What's the most creative ways in which your vacation has gone wrong?

[sourland]

The Princess and I took a two week trip to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. It POURED for all but two of the days that we were there. We had a blast.

For a vacation that went right: We were on vacation in Barbados completely unaware of what was going on at home. Went to the airport to return home and discovered that the Eastern seaboard was socked in with a major snow storm. Went back to our hotel (got the room that we had just left as new vacationers were unable to leave the states) and had a vacation that was extended by several days.

 

[Stacykins]

When I lived in Japan, we had an awesome time at the Disney park there. Near closing time, went back out to the car, and OH LOOK! A flat tire. And the lugs were rusted onto the car (it was a real POS, but passed emissions

). SO we had to call a tire/tow service to change our tire after exhausting ourselves trying to pry the lugs off. By the way, there was a HUGE language barrier since we knew Japanese, but not enough to say "Hey, we can't change our flat since the lugs are rusted on, we already have a full sized spare." Well, we got a brand new tire and it cost an unreal amount of money, but we were all set. Did I mention from start to finish this all took about five hours? Too bad we left the park around close, or else someone would have stayed with the car and everyone else would have gone back into the park to play!

 

[Fierlin1182]

Wow guys! I'm sorry, they all sound terrible!

My mother's come down with something today. She's been coughing non-stop for weeks now, but today actually started vomiting up a lot of food...

Might post a thread about it.

On the plus side, we had a great time sightseeing in Sydney yesterday, when the weather was fantastic

The opera house was pretty disappointing, but going round the harbour was nice. It's a great city.

 

[Carols Clucks]

I can add add a couple of fun vacation tales:

First, my parents always talked about going to see Yellowstone. We were pretty poor so taking time off and scrounging up gas/car money was always an issue. Plus we drove a beat up VW van so breakdowns where just a matter of where, for how long and how much. My dad decided to beat the break downs and just replace the motor in the bus. And off we set for a 2 week Yellowstone dream trip. It was a good idea for the first day of the trip. By the second day and just outside of Elko Nevada, something failed in the newly rebuilt motor and we had to be towed to town. The mechanic worked out a deal with a local guy to ship him a different motor by train and have the local guy install. We had planned on camping in the van so we did not have a tent with us. Once the van was at the shop, we got to take what we could carry and held to a KOA campground. Dad got a rope and several feet of black plastic for a tent for them. I got to sleep on the ground or on top of the camp table. I was about 12 or 13 at the time. For 10 days we waited for that new motor. Finally it was installed and we got to take a whirlwind 2 day drive to Yellowstone and get back home. Fun

Second, my honeymoon....

We took a cheap flight from LA to London where we were going to spend a few days before traveling to Copenhagen for a few more days....then some time visiting my family. The real honeymoon was the week free of family, the rest of the time was a family vacation.

Our cheap flight was delayed by 6 hours. The airline did not comp anyfood or even have enough seats for all the people waiting, so we got to sit on the floor in the terminal and wait. The flight had a lay over in Bangor Maine. As we got closer and closer to the airport the plane made a very slow decent it seemed like we were buzzing people back yards and going to hit the trees before they finally landed the plane. Because it was international and everyone had been screened, they were not letting anyone off the plane. It was August, hot, sweaty and they shut off the power to the plane while they made repairs to it. Turns out there was a problem with a door! After several hours in the heat with people demanding fresh air and the use of a restroom, we were allowed in the terminal for a few minutes.

By the time our flight finally reached London, we were many hours late. We got to our hotel with booking info in hand, the hotel said they had never heard of us, had only a shared bathroom room on the 3rd floor for 2x the price. At that point we said fine, we hauled all of our heavy luggage up all 3 flights of stairs that had a serious lean to them (probably ww2 damage) Our room had a bed with the foot higher than the head, a leaky faucet, a leaking and shut off heater and rattling windows. The toilet was down half a flight of stairs and we had to share the tub with the owners of the inn...I think ww2 was the last time the tub was cleaned too.

On the visit, we hit place after place either at "nap" time or they were closed for the season (in August??) Which of course was MY fault, I was ready to take my passport and tear up my new husbands Denmark ticket and get divorced while still on the honeymoon.

We did make it to Copenhagen, where the next hotel our fabulous travel agent forgot to book also...(gee thanks) They were booked but my aunt had checked after hearing the troubles we had in London and put us up. In twin beds in a room off the living room...lol

So much for our romantic honeymoon.


And yes I should have divorced him on the honeymoon!


After those two vacations, I figure all the rest have to be better!

 

[m.kitchengirl]

The Partridge Family?

Sort of like The Partridges, but dirtier that trip! Ugh. It was 1995, few had cell phones, nobody had a laptop, and we were stuck showering at truck stops and calling our folks from pay phones. I think back now & we may as well have been in a covered wagon.

At least we would have made a little money that trip, instead we sunk it into the bus, which didn't live to see New York again. Ahhh, I am so glad I am not 18 anymore!​

 

[Godsgrl]

I can't believe I didn't add this one already. Talk about a fun vacation!

My family frequently went camping when I was growing up. A lot of fun stories there about rain, and raccoons, but those are for another day. We did pretty primitive camping, with tents, and no campers or anything. This particular night, it started pouring rain on us. We had to sleep in the truck, but fortunately, it had a camper shell on it. The next morning, the rain had stopped, and we ate breakfast as usual.

Then my mom's dh decided to go buy a newspaper. On the front page was the damage the storm had caused the night before. A mobile home had been washed away, and down the river. It hit the bridge, and broke it in two. So now instead of a flat plane, it looked like a V. This bridge was the only way for us to get home. So we packed up, and tried to make it back to our house. Turns out there was a fire access road that we could take. One lane dirt road, cliff on the edge, yeah, one of those. So we slowly driving down this road, and...we get a flat tire. We block everyone who is also trying to get home on that road. I guess they fixed the tire, and we made it on home. The bridge was deemed safe enough to drive on, and life went on as usual. It's a miracle they ever went camping again.

 

[conny63malies]

Its sad but
we were supposed to go to Florida 8/15 on 8/14 we got the news from FLorida that my husbands granny was sick and dying in Florida. We didnt get there fast enough, but got stuck in a drama of funeral and on of her daughters going in her house removing stuff.

 

[SillyChicken]

Once when I was a teen, my DF was building a log cabin for friends in the colorado mts. My DM, DS and DB all took a train out to see him for a couple weeks. From Jackson to Chicago, the trip, train and service was fantastic.........

but the trip from Chicago to Denver....OMG was the worst trip ever for me.

First they over booked the train, so people were stuck sitting in the bubble glass topped observation section.

No biggie right... well, it started out ok, I met a cute guy cause we were reading the same book (the stand by s king) so we got to talking. We'll it was all fine and dandy until we hit the desert region in the middle of the afternoon.

Then the AC broke down along with the train. We sat stranded in the desert, and BAKED for a couple hours.

During this time, they ran out of water, pop etc and no water for flushing toilets.

The toilets were overflowing......... But wait there's more.

They also fired the porter and he was drunk off his butt, laying passed out in the isles, or stumbling around harrassing people.

Mean while up in the observation car, mother nature decided to come see me for a visit ...... (I had the most painful cycles involving lots of throwing up and the runs!) So here I am, in pain, sick X3, under a magnifying glass in the desert, with no water/pop to take pain pills, no toilets......

a boyscout comes up and hands me a cup overflowing with ice, he said the bar wasn't supposed to hand out any ice, but he talked them into it. How sweet was that!!

I was never happier to get off that train!

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Quote:
Oh gosh

 

[debilorrah]

Well there was that nasty hurricane in Cancun. Spent the entire vacation in the hotel.

Then there was the time we went to Big Bear and the swimming pool had so much chlorine in it that it left tiny sliver like cuts all over my son.