Whether you are headed to the beach for relaxation or going the more adventurous route and exploring a new country, there is no doubt that travel can be amazing. Unfortunately, as some of our readers found out, it can also be an opportunity to totally embarrass yourself in a brand-new place.
Sadly, as someone who accidentally flooded a bathroom due to a complete failure to understand how a Japanese toilet worked, I can totally relate to these stories.
From accidental nudity to getting violently ill in the WORST possible space, these stories are enough to make you happy to stay home this summer.
Image via iStock.com/Hramovnick
Tummy Trouble
"My honeymoon was unforgettable. I WISH I could forget it. I, and many of my guests, got food poisoning at my reception. By the time I got on the plane, headed to Paris, I was in some real distress, tummy wise. I made it an hour into the flight before I barfed. And then I was trying to get to the bathroom when I barfed and pooped my pants in one horrifying GI explosion. It was a long flight for me and everyone sitting next to me. I have never been more mortified." — K.P.
Balcony Loving
"Let me just say this: If you decide to get frisky on a hotel balcony in the middle of the day, you should probably make sure there is nobody on the balconies on the other side of the courtyard.
Hypothetically, of course. I certainly didn't have sex with an audience in Miami last year." — M.H.
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Bye Bye Bag
"We went to Korea, my luggage went … well, I still don't really know where it went. I just got there and my luggage didn't and then I was forced to find new clothes to fit my 5'11, 250-pound self. I ended up wearing guy clothes that didn't even match for the whole trip because I was too large for women's clothes there. I cringe at all of our photos because I look like a hot mess." — R.J.
Drunky Drunk
"We went on a vineyard tour as our first away trip after having a baby. I decided to make the trip special by not having my first post-baby drink of alcohol until the trip. BIG mistake.
I didn't realize that after over a year of sobriety, my tolerance level had totally changed. I got drunk off my ass. Sloppy drunk. My husband was so embarrassed and we got kicked off the tour." — S.A.
Money Troubles
"When I was 17, my whole family went on a beach vacation. I had been saving my babysitting money for months so I could buy great souvenirs.
When we got off the plane, I turned to my dad and asked, 'Where should I turn in my American money? What kind of money do they use here?'
Yeah. We were in HAWAII. My family still makes fun of me for that." — J.D.
Jet Lag Killer
"My husband was on a fairly remote island where he was doing some research (he is an anthropologist), and I decided to go see him. The thing was that it wasn't easy to get there. You had to fly four legs and then get on a ferry to get to the island itself.
Well, I don't sleep well on planes and so by the time I got the ferry stop, I had been up for over 20 hours. I sat on a bench to wait for the ferry and like instantly fell asleep. I woke up two hours later and all my stuff was gone and I had missed the last boat. Total panic meltdown. I was hysterical and it was just bad, bad, bad." — C.D.
House Crasher
"I almost got arrested last year on vacation. I had rented a house through a home rental website. I found the house but couldn't find the keys where they were supposed to be. So I started looking all over the house and checking all the doors and looking in the windows.
Yeah. Wrong house. I terrified the woman living there and she called the police on me. Oops." — D.A.
Naked & Afraid
"I decided to step out of my comfort zone and go to a nude beach on my last vacay. Went to the wrong beach. Discovered it when a bunch of preschoolers on a field trip started pointing and laughing at me." — E.R.
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The Fight
"Getting into a SCREAMING fight with my husband during hour one of a three-day European train tour is pretty embarrassing in hindsight. We made up but then were stuck on a train with a whole bunch of strangers who clearly thought we were tacky Americans. Which, fair, I guess we were." — O.M.
Upgraded
"I got upgraded to first class for a red eye flight to New York. I'd never sat in first class before and I was kind of dorkily excited. I even asked the person next to me on the plane to take some pictures of me in my seat. He seemed sort of amused and took the pictures. At one point, we did a selfie together.
The rest of the flight was pretty normal and we chatted a little until he fell asleep. I eventually noticed that other people were staring at our row but I couldn't figure out what it was all about.
It wasn't until two days later when a friend saw the selfie I'd taken and freaked out that I realized I was sitting next to a celebrity. I won't say who, but think boy band and hanging tough and you've got it." — E.S.
The Plunge
"Dove off the side of small cliff into the ocean. I came up and my bikini top was GONE. Had to get from the water to my towel with my boobs hanging out. So classy. Did I mention I was on my vacation with my in-laws?" — S.F.
Potty Problem
"I was letting my little one run naked on the beach (sandy buns! so cute) in Greece. I was just trying to get one cute picture when I realized that he was POOPING ON SOMEONE'S TOWEL. The person who owned the towel didn't speak English, but that didn't stop them from screaming at me. I burst into tears. What do you even do? I ended up grabbing the poop WITH MY HAND and throwing it into the ocean." — Z.S.