Pete

The thread about hotel bed spreads reminded me of a comfort inn where my wife, kids and I stayed in Georgia. I slept with our son in one bed and my wife slept with our daughter (who was 6 at the time). OUr daughter kept complaining that the sheets were scratchy. My wife, sleeping on the same sheets, assumed she was procrastinating about going to sleep. Finally she drifted off. The next morning, as we always do, we pulled the covers off the beds to be sure no stuffed animals or security blankets were left behind. Imagine how horrified we were to find a dried blot stain the size of serving platter where my daughter had slept. We wanted to dip her in antibacterial.

Kelly

Reality check for you: the worst vacation disaster was the trip to Italy we had to cancel a week before because my husband was diagnosed with cancer and had to have surgery immediately.

Mr. Clean

Well, there's a downer! Guess I con't relate to my self-spoiled, trip indulgence fact to warn others about dried "fluids" to the front of hotel sinks (never lean on them!) to the fact that it's usually the other travellers that spoils the trips.

And, yes, I will play along with troll, and troll myself. Kelly, sounds like your husband had to stay in bed and be waited on hand and foot in a bed away from home. Sounds like a vacation to me!

Frank_Whiteside

When my Father died unexpectedly the day before I was due to take my Wife & Kids on a Caribbean Cruise...

Flanagan

At the end of a great trip through the Carolina's and Georgia (April 15) I
got a dreadful case of food poisoning at the Sapphire Grill in downtown
Savannah. The restaurant was recommended highly by Fodor's, but the
advertised "sashimi grade tuna" was the most likely culprit. Even the food
poisoning I got in the Dominican Republic ten years ago was mild in
comparison with this. Only antibiotics and bed rest healed me. From now on
the only raw fish I will eat will be in sushi restaurants - where the chefs
know what they are doing...

Sal

I'm sorry for the personal tragedies some of you have experienced. To be looking forward one of life's pleasures and be dealt such a blow is hard to say the least. However, I think the intention of the thread was to exchange experiences about disasterous travel situations. We might even learn how to avoid a disaster!

Our worst travel experience happenend in North Carolina. We were staying down the mountain in Fairfield Sapphire Valley and there a torential rain storm that lasted 12 hours. Someone knocked on our door in the middle of the night to tell us to evacuate due to flash flooding. Sure enough, the condo flooded and we ended up spending two nights in a shelter before we could get back and collect our belongings!

Kelly

Sorry for the "downer" Mr. Clean -- but you sure make an apology hard with your blithe dismissal of an awful thing. "Waited on hand and foot" included 4 transfusions, narcotic-defying pain for 7 weeks, and -- maybe this will get your attention -- permanent impotence and incontinence at age 52. Yup, he loved every minute of it and still enjoying the "memory." (And do I need to mention who did the waiting-on once he finally got home from the hospital?)

Look, I probably shouldn't have posted what I did, but occasionally I have a reaction to some of the whining I read here, which goes something like: "hey, people, life is just too short. Do you know how great is just to be on a vacation adventure?"

Sure, we had our share of "misadventures," some hairy, some funny. I'd love to be doing that now.

But "disaster" is usually an overstatement of these events, given the bigger picture. Bon voyage people -- some of your best stories will come of your "worst" vacations!

Cass

Kelly, I'm so sorry for your situation. And you're right, some of our best stories came from the "worst" things.

In Palo Alto on a 3month trip to explore the country, we were staying in my brother-in-law's condo. After being out at jazz club late at night, we were deep, deep, deeply asleep at 3:30 when someone woke us banging on our door and yelling, FIRE FIRE EVACUATE!

My brother-in-law came stumbling naked into our bedroom looking for his camera equipment while I stumbled around in my husband's T-shirt and nothing else trying to figure out what was the most important stuff to take. I next remember finding myself outside across the street in the T-shirt and some jeans, with one high-heel on one foot and a flip-flop on the other, with the mate to each pair in my hands. My husband had a lacrosse stick and my brother in law was in a bathrobe but bygod he had his camera.

Turned out, the underground tanks in a nearby gas station had ruptured and caught fire, and the fire was snaking through the sewers around the neighborhood toward a lumberyard behind the condos. It was very eerie, but memorable, to see what looked like flaming lava flowing under the sewer grating. Things were under control in an hour or so, but I think about that every time I travel now, and I have one quick-grab pouch with critical stuff in it.

Hmmm

Wow Kelly, I hope you're in therapy.

Inexperienced traveler

I'm 25 now, but when I was a freshman in college my best friend, 2 guy friends and I had to go to South Padre, of course. I was naive to let the guys do all the 'planning' and we left for SPI thinking the guys had made hotel reservations. Well, we got there and realized the guys actually believed we could just FIND a hotel during Spring Break. So we drove around for 4 hours from hotel to hotel and finally found a crappy motel at 3am. The minute we stepped in the room we sneezed constantly and woke up to find ourselves covered in bites from mysterious bugs in the bedsheets. We didn't stay. While everyone else drank and partied on the beach(thinking a hotel reservation would magically reveal itself) I proceeded to spend a couple of hours on the phone finding any decent hotel that would take us. Holiday Inn had a last minute cancelation and took us. My fellow travelers actually complained that it was too pricey(duh- last minute during Spring break) so I told them I would stay there while they drove until 3a, they stayed with me. While I was on the phone to various hotels our car got broken into and lots of stuff stolen(I didn't have the brains to carry travelers checks), but I really felt bad for my friend who had a family heirloom stolen. She decided the best way to deal with it would be pounding drinks- then getting sick. While we were in Mexico- our car got towed(in US thank goodness) big fun trying to retrieve it at 4a and very tipsy. I forgot to mention my friend and her boyfriend fought the entire time- pain in the butt. A few other things happened, but I now laugh when I think about that vacation. I know this isn't as bad as some of the other posts, but just wanted to share a story about dumb college kids. I learned a lot, and isn't that what's important? Incidently, my second SPI trip went much more smoothly. I would recommend it for everyone not during Spring Break(although its a blast). SPI has wonderful, beautiful, not crowded beaches, a terrific nightlife, and delicious restaurants. Outside of Spring break- it actually a relaxing place.
Lesson #1 Do the planning yourself if you don't like 'surprises' and plan ahead- be a Fascist if you have to, but do it yourself. Or at least have a plan B.
Lesson #2 Don't take valuables and cash unless you can put them in a safety deposit box.
Lesson #3 Have a sense of humor(at least afterward) and a open mind-then you can return and make new more positive memories.
Happy traveling...

Teresa

Kelly,

I do feel for you and especially for your husband. I hope I can speak for many of us on this board when we say that this is a place we can come to escape the harsh realities of life for just a little while--hence the lighter, more whimsical postings. Not to be harsh but I'm sure there aren't many people here who HAVEN'T suffered a personal tragedy. After my wonderful father died very unexpectedly a year ago, the Fodor's board (and other travel sites) were like little mini vacations/therapy for me--especially in the middle of the night when grief kept me awake. So while part of me understands your lashing out, another part of me wants you to understand perhaps why we indulge. After all, life is, as you well know, much too short to be serious every single second.

Suzie

I don't know if this qualifies as a disaster but my husband and I laugh about it all the time now. 20 Years ago on our honeymoon we landed in Kauai. Two dopey inexperienced travelers in our 20s. We had a rental car reserved. We were directed to the stall where it was parked, a filthy- iniside and out- blue pinto. Well we were driving around the island one afternoon and my new husband starts screaming and I look around, sure we are heading for a cliff. He was screaming because a cockroach was climbing on my leg. By this time my fear of going over a cliff was greater than the roach so I flicked it off and we went along. Later in the back seat our stuff was covered with ants. My neat freak husband was overcome! One night we were going out to dinner and we opened the car and the dome light went on and the critters went scurrying for cover. My husband refused to get in so we walked! We assume that there was a rental agent driving our rental car that week having a great time while a couple of goofy newlyweds got the pinto! Now when things aren't absolutely perfect we have a drink and then talk to the manager about upgrades. My what we have learned!!

jb

We'd been planning our first trip to Disneyworld for months. Our kids, 6 & 8 couldn't wait. We'd been there two days and both kids started to feel bad, fever etc. The next day, they both woke up with chicken pox. We spent the rest of the week in the room. Then we found out the airline would not let them fly until they were no longer contagious. We couldn't extend our reservation because the hotel was booked. Plus I had to be back at work. So we checked into a new hotel, I flew home and my wife brought the kids home three days later. I think that qualifies as a disastrous vacation and the most expensive case of chicken pox on record.

worst

my worst was a "hotel "that i booked in London...it was little more than a cell...ratty filthy room about 8 feet x 5 feet with a small dirty sink in the corner and was on an "airshft"... noisy backs of restaurants......amazing in its rottenness. I was told by people who LIVE in London that if you don't pay at least $100 a night for a London hotel....that's what you get. BELEIVE IT! I checked right out and walked down the street. Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain.

xoxo

THis isn't my disaster story thank God.

My sister and her new husband let his sister, a travel agent, book their honeymoon in the Virgin islands. When they checked into their room they were horrified to find it overun with lizards. There were soaking wet towels on the floor and an unmaid bed with a pair of dirty underwear on it. They never even put down their suitcases. They went to another hotel (well known place I guess)and no regular rooms were available, BUT, the hotel felt so sorry for them that they let them spend two nights in the presidential suite until a room opened up. so it had a happy ending, but I think my sister has never forgiven her sister-in-law!

Jen

Cass, even though it must have been terrifying to be woken out of a dead sleep and hear the word "fire" I did have to laugh at what you, your husband, and brother-n-law managed to have with you when you safely (thank God) made it out. LOL @ the lacrosse stick! ;-) Good point you made about always having a grab pouch ready at all times when you travel now.

cindy

My worst disaster is about to happen.
Talked BF into going to Hawaii next week, 5/12. Just went shopping for bathing suit. YIKES!!!!! I'm not really overweight, 112lbs. But yikes!!! I guess I should have been working out instead of reading message boards!. The glaring sun!!!! cellulite!!!! Yikes!! And I thought this would be romantic! I'm just sick!

007

Cindy -- your problem truly doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

cindy

easy for you to say.
I'm sure most women would agree with me, shopping for a suit is a horrendous experience.............................

Come on!

YOU HAVE SOME NERVE COMPLAINING ABOUT WEIGHING 112 POUNDS. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT WEIGHING 112 POUNDS IS CONSIDERED A DISASTER WITH ALL OF THE OTHER HORRIFIC THINGS GOING ON IN THE WORLD. BE AN EXAMPLE TO TEENAGE GIRLS AND BE PROUD OF THE WAY YOU LOOK. STOP COMPLAINING!