are No Drivable Roads In Venice, They Use Boats To Deliver Packages
Stayed In A Boeing 747 Converted To Hostel At Arlanda Airport, Sweden (Jumbo Stay)
In The Narita Airport Of Japan, While It Says "Welcome To Japan" In English, The Japanese Text Says "Welcome Back"
In Singapore, Elderly Pedestrians Can Tap Their Identity Cards To Have More Time At The Pedestrian Crossing
Why do we need to vet people who need more time? Just make a button that gives more time to anyone who wants it. I can wait an extra minute at the light for pedestrians.
Emergency Alarm Chords Running Along The Floor Of The Disabled Toilet In Berlin Airport In Case Someone Falls Over And Requires Assistance
A Stand For Bikers To Hold On To While Waiting For The Traffic Lights In Sweden
Sign I Found In Bali, Downstairs For Fire, Up For Tsunami
My Hotel Room In Amsterdam Has A Mini Vending Machine Instead Of A Minibar
Probably a lot cheaper this way. At least you don't get surprised by the mini bar price on your bill when you check out.
In Australia, High Is The Second Lowest Fire Danger Rating
Simplified again recently - only four categories: moderate, high, extreme, catastrophic.
This Building I Saw While On Vacation Is Made To Look Upside Down
This Traffic Light In Germany Has A Little Girl And A Camel As Signal Lights
This Church Under Water In Italy
This Dog-Needs Station At The Airport I Traveled Through A Couple Of Days Ago, Complete With A Fire Hydrant
When You Exit The Airport In Basel, You Can Exit Into France, Germany Or Switzerland
Police In Venice Move Around On Jet Skis
Several Apartment/Condo Towers I Visited In Brazil Have Built-In Charcoal Or Wood Barbeques On All The Balconies
This Wet Umbrella Contraption At A Hospital In England, I Have Never Seen This Anywhere
They have them in our government office in Australia. A good idea, you stick your rolled up wet umbrella into it, and when you pull it out it has a thin plastic cover around it so you don't drip water through the office onto the carpet or stairwells
Very Long Escalator At The Subway Station In Chongqing, China
Mario Kart Tour That I Encountered At The Famous Shibuya Crossing
Train Station In Paris Had A Machine That Printed Out Short Stories To Read While You Wait
Walked Into A Store In Hong Kong And Saw These Stacked Side By Side. Noodle-Flavored Pringles And Pringle-Flavored Noodles
This Tiny Self-Driving Bus I Saw In Berlin, Germany
Someone Taking The Platinum Jubilee Very Seriously This Morning In Greggs
It was her Majesty grabbing a sausage roll before the pomp & ceremony
This UV Handrail Sterilizer On An Escalator In Hong Kong
Vacationing In Cocoa Beach, FL. Got To See A Rocket Launch
I live across the state, as long as it's not in the middle of the afternoon, I can watch the launches from my driveway.
Some WW2 Defenses Were Uncovered After Some Recent Erosion. Newcastle, Australia
This Tiny Bag Of Pasta I Got In Italy
My Hotel In Hong Kong Includes This Local Phone To Use While In The City. It Even Works As A WiFi Hotspot
Cool idea but not sure I’d want my location tracked everywhere I went and every call or text monitored and recorded in some Chinese data centre. I know your own phone would probably do the same if you connect to a local network but at least you can turn some of the tracking stuff off
Some Trams In Australia Have Spots For Your Surfboard
I Saw This Social Distancing Sign Today In Sydney
Australia is decimalised: 10 bananas equals one drop-bear. 10 drop-bears equals one large male red kangaroo
In Cairns, Australia You Can Just Buy Bananas In Unmanned Stands Based On Honesty
You can do this all over Australia where people have farms and want to sell produce. For example you can buy Cherries in Tasmania and Oranges in NSW etc. I would assume its not limited to Australia either, Im sure this is a thing elsewhere.
My Parents Met A Friendly Stingray On Vacation
In India Subway Has A Separate Line For Normal Subs And Vegetarians. The One On The Left Is For Vegetarians
At first glance I thought, why can't vegetarians ride on the same subway car as everyone else?
Dawn Breaking, As Seen From Floor 121 Of The Burj Khalifa, Dubai
And tom cruise actually climbed that thing, as if we needed to question his sanity.
You Can Cross The Sahara By Hopping An Iron Ore Train
totally going to die from heat stroke on that black pile of stuff exposed to the sun... not so?
Squared Trees In Sevilla, Spain
My Father Is Visiting Bangkok. The Hotel That He Is Staying At Serves Honey On The Honeycomb
That's delicious, very much nicer than honey from a jar. Now if only the hotel also had sugar from a sugar cane.
We Visited The Largest Bench In Germany
Japan’s Highest Bridge’s Height Is Compared To Godzilla
godzilla is a national reference, as kangaroo for social distance in australia :D
Bike Police In Downtown Minneapolis Travel With Tons Of Helmets To Give Away To Bikers Without One
This Supermarket In Hong Kong Has A Mini IKEA In The Back
This Kindergarten In Australia Enforces A One-Way Road With Spikes
There are a lot of these in the UK (for example at car parks) to stop people going in the exit or out the entrance (to avoid paying)
Enough Rattlesnakes Have Visited This Bench That They Had To Put Up A Warning Sign
This Public Restroom In Iceland
The Old Escalators Of Wynyard Train Station In Sydney Now Hang From The Ceiling
Lol. These used to be like the escalators in Kings Cross Station in London. The ones that caught fire.
Mexican Government Puts Warnings On High Sugar And Caffeine Products With The Warning “Not For Children”
The Coffee I Ordered In Bosnia Came With A Complimentary Cigarette
How you can tell you are in eastern europe: everyone has tracksuits, the coffee is strong and black, and you get a cigarette with your meal.
The Vacation House We Rented Has A Toaster Built Into The Wall
I Went To North Korea In 2016 And Took This Picture From The Top Of The Juche Tower In Pyongyang
In México, There Are McDonald's Stands That Serve Only Ice Cream
So that's where all the ice cream machines that actually work went to.
Hotel In Europe Offers A Rent A Pet Fish For Single Travelers
An Underground Church In Poland With A Train Passing Right Through Its Middle
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.
I Recently Visited Muskoka, Ontario. Stayed In The Same Room As Barack Obama During The G8 Summit
And if you go to Moscow you can rent Trump's peepee room. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk1uBMZOaXc
In Bali The Cars Don't Have Heating Available On The Air Conditioning
It's the same in Thailand. None of our families vehicles have a heater.
This KFC In Japan Has Colonel Sanders Dressed In A Samurai Attire (And A Matching Mask)
Japan does this at almost every single location of KFC as they basically worship it as its so popular and fun fact KFC only exists there bc of christmas. Search it up
There Are Random Freezers On Some Streets Of Dubai That Have Food And Drinks For Whoever Needs It
This Really Long Table Football At The Milan Airport
There was one of these in the Nou Camp in Barcelona. Visca el Barça!
In A French Village I Am Staying In, They Have Camouflaged The Rubbish Bins To Have A Less Visual Impact On The Village
It Ain't So Bad Stopping At Red Lights In Colorado
The Hotel I'm Staying At In Brazil Has A Remote That Comes With An Immediate Soccer-Watching Button
That's a setting on some Samsung TVs, mine has the same (in the UK), it increases brightness and sets sound to voice mode, nothing to do with the hotel or the country
Certain Hasidic Jewish Sects Travel With Blindfolds To Prevent Young Men From Seeing Immodestly Clad Women
I like this. Even if you want to be a religious nutter, at least you are imposing it on yourself. Better than forcing women to wear excessively large and bulky clothing to fully cover their bodies and infringe on their autonomy. However, it still basically says that women are mere sex objects and young men have zero self-control, so it is STILL perpetuating grotesque patriarchal values. Speaking as a person with jewish family, so don't even come at me with antisemitism c**p.
Amsterdam Has Urinals Out In The Open On This Public Street
People behind the windows must be pleased about that urinals placement
Bath In The Floor. Hull, UK
Hi, at least 15 of these pix are repeated twice, sometimes 3 times. I see this all too often on Bored Panda. Could someone please check out collections of items before posting to avoid these duplications?
They're not duplicates. As individual posts in a thread are upvoted and downvoted, the list updates in real time. The order is constantly changing.
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Hi, at least 15 of these pix are repeated twice, sometimes 3 times. I see this all too often on Bored Panda. Could someone please check out collections of items before posting to avoid these duplications?
They're not duplicates. As individual posts in a thread are upvoted and downvoted, the list updates in real time. The order is constantly changing.
Load More Replies... 