15 Travel Horror Stories That Prove Anything Can Go Wrong on Vacation

Travel is often full of excitement and discovery—but not every trip goes according to plan. From chaotic flights to unexpected hotel disasters, these 15 travel experiences show just how unpredictable life on the road can be. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or just love a good story, these moments are sure to leave an impression.

• Sitting with a view of the wing on my flight to New Zealand, a bolt of lightning struck in the cloud right next to the plane’s engine. Apparently, lightning starts at a set point in a cloud and then arcs toward the ground — and this was the origin point, just outside my window. There was a massive flash, crack, and bang.
  The pilot made an announcement, assuring everyone there was nothing to worry about. Then, two minutes later, a flight attendant came over and asked to look out my window, “The pilot wants to know if there’s any damage to the engine!” © regprenticer / Reddit
• I was heading overseas to work in Europe for four months and had a nice going-away dinner the night before my flight. I ordered the swordfish.
  The next day, I boarded the 12-hour flight and became violently sick. I’m talking throwing up, chills, diarrhea — you name it. I was stuck on the plane with no medicine, feeling miserable. I asked the flight attendants for Tylenol or anything that could help, but they didn’t even know what Tylenol was.
  It was the worst flight of my life. Apparently, swordfish had a huge parasite issue across the U.S. at that time...© Quiet_Fan_7008 / Reddit
• Back in the ’80s, I was an unaccompanied minor flying across the country (US). There was another young boy flying solo, but he had his cat with him (I wish I had a cat).
  About an hour into the six-hour flight, his cat had diarrhea in its little carrier. The entire plane REEKED of runny cat poop for the rest of the flight. Poor kitty. © TacosForMyTummy / Reddit

• I was on a flight when one baby after another started crying. Eventually, there were about eight of them crying at once. Then the flight attendant made an announcement: these babies were en route from an orphanage to their new adoptive families. Somehow, that made the crying feel a lot more bearable — even kind of beautiful. © Nuicakes / Reddit
• One time, flying from NYC to Puerto Rico, our flight was delayed by over two hours — most of it spent just sitting on the tarmac. We finally arrived in San Juan at nearly 3 a.m., only to find the terminal basically shut down.
  We had to disembark using stairs and walk across to the far end of the terminal, where the rental cars were. Security tried to check everyone’s boarding passes, but many of us had already tossed them. At first, they refused to let us in, but then they had no idea what to do with us — we were stranded at the airport in the middle of the night, with no buses available and the airline refusing to cover hotel costs.
  Once they finally let us through, it somehow got even worse. We ended up waiting another two hours between baggage claim and getting our rental cars. Honestly, it was a complete disaster from start to finish. © felix_mateo / Reddit
• I was once the mother of the crying baby on a long-haul flight. The only way to calm her down was by walking up and down the aisle — over and over again. I joke that I walked from London to LA while collecting about 100 death stares along the way.
  It was truly horrific. At some points, I was even crying right along with her. © ExtremeExtension9 / Reddit

• I was on a Swiss Air flight where one passenger had the worst body odor I’ve ever encountered. My eyes were watering even in the gate area. Everyone was looking around, trying to figure out who it was.
  Once we boarded, the smell filled the cabin — especially with the air turned off. A young woman had the unfortunate seat next to him, and you could clearly see the pain on her face.
  Then, a kind older man came over and offered to switch seats with her. I don’t know how he managed. Maybe he had some Vicks Vaporub under his nose or something. I was sitting 10 rows in front of him, and even from there, I couldn’t escape the smell. © sesamesnapsinhalf / Reddit
• My plane had an electrical fire and lost power. The cabin smelled like burning wires. I was a teenager flying alone — it was my first time flying solo.
  We made an emergency landing, and thankfully, everything turned out fine. But it was chaotic, to say the least. I’ve had major flight anxiety ever since. © CarbyMcBagel / Reddit
• My husband and I were supposed to go to his parents’ place for the holidays. We were driving our EV from Colorado to North Carolina — with our two dogs, his brother, and his brother’s dog. With charging stops, this trip takes about three days.
  The day we left Colorado, the wind chill was −40°F. The highway was closed due to extreme winds, so we had to take back roads. In an EV, there’s a shared power source for both climate control and the motor, so we couldn’t use the heat much in order to preserve range. We bundled up in as many layers as possible, and the dogs were buried under blankets.
  I kept thinking the car would die, and we’d all freeze to death. Honestly, it was one of the top three scariest experiences of my life. Totally stupid. If it had been my parents we were visiting, I would’ve told my husband we’re not going — especially considering I barely even drive. But... we made it there safely! © TurbulentIssue5704 / Reddit

• I was in Venice, living my gondola-core fantasy, when I decided to hop on a vaporetto (those water buses) to get to my hotel. Easy, right? Wrong.
  I got on the wrong line and somehow ended up on what I can only describe as the “local-only, scenic detour for people with nowhere to be” route. An hour in, we were still going. I tried to ask the captain when we’d reach my stop, and he just patted my shoulder and said, “Eventually,” with a smile that offered no answers, only vibes.
  By the time I finally got off, I was on the complete opposite side of Venice. I had to drag my suitcase over approximately 47 tiny bridges (each with charming but unforgiving stairs), got chased by a seagull that thought my croissant was for him, and accidentally walked through the middle of a wedding photoshoot.
  When I finally got to the hotel, the receptionist looked up and said, “Ah, Signora... You made it!” Like it was an epic pilgrimage. Honestly, it kinda was.
• Our plane got struck by lightning, and we dropped several thousand feet in a matter of seconds. There was an audible electric buzzing throughout the cabin.
  Thankfully, the lightning hit the wing and not the engine. It was my first time flying. I don’t fly anymore. © neinta / Reddit
• I was taking a shower on the 10th floor of a 4-star hotel in Spain. During the shower, I felt something on my leg, but at first, I didn’t look down. After a few minutes, the sensation didn’t go away, so when I finally looked down, I saw two giant cockroaches trying to crawl up my legs from the water. After that, I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t even eat at the hotel anymore. © Sure-Positive925 / Reddit

• I can’t sleep while I’m traveling, so I was on a 14-hour flight from Dubai to Toronto. Before that, I had a 6-hour layover, and before that, a 5-hour flight from my home country to Dubai. So, I was sleepless for about 24 hours.
  On the last leg of the journey, I was feeling incredibly tired, but still couldn’t sleep. It was such a horrible feeling! © Significant-Row-7673 / Reddit
• I had a rental car break down in a semi-rural area, about three hours from the airport. The rental company (a Hertz licensed franchise, not a corporate location) refused to deliver a replacement vehicle. Instead, they wanted me to take a taxi three hours back to pick up a different car from their lot.
  This was a “driving to the mountains” type of vacation, so we were completely stuck without a car—and there was no Uber available an hour up the mountain to the trailhead. Thankfully, we got really lucky: a local repair shop happened to have a rental available, and that ended up saving our entire trip. © alfredrowdy / Reddit
• I landed in Barcelona, my suitcase, however, flew straight to Paris. The airline promised it would arrive in 24 hours, but after 3 days in the same outfit, I was rinsing socks in the hotel sink.
  Finally, on day 4, the airline called. “We found your bag!” they said. Then, “It’s being delivered to your home address.” In a different country.
  So yeah, my luggage had a staycation while I became an accidental fashion icon in a souvenir t-shirt. And you know what? I kind of nailed it.

Vacations are the most eagerly awaited times in people’s lives. Unfortunately, they don’t always go as planned. These 10 people definitely learned that family vacations aren’t stress-free.