The wonders of the modern world define our travels. Whether we admit it or not, there's something heroic about standing on top of the Great Wall of China or hiking up to the crest above Machu Pichu for the trademark photograph. It's those photos that fuel our travels and that convince our friends and families to make the same trips. It's also those photos that define our perceptions of a destination and, in a way, cloud them.

What's missing in most destination photos, though, is context. The Taj Mahal is a celebration of architecture and beauty in northern India, but the surrounding neighborhoods have developed an economy that is known for taking advantage of tourists. The Mona Lisa, shown above, is often buried by eager tourists.

To illustrate this contrast we put together a series of destination images before and after – as we see them on postcards and then in real life. At worst, the photos show how crowded and hectic some of the world's destinations can sometimes be. But we prefer to think of them in a different light: they're the destinations in real life, complete with tourist, busker and hawker. In a way, it's a more complete story.

Next: The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France >>

[flickr image via thms.nl]

Filed under: Europe, France