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50 Vacation Pictures Gone Wrong

That memorable family vacation photo that was once confined to dusty albums can now be shared with the entire world across various forms of social media. Vacations are a time to relax and have fun with friends or family or just take some alone time away from it all. After all, who doesn't want a break from a busy, stressful work routine? And what's a vacation without a few fun pictures? Having some new memories to look back on in a few years is a vacation requirement! Photos with friends, families, pets, the sights, and locals are always something to look forward to and save forever.

Some pictures are loving snapshots of a family's bonding experience, and then there are these. Not all photo ops are picture-perfect moments. Everybody has those moments when they try to take a photo, and something goes extraordinarily wrong. Wrong place, wrong time, and all of that. Or maybe it was the right place at the right time?

Some vacation photo fails have gone viral over time thanks to their hilarity and overall awkwardness. Whether it's due to positioning, animals, or simple human error, these are 50 photos that will make you laugh out loud with their wildness. These photos aren't entirely what these vacationers were intending.

Sneak Attack

Sneak Attack

No swimmer is safe when a kid's fully armed with a water gun. This lady may think she's enjoying her day, soaking up the sun with not a care in the world, but it looks like she's in store for a rude (and wet ) awakening very soon. Let's just hope this kid doesn't have very good aim! 

However, he might be in for a rude awakening himself without realizing it because no kid is safe when mom is angry at them! It's clear he hasn't thought his ingenious plan all the way through. Someone's vacation is about to be ruined...if not both of theirs! 

Heide Benser/The Image Bank/Getty Images

Picnic Panic

Picnic Panic

Imagine traversing to what was once a beautiful meadow with leaping deer and buzzing bees perfect for a morning picnic, only to find it burnt to a crisp. There's nothing better on a vacation than natural disasters to derail your plans that you've meticulously laid out in advance. 

Hopefully, their sandwiches were good, at least. Eating a sandwich in a burnt field may not make for an amazing vacation, but it does technically make for a vacation. Sometimes you have to work with what you've got, but hopefully not when you're trying to relax! 

(Image via Reddit)

Let's Fly!

Let's Fly!

These guys have caught some major air on this tube ride! But something tells us that this wasn't according to plan. Being flung willy-nilly into the air with six of your closest friends doesn't really sound like the way we would like to spend our vacation, but who are we to judge? 

We're sure everyone is just fine after this crash. Probably...assuming that someone didn't take a foot to the face! This will be a hilarious memory for these people in a few years, but we imagine that they weren't thrilled about their impromptu flight through mid-air at the time. 

(Image via Imgur)

Tiger Stripes

Tiger Stripes

Someone had some fun with the sunscreen. That, or they might need a refresher course on how to apply it properly. While turning your body into a work of art might sound cool, it's probably a lot more painful than we would want to experience on vacation. We'll stick with putting our sunscreen on the old fashioned way. 

Next time it might just be easier to wear a shirt instead of trusting that your friends and family know how to apply sunscreen! It seems like that's a pretty low bar, but after seeing this picture, we're definitely going to double-check their work from now on! 

(Image via Imgur)

Picture Perfect Pair

Picture Perfect Pair

Sometimes you can get it a little… lost in the moment. We honestly have no idea what in the world is going on in this photo, and it's probably best that it stays that way. Some mysteries of the universe are better left unsolved, and we think this is a prime candidate for that principle. 

Despite the man drowning right before their eyes, these two still have managed to find love in a hopeless place. We get that sometimes people want some truly ridiculous romantic photos, but this one takes the cake. How they got the horses into such deep water in the first place is truly a wonder. 

(Image via Reddit)

An Owl Says Hello

An Owl Says Hello

This owl obviously just wanted to say hi to this woman and the sheep! It's so nice when you're on vacation and the locals try their hardest to make you feel welcome. We just can't believe how rudely she's reacting to this gesture of avian hospitality. Tourists have no manners! 

I'm sure it didn't intend to scare the heck out of her, and now she's got a new pal! When it comes to friendship, you can honestly do a lot worse than a bird of prey...assuming that you're not their prey! It might have been terrifying in the moment, but now she's got a great photograph and a great vacation memory. 

(Image via Imgur)

Beach Buds

Beach Buds

A little kid, a monkey, and a parrot are all chilling on a beach. It sounds like the opening line to a bad joke. We're not sure how they got everyone to pose so perfectly in this picture, but whoever did it is a master of wrangling animals...and kids! 

There's no denying that this kid managed to get one heck of a souvenir photo from his vacation! And if he plays his cards right, he might get a couple of new pets out of this as well. Let's just hope he's not bringing rabies and bird flu back home with him! 

(Image via Reddit)

Hair's On End

Hair's On End

We've heard of your hair standing on end but never quite like this! Who knows? This could become the next big hairstyle! While we're no expert hair scientists, we can't imagine that letting your hair get frozen solid is a very good way to keep it happy and healthy. 

Spider web hair is definitely a challenging look to pull off, but this woman is doing pretty well with it. With a little extra styling, she's ready to make her debut as the ice queen. However, there's no telling how crazy her hair will look once it's unfrozen and back to normal! 

(Image via Imgur)

Cheese!

Cheese!

These two seem very happy to pose with their new stingray buddy! They might be dangerous sea creatures, but even stingrays know how to let loose and have a little fun every once and a while. Or at least those are the emotions we're projecting onto it! 

It's nice to see that human-stingray relations are improving since the Steve Irwin incident. If things continue at this pace, we'll be living in perfect peace and harmony in no time. As long as the stingrays stay happy, things should be just fine for all of us! 

(Image via Reddit)

Clumsy Parents

Clumsy Parents

The mom looks scared, the dad looks like he's about to die laughing, and the child looks like a football. This is basically a perfect encapsulation of what a nightmare trying to orchestrate family photos can be. It might not always get photographed, but this is going on behind the scenes every time you try to get a kid to pose for a picture. 

These parents are never going to live this one down! This photo will definitely act like a bargaining chip for these kids later in life. However, if you're going to accidentally drop your kids, it's definitely better to do it in the sand than somewhere harder like a parking lot. 

(Image via Imgur)

Group Hug!

Group Hug!

Look at that face! This stingray obviously didn't mean any harm. He just wanted a hug! Clearly, the guy that attacked Steve Irwin was just a bad apple because most stingrays just seem to want to smile and pose for the camera. Is there any harm in that? 

It's clear that this guy is a real ladies' man! We wish him the best of luck, but inter-species relationships never work—especially if the people you're hitting on look terrified of you! We humans have some real hang-ups about hanging out with creatures that could kill us with one poke. 

(Image via Twitter)

Snack Time

Snack Time

What's funnier to you? The dad or the baby's face? We're not sure if this is a horse or a camel, but whatever it is, it seems pretty pleased with his new tasty treat. And hey, we get it—vacations can be expensive. However, we don't recommend feeding your kids to animals to help cut down on costs. 

Kids don't really need both hands, do they? That might be what this dad is thinking at the moment, but we imagine that mom would probably beg to differ! This is another of those photos that will be hilarious in the future but were probably pretty terrible to experience in the moment. 

(Image via Amazon)

Jack, I'm--Ow!

Jack, I'm--Ow!

They tried to recreate a famous pose for what would've been a great picture. Too bad this bird was the only one flying. Honestly, we're on team bird for this one. There's nothing better than animals ruining people's fun. Plus,Titanic is decades old at this point...find another movie to watch and recreate! 

While we would expect humans to be clueless, we're honestly a little surprised at how bad this bird is at avoiding obstacles when flying. Maybe this wasn't an accident? These folks were trying to recreate Titanic, but it seems like this feathered friend is more a fan of The Birds

(Image via Reddit)

You Sound Horse

You Sound Horse

The horse just wanted to say 'hi!' Too bad this kid didn't seem too excited about that sweet horse's greeting. When they're on vacation, people can be so rude to the locals sometimes! Maybe shoving their head into a car and screaming is how people say hello around here! 

Judging by his teeth, this horse is just trying to find a ride to his dentist appointment. It seems like the polite thing to do would be to give him a life, but we can't imagine that this kid would be down with a plan like that. 

(Image via Reddit)

Perfect Form

Perfect Form

This swimmer clearly doesn't have Olympic diving in his future. However, there's one thing that is in his future—a very painful belly flop. From that height, whatever happens next is definitely going to hurt. However, his pain is our hilarious photo, so things worked out just fine...except for him! 

We're not even entirely sure how you get into that pose in the first place. Did he accidentally slip off the diving board? Has he seen someone dive before? The more we look at this photo, the more questions it raises in our minds. It's truly a conundrum. 

(Image via Reddit)

Batman's #1 Fan

Batman's #1 Fan

For some people, body hair isn't just a fact of life or something to get rid of—it's a blank canvas. Unfortunately, for this blank canvas, the artist didn't aim very high for this piece. Judging by his smile, this guy seems pretty darn pleased with himself, nonetheless, artistic ability or not. 

We have to credit this guy for his creativity, but that's definitely not something we would want to see on a relaxing trip to the beach. Maybe someone can sneak over and shave it off while he's taking a nice nap by the shore. We need a hero, and this time, it's definitely not Batman. 

(Image via Reddit)

Crime Doesn't Neigh

Crime Doesn't Neigh

No one is exempt from following the law—and that goes for horses too! This is one Bronco who needs to turn his life around quickly, or he'll find himself sentenced to the glue factory! Horse crime is a phenomenon that this country just doesn't want to take seriously or reckon with. 

But for real, we'd love to know what this guy is getting cuffed for. Considering his wardrobe choices, we would be willing to bet that there was probably alcohol involved. Assuming that his offenses were minor, we hope this doesn't derail the rest of his vacation! Even horses deserve to have a little fun. 

(Image via Reddit)

Panorama Fail

Panorama Fail

If you're vacationing in a tropical, beautiful location, that's the perfect time to use the panorama function on your phone's camera. There's just too much beauty to take it all in at once, so it seems like a smart choice. What could possibly go wrong with something so simple and nice? 

If you want to know what could go wrong, just take a look at this photo. This traveler clearly needs a little more practice with such an advanced form of technology. Or maybe she's just got one messed-up skull! However, something tells us that that's not the case! 

(Image via Reddit)

Say Cheese

Say Cheese

This seagull has true star power and knows that he belongs in front of a camera. This might not be the picture the couple intended to take, but it's definitely made 100% better thanks to this photobomb. He's got real star power, and he knows how to strut his stuff! 

Sometimes the best vacation photos are the unexpected ones, and that goes double when you throw a few animals behaving badly into the mix. That bird might not realize what a superstar he is, but we do! He's the best thing about this photo that would have otherwise been pretty normal and boring. 

(Image via Reddit)

Just Another Day on the Beach

Just Another Day on the Beach

Step aside, Jaws, there's a new terror on the beach! We're not exactly sure what makes a giraffe so terrifying, but these people are clearly aware of the threat! What led up to this photo is a mystery, but we'd love to know how a man dressed like a wild animal ended up on the beach. 

The truly perplexing thing about this photo is why the guy painted his face yellow. His head is popping out of the neck, so why not go with giraffe spots? Maybe that level of detail is asking too much from a random dude who showed up at the beach in a ridiculous costume. 

(Image via Reddit)

Walking on Water

Walking on Water

Either this beach is haunted, or someone is missing a pair of sandals. Or maybe Jesus finally took a vacation and decided to go to the beach. Good for him. Whatever is actually going on in this photo will just have to remain a hilarious mystery until someone comes back to claim these. 

Despite the random pair of sandals floating around, this is one beach that looks absolutely beautiful. The water is so clear you can actually see the shadow of the sandals on the bottom of the water. That looks like the perfect vacation spot...even if you do lose your footwear! 

(Image via Reddit)

Family Man

Family Man

You can't just leave your valuables lying around on the beach—you never know who might swipe them! Unfortunately for this husband and father, the rest of the family decided that he should be the one to play security guard. He may be unhappy, but at least you know your stuff is safe! 

At the very least, get this poor guy a duffel bag to put everything in! He only has so many hands, and we imagine that all those purse straps choking him aren't a blast either. Hopefully, whoever he's holding this stuff for is having the time of their lives. 

(Image via Reddit)

Smoke Break

Smoke Break

If this guy is any indication, life on the open seas is clearly not as rough and terrible as pirate movies make it seem. Despite the fact that he's in the middle of the ocean at a dinner table, he doesn't seem too concerned with his surrounding, and we don't blame him. 

We've never seen someone try to rest and relax quite like this, but maybe he's on to something. It might be a pain to pack, but why not bring the kitchen table with you on your next beach trip and see if this is as fun as it looks? 

(Image via Reddit)

Land Ho

Land Ho

The ocean is a huge place and it's understandable that navigators sometimes get completely turned around. That being said, whoever managed to get this boat into this mess probably should hand the map over to someone else. Mistakes may happen from time to time, but this is a little more than an innocent mistake. 

The only good thing about this is that the boat is so huge that the people on the street probably saw it coming long before it "made land." Still, it's got to be a nightmare for the boat owners and the people who are going to have to clean this mess up. 

(Image via Reddit)

Seeing Double

Seeing Double

When some people go on vacation, they worry if they'll fit in with the locals. No one wants to stick out like a sore thumb. However, these people clearly had nothing to worry about because they've got the local uniform down to a T! What are the chances of this happening? 

We can see one set of people wearing the same thing—but two? This was clearly a vacation that was meant to be just so this hilarious photo could come into existence. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like these people's clothing doppelgangers are as impressed by this coincidence as they are. 

(Image via Reddit)

Old Glory

Old Glory

The American flag is not a fashion statement, but these people clearly didn't get the memo. In addition to being in poor taste morally, these outfits are definitely in poor taste from a fashion standpoint too. No one is going to be able to make bright red and blue work for an outfit. 

However, big props to this lone patriot who's not afraid to pledge allegiance. Hopefully, these flag-clad tourists didn't spot him with his hand over his heart. Something tells us they wouldn't find this as funny as he does. Long live the land of the free and the home of the brave! 

(Image via Reddit)

Relaxing at the Beach

Relaxing at the Beach

These ladies know how to relax and they're not afraid to cause a scene if it means getting a little R&R! And they definitely deserve it! Can you imagine how much effort it probably took to lug that sofa down to the beach? We wouldn't want to try that ourselves! 

That being said, while we love this idea in theory, this is not what we want to see people doing during our day at the beach. Just because you can doesn't mean you should, and that's clearly a lesson that these ladies haven't quite learned yet! 

(Image via Reddit)

DIY Floaties

DIY Floaties

When it comes to swimming in the ocean, you always need to remember safety first! It can be a dangerous place. However, if you're unaware like these people clearly are, life jackets are cheap and not in short supply. They clearly took the upcycling trend way further than they needed to. 

Also, we're not entirely sure just how effective a bunch of soda bottles is going to be when it comes to personal floatation. Something tells us that this is more likely to end up being a nuisance to the fish as opposed to a life-saving device. 

(Image via Reddit)

An Unusual Beach Companion

An Unusual Beach Companion

You'll see plenty of families having fun at the beach, but not many are thoughtful enough to bring the ENTIRE family--appliances and all. Hopefully, this guy brought an extra air filter because it's going to take a lot of work to get this beach clean! We'd go as far as to say it's an impossible task. 

But for real, why does anyone need to bring a vacuum to the beach? Aside from taking a funny photo like this one, there is literally zero reason to pack it up and bring it along. Obviously, this guy disagreed, though! Maybe he's on to something we don't realize yet! 

(Image via Reddit)

Front Row Seats to the Show

Front Row Seats to the Show

If you thought spending time in your tiny hotel room with your family was bad, just be glad you didn't check in here! We understand being close-knit, but there is not a friend or a family member out there that we would want to share this bizarre room arrangement with. 

Why anyone would think to put a giant window in the bathroom is beyond us, but clearly someone thought it was a good idea. But what purpose could this serve other than to make everyone else in the room a voyeur to your bathroom time? If this is what hotels are offering, we'll stick to sleeping in a tent! 

(Image via Reddit)

Photobomb Justice

Photobomb Justice

You're either having an amazing day at the beach or a terrible day at the beach, depending on who you are in this photo. Don't forget—crime doesn't pay, even if you're at the beach! Now we're curious as to what kind of beach crime this guy could have committed. 

This is one vacation photo that's probably not getting framed and displayed! Or who knows? Maybe it will be! We imagine that the ladies in this picture probably find it a lot more hilarious than the guy does. Sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. 

(Image via Reddit)

You're Going to Have to Check Those

You're Going to Have to Check Those

Some people don't know how to pack efficiently, but this is just getting ridiculous. Why go on vacation at all if you're going to bring the entire house with you? And we don't believe for a minute that all these bags are going to make it to their destination on time! 

All joking aside, this is, interestingly, an actual statue at Sacramento International Airport, but it had us fooled! The sculpture was created by Brian Goggin in 1998 and uses real suitcases that date from the beginning of air travel into the present day. The baggage surrounds two support columns in the airport. 

(Image via Reddit)

Poolside Physics

Poolside Physics

There should be no homework on a vacation, but we'll allow this one exception since it's so funny. Either this guy is the headless horseman on holiday or he knows exactly how water refracts light. This is definitely one way to clearly and hilariously illustrate a scientific concept! 

That being said, we'd probably be mortified if our science teacher was illustrating the wonders of physics while wearing a bathing suit. That's definitely not something we're looking for in an education. Surely there's a way for him to get his point across without embarrassing the entire class! 

(Image via Reddit)

Canoe Fail

Canoe Fail

If you're canoeing for the first time, you may as well just expect to topple out at least a few times. No one wants to go overboard, but it's basically a non-negotiable rite of passage unless you just happen to be a natural-born canoe expert—and we're assuming that there aren't many of those in the world! 

This guy may have gotten soaked, but he also managed to get up close and personal with some of the local flora. And hey, things could have been a lot worse for him! He could have gotten up close and personal with all the creepy crawlies beneath the water instead! 

(Image via Reddit)

The Birthplace of Civilization

The Birthplace of Civilization

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is ground zero for ridiculous, corny photos. Who hasn't visited this site without pretending like they're holding up the tower? As dumb as those photos may be, they're definitely a lot more preferable than the photo that this woman is taking! 

We'll definitely give her an A for creativity, but this photo is just too wrong to be enjoyed. That being said, we have to give her props for having the core strength to pull off this ridiculous pose! Sometimes you shouldn't do something even if you're able to. 

(Image via Reddit)

Pool Party Pooper

Pool Party Pooper

Light just doesn't play by the same rules when it comes to the water, and that includes when someone is snapping a photo of you. That might explain her body, but that still doesn't explain why she looks like she's having such a bad time in the pool! Who can be mad at a pool party? 

We imagine that she looks much taller and happier in regular photos, but pool photos just don't play fair! Light refraction strikes again, and it's not a good look on anyone. Hopefully, she made it out of the pool before she got too wrinkly! 

(Image via Reddit)

Treasure Hunting

Treasure Hunting

You can find all sorts of interesting things on the beach if you know where to look. But this father-daughter duo found more than they bargained for! We imagine that there are probably tons of bizarre things that get unearthed at the beach, but dentures are still one of the craziest things we've seen. 

Someone is missing those dentures, but, at this point, it's probably for the best that they just get a fresh new set. If you thought that getting sand in your bathing suit was annoying, just wait until you start finding sand in your teeth! That's definitely something we wouldn't want to experience. 

(Image via Reddit)

Staying Afloat

Staying Afloat

Kids love the water, but it can be so hard to keep them safe when they're swimming. These parents came up with an ingenious solution. All that being said, it's probably a good idea to keep an eye on the kid just in case! Kids have a great way of thwarting parents' best-laid plans. 

This kid looks like he's having a great time, though. And honestly, this seems like a pretty sweet setup for adults who are too lazy to walk in the pool too. It's basically the pinnacle of rest and relaxation. You don't choose the floaty life—the floaty life chooses you. 

(Image via Reddit)

A Bearable Vacation

A Bearable Vacation

There's no better way to get in touch with the beauty of nature than a camping trip. This might be a little too much in touch with nature, though. Maybe this bear just wanted to give them a friendly greeting to the neighborhood, but we wouldn't stick around to find out!

As hilarious as this photo might be, we imagine that it has to be pretty terrifying and dangerous to wake up to a bear just feet from you. This photo also raises a weird question—where is the tent for these kids? We're they just sleeping out in the open? 

(Image via Reddit)

A Sandy Predicament

A Sandy Predicament

They might not have gotten the boat into the water, but at least they got the truck into the sand! We're not entirely sure how something like this actually happens, but we imagine that this little accident not only ruined a good vacation but also these people's real lives as well. 

We can't even imagine how you would go about fixing something like this. Is a tow truck even strong enough to pull this thing out? Something tells me they're going to be vacuuming sand out of that vehicle for years to come...assuming that they can actually get it home! 

(Image via Reddit)

Floating on the Beach

Floating on the Beach

Is this woman sitting on the beach next to a black hat or has she mastered the art of levitation? The beach may be a magical place, but we're pretty sure that it's not that magical! Or maybe we're just hitting up the wrong beaches—you never know! 

While this is a clever composition for a photo, the picture really loses its magic the long you look at it. You only really get the effect if you're glancing at it quickly. Regardless, this is definitely a picture that people are going to remember for years to come. 

(Image via Reddit)

Say Cheese

Say Cheese

These days, people don't go on vacation to relax—they go to snap the perfect selfie. It's a risky gamble to take your phone out into open waters, but those perfect beach photos aren't going to snap themselves! Is there anything that technology can't and won't ruin? Even a day at the beach isn't safe! 

We understand people wanting to take vacation photos so that they can cherish their memories, these pics aren't so much capturing the moment as they are capturing bikini selfies. Who wants to relive the memories when all of the photos are just you trying to act like a model? 

(Image via Reddit)

Sand Sofa

Sand Sofa

Sandcastles are so passe nowadays. This guy was thinking way outside the box when he created this magnificent beach couch. Sometimes you just have to dare to think differently It's constructed nicely, but, more importantly, it looks very comfy! There's not a better place at the beach to take a load off. 

All that being said, it's a good thing that this sand couch looks pretty comfy because you're definitely going to want to take a load off after all the work of sculpting it! Who knew that a fun day at the beach would also involve some light furniture construction? 

(Image via Reddit)

No Smiles

No Smiles

Going to a theme park is every kid's dream, right? Clearly, there's at least one youngster who begs to differ. This guy looks like he's trying his hardest not to have a good time. You've got to admire his dedication to his craft. He's definitely a pro at keeping his emotions under wraps! 

However, going a theme park is not the same thing as taking pictures, so maybe he was having a good time after his parents finally put the camera down and just let him enjoy his day. We're not pointing any fingers, but we have a few relatives of our own who can get a little too trigger-happy with the camera! 

(Image via Reddit)

All Thumbs

All Thumbs

This picture could have been the greatest vacation photo of all time, but no we'll never know someone doesn't know how to keep their thumb out of the way. Let's hope they weren't trying to capture a touching moment. I give this photo two thumbs way down. 

This is actually one place where technology can actually make things better. With a traditional camera with film, you wouldn't know this photo was a dud until you got it developed. But with a camera phone, you can easily see your mistake and snap another shot! 

(Image via Reddit)

Terrifyingly Fun

Terrifyingly Fun

This kid was probably ecstatic that he was finally big enough to make it onto a roller coaster. Oh, how wrong he was! This is how a lifelong fear of heights is born, and let's just hope this kid made it out of this situation without too many mental scars. 

When you're a little kid, there's nothing better than finally being big enough for the "big kid" rides, but this is one child who now knows better from personal experience! Hopefully, he'll be able to laugh at this photo one day, but for now, we'd recommend he steer clear of roller coasters! 

(Image via Reddit)

Goth Holiday

Goth Holiday

It's not a phase, mom! Although it probably would be a lot more comfortable for this fledgling goth to just admit it and ditch the head-to-toe black at the beach. We can't think of a more uncomfortable outfit to wear under the blazing sun than this one! 

I'm sure her family is just happy that they managed to get her out of the house at all! Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and at least these are some parents that chose wisely. She'll grow out of it, and even if she doesn't, she's almost old enough that you don't have to invite her on family vacations anymore! 

(Image via Reddit)

Get Comfortable, Why Don't You?

Get Comfortable, Why Don't You?

This had the makings of a great family vacation photo, but of course, a stranger had to ruin it. We understand wanting to feel comfortable at the beach, but this could have definitely gotten a little rest and relaxation without letting it all hang out for the world to see. 

However, the skimpy speedo is honestly just one puzzling aspect of this photo. We also need to ask what in the world is going on with this guy's Richard Nixon back tattoo? If he's a big fan of the former president, why did he get the tattoo where he can't even see it? 

(Image via Twitter)