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We've all been there. The meticulously planned holiday that suddenly goes wrong in every way possible. A delayed flight causing a mishap of scheduling problems, the unsettling realization that your luggage might be touring a completely different continent somewhere around the world, or that memorable moment when the 'cozy beachfront accommodation' you booked turned out to be a scam on Airbnb. However, these vacation fails, while frustrating at the time, often turn into the funniest stories in our ‘inventory’.
After all, it's not just the picture-perfect sunsets and good food that make a trip memorable. Sometimes, it's the unplanned detours and unexpected misadventures as some would describe them as 'fails' that end up defining our personal travel experiences, reminding us of the unpredictability of life!
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#1
I Hiked A Mountain In Hot Weather. A Monkey Stole My Water At The Top Then Proceeded To Drink It In Front Of Me
RELATED:
#2
My Friend Tried To Take An Underwater Photo Of His Wife During Their Honeymoon
LillieMean 2 years ago
I'm so jealous. I would immediately hang such a masterpiece in the living room. The best vacation picture ever!
#3
I Just Got Back From Iceland. I Was Going Through My Pictures And Found The Best Photobomb Of All Time
cerinamroth 2 years ago
My friend and I went to the Dead Sea and he took the obligatory selfie floating in the water while I fell in a sinkhole in the background. That was a good photobomb!
#4
She Just Wanted A Cute Picture But Got This Instead
#5
100-Year-Old Family Cabin Burned To The Ground On The First Day Of Vacation
#6
On A Family Holiday To Scotland, We Spent Two Hours Walking To A Famous Cave, Expecting It To Go Underground And Everything. This Is The Cave
#7
She Was So Excited About The Romantic Amsterdam Canal Tour That She Couldn't Sleep The Night Before
#8
Wife And I Took A Trip To Los Angeles
#9
We Got Photobombed By A Spider Monkey On Vacation In The Dominican Republic
LillieMean 2 years ago
I hate the exploitation of animals for tourism. Oh, poor little monkey.
#10
We Wanted To Take A Picture Under Water, But Dory Photobombed Us
#11
Long Kayaking Trip And Belly Rolls Makes The Most Inconsistent Sunburns Ever
#12
I Hiked 3000 Feet Of Elevation To A High Alpine Lake Only For A Mountain Goat To Eat My Fly Rod
#13
Someone's About To Have A Fun Vacation
#14
I Went To The Top Of The Eiffel Tower For The View
#15
I Always Pack Digestive Aids For The Holidays. 4 Days Ago, I Had Diarrhea And Remembered I Had Medication. It Turns Out I Brought Laxatives
#16
My Parents Went On Vacation And Asked This Gentleman To Take Their Picture, But He Was Holding The Camera Backwards
#17
I Went Hiking Over The Weekend To Blow Off Steam From The Finals Week And Got An Allergic Reaction From Something. Guess Who Has A Presentation Today?
Brendan (banned for downvotes) 2 years ago
To ease your nerves, just picture everyone in the audience with the same allergic reaction.
#18
My Friend Was Trying To Take A New Profile Picture In Front Of A Waterfall
#19
My First Trip To Houston. I Was Very Impressed At How Quickly The Locals Performed Pit Stops. Must Be A Lot Of Nascar Fans
#20
The Soles Of My Shoes Fell Off In The Middle Of The Forest While I Was Hiking
Draperdorf 2 years ago
That happened to me. I had to tie them to my feet with my shoe laces and try not to trip over the front of the sole flapping with each step. Fortunately I was only about half an hour from home, but still!! My mum gave me here boots as she never used them, and same thing happened!! Apparently the soles on walking boots perish after a few years!!!
#21
When Your Rental Car Breaks Down And They Send Out A Tow Truck, But The Tow Truck Breaks Down And Needs Its Own Tow Truck
#22
On The First Night Of Vacation, We Pulled Out The Sofa-Bed For The Kids But Heard A Loud Crunching Sound. Son's iPhone Fell And Got Caught In Hinges Of The Bed Frame
#23
I Reserved An Airbnb With A Sea View. I Can't Complain
Brendan (banned for downvotes) 2 years ago
There was a typo in the ad. It should have read, "See? A view."
#24
The View From My Hike Yesterday
StrangeOne 2 years ago
Just zoom your camera in the picture and pretend the fog was never there.
#25
I Traveled All This Way To See This Popular Place, Only To Be Disappointed
#26
I Went To See The Famous Neuschwanstein Castle, And This Was Our View
Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
the advantage of this photo is that you can say you went anywhere in the world
#27
During Our Honeymoon In Greece, My Husband Had An Accident With A Scooter Going 10 Mph. He Broke His Wrist In Two Places, Dislocates His Shoulder And Got A Concussion
#28
I Visited The Torii Gate In Hiroshima, Japan. What I Was Expecting vs. What I Saw
#29
Perfect Way To Start The Honeymoon
Caffeinated Hedgehog 2 years ago
Just explain to the wife that it doesn't always happen this quickly...
#30
This Is The Only Photo My Mom Took Of Me And My Dad In Front Of The Liberty Bell
#31
My Friend's Vacation In China
#32
I'm On A Motorcycle Trip From Colorado Springs To Las Vegas. I Went South To Avoid The Snow, And Now I'm Stuck In Arizona With Over A Foot Of Snow
Ezra Varley 2 years ago
I live in Flagstaff and the 2022-2023 winter has been the 2ed biggest snow fall recorded in Flagstaff
#33
Best Vacation Ever
#34
I Broke My Foot In Cancun On The First Day Of My Honeymoon
Imreallyjustaghost 2 years ago
Had a buddy go to Germany. Within the first hour of being there, stepped off a curb the wrong way and broke his foot.
#35
I've Traveled Abroad And Brought My Drone To Record It. I Hiked To The Top Of This Hill And Realise That I Forgot The Batteries At Home
#36
I'm About 1000 Miles Away On Vacation, And This Happened 2 Days Into My Trip
#37
I Was Going On A Family Cruise Trip. Flight Got Delayed Three Times, And After All That, The Flight Got Canceled. Now We Missed The Cruise, And Waited At The Airport For 7 Hours
#38
I Just Wanted To Shower In My Hotel After A Long Road Trip
#39
The Waterfall I Went To See Seemed A Bit Dry
#40
We Did A Long Half Dome Hike. We Got To The Top And Realized The Guy Who Was Supposed To Pack The Food Packed A Single Sandwich Bag Of 4 Charred Wieners
LadyVischuss 2 years ago
You could rephrase that description and make it more interesting. We hiked to the top of the dome and compared our wieners.
#41
A Photo I Took Last Year vs. The One I Took Today. I Thought I'd Drive And Hike There Because It Finally Snowed. What A Disappointment
#42
Grand Canyon View After Renting A Car And Driving 3.5 Hours To See It
#43
Expectation vs. Reality Of Traveling 2,874 Miles To See The Cliffs Of Moher
David A Paterson 2 years ago (edited)
I actually had a win at the cliffs of Moher. It was awfully foggy and dismal but just clear enough to make out the cliff edge opposite. The photos came out extremely dramatic, like the cliffs were falling off the face of the Earth. Better than if it was sunny.
#44
Day 2/18 At The Resort In Puerto Vallarta For Our Honeymoon, And I Walked Into The Balcony Door
#45
Here Is My Fiancée Fulfilling Her Lifelong Dream To See The Mona Lisa In Person
#46
The Manhattan Skyline
#47
My Daughter Went On A Boat Trip As A Graduation Gift. The Boat Have Been Stuck In The Mud Since They Arrived Yesterday. They're Supposed To Get Towed Out Today
#48
I Tried To Take A Picture Of The Great Wall
#49
Took Our 6-Month-Old Labrador On Our First Family Road Trip
#50
I Forgot To Put Sunblock On My Legs During A Kayak Trip On The Lake
#51
I Went Out On A Boat Without Sunscreen Today, And Now I Have What I Am Calling "The Bib Of Pain"
#52
German Tourists Drove All The Way From Germany To Norway Just To Get Stuck In The Parking Lot Next To A Glacier
#53
When You Are On Vacation And The Keypad Lock Stops Working. Then You Try To Access The Door With A Mechanical Key, And That Also Breaks
#54
I Went On A $6000-Trip To Japan Last Year, And Took A Photo Of My Friend With Mt. Fuji
Pancake_Pansexual_Panda 2 years ago
This one is the wrong place wrong time. One time I went to Japan and on the train I saw Mount Fuji. It was beautiful. The best time to go to Japan is during Spring. (March-May). It is really beautiful. But still, I don't know when this picture was taken.
#55
First Day Of My Month-Long Tour, And My Hotel Is On Fire
#56
What We Expected And What We Got. I Guess I Won't Be Seeing That Beautiful Norway Scenery
#57
A Few Years Ago I Traveled More Than 7000 Miles To See The Grand Canyon
Traveled from Australia to Arizona, and arrived just in time for Hurricane Rosa.
#58
My Four Friends And I Are On Our Way Home From A Road Trip 1200 Miles Out
#59
I Went On A Hike To See Fossils And Someone Cut Them All Out
#60
Great Start To My Vacation
#61
First Day On Vacation And Our Half Of The Hotel Doesn't Have Power. Guess Who Might Be Going Home Early
Cat Chat 2 years ago
One night at a hotel, right after a shower I tried to blow dry my hair a minute in and the power for the entire place goes out. 10 minutes later with the power back on I tried again.... Let's just say, after the 3rd try followed by a hotel blackout, I decided I was stuck going to sleep with wet hair. Coincidentally, no more power outages after that decision. Used the same dryer long before and long after without any trouble.
#62
My Phone Fell When I Was At The Grand Canyon
#63
That Time I Went To London And Finally Got To See Big Ben
Mark (it/urgh) 2 years ago
I bet you my next payday you didn't. You saw the Elizabeth Tower that houses Big Ben, which is the bell. Which you haven't seen, so my bank account is safe.
#64
I Just Spilled A Full Cup Of Orange Juice All Over Myself On The Last Day Of Vacation. I Didn't Bring An Extra Pair Of Pants
Brendan (banned for downvotes) 2 years ago
On holiday, I bring at least five spare of everything.
#65
I Reserved A Suite Months Ago For A San Diego Vacation, Only To Find Out During Check-In That The Pool And Spa Are Closed For Renovation
#66
Expectation vs. Reality Of "Once In A Lifetime Vacation Destination"
#67
I Forgot To Fuel Up Before A Long Trip Through Rural Pennsylvania. I've Just Barely Made It To The Nearest Gas Station. I'm Screwed
#68
My Very Expensive Ocean View
#69
Here's Me And My Buddy At Mt. Rushmore
#70
I Fell Down The Stairs At A Ski Rental House Right After Arriving. I Broke The Railing And Badly Hurt My Right Hip. Now We Will Have To Pay The Security Deposit On Top Of That
#71
I Went Exclusively For The Waterfall
#72
I Wanted To Visit My Family But Had To Postpone My Trip For 2 Weeks. I Had To Book A Cruiseferry To Get There, But It Ran Aground, And Now I'm Stuck On This Ferry
#73
The Images Used To Promote Tourism In Rio vs. When I Went There During My Vacation
#74
The Final Day Of My Vacation With My Fiancee. We Did A Whisky Tasting, And Mid-Way Through, I Realized I Cannot Smell Or Taste Any Of The Samples. I Got Covid
#76
My Friend Went To Visit A Bamboo Bridge And Rice Field In Thailand That She Saw On Google, Unfortunately During The Dry Season
#77
I Had The Hall Of Mirrors In Versailles "All To Myself"
#78
I Hiked For Two Hours To See These Waterfalls
Penguin Panda Pop 2 years ago
TLC tried to warn you. In future I trust you will stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to.
#79
I Went To See The Arctic Ocean, This Is What It Looked Like
#80
50 Miles Into The Weekend Road Trip
Aviation Panda 2 years ago
I got a nail in one of my tires and it delayed our road trip by 2 hours once because we had to get a new tire.
#81
Here Is What The Floating Torii Gate At Miyajima Looked Like When I Was There
#82
Expectation vs. Reality Of Trolltunga, Norway. Also Not Pictured: The 4 To 5 Hour Long Strenuous Hike To Get There
#83
The "Beach View" From Our Rental
#84
I Walked 18km To See A Waterfall, And This Is What I Saw
#85
I Booked A "Falls View" Hotel Room Facing The Niagara Falls. I Can't See My View Because Of This Mist
#86
I Broke My Foot On Vacation
Blue Bunny of Happiness 2 years ago
My pet peeve, wheelchairs without foot plates. Foot plates are there to support and protect your feet so they don’t get dragged on the ground and injured.
Fat Harry 2 years ago
I broke my ankle in three places and never needed a wheelchair. Lazy bástard.
Atchaco-Leigh 2 years ago
Some people have a harder time with balance and/or upper body strength, meaning they can't use crutches.
Load More Replies... #87
From My Recent Trip To Alaska. 5 Years In The Making, Been Wanting To Go Since I Was A Kid. I Rented A Car To Go To Denali, And The Road Was Closed From Wildfires
#88
What A Great View For A Vacation Destination
Pancake_Pansexual_Panda 2 years ago
At the wrong time. Maybe try to find when the best time it is to go there, or check the weather, etc...I don't know. I could be wrong.
#89
I Went On Vacation And Shopped At Macy's In California. Only To Come Back Home To Ontario, Canada And Realize They Forgot The Security Tag
Mark (it/urgh) 2 years ago
Easy to remove. Burn the back connector with a lighter until the 4 little magnetic ball bearings that hold it together fall out. Misspent youth.
#90
I Got Up At 3:30 Am And Hiked For About 4 Hours To See This Beautiful View. Expectation And Reality
The Dog Lover (She/her) 2 years ago
Still a beautiful view, just not the same as you were hoping for.
#91
I Drove A Couple Hundred Miles Out Of The Way On Our Road Trip Just For The Four Corners Monument To Be Closed
#92
First Day Of Vacation, And We Got Rear-Ended By A Driver Who Has Fallen Asleep At The Wheel. We Were Only A Couple Miles From Our Cottage After A Four-Hour Drive Up North
#93
Big Ship Blocking Alcatraz In San Francisco For More Than An Hour
#94
I Upgraded My Room For An Extra $30 Per Night To Get The Fallsview. Look At This Morning View
#95
My Chance To See The Eiffel Tower Didn't Turn Out As Expected
#97
I Was Going To Celebrate The Start Of My Vacation, But The Wine Bottle Had Other Plans
#98
I Went For A Two-Day Hike, And My Brother Said He'd Pick Up The Water
AreYouGoingToEatThatPickle? 2 years ago
2 liters for a 2 day hike? That would last me until about 3pm sitting at my desk.
#99
Well, This Just Happened. At The Airport To Our Vacation
#100
On Vacation I Went To Check In, And My Hotel Asked I Come Back In An Hour To Pick Up My Key Card Because My Room Wasn't Ready. When I Came Back, There Was This Huge Line
#101
Long Road Trip, And My Phone Is At 22%, Only A Few Hours Left
Mark (it/urgh) 2 years ago
Never trust a company who can't even afford an entire apple as their logo.
#102
I Was Traveling By Bus On Vacation And Paid An Extra To Reserve Premium Seats So I Could Get Front Seats For The Best View. This Is What I Got
Ole Peder Amrud Hagen 2 years ago
Uh... are you actually incapable of pulling the sunscreen up...? Ridiculous.
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What do you think ?
Superb Owl 2 years ago
So many of these are about the weather. The weather is what it is, it's not sentient, it does not raise a fog to inconvenience you.
Kaseylulu 2 years ago
It is not the inconvenience, it's the disappointment. If you are traveling a large distance and you know you will probably never be there again for the rest of your life and you get there you can't see it, that's terribly disappointing.
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Brendan (banned for downvotes) 2 years ago
To those who got sun burnt, tough s**t. You should have applied sun screen. To those who were greeted by a hoard of tourists, please remember that you are part of the hoard.
Holly Kowalski 2 years ago
I feel so bad for these people lol But my favorite part of all this list were the people in the comments who were just looking at the bright side of the problems <3
Rens 2 years ago
These people are so lucky, being able to travel. There are so many of us, myself included, who will never be able to take a vacation. The last time I went on vacation was in 2008 and it's probably the last one I'll ever have.
Kalon Suszko 2 years ago
Times can change. I never thought I was gonna get 12000 miles away and visit the SE Asia area, but it happened! Had to wait till I hit 55, but it happened.
Load More Replies...
Brainmas 2 years ago
Poor planning, weather, and lack of common sense for the most part. If you go to a tourist destination because you saw it on social media, chances are it's going to be packed. It's destroying small, lesser-known destinations. Every time is see those "small town destination everyone should see" posts I find out where I'm not going. These places aren't built for the amount of traffic they are getting.
Kalon Suszko 2 years ago
If you are looking for culture of a place, go off the beaten path.
Load More Replies...
Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
So half these people complained about normal weather conditions, another 25% are clumsy, and the rest wouldn't have been disappointed if they'd done a minimal amount of research on their destination.
Superb Owl 2 years ago
So many of these are about the weather. The weather is what it is, it's not sentient, it does not raise a fog to inconvenience you.
Kaseylulu 2 years ago
It is not the inconvenience, it's the disappointment. If you are traveling a large distance and you know you will probably never be there again for the rest of your life and you get there you can't see it, that's terribly disappointing.
Load More Replies... Brendan (banned for downvotes) 2 years ago
To those who got sun burnt, tough s**t. You should have applied sun screen. To those who were greeted by a hoard of tourists, please remember that you are part of the hoard.
Holly Kowalski 2 years ago
I feel so bad for these people lol But my favorite part of all this list were the people in the comments who were just looking at the bright side of the problems <3
Rens 2 years ago
These people are so lucky, being able to travel. There are so many of us, myself included, who will never be able to take a vacation. The last time I went on vacation was in 2008 and it's probably the last one I'll ever have.
Kalon Suszko 2 years ago
Times can change. I never thought I was gonna get 12000 miles away and visit the SE Asia area, but it happened! Had to wait till I hit 55, but it happened.
Load More Replies... Brainmas 2 years ago
Poor planning, weather, and lack of common sense for the most part. If you go to a tourist destination because you saw it on social media, chances are it's going to be packed. It's destroying small, lesser-known destinations. Every time is see those "small town destination everyone should see" posts I find out where I'm not going. These places aren't built for the amount of traffic they are getting.
Kalon Suszko 2 years ago
If you are looking for culture of a place, go off the beaten path.
Load More Replies... Nikki Sevven 2 years ago
So half these people complained about normal weather conditions, another 25% are clumsy, and the rest wouldn't have been disappointed if they'd done a minimal amount of research on their destination.
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