10 Travel Disasters That Can Make You Swear Off Suitcases Forever

Traveling can be exciting, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t always go smoothly. There are times when things get so bizarre or overwhelming, you end up thinking, “Maybe I should’ve just stayed home with a good show and some snacks.”

• I got a room in a small hotel. At midnight, I woke up to the sound of a baby screaming uncontrollably. I walked over and knocked. No answer.
  A weird feeling hit me, so I got staff involved. They opened the door and we all froze. The baby was alone, wailing on the bed, with diapers scattered on the floor.
  We waited a few minutes, and then a woman strolled in holding a shopping bag. “I was only gone ten minutes!” she snapped. Staff immediately called child services. Honestly, I still can’t believe she just left him like that.

• My wife and I dined out at a remote town in Italy. My wife decided to take a shortcut out of the parking lot and ended up in a ditch. The only chef and waiter came out to help.
  The chef ended up twisting the ankle badly. The waiter brought his car and tied a rope to mine to pull it out. His bumper ripped off.
  All the while we were communicating through gestures because I didn't speak Italian, and they didn't speak English. © portajohn***off / Reddit

• My husband and I went on a cruise with absolutely no belongings. We flew from Denver to Miami, where the cruise left from, and the airline lost our luggage. We left on the cruise anyways. The cruise line let us dig through the lost and found for clothes to wear, especially for clothes that fit the dining room’s dress code.
  The pictures from that cruise are funny because I am wearing clothes that were completely not my style. Like a bright red ball gown and a teeny tiny bikini. We got our luggage delivered to our home at 3am about 5 months later. © mnhaverland / Reddit

• I was staying at a hotel and went to use a blow dryer. I pointed it towards my head and turned it on. An object blew out of the dryer, slapped against my forehead and bounced into the sink. I was beyond disgusted when I realized it was a live cockroach. © rs37982 / Reddit

• The airline I was flying had a global blackout just before boarding. They had us waiting at the airport for 8 hours only to kick everyone out. My sister and I called every hotel nearby, but everything was fully booked because of a huge concert in the same city that night.
  We found a hotel online that was one hour away for an outrageous price, but booked it anyway. We got there, and they didn’t have rooms. They said they listed the room at $1,000/night because the booking site required them to have at least one listing at all times, so they raised the price thinking no one would book it.
  They ended up pulling a list of people who hadn’t checked in yet till they found someone who would cancel. We ended up getting a room with one queen-sized bed for $1,000/night. They said normally the room was $200/night. The hotel felt bad, so they gave us a free dinner. © zuhms / Reddit

• I went to Hong Kong with my uncle, aunt and their 3-year-old daughter. Every night the daughter would not sleep, scream and just create chaos till 4am. 90% of the trip was me taking care of the child while waiting for the aunt to finish shopping in different malls. Travelling with family... never again. © dreamstar1 / Reddit

• I missed my flight back to the US from Italy because I fell asleep at my gate. © RulesAboutTheCookies / Reddit

• My family went to Egypt. A tour guide brought us out in the desert around 11am. We were supposed to stay there for like an hour and then go back to a small town nearby and get lunch.
  The dude got lost, and we barely had any water left. We only got to a road around 6pm. Needless to say, he didn't get a tip. © KaazEDM / Reddit

• I broke my leg on vacation in the Caribbean and had to take a 6-hour flight home the next day to have surgery. That flight was not fun. © JohnGaltsWife / Reddit

• In the hotel room, there was spaghetti on the couch, tire marks in the tub, and fingernails in the bed. Suffice to say, no one was tipped. © botpoetry / Reddit

If you're into travel disaster stories that are almost too wild to be true, check out 14 Terrifying Travel Experiences That Left People Shaken. You might even feel better about your own travel mishaps!