Disaster Trips
 

Have you ever had a trip that went totally down the toilet? A trip so bad that you had to come home early? Maybe hearing your worse case scenario will help all of us feel better about our little trip snafus. Fortunately, I've never had such a trip, but my dad did. He and his wife flew 1st class down to Granada in the Caribbean on a scuba trip. The flight was fine, but shortly after arrival he started having pains in his gut. He's a doctor so he knew pretty quick that he was suffering from pancreatitis, a problem that can be extremely serious. Not trusting the local doctors (no offense anyone) and wanting to get home, he had to charter a lear jet with a nurse to come get him and take him back to the U.S. One funny, he had to take a hearse from his hotel to the airport as an ambulance wasn't available. It was a good thing he got home because his illness was extremely serious and he was in intensive care for 10 days. He had a full recovery and is fine these days and still goes on lots of scuba trips. Any other stories?

No stories? I didn't mean for this to be negative. I thought that this might make us appreciate all of our good trips!

Luckily I've never had a trip from hell. Many of them have been less than perfect but what isn't? My sympathies to your Dad. He sounds adventurous so maybe he will try again???

We had our worst trip to Mexico, when the kids were 17 months and 3 and a half. We planned a week in Puerto Vallarta through Apple Vacations. Decided to go with a condo to have additional space, and we wound up going in May due to husband's work schedule. <BR> <BR>The baby threw up in the cab on the way to the airport. Had new clothes for her but not for me. It was good, though, cause she slept the whole way down. Get to resort, which is still under construction. Buy groceries and load up the frig, get in pool, where it starts to RAIN. Back to condo to pick up our sassy seat--a sort of high chair that attaches to tables but only IF they do not have an apron--and head out for dinner. Restaurant after restaurant has the wrong kind of tables and no high chairs. Back to condo, where the promised crib is actually a playpen. Baby not happy. Electricity comes on and off, but even when ON, the A/C is NOT blowing cool air. We go ballistic with desk clerk and are moved to a larger condo overlooking pool. Unit is nicer but A/C equally ineffective. Older daughter says, look Mommy, can we go in pool? I say, why not--just because it is now midnight!!!!??? <BR> <BR>Week wears on. A/C NEVER works right. No activities for kids at condo resort, baby will not get IN pool, both are afraid of the ocean. Try the children's zoo and other kids activities spoken of glowingly in guidebook (Birnbaum)--zoo is a rusted out wreck, amusement park does not apparently exist, etc. We are HOT all the time, and kids are getting up at 6 am every day. <BR> <BR>Baby is covered with spider bites from sleeping almost on ground in playpen. Older daughter hates Spanish-speaking babysitter on the one night we go out to dinner alone. By Wednesday we gave up: got Apple to put us on a flight home, three days early. Baby feeling GREAT on way home. We are lucky enough to have two full rows of seats for our family of four--back in the good old days!--and we pass baby back and forth, keeping her quiet, etc. Then the seatbelt sign comes on for descent. Baby incensed at having to be buckled in. Nothing we can do to get her to stop screaming--no, we did not try stuffing a sock in her mouth, a method that might be favored by many on this forum--but I DID hear a quiet voice saying, "Let the lady with the baby off first," as we came to a stop at the gate. <BR> <BR>Can you believe, we STILL love family vacations and traveling?

Thought this might spark some interesting stories.

Yes, and you probably make eveyone around you suffer. Nice people!!