That perfect vacation photo can come at a painful price.
The quest for a memorable vacation often involves stepping outside of our normal routines, but that adventure can sometimes lead straight to the local emergency room. While we may worry about exotic diseases or crime, the most common vacation-ruining injuries often come from seemingly fun and harmless activities. These are the pursuits that, according to travel insurance claims and hospital data, frequently turn a dream trip into a painful ordeal.
Knowing the hidden risks in these popular activities can help you make smarter choices, ensuring your memories are of the fun, not the fracture.
1. Renting a moped or scooter is a recipe for disaster.
The romantic image of zipping through the streets of Rome or along a coastal road in Thailand on a scooter is a powerful one. The reality is that renting a moped is one of the most dangerous things a tourist can do. You are combining an unfamiliar vehicle, chaotic local traffic patterns you don’t understand, often poorly maintained roads, and a complete lack of protective gear.
This is a perfect storm for an accident. Local hospitals in tourist hotspots are filled with visitors suffering from severe “road rash,” broken bones, and serious head injuries from scooter crashes. Your travel insurance may not even cover it unless you have a specific motorcycle license. Stick to taxis or walking, as stated by Business Insider.
2. A casual hike can quickly turn into a serious emergency.
Hiking seems like a safe and healthy way to explore a new place, but underestimating the trail is a massive and common mistake. Tourists often set out on what they think is a simple nature walk without enough water, proper footwear, or any knowledge of the local terrain and weather. Here in California, local search and rescue teams are constantly called to help unprepared hikers.
Dehydration and heatstroke are huge risks, as are slips and falls on uneven ground that can lead to sprains or fractures. Getting lost is also surprisingly easy, according to Helen’s Headlines. A casual vacation hike requires the same preparation as a serious one: tell someone where you’re going, carry more water than you think you’ll need, and respect the power of nature.
3. Swimming in the ocean has more than one kind of predator.
While shark attacks dominate the headlines, they are incredibly rare. The far more common dangers lurking in the ocean are much less dramatic but send countless people to the hospital. Rip currents are the number one threat, capable of pulling even strong swimmers out to sea in an instant. They are the leading cause of beach rescues and drownings.
Beyond that are the painful encounters with marine life, like jellyfish and stingrays, which can cause excruciating pain and allergic reactions, as per Allianz Travel Insurance. Simply stepping on a sharp shell, a piece of broken glass, or a sea urchin can lead to a deep cut and a serious infection. Never underestimate the power of the ocean.
4. ATV and quad bike tours are notoriously risky.
Riding an All-Terrain Vehicle through the desert or along a jungle path is an adrenaline-pumping adventure that is heavily marketed to tourists. These machines, however, are powerful and surprisingly easy to flip. Most tourists who sign up for these tours have zero experience operating an ATV, and a brief five-minute lesson is not enough to prepare them for the real risks involved.
Rollover accidents are incredibly common and can result in crushing injuries, broken bones, and severe head and spinal trauma. The combination of high speeds, uneven terrain, and inexperienced drivers makes these excursions a gamble. Many travel insurance policies specifically exclude coverage for injuries sustained while riding them for this very reason.
5. That fun water park is full of hidden dangers.
Water parks are a staple of family vacations, but they are a hotbed for injuries. The most common issues are slip-and-fall accidents on the constantly wet concrete surfaces, leading to everything from bruises to broken wrists. In the water, wave pools can become dangerously overcrowded, and the chaotic motion can lead to collisions and near-drownings, especially for small children.
The high-speed slides themselves pose a risk, from friction burns and back injuries to more serious accidents if a rider doesn’t follow instructions. While they are designed to be fun, the combination of high speeds, water, and large crowds makes a trip to the water park a surprisingly common reason for a vacation ER visit.
6. Even a “gentle” horseback ride can go wrong.
A scenic horseback ride on the beach or through a forest seems like a peaceful and romantic vacation activity. The reality is that horses are powerful, unpredictable animals, and a fall can be catastrophic. Even at a walking pace, a fall from a horse can result in serious back, neck, and head injuries. The horse could be spooked by something as simple as a plastic bag blowing in the wind.
Many tour operators use horses that are overworked, and the equipment may not be properly maintained. For a novice rider, this adds another layer of risk to an already unfamiliar activity. It’s an activity where the perceived calm doesn’t always match the potential for severe injury.
7. Partying too hard is a leading cause of injury.
One of the biggest sources of vacation injuries has nothing to do with a specific sport or excursion; it’s the simple act of overindulgence. Being in a relaxed vacation mindset can lead tourists to drink far more than they normally would, often in an unfamiliar environment. This dramatically increases the risk of accidents of all kinds.
Emergency rooms in party destinations see a constant stream of tourists who have injured themselves from simple falls on the street, getting into fights, or having serious accidents after making poor decisions while intoxicated. Alcohol impairs judgment and coordination, and doing so in a place where you don’t know your way around is a significant and often overlooked vacation danger.
8. Jet skiing combines high speed with inexperience.
Renting a jet ski for an hour seems like a thrilling way to enjoy the water. The problem is that these personal watercraft are essentially powerful marine motorcycles, and most rental places will hand the keys to anyone with a credit card, regardless of their experience level. This puts a huge number of novice operators on the water at high speeds.
Collisions are the biggest risk—with other jet skis, with boats, with docks, or with swimmers. Being thrown from the machine at 50 miles per hour can also cause serious impact injuries. The combination of high horsepower and low experience makes jet skiing one of the most common causes of serious vacation water injuries.
9. Zip-lining accidents are rare but can be catastrophic.
For the most part, commercial zip-line tours have a good safety record. The issue is that when something does go wrong, the consequences are often severe. The most common injuries occur not from falling, but from colliding with a platform at the end of the line at high speed, which can cause broken legs or spinal injuries.
In less reputable operations, there is also the risk of equipment failure or guide error. The immense height and speed involved mean that any small mistake can have a catastrophic outcome. While it’s an exhilarating experience, it’s one where you are putting your complete trust in the operator’s equipment and procedures.
10. Trying to replicate social media stunts.
In the age of Instagram and TikTok, there is immense pressure to get the perfect, jaw-dropping vacation photo. This has led to a rise in tourists taking dangerous risks, often by trying to replicate stunts they’ve seen online. This includes things like cliff jumping into water without knowing its depth or what rocks are hidden below, or climbing onto precarious ledges for a selfie.
Locals know these spots are dangerous, but tourists, driven by the desire for a viral photo, ignore the warnings. This chase for “clout” is a disturbingly common cause of critical falls, drownings, and other traumatic injuries that could have been easily avoided.