The 48 2016 Top 10: The “Pikachu & Paradox” Classics

In 2016, traveling meant searching for rare Pokémon in the terminal and arguing about whether we’d need a visa to travel to London after Brexit. It was the time when Stranger Things brought back the ’80s, and we started using dog-eared Snapchat filters en masse.

The 2016 Top 10: The “Pikachu & Paradox” Classics

1. The Pokémon GO Peak: Why did the traveler walk into the cockpit? Because there was a Dragonite on the pilot’s dashboard and he had to “Catch ’em all” before takeoff.
2. The Brexit Shock: Why was the British tourist crying in Spain? Because he realized that after the vote, his “Unlimited Roaming” might turn back into a “Pay-per-minute” nightmare.
3. The Bottle Flip Challenge: Why was the airport floor so wet? Because every teenager at the gate was trying to flip a half-empty water bottle onto its cap for a viral video.
4. The Leonardo’s Oscar: Why did the traveler finally book his dream trip? Because Leo finally won an Oscar, and he realized that if the impossible could happen, he could finally afford a flight to Bora Bora.
5. The Stranger Things Effect: Why did the kids bring walkie-talkies on the camping trip? Because the show made them believe that a cell phone signal was for “mouth breathers” and the Upside Down was just one forest away.
6. The Snapchat Dog Filter: Why did the customs agent look so confused? Because the traveler’s passport photo was normal, but in real life, he had digital dog ears and a long tongue.
7. The Mannequin Challenge: Why was the entire duty-free shop frozen? It wasn’t a glitch in the matrix; it was just the staff and 50 tourists pretending to be statues while “Black Beatles” played.
8. The Gorilla Tribute: Why were people so emotional at the Cincinnati airport? Because they were all still “Dicks out for Harambe,” even while checking their bags.
9. The iPhone 7 Headphone Jack: Why was the passenger screaming at his phone? Because Apple removed the headphone jack and he realized he couldn’t charge his phone and listen to music during a 10-hour flight.
10. The Suicide Squad: Why were all the girls at the hostel wearing “Daddy’s Little Monster” shirts? Because Harley Quinn became the official uniform for every traveler in October 2016.

The Full 2016 Travel Jokes Archive

11. The Instagram Stories: Why was the girl filming her airport salad for 10 seconds? Because Instagram launched “Stories” and she wanted to prove she could be just as boring as she was on Snapchat.
12. The Deadpool Movie: Why was the traveler so sarcastic to the flight attendant? Because he’d just seen Deadpool and thought breaking the fourth wall was a valid social skill.
13. The Galaxy Note 7: Why was the passenger told to leave his phone at the gate? Because it was the year of the “Exploding Samsung” and the airline didn’t want a fireworks show in Row 15.
14. The Hodor Moment: Why was the man crying while holding the elevator door? Because Game of Thrones told him to “Hold the Door” and he took it very, very personally.
15. The Work – Rihanna: Why was the traveler “work-work-work-work-work”-ing? Because he was a digital nomad trying to find a Wi-Fi signal in a beach hut.
16. The Kanye “Famous”: Why was the traveler looking for a giant bed? Because the music video made him think that sleeping with 10 celebrities was a normal Tuesday night.
17. The No Man’s Sky: Why was the gamer so disappointed on his flight? Because he’d waited years to “travel the galaxy” on his laptop and realized there was nothing to do but mine rocks.
18. The Trump vs. Hillary: Why was the hostel bar so loud? Because every traveler from the US was either planning to move to Canada or arguing about a “Wall.”
19. The Damn Daniel: Why was the traveler looking at the guy’s white shoes? Because “Damn Daniel! Back at it again with the white Vans!” was the only joke allowed in early 2016.
20. The Finding Dory: Why was the family at the aquarium so forgetful? Because they watched the sequel and realized that “Just keep swimming” works best if you remember why you started.
21. The Pokemon Gym: Why was the tourist at the Vatican? Not for the Pope, but because the Sistine Chapel was a Level 5 Pokémon Gym and he wanted to be the Master.
22. The Sia “Cheap Thrills”: Why was the backpacker so happy? Because the song told him he didn’t need “dollar bills to have fun tonight,” which was lucky because he only had 5 euros.
23. The Ghostbusters Reboot: Why was the traveler carrying a vacuum cleaner? Because he wanted to be an “All-female Ghostbuster,” but he just looked like he was doing chores.
24. The 360-Degree Video: Why was the man spinning in circles with his phone? Because YouTube added 360-degree videos and he wanted to see the shark behind him.
25. The Lemonade Album: Why were all the women at the resort carrying baseball bats? Because Beyoncé told them to never trust a “Becky with the good hair.”
26. The Rogue One: Why was the traveler looking for “Stardust”? Because the Star Wars prequel made him believe that one small exhaust port could ruin his whole vacation.
27. The UberEats Expansion: Why was the traveler ordering McDonald’s to his hotel? Because UberEats went global and he realized he didn’t have to learn the local language to eat a Big Mac.
28. The Drake “Views”: Why was the man sitting on the edge of the hotel roof? Because he wanted to recreate the album cover and look “cool” over the city of Toronto.
29. The James Corden Carpool Karaoke: Why were the travelers singing so loud in the rental car? Because they thought they were on a segment of The Late Late Show.
30. The Nintendo NES Classic: Why was the traveler playing Super Mario on a tiny box? Because nostalgia was at an all-time high and he wanted to live in 1985 again.
31. The Closer – The Chainsmokers: Why was the traveler “in the backseat of your Rover”? Because the song was played 40 billion times that summer and he couldn’t escape the beat.
32. The Arrival Movie: Why was the traveler trying to talk to an octopus? Because he saw the movie and thought “Heptapod” was a new language for ordering calamari.
33. The Dash Button: Why was the traveler pressing a button on his wall? Because Amazon released “Dash Buttons” and he wanted to order more toilet paper without moving.
34. The La La Land: Why were the tourists dancing on the freeway in LA? Because they saw the opening scene and thought a traffic jam was the perfect time for a musical number.
35. The TikTok (Musical.ly) Peak: Why were the teens doing “lip-sync” battles at the gate? Because Musical.ly was the king of the internet and they had to “clout-chase” before boarding.
36. The Captain America: Civil War: Why was the travel group split in half? Because they couldn’t decide between Team Cap (hiking) or Team Iron Man (luxury hotel).
37. The Fantastic Beasts: Why was the traveler looking inside his suitcase? Because he hoped Eddie Redmayne had hidden a Niffler inside his dirty socks.
38. The AirPods Launch: Why did everyone think the traveler had cut the wires off his headphones? Because the first AirPods looked like white “toothbrushes” sticking out of his ears.
39. The Moana: Why was the traveler singing to the ocean? Because he wanted the “Line where the sky meets the sea” to call him, but it just gave him a sunburn.
40. The Westworld: Why was the guest suspicious of the hotel staff? Because the show started and he was convinced the receptionist was a “Host” about to malfunction.
41. The Google Pixel Launch: Why was the tech geek so happy? Because Google finally made its own phone and he could take “Unlimited Photos” of his cat in Rome.
42. The 21 Savage: Why did the traveler have “21” on his forehead? Because he wanted to be “Savage,” but he just looked like he’d lost a bet in the hostel.
43. The Hidden Figures: Why was the traveler doing math at the gate? Because the movie inspired him to calculate the exact trajectory of his luggage to the plane.
44. The Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino: Why was the drink so colorful? Because 2016 was the year we decided that “sugar and pink dye” was a valid breakfast.
45. The Netflix Downloads: Why was the passenger so calm? Because Netflix finally allowed “Offline Downloads” and he had 4 seasons of Narcos for the flight.
46. The Suicide Squad Soundtrack: Why was the traveler “Heathen”-ing? Because Twenty One Pilots told him to “take it slow,” which was good because the security line was 2 miles long.
47. The Dyson Supersonic: Why was the woman’s hair so perfect? Because she spent $400 on a hairdryer that sounded like a jet engine and looked like a donut.
48. The New Year’s Eve 2017: Why was the traveler so relieved? Because 2016 was a year of “The Flip,” “The Brexit,” and “The Pokémon,” and he was ready for a year where maybe—just maybe—he could stay in his own dimension.