With the stressful lifestyles most of us are caught up in, and, not to forget, the toll taken on people as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, vacations seem to be the ideal break. Whatever your vacationing style happens to be—whether it’s relaxing on a beach, mountain climbing, or backpacking through Europe, or something more low-key with friends, family, or partner(s) — a vacation is meant to relax, share new experiences, and enjoy the company of your travel companions.

Updated: November 2022: To keep this article fresh and relevant by adding more information and entries, this article has been updated by Wishka Tilakaratne.

Unfortunately, despite your itineraries, preparation, and good intentions, things don't always go as planned. Cars break down, luggage gets lost, and flights get delayed. These problems, however, sound remarkably less unpleasant than predatory dinosaurs, lethal kidnappings, deadly rapids, or being stalked in the remote wilderness. With that in mind, here is a compiled list of the best movies about vacations gone wrong, ranked.

Related: Best Road Trip Movies, Ranked

12 Vegas Vacation (1997)

The Griswolds goes to Las Vegas
Warner Bros.

Vegas Vacation is the fourth film in the National Lampoon's film series. Having finally earned the cash bonus promised to him in National Lampoon's: Christmas Vacation, Clark decides to take his family to Vegas. When they arrive, Ellen is courted by lounge singer Wayne Newton, Audrey begins hanging out with cousin Vicki and her exotic dancer friends, and Rusty acquires a fake ID and poses as high-roller Nick Pappagiorgio. Worst of all, Clark becomes addicted to gambling and loses all the family's money. When Clark finally realizes he has lost sight of what is important, he tries to bring everyone back together. The film series ultimately inspired an HBO series spinoff and a reboot film starring Ed Helms.

11 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

Steve Martin as Neal Page and John Candy as Del Griffith
Paramount Pictures

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles pairs comedy legends Steve Martin, and the late John Candy as Neal Page and Del Griffith, respectively. Page is a high-strung marketing executive on his way home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Along the way, he encounters Griffith, a traveling salesman. The pair continue to cross paths en route, and despite being polar opposites, they eventually form a friendship. The movie was a hit amongst film critics who praised John Hughes for graduating from teen comedies and embracing an adult comedy. The film has become a Thanksgiving classic among audiences.

10 The Hangover (2009)

Doug, Alan, Phil and Stu drives to Vegas.
Warner Bros. Pictures

Released in 2009, The Hangover is the first in a comedy trilogy by Todd Phillips. The film follows four friends who take a trip to Las Vegas hoping to celebrate Doug's (Justin Bartha) last few days as a bachelor. However, everything takes a turn when they are drugged by Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Doug's future brother-in-law, who assumed the drugs were ecstasy. The group has one hectic night and wakes up to find the bachelor missing, a toddler in the cupboard, and no memory of the night. With this, the film follows the journey of the best friends trying to retrace the steps to find the missing Doug before his wedding. From some astounding revelations and absurd acts, the film is filled with humor.

9 Due Date (2010)

Peter is furious at Ethan
Warner Bros. Pictures

Due Date stars Robert Downey Jr. as Peter Highman, a man traveling from Atlanta to Los Angeles for the birth of his first child. While on the plane, an obnoxious fellow traveler, Ethan Tremblay (Zack Galifianakis) gets added to the no-fly list for talking about bombs and terrorists. Peter subsequently joins Ethan on the no-fly list by mistakenly swapping bags with Ethan, who had cannabis in his luggage. Ethan invites Peter to join him on a road trip, to which Peter reluctantly agrees, for lack of better options. Along the way, the pair get into some trouble, such as a physical altercation with a Western Union employee, an accidental gunshot wound, and escaping lock-up at the Mexican border.

8 The River Wild (1994)

Meryl Streep as Gail Hartman and Kevin Bacon as Wade.
Universal Pictures

On a family rafting trip in Idaho, Gail and Tom Hartman (played by Meryl Streep and David Strathairn) and their son Roarke (Joseph Mazello) meet another group of rafters, Wade (Kevin Bacon) Terry (John C. Reilly), and Frank (William Lucking), all of whom seem friendly enough. The following day they meet the same group, but one of the three men is missing, Frank, the duo's river guide. A former guide herself, Gail offers to help Wade and Terry get to the next drop-off point. Little do the Hartmans know, the pair have recently robbed a cattle auction and intend to hide on the river to evade police. The duo holds the family hostage and forces Gail to guide them down the river at gunpoint through treacherous rapids.

7 Jurassic Park (1993)

Sam Neill in Jurassic Park (1993)
Universal Pictures

In the original Jurassic Park, wealthy businessman John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and a team of scientists bring dinosaurs back from extinction, to form a fantastical theme park. John's grandchildren Tim (Joseph Mazello) and Lex (Ariana Richards) are invited to visit the park with various other people including paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), the paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). Things go terribly wrong when the dinosaurs escape their enclosures and hunt down the park visitors. Jurassic Park spawned five sequels: The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Jurassic World: Dominion.

Related: 10 Wild Animal Movies That Will Keep You Out of the Woods Forever

6 Breakdown (1997)

Jeff Taylor alongside his wife, Amy Taylor.
Paramount Pictures

Breakdown tells the tale of a husband and wife Jeff and Amy Taylor (played by Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan) who are moving from Massachusetts to California. Rather than fly, the pair decide to take a road trip in their new Jeep Grand Cherokee. En route, their vehicle breaks down, and Amy accepts a ride from a stranger to a nearby diner to call for help. Jeff soon realizes that the battery had been tampered with; he reconnects it and immediately sets out to look for Amy. Upon arriving at the diner, no one has seen her or the vehicle she was in. Jeff begins to investigate her disappearance with the help of some locals and soon comes to realize she is being held for ransom. According to The Guardian Breakdown is a streaming gem.

5 The Vanishing (1993)

Kiefer Sutherland as Jeff Harriman and Nancy Travis as Rita Baker
20th Century Fox

The Vanishing is a remake of George Sluizer's 1988 French-Dutch film of the same name. The movie begins with Jeff Harriman (Kiefer Sutherland) and Diane Shaver (Sandra Bullock) a couple on vacation together. When the pair stop at a gas station, Diane goes in for drinks while Jeff waits in the car. Diane, however, never returns but rather disappears without a trace. Diane's mysterious disappearance happens within the first 10 minutes of the film. The rest of the movie is set 3 years into the future and follows Jeff's insatiable desire to find out what happened to Diane on that fateful day.

4 Us (2019)

A scared Adelaide with Zora and Jason
Universal Pictures

A major hit by Jordan Peele, Us follows the protagonist Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o). The film opens with a young Adelaide getting lost at a fun house and being traumatized by some incident that occurs inside it. Years later, an adult Adelaide, along with her family, goes on a vacation which she is not quite eager about. Not so surprisingly, Adelaide's instincts seem to be on point as the family is attacked by their own clones. Following this, Peele takes the viewer on a hectic journey and finally ends the film with one of the biggest plot twists ever. Us might not be just a horror film that focuses on a vacation gone wrong, as the film has much to say about the society we live in.

3 Deliverance (1972)

A distressed and scared Ed Gentry (Jon Voight)
Warner Bros.

Deliverance is a shocking thriller starring Jon Voigt, Burt Reynolds, the late Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox as a group of friends from Atlanta, who decide to canoe down a river in the Georgia wilderness before a dam is constructed. While taking a break in the woods, Ed and Bobby are confronted by two hillbillies with a shotgun. The pair forces Bobby to undress and sexually assaults him. Lewis discovers what is happening and kills the assaulter with his bow and arrow. After the horrific incident, the men must decide how to deal with the murdered man and his armed companion who ran off into the wilderness.

2 Midsommar (2019)

Dani and Christian, along with their friends, arrive at the Hårga
A24 and Nordisk Film

Directed by Ari Aster, Midsommar is a folk horror story that stars Florence Pugh as the protagonist, Dani. Following the murder-suicide of her sister, Dani is traumatized and her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor) who planned to break-up with her prior to the incident, is forced to invite her on a trip along to Sweden with his friends. With the group of four visiting Pelle's hometown, the film starts to unravel some strange events. Interestingly, Dani, who seemed to be the least excited about the trip, ends up being the "happiest" one surviving. Midsommar is one complex and bizarre film that leaves so much to think about. With so many clues, plot twists, and absurd scenes, the film became quite popular.

Related: Florence Pugh's 9 Best Performances, Ranked

1 Thelma and Louise (1991)

Thelma (Susan Sarandon) and Louise (Geena Davis) en route.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon star in Thelma and Louise as two friends who head out on a weekend adventure to a friend's fishing cabin. Thelma (Davis) is disenchanted with her home life and is anxious to let loose. While en route to the cabin, the pair stop at a bar for drinks, where Thelma is approached by a man named Harlan. After a few dances, the pair step outside so Thelma can get some air, at which point Harlan attempts to sexually assault her. Louise (Sarandon) intervenes and after a heated altercation, shoots Harlan dead. The rest of the movie follows the pair's misadventures while on the lam from the law. According to The Guardian, the film holds up even 30 years later.