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The joy of travel is in the discovery. However, in these days of Tripadvisor, Instagram and Google maps, the magic of the unexpected has been diminished somewhat; we seem to want to find exactly what we are looking for, rather than simply bask in the newness of it all.

There is a certain kind of traveler that takes this concept to the extreme, and would probably be happier just staying at home. You'll find them in English pubs up and down the Spanish Costas, red as lobsters, tucking into egg and chips and complaining about the lack of Marmite or baked beans, or some other obscure product from the U.K.

Then there are the Instagram hordes who saw a heavily filtered picture of an iconic attraction and join a huge crowd of people with selfie sticks, jostling to get that exact same shot. Hardly the breathtaking and romantic experience you had in mind, was it? When reality fails to match expectations, based on the promise of home comforts or unrealistic Instagram images, people get disappointed and make ridiculous complaints.

These vacation complaints, made to real travel agents and tour companies and based on a Thomas Cook/ABTA survey, are so absurd that it's hard to believe that they are real. Spanish people speaking Spanish in Spain? The brochure didn't tell us it would be like that! Why is the sand yellow? I expected white sand!

I guess the lesson to take from all the disappoint and ridiculousness is this: Travel without expectations, and accept that the world doesn't exist simply to cater to your comforts and photography needs.  Go with an open mind to discover, experience and learn!

Scroll down below to see the list for yourself, and tell your travel stories in the comments!

#1

Funny-Customer-Travel-Complaints

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kaisu-reinikainen avatar
Kaisu
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This can't possibly be real, no one can actually be this stupid

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But are we getting more picky about our holidays? How are people's travel habits changing? Let's take a look at the ways that technology and modern life have affected the ways we choose to spend our time off.

We travel more frequently but for shorter durations: "The Office for National Statistics in the UK conducted a survey called the International Passenger Survey in 1996 and 2016 to uncover the biggest changes in the travel habits between the 1990s and now – that’s a 20-year study," Drifter Planet writes.

"The results show that Brits are now going on more holidays than before. In 2016 they went on more than 45 million holidays abroad, compared to only 27 million in 1996, an overall rise of 68%. But despite this, holidays are becoming shorter, proving to be one of the biggest changes we’ve seen over the years marking a huge decline of two week holidays. A week-long break is now much more popular than ever before and there’s been an increase in holidays lasting up to 10 nights."

With budget airlines making the citybreak a more affordable option, it's no surprise that people are exploring their own continent more, rather than save it all for one big summer trip. It keeps you fresh to get frequent little escapes from work and daily life, rather than waiting almost a whole year for the summer to come around again!

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#3

Funny-Customer-Travel-Complaints

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markymarkandthefunkybunch avatar
michaelkooris avatar
Michael Kooris
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The children were scared?! The poor fish have been receiving therapy since!

catmarshall57 avatar
emory_ce avatar
Carol Emory
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well of course they were scared encountering the resident of the home you invaded.

sb256003 avatar
Stevie B
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Shhhh! don't tell them about the the other marine life, bacteria, trash, pollution, etc....

smileyrie avatar
Smiley Rie
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine if they realised there are bacteria & fish digestive excretion in the water lol - they'd never go in it again (which would be a relief for the fish)

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vikrant-talponkar avatar
Vic
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seriously, what's with all the fish in the waters? Show off!! Why can't they just walk on land like the rest of us!!

marc_ocallaghan avatar
Marc O'Callaghan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They must be the kind of people who think bottled milk grows on trees

lilskittleme avatar
Molly E
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They probably didn't think they had to. They obviously never met these people.

mssusanmarie2013 avatar
Susan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My first thought was that this couldn't be real, but then I remembered the news story about the woman who called 911 because there was a whale next to their boat.

anonymous_8 avatar
Anonymous
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

uh where would the fish be if not in the water, on your dinner plate?

mirzaheen avatar
Zaheen Muhammad
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well yeah, apologies, but the fish can get thirsty and greedy at times!

jaybird3939 avatar
Janine Randall
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if they realize how chicken and beef get in to those plastic wrapped packages?

chrissprucefield avatar
Chris Sprucefield
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just fish? You are lucky! You would be REALLY scared then if I told you what else there is in the water...

richardliu_1 avatar
Richard Liu
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I dot find it stupid at all since they didn’t specify what kind of situation these tourists are facing. It is highly possible that they’re just shocked by “Fish Spa Therapy” without knowing that before they put their feet in the sprinkling warm water. It happened a lot in Asian people.

annmaunder123 avatar
Ann Maunder
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hahaha. Embarrassed to say I experienced this once when in Portugal, looked into the water with our sons snorkel and screamed when I realised there were fish round my feet duh!

mikep23 avatar
Mike Procaccini
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know right?!!! No one told us there would be birds in the sky when we went skydiving either!!!!

sally_hudd avatar
Sally Hudd
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There really aught to be a test of some kind prior to people being allowed to breed.

welcow0521 avatar
Kristina Cowan
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry, the fish somehow climbed down from the trees and got in the water, it won't happen again, ma'am, we promise!

dario_agrillo avatar
Dario Agrillo
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't worry... It will still last just a couple of years more... :/

diana4words avatar
Diana Crawford
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

NO more limited thinking parents ever. This is way some travelers are called dirty thinkers....now we have children scared for life of fish in water.

pmnovack avatar
Kanga9ine
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let's blame a teacher. After all, they should have potty trained your kid, taught manners and respect and OMG they forgot to warn kids there are fish in water. They must have figured the kid would have seen that with the aquarium in class that they supply the fish for. God help us when sex enters the picture. More kids even dumber than their parents. Jeez. Death is on you to explain.

wll_leitz avatar
Wlle Leitz
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My visit to Vancouver, asked the locals - Hay, what time does the Ocean close.........

anngam1043 avatar
Annamay
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was the water in the bathtub? If not, it's part of the adventure.

nikki_16 avatar
Nikki
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

okay, this i can sort of question a bit. like, if it's waters that shouldn't contain fish, like a pool then yeah, why? but if it's some body of water that CLEARLY has fish, shame on you

annielaurie avatar
AnnieLaurie Burke
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

F'God's sake, be sure not to take them to South Africa or Tanzania! If fish scare them, what will they do when a lion opens the door of your safari bus?

412356 avatar
Reee
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, I'm sorry, It seems to me you're saying that your children belong in the water more than the fish?

idrow avatar
Id row
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I want to meet this person. I want to shake them by their shoulders and scream Sam Kinnison style in their face, asking them where tf they thought fish lived.

vt_shinomi avatar
Shinomi Chan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well no one told me there would be people outside and I'm absolutely f*****g terrified.

debrinablackmoon_1 avatar
Debrina Blackmoon
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

marmitejim avatar
marmitejim
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If your kids are scared of fish then that's all on the parents, you're not doing a very good job.

edsouza avatar
Ed Souza
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Typical a-hole parents that think the world revolves around them.

ievaomer avatar
Ieva Nura
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well it's out of contexts actually. Maybe there was fish in a pool :D

kaisu-reinikainen avatar
dariab_1 avatar
Daria B
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't put us all in the same basket. I'm a city person too (not a metropolis, though, eheheh), but my city is by the sea and I've witnessed lots of fish and crabs, and all kinds of life underwater. ♥

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mollyloveswayne avatar
Molly Block
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Surely they meant, "Jellyfish?" As in a migration of them?

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Active holidays are on the rise: As people are becoming more health conscious, so are wellness holidays becoming more popular. Instead of letting it all go with booze and food while away, people are seeking to recharge, repair, and have more of a fitness-oriented break. Things like Ayurveda, Yoga, reiki, body detox, spa and meditation holidays have all seen a huge spike in interest, while classics like hiking, camping and cycling are as popular as they ever were.

Conversely, the old 18-35, contiki tour classics are on the wane, which many people would see as a good thing. While there are still plenty of resort options if you want to get wasted, sunburned and laid, it doesn't quite seem to have the same appeal to the younger generation as it did for us oldies. Maybe kids these days are just more sensible, introverted, health and image conscious to get into wild drunken brawls on the streets of Benidorm or Ayia Napa.

#4

Funny-Customer-Travel-Complaints

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james_fox1984 avatar
Foxxy
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your husband is probably making the person bathing topless uncomfortable. It should not be allowed to ogle.

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Social media's effects: Back in the old days, you'd arrive at your destination with maybe a guide book, a map and some interesting new banknotes. These days, we've seen photos of everything, read all the restaurant reviews, know which attractions we want to photo ourselves, as well as the funky 'hidden' bars and hangouts. We all find these things in the same place: Google. 'Top 10 things you must see in Porto' leads tourists to the same few places in the city, all busy instagramming away and trying to keep the crowds out of their image.

If somewhere happens to be particularly popular on Instagram, it will be packed with people trying to get that 'money shot,' rather than simply enjoying the aura of the place. The tumbling, colorful buildings of Cinque Terre; the strikingly blue streets of Chefchaouen, the sun setting over the pyramids of Giza... we've all seen these iconic images in gorgeous photos, and we want to take those exact same photos. Perhaps it has always been that way, but Instagram has definitely 'influenced' the way we travel.

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#9

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vikrant-talponkar avatar
Vic
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a Goan, I apologise for this obviously forsee able error. Next time we'll suck the spices out, before we serve you gravy!

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Kwj
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like someone has "sniffed" too much hairdye chemicals already :O

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#16

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#19

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dhejno avatar
Rowlie
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would have solved it by pushing them into the water to wait for boat's arrival

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#21

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Foxxy
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You would hate it in Australia. Shops open 9am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday except late night shopping one day a week, which finishes at 9 pm. Saturday is 9-5 and Sunday is 11-5. Although supermarkets are open from 7 am - 9pm mon to fri.

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