Waking up early, bags packed, and excited to catch a flight to your next big adventure. Arriving in a new city, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere. Finally stepping into a spacious hotel room with a breathtaking beach view. All the ingredients for a dream vacation, right?
But just because you’ve planned every detail doesn’t mean the universe is on your side. Suddenly, your plane is delayed by seven hours, the charming cityscape doesn’t look quite like the photos, and that “beach view” turns out to be a noisy construction site.
These unlucky travelers know this feeling all too well, and they’ve captured their unexpected vacation fails to share with the world. Some are funny, others are heartbreaking, and a few are downright shocking. Scroll down and see for yourself!
#1 A Llama Photobombed My Machupicchu Pic
#2 Well Crafted Beach Photobomb
#3 Took This Photo Of The Beautiful Sunrise At Our Bed And Breakfast, Years Ago, During Our Honeymoon. I Didn’t Look At It Closely And Sent To All Of Our Family. Nothing Says “Welcome To The Family” Like A Photo Such As This
While I wouldn’t wish a disastrous vacation on anyone, it doesn’t take much to end up with disappointing travel photos. Even after the best trip of your life, you might come back with pictures that don’t quite do it justice. Sometimes, bad lighting, confusing angles, or awkward composition are the real culprits.
#4 First Vacation I’ve Had All Year And Work Won’t Stop Texting Me… Should I Send It?
#5 Living/Working In Hawaii, Took A Break To Travel. I Don’t Travel A Lot, But When I Do, Everything Is Under Construction
#6 Taking A Picture With My GF In Berlin, When Out Of Nowhere
Joe Switzer, a filmmaker based in St. Louis, Missouri, and Jordan Carnegis, a photographer and artist in Orlando, Florida, shared some helpful tips with Hilton on how to make your travel photos memorable, so you can look back on them fondly for years to come.
And don’t worry if you’re not armed with an expensive camera—Switzer notes that today’s smartphones are powerful enough to make anyone feel like a professional photographer.
#7 Our Trip To The Petting Zoo Did Not Go As Planned
#8 2 Weeks Ago My Youngest Daughter Broke Her Leg 1 Week Before Our Holiday. Yesterday I Broke My Own Leg (On Holiday). Poor Sis And Mom
#9 My Uncle’s Suitcase After His Flight
When you’re on vacation, you’ll likely be surrounded by incredible sights. But Switzer and Carnegis recommend capturing not just the scenery, but also the people with you.
“Take pictures of the view in front of you, but take the cheesy selfies, too,” says Carnegis. “You can Google a picture of Yellowstone, but you can’t Google your kids’ [reactions to it]. Take the time to focus on the people you’re with and the memories you’re making. I think that’s what people miss the mark on most.”
#10 A Beach Day That Turned Into Me Tripping On A Rock And Falling Down The Sand Dune
#11 This Is The One Thing I Am Most Worried About Before Getting On A Plane
#12 Hiked Two Hours To Set Up A Picnic, Returned To This
Another common pitfall is taking photos with social media in mind, only looking for what seems “Instagrammable.” Switzer and Carnegis encourage letting go of that mindset. “Photograph the moment as it happens,” says Carnegis. “Keep it organic. Keep it loose. Keep it candid.”
#13 Includes A “Private Balcony.” Is Just A View Of The Wall Of The Next Building
#14 Airbnb Wasn’t What We Were Expecting
#15 The Hotel I Booked Weeks Ahead Didn’t Have A Room For Us When We Checked In. Gave Us A Sofa Bed In A Conference Room
One of the biggest mistakes amateurs tend to make is positioning their subject directly against the light.
“It’s all about the light,” says Switzer. “Always turn your subject to let that light hit it. Always look at the light.”
This might feel counterintuitive, especially when you want that perfect shot of your friend against a gorgeous sunset. But shooting directly into the light often leaves you with an overexposed background and faces lost in shadows.
#16 Drove Quite Awhile To Be Able To See This Waterfall
#17 I Drove 4 Hours (One Way) To See Radium Springs, One Of The State Of Georgia’s Natural Wonders . . . After A Heavy Rainfall
#18 This Is The Result When I Ask My Boyfriend To Take A Picture. Can’t Stop Laughing
To take your photography to the next level, learning a bit of basic composition can go a long way. Instead of always centering your subject in the frame, both Carnegis and Switzer suggest trying the “rule of thirds.”
Position your subject in the right, left, top, or bottom third of the image, moving slightly off-center. “It makes it so much more interesting than just a stagnant, ‘Here I am in front of the Golden Gate Bridge,’” says Carnegis.
#19 My Trip In Mexico Is Great So Far
#20 Google Maps Didnt Tell Me About This After A 2 Hour Drive
#21 Tire Went Through My Windshield On The Interstate
Many cameras and phones have a grid setting that divides the frame into nine equal sections, helping you visually apply the rule of thirds. Place your subject along the lines around the center square. “This is hard because your brain tells you to keep people in the center,” says Switzer. “But if you watch a lot of movies, you’ll notice everyone’s usually off to the left or right.”
#22 I Was On My Way Down The Tallest Mountain In The UK And This Happened
#23 Half Way To The Road Trip In Sicily, The Tire Just Exploded Out Of Nowhere. Happened Exactly 12 Hours After I Had Food Poisoning The Night Before
#24 Paris CDG Airport. Someone Will Have A Bad Day
That said, remember to put down your phone or camera now and then and simply enjoy the moment. “There are extremes from ‘We don’t have a single picture of this trip!’ to ‘We have photos of every single thing we ate,’” says Carnegis. “Just pick the best things to shoot. You don’t need a video of the whole birthday song. Just take a couple of snips.”
#25 I Have To Travel To Another City Asap And This F***er Decided To Park Its Car Right In Front Of My Garage. It Has Been 45 Minutes And This Is Not The First Time This Is Happening. Still Waiting For The Tow Truck
#26 Loved My First Trip To Japan. I’m Too Tall For Japan
#27 Lesson Learned- Don’t Trust Just Any Tourist To Take Your Photo
#28 Went On Vacation And
Went two states away for a weekend trip, were checking out of the hotel to find this. All 4 wheels stolen in the hotel parking lot. Of COURSE the hotel doesn’t have cameras in the parking lot. Can’t get it towed because it doesn’t have wheels to get on the damn truck.
#29 These Tourists In Hawaii Took A Wrong Turn
#30 4 Hours Into A 13 Hour Road Trip To My Family’s 3 Week Vacation Of The Year And I Just Realized That In The Rush To Leave I Forgot To Bring Any Other Shoes With Me
#31 Just Wanted To Enjoy My Vacation
Went on a trip for almost 2 weeks. Started to feel sick 5 days ago and just thought I was dehydrated. Came to the hospital to be told I have a severe uti, kidney infection, and sepsis. My flight home was supposed to be tomorrow. I have no idea when I’ll be able to go home.
#32 Road Trip To See The Lighthouse
#33 I’m On My Honeymoon
Had sushi for dinner last night at the all-inclusive resort my new husband and I are staying at. 1am rolls around and I’m throwing up like crazy, then it’s dry heaving for another hour. We call the resort doctor, he takes my temperature and listens to my belly with a big “oh no” face, so guess who gets to go to a clinic in a foreign land (we’re in the Dominican Republic)? Me!!
I have a bacterial infection in my guts! My white blood cell count is bananas! We get to spend $4000 upfront cuz I need to be hospitalized! Weeeeeeee!
Get Travelers insurance, be better than me. Don’t know what the resort will do but it sounds like they’re willing to work with us.
#34 Where My GPS Indicates The Train Station Is Supposed To Be
#35 First Day Of Vacation
Unfortunately there was someone right behind us and I couldn’t stop it time. Lucky for us the deer jumped and hit mostly glass so no airbags! But it did take out the cargo rack and sunroof and ended up being over 14k in repairs!
#36 On My Honeymoon In Hawaii And Turns Out I Got Ringworm From The Armrest On The Plane
#37 This Happened Last Year, Flying Back From Vacation. They Told Us Our Suitcase Must Have Fallen Off The Transport Truck. Everything Inside Was Gone, Yet They Managed To Retrieve The Bag
#38 My Trip To Bali (Nusa Penida Island). Expectations vs. Reality
#39 I Traveled About 1500 Miles To See Fenway Park For The First Time. Here Was My View
#40 The Day Started Off Amazing
#41 We Visited Mount Rushmore During A Controlled Burn
#42 I Broke Two Bottles Of Sangster’s Rum Cream While Boarding The Plane
#43 First A Romantic Gondola Ride. Just A Bit Of Traffic
#44 First Day Of Vacation
#45 This Is How The Luggage Containing My Playstation Arrived
#46 I Drove 1000+ Miles To See The Eclipse
Like millions of others in American today, I took time off work and drove over 1000 miles to see the eclipse, only to have it spoiled by mother nature. Oh well. 🤷🏼That’s life.
#47 Went On Vacation On Our Family’s Boat… This Is My Attempt At Taking A Shower
#48 A Stray Golf Ball Hit Our Windshield On The Way To The Beach And We Are On Vacation
#49 First Night After A 12 Hour Drive To Belgium
#50 My Vacation In Rio And Seeing The Cristo
#51 Tire Exploded On The Highway 20 Minutes After Leaving The House For Our Week Long Family Vacation
#52 The Aftermath Of A Shredded Radiator Hose
#53 Things Don’t Always Go As Planned When Traveling
First, we got surprised by snow on our long-planned tour in the Rainbow mountains around Cusco and therefore, had to cancel our hike and return to Sicuani spontaneously. Later on the way to the border between Peru and Bolivia, the van's motor that was supposed to take a few locals and us to Puno, broke down in the middle of nowhere. In such situations, you only have two options: get upset or take the mishaps of the day with humor. Have you ever had such a travel day where everything just went wrong?
#54 Went To Visit The Beautiful Blauer See In Germany
#55 Wanted A Special Mountain Lake Nye With The Wife, Even Upgraded To The Room With A View
#56 Day 1 Of Our Once In A Lifetime Trip To A Resort In Maui. Nearly Sliced His Finger Off In A Door And Can’t Go Swimming For The Rest Of The Trip
#57 Went To A Mountain Peak With A Magnificent View… But Choose The Wrong Day
#58 The Day Has Finally Come, My “Window” Seat After 20+ Years Of Travelling
#59 Up At 3 30am And Hiked About 4hrs To See This Beautiful View
#60 What You Think Visiting Antelope Canyon Will Be Like vs. What It Is Actually Like
#61 “99 Taxi” Driver Texted During The Whole Trip (Almost Two Hours)
#62 I Recently Went To Hawaii And Got A Gnarly Sunburn As Seen Here. Ended Up Getting A Case Of “Hell’s Itch”, Which Was Genuinely The Worst Pain I’ve Ever Experienced, And That’s Saying A Lot
#63 A Green Tea Bath Was The Only Option After Being Brutally Sunburned In Australia, Then Having To Sit For 19 Hours On An Airplane Coming Back To The States
#64 Go Swimming In Halong Bay (Vietnam) The Tour Guide Said (Without A Jellyfish Disclaimer)
#65 Well This Is A Great Fathers Day. Great Way To End One Of The Busiest Holidays. Full Evacuation
#66 When You Ask A Stranger To Take A Photo
#67 Cot Mismanagement
My wife with our mismanaged evening time cot construction during a 2-week trip thru the Grand Canyon. We’re in our 70’s & we were f**king exhausted at this point. Can’t sleep in the sand cuz red ants.
#68 My Son Found Sea Shells On His First Trip To The Beach. I Didn’t Have The Heart To Tell Him
#69 Just Got To LA For A Vacation And This Is The View From Our Room. (Oh And The AC Is Out In The Entire Building)
#70 What A Lovely Start To Our Vacation
#71 Fiancee Forgot She Was Wearing Slippers To The Airport Before A Week Long Vacation
#72 Got Food Poisoning On Holiday, Now I Can’t Leave The Room
#73 On The Way Home From Vacation. Still 4h Away From Home
I think there was something Small in. After a short break I discussed with my wife if in exactly this tire I a bit less pressure than in the other. She said I was exaggerating again. So we decided, I’ll drive to the next fuel station and check the pressure of all tires. Luckily I drive carefully. Also the other people reacted really good, and let me drove to the breakdown lane. Changing a tire by yourself is prohibited on a French Autoroute. So I’ve been ripped if from roadside assistance. I had to pay almost 300€ for driving the car myself 1.3km (less than 1 mile) to the next exit.
#74 I’ve Travelled The World In This Hat & We’ve Finally Parted Ways Due To A Gust Of Wind On The London Underground
#75 Bikini Derp Photobomb
#76 The Result Of Placing Your Hand On The Handrail Of The Moving Walkway In Terminal 5 Of Jfk Airport
#77 I Was Supposed To Go On A 9 And A Half-Hour Long Road Trip Today
#78 A Person Took A Photo For Us And Cropped Our Faces
#79 Came To Greece For A Relaxing Holiday In The Sun. It’s Rained For 5 Days Straight And I Leave Tomorrow
#80 This Family Taking Up An Entire Sightseeing Platform So Nobody Else Can Take Photos. A Lot Of People Missed Out On Great Photos And Views Because These People Wanted It For Themselves
#81 Cruising The Mountains In Hawaii On A Scooter… Until They Broke Down And We Couldn’t Make It All The Way Up
#82 My Wife And I Got Covid On Our Honeymoon
#83 They Made Me Check My Duffle Bag. Found It Like This At Baggage Claim
#84 Broke My Foot With A Week Left On My Vacation
#85 Came To The Beach On Vacation For A Week
#86 When The “Coffee Tour” Decides To Skip The Coffee Tour And We Blow A Tire (Spare Tire Was More Bald Than The Tires On The Rest Of The Car)
#87 Staying At A Hotel After I Got A New Tattoo And This Happened
#88 Air China Destroyed My Wife’s Suitcase (Beijing To New Zealand)
#89 When You Find A Screw In Youre Tire 8 Hours Before You Were Supposed To Go On A 14 Hour Trip
#90 Dropped One Of My Wireless Earbuds On The Train Tracks All Of 10 Minutes Into The 3 Hour Trip
#91 My Phone Fell Out Of My Pocket On My Flight To Tokyo Last Week (Going For Vacation). The Moving Of The Seat Crushed It
#92 My Wife’s Wedding Ring Is Impossible To Get And I Know Exactly Where It Is
#93 You Break Your Arm In A Foreign Country, Suffer Through A Journey Home Where Airport Security In Two Different Countries Both Bash Around Your Cast In Case It’s Concealing Weapons
And finally get home to English speaking doctors who finally give you a pain pill.
#94 09:42am. 40 Minutes Into The Flight. Beginning Of The Well Deserved Holiday. Passanger Next To Me Knocks Over Her Beer Going All Over Me
#95 Two Hours Into My Road Trip In The Middle Of Nowhere I Opened My Case To This
#96 Hakone Shrine In Japan, On Instagram vs. Reality
#97 Air Canada Messed Up My Bag (But At Least I Got Photos 🤨📸)
#98 When You Finally Make It To Your Destination And Your Room Is Still Being Cleaned
#99 We Spent 2 1/2 Hours On Our First Anniversary Climbing Pen Y Fan, All For This View
#100 Throwback To When I Booked A Room With A Mountain View At A Hotel In Denver
#101 Went To Vacation. This Happened On The First Day
#102 American Airlines Flight From Portugal To Pennsylvania. I Was Supposed To Be On That Flight
#103 The Lighting Is Really Cool Babe You’ll Love This
#104 Was About To Go On A Road Trip With My Friend During My Few Days Off… The Airbag Warning Signal Came On Right As We Were Ready To Go
#105 TSA Cut A Perfectly Circular Hole In My Sweater
#106 My GF Put Her Makeup Set In Her Luggage
#107 Missed Our Flight
#108 Saw This On My Vacation In Amsterdam
