Hilarious Travel Photo Bombs
Part of the allure of traveling is being able to expect the unexpected.
While trying to take a selfie at Machu Picchu in Peru, you may be joined by a llama with a big goofy grin. Or in Europe, you may stage an artful photo only to find that, unbeknownst to you, three random dudes have decided to pose like idiots behind you.
Each of the following travel photos features a memorable photo bomber (or two, or three) who — we think — make the picture way better. After all, what’s the fun of travel without a little unexpected silliness thrown in the mix?
Monkeying Around
If there's an animal better-suited to photobombing than the mischievous monkey, we know not what it is. Gotta love the introspective look, too.
Location of the photobomb: Phuket, Thailand, which is home to about 1,000 monkeys (who may or may not crash your pictures)
Friendly Skies
Keeping passengers safe is no joke, but crashing a selfie always is. So you have to give credit to these crewmembers who had some fun by playfully mocking a muscle-flexing pilot.
Location of the photobomb: A grounded (thankfully!) plane at Ontario International Airport in California
Double Trouble
When you’re at a wildly popular and extremely crowded attraction, there’s a decent chance you’ll see someone get photobombed.
This picture shows one woman aware that her photo has been co-opted, coyly smiling at the camera, while her accidental photobomber remains blissfully unaware and focused on getting that perfect selfie. (This definitely isn't it.)
Location of the photobomb: Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”), a reflective public sculpture in Chicago's Millennium Park
Whee!
Mountain, shmountains — how cool is it to see someone do a cartwheel? That’s what this acrobatic photobomber must’ve figured when they showed up in the background of an otherwise-classy beach shot. Of course, it’s also possible that they were just enjoying themselves at the beach and didn’t know they were disrupting someone’s carefully planned photo.
Either way, the person in focus seems both a little annoyed and a little amused.
Location of the photobomb: Karma Beach, a gorgeous white-sand beach in Bali, Indonesia
Now That’s Commitment
A group of strangers saw that a woman wanted to take an Insta-worthy city picture while traveling in Europe. So they decided to make her picture truly memorable by posing goofily in the background.
With their perfect angles and hilarious silly-serious expressions, it’s no wonder they had her laughing.
Location of the photobomb: Beautiful, historic Brussels, Belgium, where you may encounter one (or more!) mischief-makers
Meow
Don't worry: This cat wasn't harmed when he showed up unexpectedly during a cycling trip to be captured on camera. Maybe he was tired and wanted to hitch a ride on this guy's bike?
Location of the photobomb: The Austrian state of Vorarlberg, where gorgeous mountains, fabulous alpine resorts and first-rate bike trails meet
The Art of Silliness
Art, culture and silliness converge in this photo that would otherwise be a super-cool and stylish European snapshot.
Location of the photobomb: Florence, Italy, home to incredible art, architecture like the unforgettable Duomo cathedral — and, it seems, lots of goofball tourists
Save the Drama for this Llama
If you’re able to journey to Peru, you’ll get to experience awesome history and breathtaking views. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll also get to bond with fellow travelers who will happily and unexpectedly pose in pictures with you.
Some will be cuter than others.
Location of the photobomb: Machu Picchu, Peru’s most popular tourist attraction and one of the most-visited historic sites in the world. Fun fact: Llamas were once used here by Inca priests in religious ceremonies.
Smile!
Their intelligence and playful personalities make llamas popular photo-bombers. Unlike their shyer alpaca counterparts, they are known to come right up and pose with you (assuming they’re not territorial or paranoid or too wild or any other possible issue that could make them not approachable…).
But, hey, if they do show up – it’s clearly worth it.
Location of the photobomb: Machu Picchu, hands-down the best place to have your photo crashed by a llama
Cock-a-Doodle-Photo-Bomb
Everything about this photo — from the excellent composition, to the tranquil pose, to the extraordinary scenery — is picture-perfect. Obviously a local rooster thought the same, deciding he wanted to be a part of the stunning shot.
It’d be easy enough to photoshop the accidental photo-bomber out, but leaving him in feels more authentic — not to mention way more hilarious.
Location of the photobomb: Pura Lempuyang Luhur temple in Bali, Indonesia, where roosters and hens abound
Shake It Off
These women were clearly posed and ready for their great beach shot when a dog came along and decided to really let loose. From the laughs and smiles on their faces, it seems they didn’t mind the intrusion.
Location of the photobomb: Sardinia, a dog-friendly Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea
Peace, Stranger
In a world where people are frequently taking well-posed pictures for their social-media accounts, it’s inevitable that sometimes those photos won’t turn out as anticipated. You know, like when a random guy shows up in the background to act absurd.
Location of the photobomb: Place de la Comédie public square in historic Montpellier, France
Oh, Hi!
A tourist wanted a photo showcasing one of the most iconic monuments on the planet in the background. Instead, she got a photo with one of the most iconic monuments on the planet and a total rando in the background.
Location of the photobomb: Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, a free-spirited, energetic city where a photo-crash like this totally makes sense
Chill Buddy
Swinging on a wooden swing on a sunny day under a thatched tiki umbrella at a stunning golden beach might be the actual definition of relaxation. Can you really blame this happy pooch for wanting to enjoy the good vibes, too?
Location of the photobomb: A beach in Bali, Indonesia (which, it seems, is the absolute best place to go if you want to get photo-bombed!)
Muscle Beach
This isn’t the famous “Muscle Beach” in Southern California, but a beach with some muscles randomly thrown in. Hey, if we looked as fit as this photo-bomber, we’d be crashing pictures to show off too!
Location of the photobomb: La Concha, a crescent-shaped beach in the glitzy resort town of San Sebastián, Spain
Street Scene
It’s always nice to capture candid moments while traveling. Even something as simple as walking along the street can help give a feel for where you’re visiting.
You do need to be aware, though, that by posing along the street, you may encounter strangers who want to pose along with you.
Location of the photobomb: The artsy streets of Budapest, Hungary's historic-meets-modern capital city
Drink Like A Fish
These days, it’s not uncommon for people to pause before eating or drinking in order to snap an appetizing picture of whatever they’re about to consume. But there’s plenty that can go wrong in the process of capturing that picture.
You can have bad lighting, funky reflections — or a man can come along and put his full mouth on the glass behind you...really anything can happen!
Location of the photobomb: A restaurant in Rittenhouse Square, a historic neighborhood with a public park at its center in Philadelphia
Is This in Focus?
Sure, the Eiffel Tower is picturesque. But capturing its majesty at sunset is of no interest to this photo-bombing cat, whose blurry little face makes up a large share of what could have been a beautiful shot.
Or maybe it’s more beautiful with the cat in the frame?
Location of the photobomb: Paris, France
Bunny Dog
We’ve already seen plenty of pictures where animals photo-bombed humans. It’s about time we saw a human photo-bomb an animal right back! This happily posing pup seems blissfully unaware of the human behind him throwing up classic “bunny ears.”
Unsurprisingly, it only made the adorable dog even cuter.
Location of the photobomb: The pooch-friendly San Francisco International Airport
The Dab
You’ve finally made it to a beautiful fountain you’ve been wanting to see, and you can’t wait to get a picture in front of it. But, like so often happens, the world throws something more entertaining your way, when a young boy you don’t know does “the dab” in the background as you carefully pose.
Does this make the photo better or worse? You decide.
Location of the photobomb: Unclear. But as everyone knows, the dab is all-ages fun no matter where you are.
A Side of Goofball
As this picture makes clear, the restaurant attached to Sydney’s iconic Opera House is a beauty. But it’s not just the views that you’ll capture in a photo here. Watch out for wayward staff hoping to get in on the action.
Location of the photobomb: Bennelong Restaurant (in the Sydney Opera House) in Australia
Birdman
The Milan Cathedral in Italy is a gorgeous structure in the heart of a bustling modern European city. It’s an obvious place to snap a photo to show your family upon returning home.
And if a bird crashes the photo in just such a way as to block your entire face?
Even better.
Location of photobomb: Milan Cathedral in Italy
Intense Eye Contact
Everyone’s been there: You become so interested in something that you seem to lose track of everything else around you.
That’s what happened to this little guy, who clearly didn’t realize that his fascination with this statue made him an accidental visitor in an otherwise perfectly posed photo.
Location of photobomb: North End in Boston
The Happiest Photobomb on Earth
Disneyland is well-known for being a happy place to visit. So happy that, if you take a picture, you may even have a worker decide to pop in and add more unexpected happiness to your shot.
Location of the photobomb: Disneyland Paris
Look Over Your Shoulder!
At first, it might seem like the cheeky woman in the background of this picture is the photobomber in question. But take a closer look at the picture (over the other shoulder), and you’ll see that the real culprit is the man very purposefully staring right at the camera lens.
The slight smile you see on his face means he knew exactly what he was doing when these two tried to take a picture, and got a kick out of adding a little humor to it.
Location of the photobomb: Melbourne, Australia
Happily Ever Surfer
Wedding pictures taken on a beach can be stunning, but there are plenty of challenges to getting the right shot. Like, for instance, wind, sand, critters who don’t know to stay out of the frame — and surfers who want to watch you kiss while taking a break from riding the waves.
Location of the photobomb: Beach in Miami
“Yer a Goofball, Harry!”
Thanks to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a theme park located at Universal Studios in Florida and California, you can now visit the magical land where Harry Potter and his friends had their adventures. You can even get a picture drinking Butterbeer and holding a magical wand.
Just be aware that there are always people making mischief — just like in the books!
Location of the photobomb: Diagon Alley, Universal Studios
Say “Bike!”
When traveling to a beautiful new place, you may want to capture a quiet moment on the street so you can remember the city’s ambiance. For some, getting the perfect contrast and balance in the composition is extremely important.
But even when you do your best to make sure everything is planned out perfectly, there’s always a chance that someone will zoom by on a bike and turn the shot into something totally different.
Location of the photobomb: Royal Palace outside Paris
Can’t Get the Dog-gone Picture
You’re on vacation with a loved one watching the sun set over a beautiful beach in Cambodia. You ask a stranger to take a romantic picture of you and said loved one to remember how relaxed and happy you feel in that moment.
Then, wouldn’t you know it, a dog photobomber decides they want in on the picture, too. But with their adorable face and floppy ears, it’s hard not to just laugh and enjoy their appearance, like this woman obviously did.
Location of the photobomb: Koh Rong Sanloem in Cambodia
Photobombing Family
They say Stonehenge has its own strange energy. And if that strange energy takes over your family, you’d better be ready for some goofy, photobombing family members to turn your nice picture into something very, well, unique.
Location of the photobomb: Stonehenge in Salisbury, England
Gir-affable Personality
When you go to a giraffe center, it’s normal to want a picture with a giraffe. Having the extraordinary creature in the background will add some serious pizazz to any shot you take.
But don’t be fooled — giraffes can photobomb, too! (Judging by the big smiles on their faces in this photo, visitors don’t seem to mind the intrusion.)
Location of the photobomb: Giraffe Centre Nairobi, Kenya
Kanga-Rude
The brightly dressed child in this picture understandably figured they were going to be the star of this photoshoot. But even the cutest child can’t compete with a bouncing kangaroo.
Location of the photobomb: Jimboomba, Queensland, Australia
Layered Photobomb
The only thing better than one photobomber? Two photobombers!
In this photo, the kid with the mini-flamingo pool toy likely thought he was the only one crashing his buddy’s picture. Little did he know there was another, stealthier photobomber getting up to mischief in the background...
Location of the photobomb: Bluegreen Vacations Cibola Vista Resort and Spa in Peoria, Arizona
Trolling
When you visit Seattle, you have to make sure to see the Fremont Troll. Since it’s a mythical creature, you never know what might happen. In the process of getting your picture taken with the troll, you may even conjure up a small (and adorable) little photobomber.
Location of the photobomb: Fremont Troll in Seattle
Moo-ve Out of the Way
There’s nothing quite as nice as being active on a beautiful day in a gorgeous natural area and pausing to get a picture to remember the happy moment. That’s assuming, of course, you’re sharing the moment alone with just a friend, and not some four-legged uninvited friends in the background who want to photobomb your picture.
Location of the photobomb: Patrico Spoleto, Italy
Double Smile
It’s a classic tourist move to get a nice smiling picture in front of a recognizable building from whatever town you’re visiting. And sometimes, another tourist may be so kind as to join you in smiling for the camera...even if you don’t know who they are.
As they say, two smiles are better than one!
Location of the photobomb: Ingolstadt, Germany
Photobombing a Photo Session
Usually, you try to get a nice picture without having a photobomber in the background. But in this case, this happy group in the Philippines saw that someone else was getting their own private photo session below and decided they’d get in on it...at least from a distance.
Location of the photobomb: Boliano, Philippines
Committing to the Photobomb
The throwing of the backpack and flailing of the arms really takes this photobomb to the next level, wouldn’t you agree?
Location of the photobomb: Playa Caleton – San Juan, Dominican Republic
Bird’s the Word
This bird makes no apologies for obstructing a beautiful shot of a bay in Portugal.
In his defense, he is just as cool as the landscape in the background.
Location of the photobomb: Baía de Cascais in Portugal