15 Vacations That Went from Relaxing to Full-Blown Drama

Vacations are often seen as a chance to unwind and make lasting memories, but sometimes, things don’t go as planned. From forgotten luggage to unexpected conflicts, travel can throw us curveballs that change the course of our trip. In this article, we’ll explore a series of stories about vacations that took a surprising and often disappointing turn, reminding us that not every getaway is a picture-perfect experience.

• My boyfriend and I decided to book a cabin in the woods for a quiet weekend retreat, hoping to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We imagined cozy nights by the fire and long hikes in the peaceful forest. The first night was magical – until the power went out. As we sat in the dark, I discovered he had been texting his ex. After a tense conversation, it became clear that he had been reconnecting with his ex for weeks behind my back. The weekend, which was supposed to bring us closer, ended up tearing our relationship apart.

• A group of us went on a road trip to explore national parks, but our car broke down in the middle of nowhere on the first day. We spent the entire day waiting for roadside assistance, only to find out that our rental insurance wouldn’t cover the repairs. What was supposed to be an exciting trip quickly turned into a stressful and expensive ordeal.

• My ex-boyfriend and I had booked a trip to Hawaii about four months in advance. We broke up two months before the vacation. Since two of our good friends were going as well, we tried to be amicable, go on the trip, and have fun, even though things were difficult between us.
  Of course, when we arrived, the hotel messed up and booked us in a room with one bed instead of two singles. They didn’t have any more rooms with separate beds. So, I was stuck with my super emotional ex every night, bickering about why things never go right between us or why we’re supposedly meant for each other. Needless to say, we kind of ruined the trip for our friends. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I took my girlfriend at the time to St. Louis (I lived in Louisville then) for a weekend getaway. I got a pretty decent hotel room and made a bunch of plans. I paid for everything on the trip. On the first of the three days we were there, I found out she was cheating on me with her ex-boyfriend. I tried to salvage the trip by telling myself it was all okay, but I was angry.
  The worst part? I carried all of our stuff out and asked her to grab my guitar. I got to the car, packed everything, and she came out and shut the trunk. Thinking she had put my guitar in the trunk, I drove off. When I got home, I realized she had left it in the hotel room. I was beyond furious. © Black_Plazma / Reddit

• I was on the beach with my family, swimming in the ocean. I got dried off, and we started walking. My brother went back in to swim again, and I dove in right after him without thinking. I wear glasses and put them back on.
  The glasses were immediately swept off, and I never saw them again. Luckily, at the time, I didn’t have a ridiculous prescription, so we could get them replaced in a day or so. But still, being on a week-long vacation and not being able to see literally anything sucks. © chcampb / Reddit

• We were on a family vacation to Hawaii. My aunt had been having some hip pain but didn’t think much of it.
  About halfway through our trip, as soon as we got to Maui, her hip gave out. And by "gave out," I mean the hairline fracture in her hip basically shattered. She had to have a full hip replacement in Maui and then fly home—just after a hip replacement—from Maui. © Hoorayforkate128 / Reddit

• I was 13, on vacation overseas with my mom. We woke up at 5 AM due to jet lag, and the morning was beautiful, so we decided to go for a swim. We were used to a very calm sea (technically, a bay), so we didn't think it was a big deal to swim when there were no lifeguards. As a result, we got caught in a rip current without knowing what it was.
  My mom was a very weak swimmer, so she told me to swim to the shore and call for help. But the shore was empty, so I knew she just wanted me to leave her and save myself. I grabbed her by the hand and swam as hard as I could. Luckily, we were close to the shore, and my desperate "sprint" got us to a place where we could stand.
  We went back, felt insanely sleepy, and went to sleep, waking up 10 hours later. When we looked out of the hotel window, we noticed red flags on the beach, and no one was swimming. © Sleepy_Glacier / Reddit

• I was seven and on my first family vacation to Disney World. At the Orlando airport, we were waiting for the tram to take us to the other side of the airport (I’m assuming from our arrival gate to baggage claim, but I’m not sure because I was seven).
  A tram arrived, and my mom said, “Let’s get on this one.” I remember literally hopping on, but the doors closed behind me, and my family wasn’t on the tram. I began sobbing uncontrollably, and a kind woman pulled me close to her family. She held me tightly on the tram and stayed with me at the next station until my family arrived on the next tram.
  I never got her name, but if she reads this by chance, please DM me so I can thank you thirty years later. © ScottyToo9985 / Reddit

• Our hotel room had a lovely colony of ants accompanying us for the week we were staying there. We didn’t discover them until the last day when my mom left a cracker out, and 40 minutes later, it was crawling with ants. The periodic itching during the night throughout the week suddenly became much more unsettling...
  For the record, it was a "nice" hotel, and we were on something like the 18th floor—not exactly the kind of place you’d expect to find insects. © sunlitsonata / Reddit

• I went to an area with a very different elevation level and got intense elevation sickness. It turned out it was also spring, and the trees were giving off so much pollen that I started having intense allergy side effects.
  Then, to top it all off, I never had my wisdom teeth removed (still haven’t), and the teeth in the far back of my mouth started breaking through the gums—which was the worst in-mouth pain I’ve ever experienced. Nothing like a trio of pain to make it hard to enjoy a vacation. © Gorssky / Reddit

• I went to Fiji to see some family for 4 weeks. In the 2nd week, we went to a beach, and while I was running around in the water, I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. Then the pain really hit me.
  $3,000 hospital bill and a 5 cm deep wound later, it turned out I’d been stung by a baby stingray. I ended up on bed rest and pain meds for the rest of the trip and had to go back to the Fijian doctors to get my wound repacked because it was deep and wouldn’t close. Fifteen-year-old me was not happy. © jags1711 / Reddit

• On a cruise in Italy/Greece, at night, my family started to snore loudly like they never did before. I couldn't sleep or block my ears to not hear them. It didn't work, and the snores were driving me crazy.
  So, I went to the cabin's bathroom and made myself a makeshift bed of used towels (some of them were still wet) and slept shrunken. Surprisingly enough, I woke up well-rested and had a good night. © PB_ACKY / Reddit

• Snorkeling in the Yucatán years ago, all my valuables (not passports) floated away. The day went from amazing to awful in seconds. © notjustanytadpole / Reddit

• My husband and I were on our way to a cruise of a lifetime in the Mediterranean on a high-end cruise line. We had invested over $10,000 in the trip. Before our long flight from JFK Airport in New York to Italy, we took a sleeping pill to prepare for the journey.
  As we approached the flight boarding desk, we were told there was a volcano eruption in Iceland, and no planes would be flying. We had to find our way back home, still woozy from the pill.
  Fortunately, we had travel insurance. It cost us $500, but it saved us $10,000. © tanyanubin / Reddit

• My friends and I booked a week-long stay at a countryside estate for a relaxing getaway. On the second night, we discovered that the estate was not as peaceful as we thought. We started hearing strange noises at night, and when we went to investigate, we found a hidden passage leading to an underground room. What we discovered in that room completely changed the direction of our trip, as it seemed like someone had been living there secretly for years.

These people shared photos that speak louder than words, perfectly capturing how their vacations really went.