How much is the cab fare for a quick tour around Australia?
Travel may broaden the mind for some, but for others it appears to turn their brains to mush.
An Australian tour operator has revealed some of the stupid questions asked by tourists as they planned trips to Australia and New Zealand.
They range from the bizarre to the plain ludicrous.
One couple asked if they could have a room with a sea view when they stayed at Uluru, or Ayers Rock - apparently unaware that it sits in the middle of the desert, 700km from the nearest beach.
According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, a Japanese couple who arrived at Sydney's airport hailed a cab and asked to be given a quick driving tour around Australia.
Among the requests to have bewildered staff of the travel company, Australian Pacific Touring were: 'Where can I see hobbits in New Zealand?' and 'Do they have a bridge so we can drive out to the Great Barrier Reef?'
Many of the queries revolved around a shaky grasp of Australasian geography.
An American tourist asked if it would be possible to take a coach tour from Australia to New Zealand, presumably in some sort of amphibious vehicle.
Another visitor hoped to pick up a motor home in Auckland and drop it off in Darwin, despite the fact that the two destinations are separated by several thousand kilometres of the South Pacific Ocean.
One particularly befuddled tourist asked: 'Can you please take me around the date line, rather than over it, as it makes it a bit too confusing to calculate my arrival date?'
Others assumed they needed a passport to visit Tasmania, Australia's island state.
Travellers to Australia and New Zealand by no means have a monopoly on asking stupid questions, The Daily Telegraph reported. Among the strange comments made to tour operators in other parts of the world were gems such as: 'No one told us there would be fish in the sea - the children were startled.'