Vacations don’t always go as planned, and sometimes, they take a turn so dramatic they feel straight out of a Hollywood movie. From unexpected travel mistakes to shocking discoveries, these unforgettable mishaps are cringe-worthy, cinematic, and absolutely educational if you are planning to travel anytime soon.
- “Arrived in Mozambique with only South African Rand. I thought I’d be able to withdraw some cash from an ATM or pay for the visa on arrival with card, but for some reason my card wasn’t working. I couldn’t get into the country because I didn’t have the correct currency to pay for the visa, and my cards weren’t working to withdraw any cash. Luckily a kind person behind me offered to pay for my visa and I was able to get into contact with a family member to help check on my cards and activate them. It was one of the most touching moments of kindness I’d experienced, and also a lesson to always always always carry enough cash on you while traveling.” — Explorer_Waste / Reddit
- “When I solo traveled in India and was ready to fly out of the country, I didn’t include my middle name when booking the flight ticket. Since the name on my ticket didn’t fully match the name on my passport without the middle name, I wasn’t allowed to board the flight until I called the airline company and had them change it. It was like 4 AM and the company phone lines weren’t open until a later time, but luckily I had like 4-5 hours before my flight departed and was able to have it changed in time.” — JollyManufacturer / Reddit
- “I mistakenly assumed ‘Departure time’ was ‘Boarding Time’. Luckily, there was bad weather at the airport so the flight was delayed and I was able to board.” — ergosumdre / Reddit
- “Booked a tour in Nicaragua that was supposed to cost $52 USD. The guy who was working the credit card machine had no idea how to enter the converted rate amount. Ended up with a $5200 charge on my card. Luckily my CC company easily reversed the charge.” — da_london_09 / Reddit
- “I booked a room in Paris for the 22nd but booked my train there for the 21st so I needed emergency accommodation for my first night there. I put in a hotel reservation online, chose the cheapest non-refundable option and then, once it was paid for, realized I had booked it for the next month by accident. $100 dollars I couldn’t get refunded, I ended up staying in a smelly, crowded 12 bed hostel room with a bunch of teenagers which cost $70, but it was all I could find.” — Unknown Author / Reddit
- “My first time flying out of the country I was 16 and traveling alone. It was my first time on a plane. I got up to use the restroom and the woman beside me told me to take my passport (not sure why she couldn’t have watched it for me). I somehow promptly dropped my passport into the toilet where it slipped through the toilet crack and into the… well…A flight attendant tried to retrieve it (god bless her) but with no luck.” — Kokomo_27 / Reddit
- ’’I had planned a trip to Mexico to meet a friend. When it was time to fly home, I got to the airport and tried to use the check-in kiosk. It didn’t work for some reason. I went over to the help desk, gave them my info, and after some confusion, they dropped the horrible truth on me that I had booked the correct day of the week and time, but a week prior. I’d probably messed up by selecting the correct date while booking, then the page getting reloaded or something and I was in a rush to get through my previous steps, though I’m not sure how I missed the date in the emails the airline sent me.’’ – SuperSquashMann / Reddit
- “Left my passport in the hotel safe when flying out of Prague. Didn’t realize this until I was at the airport, 90 minutes away from my hotel and no way to do the round trip in time to keep my flight. Contacted the hotel, made arrangements for another cab to bring me my passport. Got my passport and tried to check in for the flight, but they wouldn’t let me because it was now less than an hour to departure and an international flight. I could have just checked in on my phone while waiting, but didn’t realize it would be an issue. Ended up spending another night in Prague.” — ford_chicago / Reddit
- I was on a solo trip to Japan after a bad breakup. I got lost and my phone ran out of battery. When I finally arrived, the hostel was closed at night and locked with a 4-digit code, which I had saved on my dead phone. But then, by some miracle, despite having only seen the code once, I was able to remember it and let myself in. — therico / Reddit
- I got pickpocketed hours before my flight to London from India. I had to pay the fee for overstaying my visa and missed my flight. Whatever little money I had, I spent it on trying to contact my dad. While waiting for his response, stranded in a foreign country with no money, I was forced to sleep on a bench, and it was cold. People passing by kept staring at me. Then a scary-looking man approached me and offered me a place to stay. Thinking things couldn’t get any worse, I agreed. But when we arrived at his home, I was shocked to see his wife waiting for us. She had prepared me a warm meal and told me everything would be okay. I felt like crying. The old couple asked me to sleep in the spare room they had. It was cozy and homely. Next day, the man helped me get to Western Union, where my dad had sent the money. Finally, I was able to rebook my flight and leave, but not before thanking the kind people who saved me with a few gifts. Forever grateful to them.
Vacations are more fun with family. However, a woman had to exclude her daughter-in-law from her family trip due to tensions between them. Read more about it here.
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