Every great road trip has a few bumps in the road, or in our case, wrong hotels, awkward snowmen, misunderstood outerwear, and the occasional incident involving dog excrement. Our latest adventure through Arizona and Utah was no exception. Here are five of our most memorable travel fails… enjoy them at our expense!
🚗 The One Where We Lost the Kids
Our trip kicked off with a smaller advance crew, Mandy and Ally, plus a few teens, flying into Phoenix a few days early. The plan? Collect a rental car, road trip north through Sedona, and meet the rest of the crew in Flagstaff.
After landing late, we crashed at an airport hotel for a solid night’s sleep. At dawn, in an unusual display of either deep maternal kindness or clever self-preservation, Mandy and Ally let the teens sleep while they headed out to collect the car.
Rental pickup was mildly delayed by a delightful agent who appeared to be in a long-term relationship with hydration, surrounded by no fewer than four jumbo tumblers of ice water.
With car keys in hand, Ally drove while Mandy navigated back to the hotel… or so we thought. Five minutes later, we pulled into a modest two-story building. “Where are our kids?” Ally asked, eyeing the unfamiliar structure. That’s when it hit us: wrong hotel. Turns out, two hotels with the exact same name sit on the same road on opposite sides of the airport.
Don’t worry, they were still fast asleep on the 7th floor of the correct hotel, blissfully unaware of the parenting fail unfolding nearby.
⛄️ The One Where Our Snowman Got a Rude Appendage
Early spring at the Grand Canyon meant stunning views, and lingering snow. While hiking a peaceful stretch of the Rim Trail from the Visitor Center, we took a break to build a cheerful little snowman complete with a buttoned jacket and winning smile.
We snapped some photos, continued on, and returned an hour later to check on our frosty friend.
He was still standing… but now sporting a very anatomically suggestive addition. Apparently, a passing hiker had decided to clarify that our snowman was, in fact, male.
Cue: horror from the teen girls and uncontrollable laughter from the boys. Our snowman may have lost some dignity, but he gained a solid place in family lore.
🧥 The One Where Mandy Banned Coats
Let’s call this one a combo fail: part meteorological miscalculation, part linguistic mix-up.
Mandy, ever the organized packer, had sent out a very specific packing list in advance. Light layers only. Hand luggage if possible. Gloves, beanies, jackets, base layers… and crampons (more on those in a sec). But coats? Firmly vetoed.
When Ally had called to clarify whether coats were needed, Mandy (in her British/South African English) said nope, thinking of long, bulky overcoats. Ally (in her American English) interpreted this as “leave all your warm jackets behind.”
So, Ally’s crew arrived coatless… to the chilly clifftops of Utah’s Mighty Five.
Meanwhile, Mandy’s family was snug in their down jackets, because “jackets” were on the list.
Thankfully Mandy had a moment of glorious redemption after insistenting that everyone pack a set of clip-on crampons. The pre-trip, much-mocked crampons, which had been mistakenly confused (by one particularly horrified teen) with a very different feminine hygiene product, turned out to be pure packing gold. Once strapped onto everyone’s shoes, the clip-on spikes proved essential for navigating icy trails. Gear heroes, indeed.
💤 The One Where Patrick Slept in the Cold
Escalante’s Ofland is one of our all-time favorite glamping spots, vintage Airstreams, a giant hot tub, spa-style bathrooms, a drive-in movie setup with popcorn… what’s not to love?
We booked three Airstreams: two for couples with younger teens, and one for the trio of older teens.
Night one was magical, until Daniel showed up at the foot of Mandy and Patrick’s bed in the Airstream at 2am, shivering like a popsicle.
Turns out, the single bed in their Airstream was positioned in some kind of arctic vortex, while the queen bed end was warm and toasty. Patrick gallantly gave up his spot, spending the rest of the night teeth-chattering in the cold.
Thankfully, the staff were wonderfully responsive the next day. And Daniel learned a valuable lesson: always claim the warm bed first.
💩 The One Where Ally Stepped in Doggy Doo… and Then on Adam
Somewhere near the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge, this one went down in family history.
We’d paused to enjoy the view, and track down a forgotten ring left behind at the last Airbnb, when disaster struck.
Mid-stride, Ally experienced that unmistakable squish underfoot, followed quickly by that dreaded smell. She froze in revulsion. And then… flailed.
Unfortunately, Adam happened to be within flailing range and in a tragic chain of events, Ally’s offending shoe landed squarely on his sock-and-slide-clad foot, delivering a generous helping of doggy doo across the upper surface.
What followed: shrieking, gagging, retching, and a valiant clean-up attempt using an arsenal of baby wipes. The rest of us? Utterly useless. Wiping away tears of laughter as we tiptoed to the car, avoiding all patches of grass.
Final Thoughts
Travel, especially with a large, spirited crew, rarely goes according to plan. But for every fail, we’ve gained a story, a memory, and usually… a good laugh. Here’s to the next mishap. May it be equally ridiculous and perfectly unforgettable.
Go Together Life 
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