For those looking for a new experience, or for those who enjoy a long walk, Chile may be your next destination of choice. The Chilean government announced the creation of the Route of Parks, which is a 1,700-mile hiking trail. The new path will run through Patagonia to Cape Horn and will connect 17 national marks and winds through rainforests, volcanoes, lakes, and the Andes Mountains.

Route of Parks will become one of the world’s longest hiking trails, and this is all because of the efforts of a husband-and-wife team, Douglas and Kristine Thompson, who already have some serious outdoor credentials. Kristine is the former CEO of Patagonia, and Douglas is the founder of North Face. During the 1990s, the married couple bought millions of acres of land in Argentina and Chile in hope of preserving large swaths of South American countryside.

However, in 2015, Douglas sadly passed away after his kayak capsized, and Kristen decided to donate much of their land to the Chilean government with the intention of creating a network of national parks roughly the size of Switzerland. With this donation being “the largest land donation in history from a private entity to a country,” they were able to work together in turning it into an ecotourism wonder.

“We want Chile to be internationally recognized for having the most spectacular scenic route in the world, and thus become a benchmark for economic development based on conservation,” Carolina Morgado, executive director of Tompkins Conservation said.

The whole of Chile is currently in the midst of a tourism influx, with the United Nations World Tourism Organization reporting a double-digit increase of visitors to the country from 2016 to 2017, and the Route of Parks is only going to increase this. With The New York Times citing the Route of Parks as one of their 52 Places to Go in 2018, this new trail opening has been a highly anticipated one.

We decided to embrace the odd individuals who took their personalized voyages to a whole new level. From hilarious welcome home signs to sights you never saw coming, here are the web’s funniest airport photos.

This poor girl was on her way to her ballet recital when the airline broke the news of a snowstorm fast approaching, meaning her flight was canceled. Instead of drowning in her sorrows, she thought it would be best to take a quick nap before deciding on her next move.

A plane was making its way to its destination when suddenly, one of the engines alerted that there was a malfunction that demanded immediate attention. The airplane staff assured all travelers on the plane that the plane would make a quick pit stop at an airport along the way, just to make sure everything was alright. However, since the stop took more time than everyone initially thought, this pilot made the most of her unexpected free time to do what she’s always wanted.

Millennials are blamed for plenty of things, mostly for never quite growing up and learning how to handle themselves as fully functioning adults. This guy was used to having his parents clean up after him and do the shopping while he was out playing video games with his friends. For this reason, he thought it would make complete sense to welcome his parents at the airport holding a sign with a quick update that the house is “out of cereal.”

Kids bring a lot of light into your life. While it does take some a little while longer to learn where to draw the red line, how to contain their frustration and teach their infants how to behave, at the end of the day, it pays off. This particular mother was struggling to keep her child in check, so she put a leash on him as if he was a dog. When her second son began to imitate his younger brother, she was determined to tame him as well.

Let’s face it, connecting flights can be pretty exhausting. But who can be bothered to lie down on the benches in the waiting areas? They’re so uncomfortable. We have to say that we are really on board with this person taking a nap in the middle of the open space. He’s also clearly got the lighting situation sorted. What’s not to like?!

It’s hard being a mother with a new baby, especially when you have to travel on your own. Sometimes you find you just need a second for someone to take the baby off your hands so you can keep up with the demands of life. This mother found herself juggling more than she could handle while waiting in line at security, and without a second thought, plopped her baby into a security bin.

Riding a motorcycle is certainly an effective way to manage living in a space-starved city. Gone are the constant concerns about finding a parking space large enough to fit your truck. The downside, of course, is that you also forfeit the carrying capacity of a car. When this guy gave his friend a lift from the airport during his visit, he failed to realize what kind of luggage he was carrying. Refusing to submit to convention and safety standards, they found a workaround anyway.

Departures are hard, even if they are not a lengthy amount of time. Saying goodbye to your loved one or family member is, for some people, harder than they realize, and so the process of letting the traveler go can take more time than anticipated. Since there were too many incidents in the past in which people missed their flights due to prolix goodbyes, this particular airport thought of a creative way to jump over the hurdle – by stating how much time couples are allowed to smooch.

When the mask of the Empire comes to Denver for an Imperial convention, it’s always a good idea for his team of personal storm troopers to great him at the airport. It was bad enough he had to fly on a commercial airline while he was waiting for the new Death Star to be completed, but at least he could feel in charge of his own fate once more when he saw his minions gleefully greeting his arrival.

Although it would have been hilarious if the woman of the house had just returned from a top security prison facility and was welcomed by her children and husband in such a manner, we are sad to report this is far from the truth. In actuality, this quirky family wanted to “pay back” their mother for going away on a retreat for a full month and came up with this creative form of revenge. Little did they know the witty mom had something up her sleeve, too.

Airports are basically a gathering spot for people of all kinds. Some might not come off as all that different from you are, but others, especially those who are not accustomed to traveling often, might not realize their doings are not the norm in airports. This elderly lady was making her way to visit her niece for the holidays when she clasped on to the handrail in the escalator to fully support herself. What she didn’t notice, however, was that she created a human traffic jam by doing so.

There seems to be a prevailing attitude around the countries of the Mediterranean that values a zest for life above all else. These passengers may have been bored as they stood in line, waiting to board the plane, however, the security guard responsible for checking passports at the gate was not going to let doing his job get in the way of playing a little game of solitaire. The only issue is that a scrupulous passenger happened to snap his computer screen.

When parents make travel arrangements that include their children, they have a lot to consider, especially with regards to accounting for their sleep cycle. Anyone who’s spent even a short amount of time caring for children knows that letting the little rascals forgo sleep will make for an unpleasant experience for everyone in the general vicinity. That’s why when this girl could no longer fight fatigue, her parents were more than happy to cart her around on top of the carry on suitcase.

These two hipsters considered dedicating their lives to living waste free, however, they accidentally took it one step too far when they decided to forgo their computers in favor of hefty typewriters. Computers might be more environmentally friendly given that they don’t require the use of paper, but each of these millennial writers found themselves far too distracted by their favorite literary web magazine, N+1. Since making the switch, their output has been what they consider to be prolific.

Much like a drawbridge was used as a way to further develop space above the sea, some small islands decided to develop tourism with little regard for the issue of public throughways. Finding no other way to construct an airport without crossing over a main artery, the runway necessarily intersects the boulevard. There have been some mishaps here and there, which has required authorities to be extra vigilant when it comes to keep cars out of the path of landing planes.

Traveling is a marvelous opportunity to open your mind and meet characters you never would have dreamed of encountering in your childhood bubble. That includes meeting men who are dressed up like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, down to the Nikes on his feet. Some may wonder if this man was headed to a Forrest Gump convention, or if passengers simply enjoyed dressing in costumes on Halloween. To complete the look, he should have run to his destination, rather than taking the tram.

Every small-town boy should have a chance to branch out and see the world. Mokie was no different when he left his friends and family for a spiritual journey to the Far East. The east coast of the United States, that is. While he was living it up in the big city, his loved ones back home were eagerly awaiting his return. They missed him so much, they made this cut out of his head, which they lovingly presented Mokie as he walked through the arrivals gate.

Taking a trip with your significant other is often a big step in one’s relationship. It not only becomes quality bonding time for the two of you, but it often teaches you a lot about how your other half lives. If the trip is a success, you may realize that you are with the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. No one begrudges these two young lovebirds, however, there was likely a far more romantic place to propose than baggage claim.

The proliferation of charging stations that offer hordes of people the ability to charge their phone, often while also keeping them secure from would-be thieves has been a godsend for the technology addicted. Even if you’re not attached to your phone at the hip, it is certainly a helpful tool to have when traveling. Some people just like to go against the grain, however, and this person felt it necessary to charge their external hard drive at the airport.

To keep a relationship fresh, it’s good to spice things up with costumes here and there, especially when you’re picking your wife up after a grueling business trip. This man thought showing up dressed like a limo driver with a sign celebrating everything he loved about his wife would boost her mood after being crammed onto a flying metal tube for hours on end. It didn’t matter to him how tousled her hair was, or how wrinkled her clothes got, he still thinks she’s “smokin hot.”

Discovering that your flight has been delayed, or even worse, cancelled, after you’ve already arrived at the airport is a nightmare every traveler seeks to avoid. Some may manage to convince the airline to book them hotel rooms, but that’s a request that is often only granted in the event of an airline’s mistake, rather than a general weather emergency. When these young travelers found themselves grounded, they were the first to source boxes, which allowed them optimal comfort on the airport floor.

Airlines have been dealing with the recent increase in traveling pets in different ways. Some, like Delta, are requiring pet owners to sign a guarantee that their pet is properly trained for air travel. Some airports, however, have realized that it’s as unreasonable to expect a dog to hold it in for 12 hours as it is to expect a human to do the same. Since the installation of doggy bathrooms throughout the airport, the maintenance crews have reported significantly higher job satisfaction.

As if there weren’t enough reasons to be wary of flying in and out of Moscow, seeing the skeleton of Dagestan Airlines Flight 372 as you land at Domodedovo International Airport will definitely make you rethink your decision to fly Aeroflot, even if the price was great. The downed plane suffered an engine failure not long after departing from Vnukovo International Airport. Though the pilot valiantly followed protocol, his emergency landing was performed during a storm of freezing rain, which pushed the plane into the surrounding forest.

There’s such a thing as taking it too far when it comes to printing pictures on personal items. This man was traveling to see his family for the holidays when they excitedly presented him with the below suitcase. They may have thought he’d feel glamorous, but the truth was quite the opposite. Not having the heart to tell them he would have preferred they used anything other than that photo, he used it anyway, as a gesture of gratitude.

This holy sister valiantly subjected herself to the airport’s ludicrous security screening process, as they acted like she must have something hidden in the folds of her robes. Of course, this is the airport’s way of proving to the suspicious public that they do indeed choose random passengers for extra security checks. As anyone who is so dutiful as to become a nun would be, this sister handled the situation with all the dignity she could muster.

Unless you are on a tight schedule and are anxious to get somewhere as soon as possible, having a long layover could be a good opportunity fulfill things you put off. If you did not manage to send that last minute email to your boss or finish that seemingly never-ending chapter of your book, is there a better way to utilize this extra time than tick those things off the to-do list? These guys not only made the best use of their time, but also got a workout out of it.

It is that dreaded moment when you get to the airport only to find out your flight has been delayed, and you are left in complete outrage as to the potential of missing your anticipated vacation. This is when this guy decided to make himself feel right at home rather than wait around in anticipation for when he is going to make it out the airport. Even with the floor not being the most hygienic place to take rest, that did not stop him from getting comfortable.

Planking is the latest trend among youth, who find it hilarious to pretend to be a plank of wood in random places. The mimicking is done in a way in which the person is meant to lie face down, their palms must touch the sides of the body, and the toes need to be in contact with the ground. This girl clearly wanted in on the activity that has taken over her social media account, and she thought the best place to do so would be the luggage carousel.

You sometimes wonder why people are not that into reality television, but then you see this and know why some of America’s reality show concepts are putting people off completely. From the show titled Man Vs Beast, this is a photo taken after producers decided to see who could pull a DC -10 plane faster – an elephant or 44 people little people combined. This stunt became a hit on the internet and, if you did not know already or could guess, viewers watched as the elephant one.

Airlines have many item bans, and for a good reason too. After all, no one wants to have a dangerous weapon on board their flight. These guidelines also include liquids above a certain amount due to the negative impact it has had in the past. Therefore, large snow globes would be considered within this restriction and should, therefore, not be allowed on planes. As for the ban on a durian, a fruit native to southeast Asia, it has been banned because of its sharp smell which penetrates the air.

This guy will have no trouble with hear no evil, speak no evil and see no evil because he has got himself covered on all fronts. You cannot blame a guy for wanting to get comfortable during a flight. Making sure his sleep is not disrupted by noise, smells or light, he has himself all set to go. However, seeing a man wearing a respiratory mask on a flight is not the most common, and perhaps he was hoping not to catch any unwanted airplane germs.

If you have traveled for business before, you are aware of the great importance of shoeshiners at airports. More often than not, these stands are put up for the benefit of businessmen and women who need a quick squeaky clean shine before attending an important meeting. However, the duo seen in the picture below were actually on their way to a convention and hoped to be commended for their cosplay. We just hope the ladies charged for a full-body shine!

Now, here is a picture you do not come across often! This flight went viral on Reddit after it was reported that 80 giant birds were put on a plane. Apparently, transporting falcons in the Middle East is not a rare sight, but actually a pretty common practice. Since the art of Falconry (training birds to hunt) is practiced in the region and has been for thousands of years, it only made sense that the FlyDubai airline would approve of such an odd carriage aboard.

This takes flight for the most outrageous selfie out there. Brazilian pilot, Daniel Centeno, took taking a selfie to new heights, and can you blame him? Anything for the ‘gram after all. Then again, when are most things on Instagram the full story? This, of course, was not real as such a stunt could never be possible. Followers were quick in figuring this one out, but with the beautiful view, his perfectly in-place hair and shiny sunglasses, it makes for one great photoshopped photo. Certainly Instagram worthy.

Sometimes young girls just want to be like what they see in movies. Not quite a Princess with this one, but greeting her loved ones at the airport with a beautifully crafted cardboard message was just what she was going for. She may not have reached an age where she can spell out exactly what she wants to say, but we are sure her grandparents loved it. In true grandparent style, they probably stuck this on the wall to show off to their friends.

You may wonder why parents bring so many onboard games and activities for their children during a flight. After all, you’re just hoping they fall asleep and wake up when the plane is ready to land. Then there is this example which proves that bringing more is certainly the way to go. Anything from an iPad, to coloring books, will do the trick in keeping them entertained because the last thing you want is to find your passport completely covered in drawings like this Chinese man found.

After spending so much time loading and unloading luggage throughout their days, you wouldn’t be surprised if luggage handlers had mastered the art of packing as many suitcases as possible in one go. However, they haven’t yet reached this height, this is an installation that can be found at Sacremento International Airport in Terminal A. The name given to the installation found throughout departures and the baggage claim area is called “Samson”, which is after the biblical strongman.

After a tourist died as a result of a departing jet knocking her off her feet and causing an injury, this sign was posted to warn fellow pedestrians of the dangers. You would like to think that architects building a runway would take into account the need for pedestrians to freely walk when one is made in a small space. However, this was not the case for people near St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana Airport who can easily be too close to the blast of a jet engine.

A hazard of flying is certainly colliding with a fellow sky-dweller, specifically birds. With this in mind, airports have different measures in place to keep birds away from the runway and avoiding a collision as best as possible, especially stopping one from flying into the engines. The Cherry Capital Airport in Michigan came up with a strategy of their own, and have a new staff member – a border collie named Piper. Like other staff members, he has his own uniform and is equipped with ear protection.

This is enough to give anyone anxiety just from looking at the photo. But, fear not, this is not actually what it looks like. Rather, this is photographer Mike Kelly’s way of showing how busy Los Angeles International Airport is. He took a photo of every single plane as it departed the busy transit hub, and used the best 75 photos to make a collage of them altogether. So rather than over 70 planes all taking off at once, this is all photoshops work. The photo is called “Wake Turbulence.”

This would be the dream for any traveler in an airport. Watching two cute penguins make their way through security and prove they are all safe to get on the plane. These two penguins are seasoned performers from Sea World, so were certainly on their best behavior as they proved they too can live that jet-setter lifestyle just like humans. Since they are on their best behavior, their tamer lets them walk freely through security, making a good impression on everyone they meet.

It is not every day that a polar bear is found on the runway and is the reason a plane is prevented from taking off. However, when in Alaska, this can very much be the case. When this polar bear casually wandered onto the tarmac, the plane was made to stay grounded. However, the poor guy must have felt a little loss not surrounded by his usual wilderness, and eventually had to be dosed with tranquilizers before he could be taken back home.

Who doesn’t take advantage of being on someone else’s Facebook profile and posting something of their own? Even if you are baggage handlers who have found a customer’s phone and seen her Facebook is logged in, you are going to go right ahead and post that photo of yourself. That is exactly what these two funny men did, and it would have proved to be a good move since Jasmine would soon learn exactly where she had left her phone.

You are about to come off a plane, feeling tired, hungry and just longing to see your girlfriend and your bed. So, when you come out of arrivals to find your girlfriend standing there and dumping you, it is not the finest moment for anyone to experience. When Britney found that her boyfriend had a selfie stick, she figured this was the last straw in their relationship and felt the need to express it on her cardboard message where a ‘Welcome Home’ would have sufficed.

When coming off a flight, the last thing anyone wants to do is come off to wait a long time for their luggage, nor stress that it may have never arrived. SpainAir wanted to bring that stress down a bit over the holiday period and presented everyone arriving in Las Palmas over Christmas Eve with an early Christmas present. Each was a personally wrapped gift and was sure to put a smile on their passenger’s faces. They get five stars for customer service, that is for sure.

If you ever wish to have a relaxing and quiet sunbathing experience, do not head to Maho Beach in the Dutch controlled portion of St. Martin. This Caribbean beach is in such proximity to the airport, you may sometimes feel that you are sunbathing on the runway. Travelers go there with the purpose to get that epic photo opportunity of an aircraft descending only a small distance over their head and in full view of the camera. We are sure there is a jet blast warning sign on this beach.