An airplane flies over Maho beach as it arrives at Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten. (Josef and Jakob Hoflehner) On Maho Beach, located on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, airplanes soar dangerously close to beachgoers and Austrian father-son photography duo Josef and Jakob Hoflehner captured it all on film. “We have always been fascinated by airplanes, and our projects require travel by plane on a fairly regular basis,” Josef Hofleher told weather.com. “For all projects, we are...

Perfectly situated in the middle of the passage this giant calcite stal boss makes a huge statement. Dwarfed by it's sheer size, Hong Meigui team member; Matt Ryan can only look up in amazement. This is one of many gigantic formations in San Wang Dong. (Robbie Shone) More people have been to the moon than to some of the caves Robbie Shone has photographed. His passion is showing people above ground what lies secretly beneath the earth's surface. "I'm obsessed...

Airplane manufacturer Airbus wanted to find out how the extremely wealthy like to travel when they head out to lavish destinations for the summer. The company concluded that Middle Eastern oil magnates and Chinese industry leaders prefer to travel in style on jumbo jets. (PHOTOS: Scariest Runways On Earth) Sorry, millionaires, what you’ll see in the video above may just be out of your price range. We’re talking ultra luxury, which translates to the obscenely rich traveling in groups totaling...

Inside the Essex County Jail Annex in North Caldwell, N.J. (Matthew Christopher) Essex County Jail Annex in North Caldwell, N.J., which housed inmates for 132 years, now lies crumbling after it was abandoned for a new facility in 2004. Photographer and urban explorer Matthew Christopher visited the decrepit Victorian-style jail to document what the building, which was built in 1872, looks like now. (MORE: Trapped Behind Bars: 9 Crumbling Prisons to Tour (PHOTOS)) “The building was badly deteriorated in some...

An abandoned building. Photographer Seph Lawless has documented the modern ruins and decaying, abandoned buildings in Cleveland, East Cleveland and the northern Ohio area. (Seph Lawless) Most travel photographers aim to capture cities with with beautiful images of sun-drenched landscapes or majestic skylines. Photographer Seph Lawless(a pseudonym) prefers to explore the darker corners of cities and document the "poor, abandoned and forgotten" places of America. The slideshow above collects his photos of abandoned schools, asylums, hospitals and houses from Cleveland,...

Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic When most people feel the need to escape crowds or the distractions of technology, they head to the mountains or fly to a tropical island. But some people want to truly get away from it all, away from coffee shops and an Internet connection. Those adventurers may want to check out these 10 remote — but beautiful — locations. Not only do they offer stunning views and spectacular landscapes, they also offer the tranquility of...

Since 1975, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has named more than 900 sites forming part of the cultural and natural heritageand considered as "having outstanding universal value." From the wild of East Africa's Serengeti to the archaeologicalsites of Angkor, the World Heritage List spotlights the planet's most beautiful places. In a conference in Qatar, which began on June 15, UNESCO named new World Heritage Sites around the world, including one in the United States — the Monumental...

'Divine Makeover.' Kaveripattinam, Tamilnadu, India. (Mahesh Balasubramanian/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) From the spectacular Northern Lights in Southern Iceland to San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge shrouded in fog, entries from the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest features incredible images from around the world. National Geographic Traveler’s annual photo contest offers photographers the chance to win an eight-day National Geographic Expedition to Alaska for two. (MORE: Dusk to Dawn: Amazing Photos of Cities at Night) Photographers’ submissions are aimed to...

European ruins in an unknown location. Photographer refuses to disclose locations of the images she takes. (Pati Makoska/Caters News Agency) Europe is dotted with majestic buildings with intricate architecture and interiors that recall a time of grandeur. Many of these buildings still attract tourists from all over, but some have been abandoned, exposed to the elements and left to crumble in ruins. Pati Makoska, a history teacher from Warsaw, Poland, decided to capture the beauty in decay with her photographs...

'Lenticular Sunset in Iceland' (Eric Hines) When photographer Eric Hines first delved into camerawork it wasn’t until he discovered timelapse that his interest in photography “skyrocketed.” Hines, who is from Indiana, shot his first timelapse piece out in Wyoming and from there he began to explore more parts of the country through the technique. A majority of the photos featured in the slideshow above are single frames from Hines’ timelapses. Finding interesting and rare locations is very important to Hines,...

Tropical Islands Resort, Germany Visitors swim in the lagoon at the Tropical Islands Resort, Feb. 15, 2013, in Krausnick, Brandenburg, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) In the middle of a searing summer, indoor water parks can serve as oases to those looking for a refreshing, water-filled getaway. At these amazing indoor water parks around the world, guests can splash, surf, slide and spa all-year round, and enjoy everything from wave pools and super loops to tipping buckets and thermal baths. Opened...

1. Northern Lights, North America The Northern Lights was named the best sight to see from a plane. Captain Dave Willsher of British Airways says the northern lights (here seen in Alaska), which can be seen on North American flights, is 'well worth staying up for.' (Greg A. Syverson/Getty Images) From above, you can get a different perspective of the world — a new way at seeing a natural wonder or a sprawling city. Pilots, not surprisingly, get the most...

The Dead Sea A picture taken on Feb. 8, 2014 near Ein Gedi, in Israel shows the Dead Sea shoreline shaped by the decline in water levels as a result of the drying up. (THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images) The Greek philosopher Heraclitusonce said, "Nothing is permanent except change," and from a look at societies around the world, this adage seems to be true. The world around us is changing all the time, from climate change transforming the natural landscape, to growing...