The world's most ridiculous travel complaints, ranked
Too hard to please
Complaints about long flight delays and sub-standard accommodation are absolutely justified but some travellers are just impossible to please. From tourists complaining about too much sand on the beach to those blaming hotels for their pregnancies, we count down some of the most ridiculous complaints.
35. The women were too pretty
A self-conscious tourist had a crisis of confidence after visiting Russia, complaining: "The ladies living in Russia were so beautiful they totally crushed my self-esteem."
34. There was no milk in the tea
A travel advisor said she received a call late at night from one client visiting Rome, who complained that they had received a sandwich but the bread was not buttered on both sides and that there was no milk in the tea. After talking to the hotel, she found out the milk had been served in a separate jug, as is the custom.
33. My husband got distracted
One tourist blamed relaxed beach etiquette for her husband’s wandering eye, complaining: "Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women." Another moaned: "The beach had too many fat people. It was gross."
32. I was forced to drink cocktails
Twitter account @HolidayComplain has seen some truly bizarre complaints over the years, collating stories submitted anonymously by travel agents. One tourist was unhappy about enjoying cocktails on their holiday, writing: "The water tasted funny so I had to drink cocktails all week. Now I can't remember half my holiday." Bottled water next time, perhaps?
31. Stonehenge was a bunch of rocks
It’s one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world, but TripAdvisor reviewer Dan G was disappointed when he visited, writing: "It’s a bunch of rocks... in a field. WOOOOOOOW! You’ll have to excuse the sarcasm, but the reality is that this is exactly what this 'attraction' is, you can’t even go up to them. Yes there’s some historical background... but that can be said of plenty of other, far better attractions that our country has to offer. Give it a miss, not worth the effort…"
30. The hotel got me pregnant
Trouble sleeping caused issues for one customer, who complained: "My girlfriend kept me awake because she was snoring. Can I have a discount?" Another blamed her pregnancy on the travel agent, writing: "My fiancé and I booked a twin-bedded room but we were placed in a double. I'm now pregnant." Another couple were incensed to find their neighbours had booked the same hotel, moaning: "When we got to the resort we found out that Bert and Mavis from down the road were also there. I hate Bert."
29. The Great Wall of China is just a wall
One of the most magnificent examples of ancient engineering, The Great Wall of China is "too long" and "just a wall" according to some visitors. Another traveller was left pretty unimpressed with this historic monument and said: "I didn't see the hype in this place, it's really run down and old."
28. My kids weren’t catered for
One unhappy parent was disappointed after being charged for her teenage daughter’s meal, writing: "The restaurant said 'children eat free' but my 19-year-old daughter still got charged for her meal." Another wrote: "My plane journey was a disappointment as the sky was too cloudy, obstructing my children’s view of the sea and ruining our game of eye-spy."
27. The Grand Canyon is just rocks
One of the most popular destinations in the US, the Grand Canyon doesn't charm all of its visitors, one of whom said he thought the canyon "could've been a little grander." One traveller, who didn't expect bad weather, said rain and fog ruined the trip while another disgruntled visitor said: "It's just a big hole in the ground. It took me a long time to walk round it, downvoting until they build a bridge or something."
26. The Mona Lisa was too small
The Louvre is one of the world’s most popular museums but TripAdvisor reviewer Palindromeman was seriously unimpressed by his visit. He wrote: "Musee [sic] du Louvre – bad. Short answer: bored… Apparently there is between 14 to 16 kilometres of boredom on offer at the Louvre. I could not do it." Of the Mona Lisa, he wrote: "She's small. Effectively A4 size… And that smile? She looks to me like she just pulled a bank job and got away with it."
25. An elephant made me feel inadequate
A male tourist became disgruntled and self-conscious after seeing an elephant, writing: "Spotting the visibly aroused elephant ruined my honeymoon in Thailand by making me feel inadequate."
24. There was a queue at the Uffizi
Another incensed customer who visited Florence, complained about queues at the Uffizi Gallery. A travel advisor explained, "They complained that there were queues at the Uffizi and I should have told them… even though I had encouraged the client to pre-book the 'skip the line’ tickets which I could do for him."
23. The Queen is too greedy
Most visitors to London want to tick Buckingham Palace off their bucket list but TripAdvisor reviewer Christopher H was less than impressed, writing: "Didn't excite me at all. What's the point of travelling to England to stand outside of Buckingham Palace. You can't go in. Is the queen [sic] so greedy she needs all 77,000 square metres and can't show off one of the grandest palaces in the world? Wow, a fence, whoop!"
22. I couldn't call reception
Calling reception isn't usually such a challenge but one tourist, after being told she could reach the front desk by dialling nine, complained when she was repeatedly unable to do so... from her mobile.
21. The Eiffel Tower is really ugly
In might be one of the most recognised symbols of Paris yet some visitors were not so impressed by this French landmark. Giving it one star on Google Reviews, one traveller suggested it should be rebuilt while others called it ugly and unattractive. "More like awful tower," said another visitor.
20. We were not told to bring swimsuits to a water park
Visitors to a water park were woefully unprepared, complaining: "We booked a day out to a water park but no one told us we had to bring our swimming costumes and towels. We assumed it would be included in the price." Another blamed the travel agent for missing their flights, saying: "We were not reminded to bring our passports and thought that we didn't need them."
19. There were too many tourists
Italian holiday company The Italian Connection has encountered some ridiculous complaints from its customers. The most ludicrous was from a tourist visiting Siena, who complained that "There were far too many tourists and far too many Americans and British people".
18. Machu Picchu is too high
Apparently, some travellers who visited Machu Picchu in Peru didn't expect the ancient mountain city to be in the mountains and branded it "too high" and "too old." Another one-star reviewer suggested that the remains of this Incan citadel would be improved with Wi-Fi.
17. Our €5 Ray-Bans were fake
Some customers complained after finding out their latest bargain actually was too good to be true: "We bought Ray-Ban sunglasses for €5 from a street trader, only to find out they were fake."
16. We had to ski on a ski holiday
A family who booked a ski holiday were shocked to find that skiing was difficult, writing: "We went on a skiing holiday but we weren't informed that we would actually have to be able to ski." Another was disappointed by the weather, complaining: "It was far too cold on our skiing holiday."
15. The hot air balloon went too high
One customer was extremely disappointed that he was not properly informed before getting into a hot air balloon: "There was no sign telling you that you shouldn't get in a hot air balloon if you're afraid of heights."
14. No one told us there would be fish in the sea
Another traveller was shocked to find fish in the sea, moaning: "No one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled." Another was disappointed with the salty water, complaining: "The water in the Gulf of Mexico was too salty. No one told me that there was going to be salt in the water. It was gross."
13. There was no beach in London
One holidaymaker was irate after forking out for a hotel in London, only to find there was no ocean. They complained: "Our London hotel didn't have an ocean view." Another moaned: "We went to London and couldn't find the beach." We hate to be the bearers of bad news but London is actually around 35 miles from the nearest seaside beach.
12. We didn't put on any weight
Cruise company Iglu Cruise received an entertaining complaint this year, with one couple seeking a full refund with the following complaint: "We usually come off our cruises having put on at least a stone in weight. We’ve come off this holiday having put on nothing at all. It’s just not good enough."
11. The guide was too ugly
A particularly rude holidaymaker was outraged by his tour guide, complaining: "We could not enjoy the tour as our guide was too ugly. You can’t admire a beautiful view when you’re staring at a face like his."
10. We didn’t know it rained in Spain
There's nothing worse than torrential rain when you're expecting a sun-kissed escape, but one angry tourist wished she’d just stayed at home, writing: "The weather at home was nice whilst we were away so the whole holiday seemed a bit pointless." Another complained: "It rained. We didn't know it ever rained in Spain." One more wrote: "Why did Thomson let us book the holiday if it was going to rain all week?!" Well, the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, after all...
9. Hairdressers were discriminated against
Trainee hairdressers were worried they wouldn’t be allowed into their hotels, asking: "The brochure stated: 'No hairdressers at the accommodation.' We’re trainee hairdressers – will we be OK staying there?" Once they were allowed in, they felt discriminated against, writing: "We’re trainee hairdressers and we think they knew it and made us wait longer for drinks."
8. The animals should be trained to smile
One tourist was disappointed after a trip to the zoo, writing: "The animals at the zoo looked very sad and it made our children cry. Can’t they train them to smile?" Another visiting Yellowstone National Park moaned: "We had to cut our trip short to Yellowstone because we were informed that they don’t cage the animals at night for our protection."
7. I didn’t like the shape of the towels
Who knew towels were such a bugbear? One holidaymaker moaned: "The maid who cleaned our room made our towel into a swan shape. I don't like swans." Another complained that they couldn’t tell the difference between the towels and the bathmats: "The bathmat was too similar to the hand towel; I kept getting them mixed up."
6. No one warned me about the sun
For some, holidays are all about catching a few rays but one angry customer didn’t manage to get bronzed at all, complaining: "We were told we would get a great tan, but we stayed inside all day and didn't get one." Another complained they got too tanned, writing: "I got sunburned. They should warn you that the sun is brighter in Mexico than it is in England. I would have worn sun cream if I knew."
5. The beach was too sandy
In what might be the most mind-boggling complaint of all, one Brit abroad complained: "The beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room." Another tourist was disappointed by the pristine nature of the sand on their holiday, writing: "We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as yellow, but it was white."
4. Why can't Spanish people go elsewhere on holiday?
In 2018, a British woman from Blackburn complained to the travel operator Thomas Cook that her Benidorm holiday in Spain was ruined by "too many Spanish people." The 81-year-old traveller suggested the Spanish "go somewhere else for their holidays" and demanded a full refund from Thomas Cook.
3. The flight time was unfair
One British traveller was annoyed at the disparity between flights to the UK and to the USA, moaning: "It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England… it only took the Americans three hours to get home." Another was appalled at a seat mix up on the plane, complaining: "I booked the window seat for myself and the middle seat for my wife but the tickets put us in the opposite ones."
Read more: 45 terrifically dumb travel mistakes we've made so you don't have to
2. They spoke Spanish in Spain
A visitor to Spain was unimpressed with the amount of Spanish people in the country, writing: "The receptionist speaks Spanish. The food is Spanish. Too many foreigners now live abroad." Another complained: "Why doesn’t everyone speak English? We went to Spain and no one understood English. We will never go back there again."
Read more: What you can and can't steal from planes, hotels and cruises
1. There was curry in India
A picky holidaymaker hated the food on his trip to India, moaning: "On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don’t like spicy food at all." Another tourist was disappointed by the Greek food on offer, writing: "Food in the Greek hotel was too Greek. We had to eat in the nearby fast food place."
Read more: Secrets the travel industry don't want you to know
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature