16 Vacations That Fell Apart Before the Sunscreen Was Even Uncapped

We dream of the perfect getaway—palm trees swaying, cocktails by the beach, and absolutely zero stress. But sometimes, before your flip-flops even hit the sand, chaos takes the wheel. From canceled flights and lost luggage, here are 16 vacation disasters.

• My sister’s 5-year-old wanted my window seat and whined, “I want that one!” I refused. He kept crying, my sister gave me a dirty look, but I ignored them and went to sleep. When I woke up, I was shocked to find them happily settled in different seats, with her son pressed to a window. Apparently, she convinced another family to switch seats.
  When we landed, I tried to explain that I just wanted to enjoy the flight I paid for, but she brushed me off and kept treating me coldly the whole week.
• Solo in India. Lost my airplane ticket. They don’t accept digital ones—only the paper copy. I didn’t realize this until I got to the gate, which was already boarding. They wouldn’t reprint it. I was basically watching my flight leave without me.
  Then an airport worker spotted me and pulled up in a golf cart. I told him what happened, and he had me hop in. He radioed the entire airport. Turns out my ticket was left at security during screening.
  He took me there, we grabbed it, and he rushed me back—just in time. I made my flight. He wouldn’t even accept a tip. I still think about him. © outdoorsnstuffz / Reddit
• An ATM in Ireland took my debit card. I didn’t have a backup, and while I had a bit of cash, I ended up needing an emergency wire to get by. Ever since then, I always travel with two cards, carry at least enough cash for daily meals, and try to prepay for accommodations and tours whenever possible—just in case. © Administrative_Elk66 / Reddit

• I stayed in a super cheap “hotel” in Florence. It was basically a long hallway with rooms—each had a key card, but there was no staff on site. Naturally, I locked my key card in my room.
  The only way to reach staff was through WhatsApp. The person I messaged gave me the code to get into the office, where there was supposedly a master key card. I tore the place apart—no key card anywhere. They said they’d send someone, but it would take a while because of traffic.
  I had a late afternoon tour booked, so I decided to go and assumed they’d update me. No updates came. I eventually told my tour guide what was going on, and since I was his last tour of the day, he offered to walk back with me to see if I could get into my room.
  No luck. He ended up offering me a place to crash for the night. The maid finally let me back into my room at 6 a.m. the next morning. © Unknown Author / Reddit
• This wasn’t some exotic travel story, but I was flying out to visit a friend in another province with my four-month-old baby—my first baby, and our first trip together.
  Right before heading to the gate, I went to the bathroom and realized, of all times, my period had decided to come back. After not dealing with it for over a year, I was completely unprepared. There was nothing in my bag. None of the other women in the bathroom had anything to spare.
  The vending machine only accepted coins, and I didn’t have any change. I rushed out to nearby shops—one of them didn’t accept cash at all (seriously?), so I couldn’t even break my bills. At the second shop, all the staff were women, and by that point, I was on the verge of tears. I explained my situation, and without hesitation, they opened their purses and gave me enough supplies to get through the trip.
  I went back to the bathroom to take care of things—still carrying my backpack and my 22-pound baby. Then we had to sprint to the gate; last call was already being announced over the loudspeaker. When we arrived, the staff kindly told me they’d been holding the flight once they realized I had a baby with me.
  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for every person who helped me that day. Since then, I’ve had many more moments like this—small acts of kindness from strangers while traveling with my kids—and I treasure each and every one. © Spiritual_Worth / Reddit
• My bank canceled my cards and refused to send replacements to my location. I had already booked flights for two months later, so I relied on hostel breakfasts and ate a lot of rice and beans to get by. Tours or outings were out of the question. © jp_books / Reddit

• This happened to me once when I was in high school. My mom and I were flying to NorCal to visit colleges. She booked through a travel agent and didn’t double-check the details—she assumed we were flying out of Burbank. I was reading the itinerary she printed out, and just as she was getting off the freeway, I noticed something and asked, “Mom, is this supposed to say LAX?”
  Cue her pulling over and sobbing hysterically, while 17-year-old me is on the phone with the travel agent trying to get our flight changed. There was no way we were going to make it to LAX in time for our flight. That’s when I first realized I’m better in a crisis than most people—at least better than my mom, lol. © KingPrincessNova / Reddit
• I went to the wrong airport once, in Chicago. It was over a decade ago, but I still get embarrassed thinking about it.
  99% of the time, I flew out of O’Hare, but one time I had to fly out of Midway for a trip to NYC. Even though I had been thinking about Midway the whole week, on the morning of the flight, I had a complete brain freeze and ended up at O’Hare. I drove all the way there, parked in long-term parking, and hopped on the airport bus to the terminal.
  While on the bus, I glanced at my boarding pass, and my stomach dropped as I realized I was supposed to be at Midway. I jumped off the bus with my suitcase like a madwoman, sprinted back to my car, and drove to Midway—but by the time I got there, I had missed my flight and spent most of the day on standby. © R12B12 / Reddit
• I just did this in Japan! Lol, I had to pay 25,000 yen for a taxi to get to the right airport, and I arrived just 20 minutes before my flight was departing. I blame Google Maps for leading me to the “international airport,” which turned out to be the domestic one. © SoloWanderer_ / Reddit

• In Paris, I tried to impress a waiter by ordering in French. Meant to say, “I’d like the chicken, please.” What I actually said was, “I am a chicken, thank you.” He didn’t even blink, just replied, “Roasted or grilled?”
• In Milan, there are buses that take you to the airport. You buy a ticket for a specific bus and time.
  When my time came, I lined up and followed the procedure to put my luggage in the bus compartment. A few people ahead of me, they stopped loading the bus because they had oversold it. A second bus would come to take us, but my luggage was on the first. I explained this very clearly to the person running things, but he didn’t seem to care.
  Once I got to the airport, I went to the help/information desk to check if my luggage had been lost and found. The woman at the desk was the most miserable person I’ve ever encountered, and somehow cared even less about my problem than the bus guy. Despite my luggage being clearly labeled with my contact information, I never saw it again. © ogbubbleberry / Reddit
• Decided to go on a scenic hike in the Alps. Google said “easy trail,” so I wore slip-ons and brought a granola bar. Four hours later, I was scaling rocks with a group of German retirees who were way too fit and suspiciously chipper. One gave me a protein bar and said, “This is for people who prepare.”
• For three years, I’ve been my sister’s go-to babysitter—no pay, no complaints. So when she invited me on a beach trip, I actually teared up. She said all I had to do was pack and relax.
  But the second we checked in, she handed me her color-coded babysitting schedule and said, “You’re on duty till Thursday—oh, and they wake up at 6 a.m. sharp!” So much for peace and sleep. I’d traded work stress for toddler negotiations and sunscreen battles.
  Next time, I’m booking my own vacation. Solo.

• I missed my original flight to Portugal, so I had to rebook on a flight that arrived after midnight. When I got to the country, my phone wasn’t working, despite the provider saying it should. I grabbed a taxi to my hostel, but the driver’s GPS was taking him somewhere different from where my downloaded map showed.
  It was 2 a.m., the driver didn’t speak English, my Google Translate wasn’t working, and my memorized Portuguese phrases didn’t include directions. We eventually made it there, but it was definitely a unique way to kick off my first-ever solo trip.
  Oh, and my flight to Europe was postponed indefinitely due to a worldwide British Airways flight system outage. It wasn’t rescheduled or canceled, just delayed—so we couldn’t leave the airport. I had to wait 7 hours before we could board. The last thing you want to hear your pilot say is, “Well, this is a first.” © Bubbly-Storage1549 / Reddit
• I once missed my connecting flight at Heathrow Airport because I was eating at their restaurant. I was having a fish sandwich, and I always joke with my family that it was the most expensive sandwich I ever ate because it led me to miss my flight.
  The reality was, I thought I was at the right terminal—but I wasn’t. When I asked for directions, I realized I was in the wrong place. I quickly ran all the way to the other terminal (and if anyone knows, Heathrow is tough to navigate).
  Unfortunately, when I got there, they told me I was 2 minutes late and had missed my flight. I ended up staying at the airport for two days to get the next cheapest flight available. But those two days? They were lit. © FarFromAverage7866 / Reddit
• I was locked in the Kunstindustrimuseet in Oslo alone, in complete darkness, because the security staff thought the building was empty and ended up closing the museum. © Sensitive_Duck9824 / Reddit

Vacations are meant to be a break from everyday problems—but sometimes, the problems come with you. Find more vacation disasters here.