We love to travel because our planet is beautiful. We get to see some amazing architecture and art, and even experience some interesting cuisines and cultures. For anyone who loves to travel, the best part about living in this day and age is that traveling the world is logistically easier and there are various means to do so. From cruising to flying to road tripping, many people are allowing themselves to enjoy the world and see all that our beautiful planet has to offer.
While we’re off exploring this beautiful planet of ours, we at times come across some unexpected experiences. Now, depending on what the experience is, this can be very much welcomed or just turn the trip into a nightmare. Yep, although traveling and seeing the different corners of the world can be fun and exciting, some experiences can just leave you shell-shocked, perplexed or just downright confused.
Luckily for us, there are now different means to check out a place before actually visiting it so you can decide if it’s all worth it. One of those means is by checking reviews of the town, city or place you’re interested in visiting online. TripAdvisor has been a go-to for many people interested in researching different places and as you’ll see from our list, some of the towns, cities or places are just odd and oh yes, they sometimes even defy logic.
25 Who Wants To Try The Worst Porridge? Anyone?
A bad online review can often damage the reputation of a company, especially for startups or small businesses that mostly rely on good reviews and word of mouth advertising to reach new customers. When a woman had a terrible review of the porridge she tried in a coffee outlet in Stockport, insisting it was “tepid and undercooked”, the restaurant decided to respond to this review in one of the most ingenious ways. They placed a board outside their shop which read, “Come in and try the worst porridge one woman on TripAdvisor had”. And of course, who wouldn’t want to try, right?
24 Playing Golf Over A Cliff
Golf is a sport that many can associate with being calming and relaxing. Why? Well, because you’re definitely not running around and sweating all over the place like with most other sports. We were, therefore, a bit taken aback when we discovered on TripAdvisor that there are actually a number of places around the world that have cliff top golf holes. Sure, the views may be spectacular but for anyone who’s afraid of heights, suddenly the sport won’t be so “calming and relaxing”.
23 A Crane Hotel For The Brave
When you’re planning to go on a vacation, one of the first things you’ll book is your accommodation. Finding the right hotel is important as this can at times either make or break your experience. You’re most probably not going to be spending that much time at the hotel anyways since you’ll be out exploring, but at the end of the day, you’ll need to get some rest.
The Faralda Crane Hotel is found in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and although it received many positive reviews, just like with the previous point on our list, this is not for those who fear heights.
22 Hotel Surrounded By Water
A TripAdvisor review of the Spitbank Fort Hotel in England read “A totally unique once off experience…like staying in a 5-star living museum with a touch of luxury.” The closeup photos online of the hotel are certainly breathtaking. The immaculate attention to detail with the design and art of the place should be noted, however, when you’re on a vacation, you want to get out and see the town or city, right? So, you’ll have to get a boat every time you do so? We’re totally perplexed here.
21 The Bathroom Situation That's Really Odd
Number 20 on our list is something we can all certainly agree on – this is downright just odd. So, maybe there was limited space allocated to each hotel room and the designers needed to make a plan, but this was the solution?
They could have cut back on other areas of the hotel room and given the bathroom enough space, right? And by “bathroom”, we’re being very generous as we’re not quite sure if we can even call it that. This image popped up on TripAdvisor as one of the strangest bathrooms in a hotel a traveler has ever experienced.
20 The Hotel Structure That Confuses All Of Us
As mentioned previously, finding the perfect hotel for your vacation is a must. This hotel in Amsterdam, called Inntel Hotel Amsterdam, most certainly looks magical. It makes its way onto our list because we just can’t stop staring at the odd and wonderful structure of the hotel.
One review explained it perfectly on TripAdvisor by stating that it’s a “Picturesque Doll House Hotel” while another review stated that “the hotel looks like it is taken from a storybook”. We couldn’t agree more.
19 Rodents Are Welcomed At This Holy Place
If you’re afraid of rats, you might want to just skip this one. While many people are not happy at the sighting of a rat or two near their homes, there’s an Indian Temple with more than 20,000 rats. Yep, you read right.
This temple is called the Karni Mata Temple and receives foreign and local visitors daily. The DailyMail explains that “rats scurry throughout the temple, where they are worshipped, fed and protected. Devotees have gone to extreme lengths to protect the species by building netting and grills to keep out predators such as raptors.”
18 Fried Brains Are Apparently Delicious
When you’re out exploring every corner of our beautiful planet, you’re bound to come across some unusual cuisines – well, unusual to you because to the locals, they love it. While it’s never a good thing to turn your nose up at some of the foods that locals eat, some items most certainly take a lot to fathom. There are many countries around the world with this item on their menu – France, China, and Turkey, are just some of the countries where you can try fried brains out.
17 A Large Chest Of Drawers For...?
A chest of drawers is certainly one of the must-have furniture items in our homes. But a chest of drawers this large? Really? How much clothing do you have? Large pieces of furniture art can be found on display in many different towns and they were actually built for interesting reasons.
This chest of drawers in North Carolina has received many excellent reviews with visitors who’ve marveled at the sight. Visit North Carolina explains that “Standing 36 feet high, it was built to call attention to High Point as the Furniture Capital of the World. Two large socks hang from the drawers as a nod to the area’s hosiery industry.” Ah, now we know.
16 Make Some New Friends At The Owl Cafe
Visiting Japan is on many people’s travel bucket list. The country is often praised for its diversity, beauty, interesting culture, and cuisine. It is definitely one of the countries that you’ll never be short of interesting places to see and explore. One place that people have noted on TripAdvisor is The Owl Café.
Found in Akihabara, guests can actually interact with owls here. With almost 20 owls around the café, the guests are encouraged to pat the birds, which we bet will be staring you right back as you do so.
15 Let's Cruise On Land
Some people prefer going on a cruise vacation. They like traveling the deep oceans and being as far away as possible from land. Other people prefer having their feet firmly placed on the ground while on vacation. Imagine if you can get the best of both worlds…well, sort of.
This magnificent Sun Cruise Resort in South Korea can certainly be described as “breathtaking”. Resting just over a mountain, we’re honestly not sure if we’d get seasick while on board. No, seriously.
14 A Zombie Apocalypse Is Apparently Exciting
The idea of being attacked by a bunch of zombies is apparently an exciting one. Apocalypse Vegas was built around this idea and has seen many enthusiastic tourists visit it annually. Alright, so, we understand that this is all harmless fun and pretty much just make-belief but for those of us who can’t handle a simple horror movie, we’re not sure we’d be able to stomach this one on our list. Apocalypse Vegas has received many amazing reviews on TripAdvisor so we guess we’ll just have to try it out…one day.
13 Let's Pretend We're In A Spaceship
9 Hours Capsule Hotel in Kyoto is one of the many hotels around the world that are built for solo travelers who are looking for a bargain. Guests sleep in the pods and unlike some other similar hotels, men and women have separate rooms here.
Okay, of course, the idea of sleeping in the same room with a stranger who you’ve probably just met is certainly not something that happens every day, but we can’t help to note that although this is unusual, this setting kind of makes us feel like we’d be sleeping in a spaceship so it might defy logic but certainly, it would be an unforgettable experience.
12 Be One With Nature
Who doesn’t love Mother Nature? The beauty of our world cannot be replicated by Science or anything else. The Free Spirit Spheres in British Columbia, Canada, is certainly one place designed for those who REALLY want to feel connected to nature.
Visitors sleep in the spheres, which are right in the middle of the forest. Most of the TripAdvisor reviews of this place highlight that it’s “wonderful and cozy”, “unique”, and “an incredible stay”. Needless to say, this is not the ideal spot for those people who love to be on the ground.
11 China Always Outdoes Itself
There are a few countries around the world that can match all that China has to offer a tourist. This is why we’re certainly not surprised by this one on our list. The Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort defies logic because of its structure. We’re certainly not going to see this type of architecture in our everyday lives. We can’t help but think about how interesting it must be for guests staying in this majestic piece of artwork. Yes, we called it artwork because honestly, can you describe it as anything else either than art?
10 Yummy Bird's Nest Soup
Earlier on our list, we mentioned how some countries love fried brains. And now, we bring another interesting item on our travel menu – bird’s nest soup. This delicacy is actually popular in China so you might actually come across it while you’re on vacation there. Do you know what the “magic” ingredient in the soup is? Birds’ saliva.
Cooking Channel TV explains that “these nests are actually made out of bird saliva, which has dried and hardened…When you’re eating a bowl of bird’s nest soup, you’re having a bowl of spit (and other ingredients).” Say what?
9 Or Maybe Some Insects?
Okay, so if you’re not really interested in consuming some saliva during lunch, how about some insects? There are many types of insects that are actually edible and many cultures around the world have added them to their menus.
Ants, beetles, caterpillars, cockroaches, dragonflies, grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets are just some of the insects that locals in different countries will encourage you to try. Of course, when people travel, they will try the local cuisine for the experience so hey, if you’re feeling brave, all the best to you.
8 All Aboard The B&B Train
This interesting B&B...No - train...No – it’s actually both, can be found all the way in Alaska, in the US. The Aurora Express has received many great reviews on TripAdvisor. One reviewer noted that it was “One of the highlights of her trip”. She went on to further explain that “we stayed for two nights in the CanCan room; it would have been great to stay longer. As far as the room goes, it is so cool to sleep in a railroad car, and besides the ‘wow!’ impression we got from the décor, we found the details remarkable.”
7 The Trojan Horse Lookalike
Remember the movie, Troy? Yes, of course, you remember. That’s the one where Brad Pitt had on a short leather skirt. But no, we’re not here to discuss that. Remember the Trojan horse situation that was sent in and unexpectedly helped to destroy the city? Doesn’t this remind you of that?
The La Balade des Gnomes is located all the way in Belgium and is certainly looking like nothing short of a storybook. There are 10 rooms, each with their own theme, including one named the Trojan Horse.
6 How About A Live Octopus?
At number 5 on our list, we’ve definitely got a menu item that defies logic – live octopus. Yep, that’s right. So, the octopus is not cooked, or even at least dead when placed on your plate. It is still alive.
While many won’t even believe this item on our list, it is actually quite a popular dish in Korea. Is it dangerous? Of course, it is! This is why it should be prepared properly by an expert. We’re all for trying new things but we honestly don’t understand this one on our list.