30 Unbelievable Places That Are Illegal to Visit. While some of these destinations might sound intriguing, you’re better off opting for a more accessible adventure. From the most pristine piece of earth to an island where snakes slither at the top of the food chain, these 30 prohibited places are best experienced from a distance. More importantly, it's illegal for you to visit!
Some are far-flung and abroad. Take Heard Island, for instance. It is probably closest to Antarctica than anywhere else, which makes getting to it difficult anyway. At least for Americans, there are entire countries that are off limits. Our government doesn't allow us to take pleasure tours to Cuba or North Korea. But there are places much closer to home that are illegal to visit. That's right! There are places within the United States that you are banned from visiting.
North Brother Island is one such example. It is located in the middle of the East River between the Bronx and Queens, yet no one is allowed to step foot on the island as it is considered a bird sanctuary. And that's in the middle of a metro area of around 20 million people! Just imagine what else is out there that's illegal to visit!
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Did you know...
- Jet lag is worse when you're traveling from west to east. That's because the changes in time zones become not only more physically apparent on your body, but they are also more culturally apparent. If restaurants close at 10pm on the East Coast, you'll just be getting hungry since it will feel like 7pm on your West Coast-adjusted body.
- There are over 61,000 people on a plane in the air over the U.S. at any given moment. That makes sense because the U.S. has one third of all the airports in the world. Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world with over 100 million total passengers every year since 2015.
- Minnesota might say that it's the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," but Canada has it beat. The country as a whole has over three million lakes. That means Canada has 60% of the world's total number of lakes within its borders. It must seem like paradise for people who like to fish or boat!
- The longest flight in the world is between Singapore and Newark, New Jersey. Depending on which way you're flying, it takes around 18.5 hours to complete the 9,534 miles of the journey. The flight is so long that it doesn't even have an economy class. Only first-class and business-class arrangements are offered.
- Even though it is spread across five time zones, the entire country of China is set to Beijing time. Having a single time zone in the United States would certainly make things easier. Currently, the USA is spread across six, but a single time zone would make things a little wonky in Alaska and Hawai'i.