Every year millions of people set out to take a trip with hopes that they experience the best that a vacation has to offer. Vacationers come from all around the world heading for different destinations in every form, as solo travelers and some with their families. No matter where they’re coming from or where they are headed, travelers all have the same end goal in sight – having the time of their life while on vacation. After all, why else would we pay so much money to visit a foreign land other than in search for adventure and new wonders?

Most trips turn out to be satisfying endeavors which we capture on our cameras as a way to look back on the fond memories that were created on vacation. Most of these photographs contain images that will immediately bring a smile to our face, but there are also times when these recollections simply make us shake our head in baffled amazement, questioning why we would ever strike that certain pose. Sometimes our vacation photos truly are humiliating, to say the least.

Here are thirty pictures of embarrassing tourists!

30 Lost at the Great Wall

The Great Wall of China is about thirteen thousand miles in length, making it half the circumference of our entire planet. Considering that astounding fact, it’s not crazy to see how someone might get lost on such an expansive landmark that seemingly stretches for an eternity.

Pulling out the map to get back on track seems like a fine idea but taking a picture of being lost… not so much. Also, are maps still a thing after the advent of smartphones?

29 Photographing… Trash?

When vacationing, it stands to reason that no matter what city you travel to, there’s going to be a decent number of landmarks to visit. After all, you must have chosen that particular destination for a reason. That’s precisely why this photo leaves us all scratching our heads in complete confusion.

Why would anyone on vacation opt to photograph trash, of all things, instead of the beauty that is likely surrounding them? This is going to be a big regret of shame later on down the line, for sure.

28 There should only be one Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is one of America’s most treasured landmarks, often eliciting a flurry of emotion from tourists who finally get to lay eyes on the graceful statue standing tall in the New York Harbor. It’s certainly a moment to remember as her beauty and size can be overwhelming along with her historic nature.

With so much sentiment around Lady Liberty, we have to ask ourselves what this family was thinking when they all donned the green foam crowns and looked at her unison for their family vacation photo?

27 Typical Pose at Stonehenge

Considered one of England’s most cherished sites, Stonehenge represents the vestiges of our past and much significance to the human race, considering its age and mystery dating back to the beginnings of civilization. With so much history in one spot, we have to wonder why this tourist felt obliged to go for the typical “angle” pose from afar in an attempt to make it appear as if he is holding up one of the multi-ton rocks of the landmark. A simple smile in front of Stonehenge appreciating its reverence should suffice.

26 The Same Pose Again At Another Landmark

This pose seems to be a recurring stance during vacation pictures that is going to end in embarrassing head nods years from now for many people. This time our traveler is opting to go for the typical tourist picture depicting herself carrying the grand Pyramids in Egypt next to the magnificent Sphynx statue.

It’s not necessarily a bad photo, but again, hasn’t this been done to death by now? There just has to be a better photo op at such a historic world landmark.

25 Mona Lisa Smile

The Mona Lisa is essentially considered the most famous piece of art ever created in all of human history. To see Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece is to see the pinnacle of human creativity according to many experts. That’s precisely why millions of visitors to Paris’ famous Louvre Museum crowd around the Mona Lisa exhibit in hopes that they can snap a photo with her famous smile.

Too bad a selfie with her is going to result in a photo you won’t want to look at again in the future considering there will be a herd of people around you.

24 Missed the Giant Bear

We get the desire to take pictures posing at different angles to give off the appearance of a funny pose with another object in the frame. It’s cliché, but sure, everyone has to try it at least once in their life. But if you are going to go for it, you have to get the angle right.

Our posing model here was off by, let’s call it at least a few degrees, considering she isn’t anywhere near the giant bear statue. The intent was humorous, but the execution was far from perfect.

23 The Pyramids of Giza

The great Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt are quite possibly the most iconic landmark in existence. Not only are they a marvel to look at, considering their aesthetic beauty, but they are historically significant in ways many other sites are not. Taking a picture of them to capture such an important moment is a must.

Just because you are in Egypt though, doesn’t mean you have to strike the stereotypical “mummy” pose the way these three tourists felt inclined to do. We understand the thought, but we are pretty sure they are going to wonder why they had to go for such a cliché photo at such a grand monument.

22 Pose Fail

Sometimes when we are excited to be visiting a beautiful place, that joy compels us to want to strike a pose that conveys that delight. Unfortunately, that bliss can sometimes come out in awfully awkward stances that seem to make very little sense, if at all.

For example, take this photo fail of tourists visiting the beautiful flowers that grow in the plains of China. What about those delightful blossoms makes anyone want to pose in a confused state with jazz hands in full effect? We aren’t sure either.

21 Martial Artist Stance

Why is that anytime a person sees some type of martial arts on display, no matter the style, whether it’s kung fu, jujitsu, or any other, we feel compelled to strike the most stereotypical cliché fighting stance of all time? This isn’t even limited to just children. Grown men are overcome with their inner child in this scenario and this tourist in Hong Kong is no different.

Copying the martial artist stance that the infamous Bruce Lee statue is in, is so overdone, but it doesn’t matter. We are all going to go for it anyway and regret it later.

20 Leaning Tower of Pisa Overdone

If there ever was any place in the world to blame for the overdone pose in which people stand at an angle to give off a funny appearance next to a landmark, please see the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa as the sole owner who shoulders 100% of the blame.

We’ve all seen these photos at some point in our lives and by now, we have to force a smile just to seem humored. It doesn’t matter though, it’s like an unwritten rule that any tourist visiting the famous Italian landmark has to take the cliché picture, whether by choice or not.

19 One More on That Cliché Tower

No list of embarrassing tourist photos is complete without an entry by the Leaning Tower of Pisa, so we had to include two of them because it really is that overdone. As you can clearly see, everyone who visits goes for the tried and true angle pose. Literally every tourist is having their go at the formulaic photograph which is even funnier than the actual photo people are attempting to take.

Seeing a crowd of tourists striking the same stance in an attempt to push the tower is a much more amusing picture than any one individual photo could ever hope to be.

18 The Longest Arm in the World

Everyone who is at a world-famous landmark is eager to take that perfect selfie with the icon perfectly positioned in the background, ready to upload their beautiful photography on social media for the world to like and retweet. But don’t we all run into the same problem when it comes to the picture perfect selfie – our arms aren’t long enough? Sure, you could just buy a selfie stick. Or you could be this guy and convert your selfie stick into a human arm with fingers and all. Why anyone would decide to do this is beyond us, but it’s just odd and creepy, in a sense. Definitely not the best vacation picture.

17 Security Mishap

Spotting the guards at Buckingham Palace in London is one of the most sought-after tourist experiences in the city, if not the country. We’ve all seen the infamous guards in their red outfits and large black bearskin hats in some pop culture reference, undoubtedly poking fun at their blank expression and rigid stance without movement.

This photo snapped by a tourist visiting Buckingham Palace caught a rare moment that spells shame for the Queen’s Guard with one soldier falling over and breaking routine. Poor guy isn’t going to live this down as one of the Queen’s exclusive security personnel.

16 Cliché Universal Sign

Going to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida is up there with the best vacation a family can take. The place has literally everything a kid could ask for, not to mention more than enough fun for the adults as well. In fact, there’s a decent number of families that are starting to choose Universal over neighboring Disney World.

It’s great fun, but just pass on the cliché photo of you posing in a manner that makes it seem as if you are holding up the Universal globe. Everyone does it and it really isn’t as clever it seems.

15 Mopey Disney

Speaking of Disney World, this family is going to look back on this photograph of their time at the happiest place on Earth and wonder how they were so…. unhappy. How can an entire group find themselves so gloomy while at Disney of all places?

We aren’t sure what’s going on here, but it looks like the family had a disagreement of sorts right before this photo was snapped. Maybe Space Mountain was a letdown? Or possibly they weren’t willing to share those tasty Disney turkey legs with one another?

14 Eiffel Selfie Stick

The location is great. Who wouldn’t want to visit the Eiffel Tower and get a picture of the iconic landmark? It’s a staple of the great city of Paris and perhaps the most famous site in the world, after all. That means you have to get the perfect photo for such a momentous occasion. Seems like these ladies missed the mark as they didn’t quite get the selfie stick picture right.

Sure, it seems like they stopped in the middle of their selfie to pose for another picture, but having the selfie stick in the center of the frame just seems all wrong. They definitely get an ‘A’ for effort and their smiling faces though!

13 Striking a Pose at Eiffel Tower

The magnificent Eiffel Tower makes it onto our list again with this pretty embarrassing pose. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are probably millions of awkward pictures at the infamous site considering it is one of the most visited places in the world.

That doesn’t make these pictures any less humiliating. The gentleman posing in this picture has surely rummaged through old photographs and stumbled across his time in Paris and asked himself why he just had to go for the cliché finger-on-top-of-a-building angle.

12 Times Square Selfie

Visiting the world famous Times Square in New York City can be a dizzying experience. There is just so much to see and marvel at with an endless sea of lights brightening up the few blocks that make up what has become known as the “crossroads of the universe”. The billboards, LED screens, and skyscraper lights make for a dazzling display of modern fun so a photo op has to be in the cards for any visitor.

For these Time Square tourists, the selfie stick pose just doesn’t work though. Who is going to look back on these pictures a decade from now and wonder why they used the selfie stick in their picture? Everyone, that’s who.

11 Yellow Much?

When visiting a foreign city, getting the right outfit to take on all of the awesome sights is sometimes top of mind for many travelers. After all, who doesn’t want to feel great walking around in a new location experiencing so much culture. We want to look back on these memories and think fondly of our time there. But sometimes, travelers get it wrong and their fashion statement says all the wrong things. This gentlemen on vacation wearing yellow everything, including his beard, is sure to regret this one not too long from now.