Usually, you go on vacation for one of two things: to relax and leave the daily drudgery behind, or to have an experience and learn about different cultures. Either way, you can end up with more of an adventure than you planned for, and as much as you might want to learn about other cultures, that can come with some shocks.
Even though often you don’t even need to leave your country to take a step into a weirder world, it sure helps.
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That’s a hazard you can’t really prepare for.
Hawaii is gorgeous, and a wonderful golf destination, but not sure anybody needs such a dramatic reminder of the islands’ volcanic nature while teeing off.
Just what you want to see when you arrive at your vacation home.
Sure, it’s probably just teenagers trying to be edgy, but even if it is, this is more of a mess to clean up than anyone bargained for. And who knows if they’ll come back again later?
Sometimes Airbnb doesn’t show you all the details you want about a property.
Like, is there a trash can Jesus crucified in the yard? That’s really something you shouldn’t have to ask about ahead of time.
If that’s the welcoming committee, count me out.
It’s probably just ceremonial garb, but this guy with a machete in each hand might have made a visitor to Gambia a bit nervous.
Not sure if the person who got this hotel room is more nervous, however.
Yeah, that’s a sliding door that opens up onto a total lack of balcony, at least five floors up. Best to keep that in mind when you want some air in the middle of the night!
Okay, what kind of a neighborhood is this hotel in?
Is it known for werewolf attacks? I mean, sure, I’d feel safe inside, but not sure I’d want to go exploring, either.
Vacation rentals do show another side when it comes to decor.
I would be sorely tempted to just store this in a drawer for the duration of my stay rather than have it stare at me from its perch on the wall.
What’s going on here?
It’s somewhat comforting to know that wherever you go in the world, taking public transit can be a real experience. But only somewhat comforting. Still not sure if Prague has anything on good old NYC though.
It’s always so interesting to see the architecture of other cultures, too.
For example, Russia, where it’s cool for power lines to just go right through a building like that.
The part of Oktoberfest that’s not in the brochures.
I’m sure they just need a little nap to recuperate before getting back to the bierhaus, but not what I’d want to stick around and see on my vacation.
Sampling local cuisine is always interesting.
But finding another country’s take on familiar things can be downright odd. For example, this package of Doritos from Japan, where a dude is apparently giving another dude the gas pedal.
Why? To sell chips, obviously.
Meanwhile, in The Netherlands, you can treat yourself to herring and onion ice cream.
Nobody give Ben and Jerry any ideas, okay?
Are many people lining up to rent out this Airbnb, where the skeletons are very much not in the closet?
It probably does attract a certain clientele, especially around Halloween.
Honestly, I kind of want to high five these two.
But if I had been the one actually moving a pull-out couch onto the beach, where it could get even heavier and waterlogged, not to mention moldy, I would tap out.
Well, that’s different.
If you want to shower in this hotel room, you do it like you’re on display. It’s not just hygiene; it’s also performance.
So, want to go for a hot tub?
Because it looks like everybody else in the hotel had the same idea at the same time. Or they’re trying to set a record.
Couldn’t we just pretend the human centipede was never invented, Japan?
No, of course not. We have to celebrate it with street art. Right.
Visiting an island that’s rife with tame…iguanas.
Okay, of all the wildlife I’d expect to be surrounded by as a tourist, lizards of any variety would be near the bottom of the list. But this is weird enough to be kinda cool.
Passing through the airport in Doha, Qatar, you’ll see a giant teddy bear with a lamp through its head.
If they’re trying to take the title of weirdest airport from Denver, they still have a long way to go.
That’s because Denver greets travelers with artwork like this.
Not to mention the 50-foot, anatomically-correct statue of a stallion that stands outside the airport, too.
In some places, your accommodations are also your transportation.
Yes, cruise ships do that, but also this capsule hotel/tour bus combo. That has to be a different experience!
I can safely say I’ve never seen someone taking a raw, whole chicken through airport security.
Guess they have their dinner figured out, and that’s the important thing here.
Just in case you need some, you can buy human placenta at the airport in Seoul.
It’ll set you back about $14 for a vial, just in case you were curious.
Well, I guess that’s one way to deal with a long layover.
No hotel room to book and pay for, no worrying about the commute back to the airport to catch your connection — there are benefits to being the weirdo camping out in the food court.
I would be a bit alarmed as well.
Whether it’s at the start of the vacay or on the way home, doesn’t matter — this is straight out of a Stephen King book.
Spotted in Thailand, this fellow is paddling himself around a wishing pond.
You know, the kind where people toss money and make a wish? Yeah, apparently he’s gathering up the money, wearing a mask so he won’t be identified later on.
You know exactly what kind of vacation home you’ve rented when the blender is built right into the counter.
A fun vacation home! Honestly, I kind of want one for my home.
In Germany, you can stay at a sausage-themed hotel that’s very…thorough.
Sausage pillows, sausage wallpaper, and yes, that’s meat hanging in bags on the walls.
Oh, you know, just a guy releasing a seagull from his apartment.
“My first 20 minutes in Portugal and I see this,” wrote the uploader. Is that a thing in Portugal, does anybody know?
Speaking of seagulls and vacations…
This is a ways north of Portugal, in Ireland, proving that seagulls are complicated birds wherever you go.
The vacationers on this flight got a dose of some serious turbulence.
When it’s bad enough that it overturns the drink cart, well, I’m glad I wasn’t there. Yikes.
Huh, most people just bring a frisbee to the beach.
Maybe their ball gloves or a volleyball. Not their swing and harness and ropes and all that.
Somebody put a couch on stilts on this beach.
Just like that pull-out couch, it’s probably not the most sanitary thing in the world, but kind of clever if this place gets high tides.
Seen in Russia, someone really didn’t want to give up their parking spot.
But I want to know what kind of a deal they have worked out that they didn’t get towed away to make way for the construction.
