Epic Travel Fails: Meet the World’s Unluckiest Traveller

Every traveller has a “you won’t believe this happened” story—but only one can truly wear the crown as the World’s Unluckiest Traveller. As part of its annual travel promotion, Travel Guard invited travellers from across the U.S. and Canada to spill the beans on their most spectacular travel mishaps. After weeks of voting, the results are in—and they’re anything but boring.

Taking top honours (and bragging rights), Lloyd L. has officially been named the World’s Unluckiest Traveller, along with a $10,000 cash prize. In his winning tale, “From Holy Water to Holy Soaked,” Lloyd recounts a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Rome to see the Pope, interrupted by a less-than-divine downpour that left him drenched, freezing, and barely able to spot the main attraction.

The runner-up story, “Flip Flop Fiasco,” sees Daniel B. heading to California to meet his goddaughter before tackling the iconic Vasquez Rocks. Unfortunately, an ill-fated footwear choice, and possibly questionable travel companions, turned adventure into misadventure. Daniel walked away with $5,000.

Coming in third, “The $28K Snowboarding Souvenir” tells the tale of a dream trip to the Austrian Alps that lasted all of two hours before ending with a shattered wrist and a very expensive hospital stay. The third-place winner received $3,000.

And in fourth place, “What Cancer Didn’t Take, Travel Tried To,” follows a family’s determination to make it to Copenhagen despite relentless obstacles including, yes, a plane catching fire. The fourth-place prize: a RIMOWA carry-on suitcase, perfect for future (hopefully smoother) journeys.

“The stories of our winners are not typical, but travel mishaps can befall anyone, so we encourage travelers to prepare for the unexpected and protect their trips,” said Rhonda Sloan, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Travel Guard.

“We launched the World’s Unluckiest Traveler to recognize those who have endured hardships in pursuit of their love of travel and to highlight those sorts of misfortunes – particularly medical issues – that might make a travel insurance plan worth considering.”

The full stories from each of the winners can be viewed at www.worldsunluckiesttraveler.com.