10 Fantasy Transportation Systems We're Glad Don't Exist & 10 We Wish That Did
Too Fun Or Too Dangerous?
High fantasy worlds love a strange way to travel. Sometimes it’s a spell, sometimes it’s a creature, and sometimes it’s an old object that really should’ve come with clearer instructions. These systems are fun because they make distance feel less boring, whether someone’s crossing a kingdom, slipping into another world, or rushing to a castle before something awful happens. They’re also a good reminder that faster doesn’t always mean better, especially when the route involves demons, cursed places, or a giant animal that doesn’t care about your schedule. Here are 20 fantasy transportation systems, starting with the ones we’re glad aren’t real, then moving into the ones we’d love to try if someone made them safe.
1. Apparition From Harry Potter
Apparition lets witches and wizards vanish from one place and appear somewhere else. That sounds useful, but it’s hard magic to learn, and anyone who does it wrong can get Splinched, which means part of them ends up in the wrong place. We’ll take the long walk over that kind of travel problem.
2. Portkeys From Harry Potter
Portkeys are enchanted objects that can carry anyone touching them to a set destination, often at a set time. They’re useful for moving groups, but the ride is uncomfortable, and the idea depends on trusting the object completely. Picking up an old boot and suddenly landing somewhere else doesn’t feel like a normal travel plan.
3. Sandworm Riding From Dune
Dune's sandworm riding is one of the most unforgettable ways to travel in fantasy-leaning sci-fi. It matters deeply to the people of Arrakis, and riders use special hooks to control the giant desert creatures. As a normal way to get around, though, calling a massive sandworm still feels like a lot for a quick trip.
Mid-journey, edited in Photoshop on Wikimedia
4. The Ways From The Wheel Of Time
The Ways were made so people could cross long distances through special gates. Over time, they became dark, dangerous, and tied to Machin Shin, the Black Wind. A shortcut loses a lot of charm when travelers are only using it because the regular roads are even worse.
5. The Magic Rings From Narnia
The magic rings in The Magician’s Nephew can move people between worlds through the Wood Between the Worlds. That’s a huge power for something small enough to hold in your hand. Since the rings help send Digory and Polly to Charn, they’re a little too risky for casual travel.
6. The Wardrobe From Narnia
The wardrobe that leads to Narnia is one of fantasy’s most famous portals. It’s magical, beautiful, and completely unreliable as transportation. That said, a doorway that sometimes opens into another world would be very stressful in real life.
7. Dragon Riding From Game Of Thrones
Dragon riding looks powerful because, well, it is. Daenerys rides Drogon, and dragonriders have a huge advantage in the air, especially during war. As daily transportation, though, flying on a fire-breathing animal with that much power feels like a bad experience for everyone else.
8. The Dark Portal From World Of Warcraft
The Dark Portal connects Azeroth and Draenor, which makes it one of the most important gateways in Warcraft’s world. It’s also tied to invasion and war, so it’s not exactly the kind of portal anyone would want near a city.
9. Oblivion Gates From The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Oblivion Gates open paths into the Deadlands, the plane of Mehrunes Dagon. In the game, they’re tied to the Daedric invasion and a world-level crisis. That puts them firmly in the “absolutely not” category, even for people who usually enjoy a little fantasy danger.
Photography Maghradze PH on Pexels
10. Eluvians From Dragon Age
Eluvians are ancient magical mirrors that can work as portals across great distances. While their ties to lost elven magic is fascinating, they're not necessarily something we'd love to have in our homes. A mirror you can step through sounds cool until someone else steps through first.
1. The Floo Network From Harry Potter
The Floo Network connects fireplaces so witches and wizards can travel using Floo powder. It’s not the most graceful ride, and it can be uncomfortable, but it’s safer than Apparition and useful for children, older people, and anyone who can’t travel another way.
2. Oathgates From The Stormlight Archive
Oathgates are huge magical gateways that can move people across long distances. They’re tied to ancient magic, so they don’t feel like something anyone should be using casually or without rules. As a safe travel system, though, they’d make city-to-city trips so much easier.
3. Broomsticks From Harry Potter
Broomsticks are used for transportation in the wizarding world, and they’re also part of Quidditch. They’d need rules, training, and good weather limits, but the appeal is easy to understand. A quick solo flight across town would make errands feel a lot less dull.
4. Howl’s Magic Door From Howl’s Moving Castle
Howl’s Castle has a door that can open to different places depending on how the colored dial is set. That’s a neat bit of magic, especially compared with the usual fantasy options that involve danger, mud, or monsters. A door that lets you step into another location would be incredibly useful, as long as everyone remembered to check the dial first.
5. The Great Eagles From The Lord Of The Rings
The Great Eagles aren’t everyday taxis, and Middle-earth would be worse if people treated them that way. Even so, they’re incredible when they do carry someone, especially in moments of real danger. We wouldn’t expect regular service, but an emergency eagle pickup would be hard to beat.
6. Flight Masters From World Of Warcraft
Flight Masters let players travel along known routes once they’ve found the right flight paths. It’s not instant, but that’s part of what makes it pleasant. You pay a small fee, hop on a flying mount, and actually get to watch the world pass below.
7. Aetherytes From Final Fantasy XIV
Aetherytes are large crystals that let adventurers travel great distances once they’ve attuned to them. They make fast travel feel useful without removing the need to discover places first. A real version would make errands, visits, and long trips much easier.
8. Silt Striders From Morrowind
Silt Striders are huge insect-like creatures used to carry travelers between settlements on Vvardenfell. They’re strange, practical, and perfectly suited to the world around them.
9. Wayshrines From The Elder Scrolls Online
Wayshrines let players fast travel once they’ve discovered them. Traveling from one wayshrine to another is free, while jumping to one from the wilderness costs gold. That’s a fair system, and it would make real-world travel much easier without making every trip feel effortless.
Behnam Mohsenzadeh on Unsplash
10. Teleportation Circles From Dungeons & Dragons
Teleportation circles link a caster’s location to a permanent circle whose sigil sequence they know. The portal only stays open briefly, so it rewards planning instead of careless jumping around. As fantasy travel goes, a controlled circle with known destinations sounds like one of the safer magical options.
