Ronan O'Connell

ABOUT THE BOOK

Many travelers visit the world’s most famous landmarks to check a bucket list box or take a selfie, but don’t even realize they are standing on the site of a revolution, a supernatural legend, or a dark secret. Visitors may think they know enough about favorite destinations, but in many cases, there’s more than meets the eye—or the guidebook. 

Curated by the relentlessly curious travel journalist and National Geographic contributor Ronan O’Connell, Hidden in Plain Sight is a photographic tour of the world’s most popular landmarks, showcasing the most intriguing, mystifying, and jaw-dropping stories about them. 

Travel, and visiting global landmarks, gives us more than a great memory and an eye-catching Instagram post; it allows us to gain a greater understanding of a country’s history, art, religion, and culture. Ronan takes us to more than 20 popular landmarks to share the secret stories we may have missed, including:

• The Edinburgh Castle, where a supernatural stone (most recently incorporated into King Charles’s coronation ceremony) resides.
• The Berlin Wall, where MLK Jr. quietly passed across its border under the dark of night.
• Amsterdam’s Dam Square, where tourists stroll at the spot “witches” were once burned at the stake.
• Bali’s Uluwatu Temple, which overlooks a sea of demons in the Indian Ocean.

“Hidden in plain sight” is a philosophy about how we see (and don’t see) the world. Many of us visit places without ever knowing the complex and compelling secrets they hold. Even the most photographed landmarks have stories that go unexplored, and fascinating facts that must be untangled from folklore and superstition. 

Through over 150 gorgeous photographs and meticulously researched history, Ronan shares the stories you wish tour guides would tell. This beautifully presented book will make history lovers, globetrotters, and armchair travelers see well-trodden destinations in a fresh light.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ronan O’Connell is a regular contributor to National Geographic and a former columnist for National Geographic Magazine. A travel journalist and photographer with 22 years of experience, Ronan writes and shoots for major media outlets across the world and has visited more than 60 countries in pursuit of intriguing and compelling stories. He has also contributed stories and photography to CNN, BBC, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, The Guardian, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Toronto Star, Forbes, and more.

TALKING POINTS

• Even the world’s most photographed landmarks hold secrets and untold stories
• “Hidden in plain sight” as a philosophy about how we see the world
• What separates sightseeing from true discovery; the difference between curiosity-based travel and consumption-based travel 
• What travel journalism taught Ronan about exploration, curiosity, and understanding
• Why some of the most fascinating cultural stories often go untold or unbelieved
• How iconic destinations shape cultural memory
• Fact, folklore, and mystery in the age of the smartphone and influencers
• How myth, superstition, and religion have shaped real political and cultural events

March

• World Wildlife Day – 3
• Global Day of Unplugging – 6
• World Storytelling Day – 20
• International Day of Forests – 21

April

• International Day for Monuments and Sites – 18
• Earth Day – 22
• World Book Day – 23

May

• National Photography Month
• National Travel and Tourism Week – 3-9
• International Museum Day – 18
• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development – 21

June

• Great Outdoors Month
• World Environment Day – 5
• World Oceans Day – 8
• Nature Photography Day – 15

July

• World Nature Conservation Day – 28
• International Day of Friendship – 30

August

• National Photography Day – 19