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 This Museum In Berlin Has "Touchable" Versions Of Their Paintings For Blind People

Image credits: ppmtn

#3 In Denmark, Some Of Our Light Signals Are Small Vikings

Image credits: Ulle82

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 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

#5 A Tram On The Stuttgart Rack Railway With A Trailer For Bikes. Stuttgart, Germany

Image credits: LaSuze7

#6 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

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 They Have Pet Carts In Grocery Stores In Italy

Image credits: MerleChi

#8 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

#9 In The Ancient Egypt, Cats Were Sacred Animals. It Seems That Nothing Has Changed Since Then

Image credits: MorphaKnight

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 An Albino Turtle I Saw On My Vacation In Sri Lanka

Image credits: mouthfulloflemons

#11 Some Roads In Australia Are So Long And Boring That They Have Trivia Signs To Keep Drivers Alert

Image credits: eppinizer

#12 Spotted The Hogwarts Express On My Trip To Scotland Last Year

Image credits: Kiwizftw

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 This Tree In Morocco Is Filled With Real Goats Standing On It

Image credits: freebird348

#14 I Visited Antarctica Recently

Image credits: _mitch_the_gr8

#15 My Buddy And I Got Our Faces On The Foam Of Our Beers In Ireland

Image credits: Nick_C12

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 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

#17 This McDonald's Has A "Drive-Thru" For Boats. Located In Hamburg, Germany

Image credits: peter_the_meter

#18 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

#19 Train Seats In Japan Facing Outwards So You Can See The Scenery

Image credits: diohondoriavylv

#20 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

#21 Wuppertal's Suspension Railway (Monorail), Germany

Image credits: pangea

#22 This 2D Café We Visited In Seoul

Image credits: aasquared3

#23 The Town We Vacationed In Has Red Street Lights To Not Mess With The Wildlife

Image credits: MonkeyMcBucks

#24 This McDonald's In New Zealand Has A Decommissioned Plane You Can Dine In

Image credits: timfox1

#25 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

#26 This Guy Makes Pizza Using Volcanic Vents On The Volcán De Pacaya In Guatemala

Image credits: Yellowman230

#27 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

#28 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

#29 A Non-Muslim Section At A Grocery Store In Dubai

Image credits: Bnmakr1

#30 In Finland, There Are Buttons To Thank The Bus Driver

Image credits: _Goat_Juice_

#31 My Apartment For The Night In Porto, Portugal Has A Preserved 12th-Century Wall And Staircase Encased In The Bedroom

Image credits: Sirnando138

#32 Found A Statue In Rome With Bunny Socks

Image credits: wigglingelephant

#33 In Italy They Got Free Water In Little Towns. You Can Choose Between Water With Gas, Cooled Or Regular

Image credits: aex_n53

#34 This Warning Sign For Ghosts At An Old Castle In Poland

Image credits: Solvargen

#35 The Bone Church In The Czech Republic

Image credits: LightRifter

#36 In Christchurch, NZ, The Tram Runs Through The Shopping Plaza

Image credits: JohnFeckerson

#37 Α Trireme At The Piraeus Port, Greece

Image credits: Athalos124

#38 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

#39 Green Train In Lower Silesia, Poland

Image credits: augustiner

#40 Reusable McDonald's Containers In Paris

Image credits: MikaG_Schulz

#41 Subways In Japan Have Women-Only Cars

Image credits: CommitteeOfTheHole

#42 In Singapore, Elderly Pedestrians Can Tap Their Identity Cards To Have More Time At The Pedestrian Crossing

Image credits: NickyNek

#43 Found A Door Entering A Field In Denmark

Image credits: michaelsj92

#44 This Slide At The Berlin Mall

Image credits: mikenice1

#45 Today I Discovered That, In France, McDonald's Serves Mcbaguettes

Image credits: _ImpersonalJesus_

#46 This Church Under Water In Italy

Image credits: Furkan_122

#47 Desert Oasis In Peru - Huacachina

Image credits: Forward2323

#48 My Parents Met A Friendly Stingray On Vacation

Image credits: kebulatr

#49 I Found This Ceiling Light Full Of Rubber Ducks In A Pub In Edinburgh

Image credits: mALLIC2k6

#50 Since There Are No Drivable Roads In Venice, They Use Boats To Deliver Packages

Image credits: CarolineLuvsU

#51 Went To A Beach In Iceland And Took A Full-Color Picture That Looks Entirely Grayscale

Image credits: AcerRubrum

#52 The Coffee I Ordered In Bosnia Came With A Complimentary Cigarette

Image credits: Flitwick87

#53 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

#54 The View Of Iceland's Active Volcano Behind A Mountain, Seen From My Balcony Tonight

Image credits: kouhei27

#55 This Building I Saw While On Vacation Is Made To Look Upside Down

Image credits: Bunnystrawbery

#56 UPS In Italy Use These "Bicycle Trucks" To Deliver Packages To Places In The Narrow Streets Of Rome

Image credits: hayaimonogachi

#57 The Children's Playground At The Airport In Zürich, Switzerland Is A Miniature Airport

Image credits: morbus

#58 Stayed In A Boeing 747 Converted To Hostel At Arlanda Airport, Sweden (Jumbo Stay)

Image credits: EntirelyForgettable

#59 I Visited Rouen Yesterday And Discovered WW2 Damage To The Town Hall Has Been Repaired With LEGO

Image credits: innocentshadows

#60 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

#61 The Thinnest House In Amsterdam

Image credits: Master-Obvious

#62 Rush Hour In Copenhagen, Denmark

Image credits: Drahy

#63 Eating A Haring In The Hague, Netherlands

Image credits: BabaYaga17

#64 Sign I Found In Bali, Downstairs For Fire, Up For Tsunami

Image credits: Bs170699

#65 In The Narita Airport Of Japan, While It Says "Welcome To Japan" In English, The Japanese Text Says "Welcome Back"

Image credits: memetaro

#66 I Went To North Korea In 2016 And Took This Picture From The Top Of The Juche Tower In Pyongyang

Image credits: Free_KarlMarx

#67 You Can Cross The Sahara By Hopping An Iron Ore Train

Image credits: fearlessandfar

#68 This Bar In Mexico Has Swings Instead Of Chairs

Image credits: Jpaynesae1991

#69 My Hotel Room In Amsterdam Has A Mini Vending Machine Instead Of A Minibar

Image credits: enospork3

#70 Squared Trees In Sevilla, Spain

Image credits: thesantman

#71 In Australia, High Is The Second Lowest Fire Danger Rating

Image credits: Brinq

#72 These Roman Columns Inside A Supermarket In Split, Croatia

Image credits: TiredArchie

#73 A Stand For Bikers To Hold On To While Waiting For The Traffic Lights In Sweden

Image credits: medmik

#74 This Bathroom Mirror In Tallinn Airport Has Instructions On How To Tie A Tie

Image credits: themiths35

#75 Someone Taking The Platinum Jubilee Very Seriously This Morning In Greggs

Image credits: reddit.com

#76 Flew Over Greenland On A Clear Day

Image credits: polarbearwithaspear

#77 Very Long Escalator At The Subway Station In Chongqing, China

Image credits: tootsieroll174

#78 This Albino Reindeer I Saw While Traveling In Finnish Lapland

Image credits: reddit.com

#79 This Traffic Light In Germany Has A Little Girl And A Camel As Signal Lights

Image credits: ShroomzTV

#80 The Lobby Of My Apartment Building Has A Glass Floor So You Can See The Ancient Ruins Beneath (Italy)

Image credits: lovelessowl

#81 Police In Venice Move Around On Jet Skis

Image credits: JeroHasCrow

#82 This Supermarket In An Old Theatre In Venice, Italy

Image credits: Scrotus_8

#83 The Way These Trees Grew On A Street In Amsterdam

Image credits: Neanderthal_Gene

#84 My Flight Flew Over A Wind Farm, The Northwest Coast Of England

Image credits: Vladnightfury

#85 Amsterdam Has Urinals Out In The Open On This Public Street

Image credits: grcosp

#86 Train Station In Paris Had A Machine That Printed Out Short Stories To Read While You Wait

Image credits: jonnyking20

#87 Dawn Breaking, As Seen From Floor 121 Of The Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Image credits: RoseGoldRubberBand

#88 This UV Handrail Sterilizer On An Escalator In Hong Kong

Image credits: ceowin

#89 Traveling Within Iceland Because We Couldn’t Go Elsewhere. Found These Guys Sheltering From The Wind

Image credits: Microrator

#90 This 7-Eleven In Mexico Was Built Around A Tree

Image credits: kustomwithak

#91 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

#92 This Dog-Needs Station At The Airport I Traveled Through A Couple Of Days Ago, Complete With A Fire Hydrant

Image credits: netpastor

#93 Mexican Government Puts Warnings On High Sugar And Caffeine Products With The Warning “Not For Children”

Image credits: YaGuey09

#94 Several Apartment/Condo Towers I Visited In Brazil Have Built-In Charcoal Or Wood Barbeques On All The Balconies

Image credits: jaspy_cat

#95 This Wet Umbrella Contraption At A Hospital In England, I Have Never Seen This Anywhere

Image credits: Low_Field7738

#96 This Sidewalk Clock In Barcelona

Image credits: coffeehandler

#97 This Public Restroom In Iceland

Image credits: Cogsmith13

#98 The Vacation House We Rented Has A Toaster Built Into The Wall

Image credits: lil_caprese

#99 Some WW2 Defenses Were Uncovered After Some Recent Erosion. Newcastle, Australia

Image credits: GrogMundi

#100 When You Exit The Airport In Basel, You Can Exit Into France, Germany Or Switzerland

Image credits: zeitlinman5445

#101 In India Subway Has A Separate Line For Normal Subs And Vegetarians. The One On The Left Is For Vegetarians

Image credits: pussynutter

#102 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

#103 I Saw This Social Distancing Sign Today In Sydney

Image credits: Davethxcore

#104 Japan’s Highest Bridge’s Height Is Compared To Godzilla

Image credits: notneededjunk

#105 Walked Into A Store In Hong Kong And Saw These Stacked Side By Side. Noodle-Flavored Pringles And Pringle-Flavored Noodles

Image credits: Metonix

#106 There Are Random Freezers On Some Streets Of Dubai That Have Food And Drinks For Whoever Needs It

Image credits: AliGhost47

#107 I Recently Visited Muskoka, Ontario. Stayed In The Same Room As Barack Obama During The G8 Summit

Image credits: Frodi

#108 In Cairns, Australia You Can Just Buy Bananas In Unmanned Stands Based On Honesty

Image credits: vfstevens

#109 Some Trams In Australia Have Spots For Your Surfboard

Image credits: fryry11

#110 This Supermarket In Hong Kong Has A Mini IKEA In The Back

Image credits: BaguetteOfDoom

#111 Enough Rattlesnakes Have Visited This Bench That They Had To Put Up A Warning Sign

Image credits: scottsinct

#112 This Tiny Self-Driving Bus I Saw In Berlin, Germany

Image credits: el_wes

#113 In Bali The Cars Don't Have Heating Available On The Air Conditioning

Image credits: reddit.com

#114 My Father Is Visiting Bangkok. The Hotel That He Is Staying At Serves Honey On The Honeycomb

Image credits: Alienwho

#115 We Visited The Largest Bench In Germany

Image credits: hobbyhoarder

#116 Mario Kart Tour That I Encountered At The Famous Shibuya Crossing

Image credits: tvz32

#117 This Tiny Bag Of Pasta I Got In Italy

Image credits: redditorrro

#118 The Old Escalators Of Wynyard Train Station In Sydney Now Hang From The Ceiling

Image credits: HoggyOfAustralia

#119 This KFC In Japan Has Colonel Sanders Dressed In A Samurai Attire (And A Matching Mask)

Image credits: kjais

#120 The Hotel I'm Staying At In Brazil Has A Remote That Comes With An Immediate Soccer-Watching Button

Image credits: Usernametakenha

#121 This Kindergarten In Australia Enforces A One-Way Road With Spikes

Image credits: EveningFold3107

#122 Certain Hasidic Jewish Sects Travel With Blindfolds To Prevent Young Men From Seeing Immodestly Clad Women

Image credits: thenewyorkgod

#123 Bath In The Floor. Hull, UK

Image credits: sophie-man

#124 Hotel In Europe Offers A Rent A Pet Fish For Single Travelers

Image credits: Mich_Cooke

#125 An Underground Church In Poland With A Train Passing Right Through Its Middle

Image credits: jojna54

#126 This Really Long Table Football At The Milan Airport

Image credits: Yankee9204

#127 Vacationing In Cocoa Beach, FL. Got To See A Rocket Launch

Image credits: pyanan

#128 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

#129 Bike Police In Downtown Minneapolis Travel With Tons Of Helmets To Give Away To Bikers Without One

Image credits: Punkydactual

#130 A Phone Holder For Selfies In A Town I Visited

Image credits: santiagozky

#131 It Ain't So Bad Stopping At Red Lights In Colorado

Image credits: reddit.com

#132 In México, There Are McDonald's Stands That Serve Only Ice Cream

Image credits: maddawg300