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40 Of The Weirdest And Funniest Travel Experiences People Shared For Fallon’s #TravelFail Challenge
Many things can go wrong when traveling. From overpriced airport snacks and an upset stomach, to realizing your Airbnb looks nothing like the photos and getting scammed at a tourist trap, nobody’s immune to failure when out and about somewhere abroad.
So when Jimmy Fallon announced another iconic “Hashtags Time!” asking people to describe their weirdest and funniest travel experiences, it hit close to home for many people out there. Jimmy himself wrote that “I was on a long trip with three transfers and was somehow next to a crying baby on every single flight,” which made me relate so much. In fact, when I board the plane and spot a baby on board, I know this is where my place is.
Scroll down through some of the most hilarious travel failures people endured and shared for the #TravelFail challenge.
Image credits: jimmyfallon
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To find out some tips for getting the most out of traveling, we spoke with Lillie Marshall, traveler, teacher, writer, and artist from Boston. You can call Lillie a serial traveler, with a solo trip around the world and countless trips stretching around 7 continents. She also traveled with a toddler, and despite having a family, she still relishes solo travel. Check out her adventures and lifestyle tips on AroundTheWorldL.com Travel and Life Blog.
It's no secret that often things go against the plan while traveling, but Lillie says it’s vital to embrace the adage, "The journey is the destination." “Flight get delayed? See that as part of the adventure and story!” she laughed. If you’re new to traveling, there are some common things you should know about. “A big mistake I've seen is trying to pack in too many things in too short a time. Go slow, don't try to do 15 sights in one day, and build in time for naps, reading, relaxing art, and just wandering.”
And even if they were the effing Beach Boys, they still had no right to cut into the line.
As someone who once bombed a job interview by saying something easily misunderstood, I can totally see this happening.
When asked whether people are getting more experienced in traveling and therefore are less prone to failure, Lillie said that “nowadays people aren't necessarily more experienced, but the internet has changed everything by giving us more background knowledge and the ability to look up maps and tips with the click of a button.”“Solo traveling is THE BEST,” Lillie argues. “My favorite tip about it is that it doesn't have to stop even after you're married and have kids! The 'Momcations' I've taken alone since giving birth have been some of the best travel experiences I've had,” she concluded.
Ha ha it's a very common joke but it still makes me laugh. One evening the pilot said "look at the wonderful sunrise" and everybody freaked out. I talked to him afterwards and he said sadly "everybody missed the joke".
The traveler duo thinks the best way to learn about unbeaten paths is by simply exploring. "Ditch the hop-on-hop-off options and grab a city map (or just use digital maps on your phone) and go on an adventure. It's perfectly okay to want to see popular attractions but travel between them on foot if possible. It's the curious sights in-between that are so much more interesting and unusual. A cute family-run bistro, an obscure century-old shop, a friendly local with a story to tell," the wife and husband explained in a previous interview.
My mom put on her Facebook she's the mother of 3 wonderful boys... Must have mistaken her middle child is a female since birth
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o/ Middle child here. My parents did that to me, leaving their friends house. I stood in the picture window in the living room, waving forlornly to the car as they drove away down the long driveway. I have no memory of how long it took them to remember to turn back for me. There were 6 of us kids.
There’s 6 kids in our family and none of us were ver forgotten
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In my early 20s, my grandfather had just died and my grandma got us all tickets to fly to AZ for the funeral. I arrived at the airport and waited for my parents and sister to arrive so we could all go through together. I didn't have the ticket and assumed my parents did. A literal hour passes. The plane has been long gone. I'm absolutely hysterical, already distraught over my grandfather's death, and it's raining heavily, so I'm concerned they've been in a wreck on their way to MSP. I finally start calling highway patrol, from a pay phone because it was 2001. I'm not getting anywhere. I'm sobbing by this point, and as I hang up the phone, I look up to see freaking George Clinton and his companion *staring* at me. It was so surreal. I finally get ahold of my aunt, who says my family arrived twenty minutes earlier. They had gone through ticketing and to the gate without me, assuming I never showed up at the airport. Didn't even try the paging system. I'm still absolutely livid about it.
I would be, too. Holy crap. And you had to look at Bill Clinton, too! (But seriously - this is an example about how cellphones are not actually made by the devil)
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When I was little - maybe 5 or 6ish, my parents left me at the grocery store. They always let me go on the toy aisle and look while they shopped. (It was the early '60s) We knew all of the people that worked there pretty well. I got done looking at the toys and walked up to the front of the store and the workers instantly realized that my parents had left without me. Meanwhile they got home and walked into the house and my older sister asked where I was... (I am the youngest of three)
How many kids do they have that they didn't realize they'd forgotten one? I worked as a nanny for numerous families, and the most was 7 kids. I think six was the limit where it wasn't immediately obvious one was missing. But five or less, you can look without counting and see that one whole child is gone.
You should have thwarted a plan of two bumbling criminals before they came back.
Definitely sounds like someone was a middle child, I know cause I am a middle child. My parents forgot me twice, once at school when I was a kid and the other time I was adult going on a family trip. Lol middle child love
I can really only imagine this happening if there were multiple cars and everybody assuming the kid was in the other one.
And when you got there you realised you'd left your wallet on the dresser.
At least it was only for breakfast. She could have been left Home Alone while the rest of the family went to Paris.
That's simply on all the people who were bothered but didn't say anything.
Lol I've been skunked a few times as I live in the country on a farm and do my own critter removal. Nothing truly gets rid of that smell except time. Tomato juice with cut potatoes is something I've heard works. Vinegar is another. I just showered a bunch and used lotions and sprays.
And that's why so many people are objecting against the massive touchscreens in cars that you even need to turn down the volume of the radio or control the airco.
Again, always bring emergency clothes in the carry on. This goes double if you have a baby
Avoiding the spew and getting to ride in the cockpit.. I say that is a travel win. :)
I almost missed my flight back from my DC trip in 7th grade bc I had pins in my leg and set off the metal detectors... my teacher yelled at me and left me behind as I was being physically patted down and swabbed. I would love for her to know what a s**t person she is. Had to run crying thru an airport looking for them.
I got a similar reaction from a lady in a Range Rover driving on the motorway at night, in the outside lane, with no lights on. I flashed my lights at her and even turned my own lights off and on again and got the fingers for my trouble. What annoys me most is that she would likely do more damage to whatever she hit than her own car.
i can't imagine why anyone thought that a midwest to arizona bus ride with the whoooole family would be a good idea. I'd rather be in the luggage bins or on the roof
I was on a 2-day trip with my friends, the first day we went hicking and it started to rain heavily. In time we got soacked even through the raincoats and when we arrived at the hotel, the shops were already closed, so we all blew dried our underwear. So I ask, if you have never blow dried your underwear in a hotel room, have you even lived?
Technically, all hotels in Tokyo are Japanese hotels... I know, I will show myself the way out.
I was on a flight out of London's Heathrow to Los Angeles when there was loud bang and the plane shuddered then levelled off. Then the pilot made an announcement that they had lost an engine but couldn't return to land right away because the plane was full of fuel and too heavy to land. So we spent an hour circling farmlands with fuel spewing out of the wings. Longest hour of my life...
Not a true story. Flight attendant here. Absolutely illegal to have a passenger even sit for a second on a jump seat.
That's not too bad, it's just an hour away and you could make it a nice day in Oxford
But you have to do it! There should be a place for moms to do this, I don't typically see changing stations on flights... maybe they've improved tho...
Our honeymoon was my ex husband's first flight ever. He got a horrible head cold/sinus infection type thing from the altitude changes. Not a great way to start your honeymoon...
Had a drive out to Calgary with just me, my daughter and her grandad. For a good few hours she was silent. I thought she was just busy entertaining herself or napping, and enjoyed the quite. My dad didn't think much of it either. Until after the trip when he cleaned his car and saw all the masterpiece artwork of his granddaughter all over the door and seats lol.
Joint 18th birthday and high school graduation gift from my parents was a 2 week trip to Ireland, Scotland, and England. The trip was amazing but the first night there, in a tiny Irish town, my dad dared me to chug a huge glass of the darkest, thickest house stout I've ever seen. I, by the grace of some ancient local diety, managed not to vomit it all right back on to the pub floor, but I wasn't able to drink another beer for about 6 years 🍻
I got a UTI in Mexico. Went to a drugstore and did my best to explain the problem. They gave me diaper rash cream....
Went to NYC with my 74 yr old mom and 23 yr old niece, catching a midtown bus, the driver started moving before my mom was seated and the bus lurched forward, causing my mom to fall face first into a man's lap. I helped her up, got her seated, and the old guy she fell on exclaims "I've been a new Yorker my whole life and this is the best bus trip I've ever had". My mom was dying but I cracked up.
Blew out my calf muscle while doing my best Baywatch impression running into the sea at Daytona Beach. Bruised calf went completely black and spent the last 3-4 days having to hobble everywhere. Luckily it was my left leg and the hire car was an automatic so could still drive everywhere. Also got conjunctivitis halfway through a trip to Mexico which cleared up pretty quick with eye-drops.....Mexican drugs are awesome
My sister and I went on a repositioning cruise from LA to Vancouver in 2019. Flew down to LA and upon arrival I realised that the travel lock on my suitcase had a key and that key was sitting on my desk at home. So we had to find a home depot for some bolt cutters to get the lock off without destroying the suitcase. Plus side, now I have a fancy set of bolt cutters... which ended up getting confiscated on the cruise and not returned until we made port in Vancouver. >.>
I did this on holiday once, managed to snap it off using a screwdriver I borrowed. Then I found the key in my headphones case.
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Traveling home from the US to Sweden we were stuck in hurricane Sandy. No planes could fly. Had to stay at the airport for three days. Sleeping on the floor. No food, only water from the toilet. Yay.
My sister was on an overnight flight and fell asleep with her head on her husband’s lap. Hours later when they woke, she realized she had been cupping his man bits the whole time and anyone walking by could see!
I was at the San Diego, California zoo and bought some extra tour thing. Walked up to a guy standing in a line and asked if I was in the right spot. He replied, "Yes..... no.... maaaaaaaybbbeeeee? ..... I no speak English." He covered all his bases with that response. Turned out I was in the correct line so it ended okay.
Took a trip to Abaco Island to join up with friends at the house they rented. Flight to Nassau was late, missed the flight to Abaco, and my luggaged didn't make it. Stayed overnight and caught a v. Early flight to Abaco. A tropical storm moved in, short flight took a couple of hours, trying to dodge storm cells. Got to Abaco, high winds, plane came in sideways with right wing pointing down, very close to treetops. People screaming on the plane. Got a taxi for a wild windy ride, coconuts flying through the air. Turned into driveway, tree comes down right in front of us. Driver turns around, drives through flooded back yards to the house. Power was out for 2 days,, no clothes, and it was cold! Couldn't wait to get home.
Second time out of the country and my son's first time we went to Costa Rica. As we were driving away from the airport we got a flat (probably was knifed). While we were changing the tire, someone stole my son's backpack from the car so he had no change of clothes (and lost his Harry Potter book). He was a big kid and it was hard to find clothes big enough for him. On the last day before we left, my now-ex and I got into a fight and I left to go buy a pack of smokes. Got turned around and lost and then got mugged by five young men. Got a cut on the face and my glasses went flying and were lost. They got my backpack, but luckily both me and my son both kept our passports due to keeping them on our person (thanks to my ex's smarts). Was super dehydrated the next day and couldn't see much in the airport. The airplane wouldn't let me have water or anything to drink and I almost passed out and then they finally brought me a tiny cup of orange juice. Overall it was a great trip, though.
Had a drive out to Calgary with just me, my daughter and her grandad. For a good few hours she was silent. I thought she was just busy entertaining herself or napping, and enjoyed the quite. My dad didn't think much of it either. Until after the trip when he cleaned his car and saw all the masterpiece artwork of his granddaughter all over the door and seats lol.
Joint 18th birthday and high school graduation gift from my parents was a 2 week trip to Ireland, Scotland, and England. The trip was amazing but the first night there, in a tiny Irish town, my dad dared me to chug a huge glass of the darkest, thickest house stout I've ever seen. I, by the grace of some ancient local diety, managed not to vomit it all right back on to the pub floor, but I wasn't able to drink another beer for about 6 years 🍻
I got a UTI in Mexico. Went to a drugstore and did my best to explain the problem. They gave me diaper rash cream....
Went to NYC with my 74 yr old mom and 23 yr old niece, catching a midtown bus, the driver started moving before my mom was seated and the bus lurched forward, causing my mom to fall face first into a man's lap. I helped her up, got her seated, and the old guy she fell on exclaims "I've been a new Yorker my whole life and this is the best bus trip I've ever had". My mom was dying but I cracked up.
Blew out my calf muscle while doing my best Baywatch impression running into the sea at Daytona Beach. Bruised calf went completely black and spent the last 3-4 days having to hobble everywhere. Luckily it was my left leg and the hire car was an automatic so could still drive everywhere. Also got conjunctivitis halfway through a trip to Mexico which cleared up pretty quick with eye-drops.....Mexican drugs are awesome
My sister and I went on a repositioning cruise from LA to Vancouver in 2019. Flew down to LA and upon arrival I realised that the travel lock on my suitcase had a key and that key was sitting on my desk at home. So we had to find a home depot for some bolt cutters to get the lock off without destroying the suitcase. Plus side, now I have a fancy set of bolt cutters... which ended up getting confiscated on the cruise and not returned until we made port in Vancouver. >.>
I did this on holiday once, managed to snap it off using a screwdriver I borrowed. Then I found the key in my headphones case.
Load More Replies... Traveling home from the US to Sweden we were stuck in hurricane Sandy. No planes could fly. Had to stay at the airport for three days. Sleeping on the floor. No food, only water from the toilet. Yay.
My sister was on an overnight flight and fell asleep with her head on her husband’s lap. Hours later when they woke, she realized she had been cupping his man bits the whole time and anyone walking by could see!
I was at the San Diego, California zoo and bought some extra tour thing. Walked up to a guy standing in a line and asked if I was in the right spot. He replied, "Yes..... no.... maaaaaaaybbbeeeee? ..... I no speak English." He covered all his bases with that response. Turned out I was in the correct line so it ended okay.
Took a trip to Abaco Island to join up with friends at the house they rented. Flight to Nassau was late, missed the flight to Abaco, and my luggaged didn't make it. Stayed overnight and caught a v. Early flight to Abaco. A tropical storm moved in, short flight took a couple of hours, trying to dodge storm cells. Got to Abaco, high winds, plane came in sideways with right wing pointing down, very close to treetops. People screaming on the plane. Got a taxi for a wild windy ride, coconuts flying through the air. Turned into driveway, tree comes down right in front of us. Driver turns around, drives through flooded back yards to the house. Power was out for 2 days,, no clothes, and it was cold! Couldn't wait to get home.
Second time out of the country and my son's first time we went to Costa Rica. As we were driving away from the airport we got a flat (probably was knifed). While we were changing the tire, someone stole my son's backpack from the car so he had no change of clothes (and lost his Harry Potter book). He was a big kid and it was hard to find clothes big enough for him. On the last day before we left, my now-ex and I got into a fight and I left to go buy a pack of smokes. Got turned around and lost and then got mugged by five young men. Got a cut on the face and my glasses went flying and were lost. They got my backpack, but luckily both me and my son both kept our passports due to keeping them on our person (thanks to my ex's smarts). Was super dehydrated the next day and couldn't see much in the airport. The airplane wouldn't let me have water or anything to drink and I almost passed out and then they finally brought me a tiny cup of orange juice. Overall it was a great trip, though.
