WARNING: The further down this list you get, the more likely you are to be offended. (But only if you don’t appreciate history, foreign languages and an occasional juvenile giggle).
Everyone’s got a travel bucket-list, but have you ever considered going somewhere purely because of its name? If so, may we recommend some of the following places around the globe – your friends will never believe some of them even exist.
Let’s just hope the locals have a good sense of humour.
Boring, Oregon, USA
Dull, Scotland (In 2012, Dull, Scotland was officially twinned with Boring, Oregon. Perfect.)
No Name, Colorado, USA
Why, Arizona, USA
Whynot, North Carolina, USA
Eek, Alaska, USA
Fear Not, Pennsylvania, USA
Who’s Thought It, Texas, USA
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, USA
My Large Intestine, Texas, USA
Westward Ho!, Devon, England
Beer Bottle Crossing, Idaho, USA
Beer, Devon, England
Batman, Turkey
Happy Adventure, Newfoundland, Canada
Rest and Be Thankful, Argyll and Butte, Scotland
Climax, Pennsylvania, USA
Disco, Tennessee, USA
Surprise, Arizona, USA
Executive Committee Range, Antartica
Honourable mention:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales (See below if you want to hear how it’s actually pronounced.)
Dismal, Tennessee, USA
Arsenic Tubs, New Mexico, USA
River Styx, Ohio, USA
Bumpass, Virginia, USA
Innaloo, WA, Australia
Disappointment Islands, French Polynesia
Humptulips, Washington, USA
Intercourse, Pennsylvania, USA (Not getting any? Less than 13 kilometres away is the town of Blue Ball.)
Pee Pee Township, Ohio, USA
Poopoo, Hawaii, USA
Anus, France
Backside, Scotland
Hell, Norway (and Michigan, USA)
Moron, Argentina
Satan’s Kingdom, Massachusetts, USA
Foggy Bottom, Washington DC, USA
Useless Inlet, WA, Australia
Wetwang, England
Sandy Balls, England
Titty Ho, England
Longdong, China
Three Cocks, Wales
Middelfart, Denmark
Honourable mention:
Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, USA (If we tell you this place is just a few kilometres outside of Punxsutawney, does that ring any bells? It’s the site of the annual Groundhog Day tradition, when weather-predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, predicts if spring is imminent, or if there’s going to be six more weeks of winter. It happens on February 2 every year. Can’t make it? Just watch the Bill Murray film instead!)
We thought some of these merited a bit more of an explanation!
Dildo, Newfoundland, Canada (The person who gave this places its name? One Captain James Cook, who mapped out Newfoundland. He apparently had a thing for choosing ‘humorous’ names, and this one is no exception. He named it after a phallic-shaped wooden pin on a row boat.)
Twatt, Scotland (There are two Twatts in Scotland, one on the Orkney Islands and another on the Shetland Islands. Their name stems from an Old Norse word meaning ‘small parcel of land’.)
Muff, Ireland (Cue obvious jokes. We’re not sure how this place got its name, but we can tell you it has a festival every August where you can compete in events such as the glamorous granny, wife-carrying or lorry-pulling competitions.)
Whiskey Dick Mountain, Washington State, USA (We couldn’t find the origins of this place, but can only assume it was named after a man called Richard who liked a wee dram or two.)
Sexmoan, Philippines (Back in the day, Spanish friars mispronounced the town’s name, Sasmuan, and the naughty new name stuck. Until the ’90s, anyway – it actually reverted to Sasmuan in 1991.)
Bell End, England (This term is pretty much only used in the UK, but you definitely wouldn’t want to have to use these words in refined company, even if it was to just tell someone where you lived!)
Dick Peaks, Nipple Peak, Mount Cocks and Shagnasty Island, Antarctica (Seriously, who is naming these places?)
Obviously this is just a language thing and means something completely different and inoffensive in Germany, where this town is located, but we don’t even want to contemplate what locals call themselves here.
This town is about 40km north of Salzburg in Austria and tried – unsuccessfully – to change its 800-year-old name a few years ago. The locals, fed up with people nicking their town signs, have installed theft-resistant signs and CCTV cameras, so don’t even think about a ‘souvenir’.