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
Image credits: Gishu
#2 Well Crafted Beach Photobomb
Image credits: reddiholix
#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
Image credits: narlycharley
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 Living/Working In Hawaii, Took A Break To Travel. I Don't Travel A Lot, But When I Do, Everything Is Under Construction
Image credits: harriealexis07
#5 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
Image credits: Ruud1983
#6 First Vacation I’ve Had All Year And Work Won’t Stop Texting Me… Should I Send It?
Image credits: twentysomething3
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
Image credits: bwaxse
#8 Taking A Picture With My GF In Berlin, When Out Of Nowhere
Image credits: icecoldbd
#9 My Uncle's Suitcase After His Flight
Image credits: an0nym0ose
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 This Is The One Thing I Am Most Worried About Before Getting On A Plane
Image credits: Addian4
#11 A Beach Day That Turned Into Me Tripping On A Rock And Falling Down The Sand Dune
Image credits: MaddieGehring
#12 Drove Quite Awhile To Be Able To See This Waterfall
Image credits: bobert_the_wise
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
Image credits: Jagokoz
#14 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
Image credits: Llebanna
#15 Hiked Two Hours To Set Up A Picnic, Returned To This
Image credits: Jaminator97
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 This Is The Result When I Ask My Boyfriend To Take A Picture. Can’t Stop Laughing
Image credits: bobbyklootwijk
#17 Airbnb Wasn’t What We Were Expecting
Image credits: pokemon-collector
#18 I Drove 4 Hours (One Way) To See Radium Springs, One Of The State Of Georgia’s Natural Wonders . . . After A Heavy Rainfall
Image credits: Don_Quixotel
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
Image credits: Everet_dead
#20 Google Maps Didnt Tell Me About This After A 2 Hour Drive
Image credits: wambamwombat
#21 I Was On My Way Down The Tallest Mountain In The UK And This Happened
Image credits: randompolicy
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 Paris CDG Airport. Someone Will Have A Bad Day
Image credits: 4lphaZed
#23 Lesson Learned- Don't Trust Just Any Tourist To Take Your Photo
Image credits: batmanfantasy
#24 These Tourists In Hawaii Took A Wrong Turn
Image credits: pandabatron
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 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
Image credits: carrs-for-life-32
#26 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
Image credits: ken0746
#27 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.
Image credits: jules_144
#28 Tire Went Through My Windshield On The Interstate
Image credits: kaopectate
#29 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
Image credits: Hrokle
#30 Road Trip To See The Lighthouse
Image credits: ragin_brainer
#31 Loved My First Trip To Japan. I'm Too Tall For Japan
Image credits: allkindsofmamba
#32 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.
Image credits: jen12617
#33 Where My GPS Indicates The Train Station Is Supposed To Be
Image credits: FlowerPotage
#34 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.
Image credits: Sufficient_Tarot
#35 My Trip To Bali (Nusa Penida Island). Expectations vs. Reality
Image credits: DollarAkshay
#36 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!
Image credits: scottydznknow
#37 On My Honeymoon In Hawaii And Turns Out I Got Ringworm From The Armrest On The Plane
Image credits: SokkaStyle
#38 I Broke Two Bottles Of Sangster’s Rum Cream While Boarding The Plane
Image credits: Loitering4daCulture
#39 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
Image credits: CatchyUrchin
#40 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.
Image credits: Gnarly_Sarley
#41 First Day Of Vacation
Image credits: anan_qwert
#42 We Visited Mount Rushmore During A Controlled Burn
Image credits: chezznul
#43 I Traveled About 1500 Miles To See Fenway Park For The First Time. Here Was My View
Image credits: rcoberle_54
#44 This Is How The Luggage Containing My Playstation Arrived
Image credits: Yamoyek
#45 A Stray Golf Ball Hit Our Windshield On The Way To The Beach And We Are On Vacation
Image credits: sacredkin
#46 First A Romantic Gondola Ride. Just A Bit Of Traffic
Image credits: phillynotfunny
#47 First Night After A 12 Hour Drive To Belgium
Image credits: thetommyboy99
#48 Went On Vacation On Our Family's Boat... This Is My Attempt At Taking A Shower
Image credits: imgur.com
#49 The Day Started Off Amazing
Image credits: devoncone
#50 My Vacation In Rio And Seeing The Cristo
Image credits: OwnedYou
