karens

We had our worst family travel experience by far this past weekend! We went down to Ft. Lauderdale for my husband's grandmother's 100th birthday. We left late Thurs. and got home late last night. We left a trail of destruction whereever we went! It was me, my husband, my oldest son, 11 (son #1) and my younger son, 9, (son #2).

Our travels got off on a bad note. Our plane out of Phila. was delayed 3 hrs. Someone told me that they were searching for drugs b/c the plane originated from Acapulco. (for 3 hrs?) We didn't get in to our hotel until 1am. But we slept in the next day, and headed to the beach. It was the first time the boys were at the beach since Aug., and they had a great time. The water in Ft. L. has waves, but not big ones, and they had a blast going out pretty far. Little did we know that, as they say in mystery stories, our trip was never to be this pleasant again. Those of you with weak stomachs should not read any further.

After a pleasant day at the beach, we went back to the hotel and headed over to a buffet dinner Fri. evening. On the way, son #2 throws up in the car. We are not a stomach bug kind of family (again, I am speaking too soon), so we have never experiened an episode like this before. We turned around, I begged the front desk for cleaning supplies while my husband showered and changed son #2. About an hour later, we headed back, thinking it was an isolated incident. Nope. Upon entering the dinner and introducing my son, he leans over and throws up again. So I head back to the room with him and my husband and son #1 stay behind.

Son #2 got sick throughout the night, but that seemed to end the next day. We headed back to the beach, and hyperactive #2 stayed on his towel most of the time, a sure give-away he was not feeling better. By 5pm, he spiked a fever, so I missed the gala dinner planned for that night. My husband ate, came back to the hotel, and I got to go for the final hour. My dinner was peanut butter crackers, but I did get eat dessert at the dinner.

Jocelyn_P

I was on a two-hour flight with my 3 year old daughter and 1 year old lap child (who hated flying) when I very suddenly came down with a VIOLENT stomach flu.

karens

By Sun, son #2's fever was gone and he appeared on the mend. Our flight out was not until 8pm, so we went to the Sawgrass Mills Mall and walked around Las Olas Blvd. We returned the rental car, and son #1 starts telling us he doesn't feel good. While waiting for the shuttle, he leans over and throws up. (I warned you this was not pretty, and unfortunately it only gets worse). We commented that it was fortunate that at least he was outside and didn't get sick for the 2nd time in the car. Well, not so fast. We checked in, waited in a long line for security. Just as he was supposed to go through the metal detector, son #1 leans over and throws up again. By now, I'm in the first stages of a nervous breakdown, thinking about how uncomfortable this kid is going to be on the plane, and how all the other passengers are going to hate us for brining a sick kid on the plane. We boarded last and the plane takes off (on time). Son #1 is still miserable. I have a pit in my stomach, that I think is just nerves. I start to get light-headed and head back to the bathroom. I felt like I had to pass out, so I laid down on the really clean floor in the back of the plane behind the bathrooms. At the time, I thought I just needed to lie down for a few minutes. The few minutes turned into the entire plane flight! It was fortunate that I was so close to the bathroom, b/c I got diahrea (sp?) I could only imagine how filthy the floor was, but I was so happy to just be able to lie down. A super nice guy who was an EMT came back and stayed with me almost the entire time. And of course, everyone who used the bathroom got to see me in a really attractive state. Despite feeling so miserable, the EMT kept making me laugh b/c he was telling everyone that this was where the poor people's seats were. Another young woman who was a nurse came back to check up on me. In between, I hear how son #1 is continuing to be sick. Upon descent, I had to return to me seat. I thought the worst was over. They were able to scrounge up 2 Immonium ID's for me so I thought the worst was over. Nope. Again, don't read on if you have a weak stomach.

karens

So the plane lands, on time. We get out to the gate, and they tell us they'll get us a cart to ride b/c son #1 was really weak and could not walk. While we were waiting, #1 gets sick again. Son #2 copies everything his older brother does, and he leans over and gets sick, too. I guess my stomach didn't want to be left out, b/c my sick bag came in really handy. By now, everyone's getting off the plane and everyone knows all about the sick family. Everyone is looking at us with a mixture of horror and pity, and several people commented on what a saint my husband is. Finally, the cart comes, and we get to baggage claim. Luggage never arrives timely in Phila, but this was ridiculous. After waiting a while, they announce that it would be another 25 mins. until the luggage was unloaded - for a total of an hour. By now, we're all lying on the floor, utterly exhausted while my husband goes and picks up our car. We didn't get home until close to 1am and I was never so happy to see my bed. My son and I were still weak today, and guess what? Now it's my husband's turn. Thankfully, he just has a fever, and no stomach problems (yet). We had 76ers tickets for tonight, and not one of us was feeling OK to go.

OK - can you top this? What was your worst travel experience? And aren't you so very happy you weren't on the plane with us? What should I get that super nice EMT who helped me out? I told the flight attendant at the very least he should get double or triple frequent flier miles for his flight, but in true USAir style, she informed us that the airline never does anything like that.

jimshep

In a word--Belize. The only way to endure this place must be to stay under water.

suanniammsncom

Hi Karen,
I feel your pain. As the mother of 4 Ive had some bad travel experiences with my kids, but I cant top yours. Although this last christmas break we went skiing in colorado. I was concerned about the altitude because my 14yo son is asthmatic. So I took all the precautions I read about such as drinking alot of fluids on the plane. While driving from Denver to Copper Mnt, the altitude problem began. First one after another the kids began to fall asleep, I wake the asthmatic and he says hes nautious(sp).When we get there everyone has headaches. Im passing out tylenol like candy. By evening, I decide everyone should take a walk to get some air and something to eat. Bad idea, as soon as the food came my husband was running back to the room with my 5 yo whom was vomiting. The next day my 16yo fell while skiing and we spent 4hrs in the medical center where we learned he sprained his back and couldnt ski for the rest of the trip. I was also very glad to get home from that trip. Skiing is alot of work.
Susan

kimamom

We have taken many long car trips with our three kids over the years. One spring break we were traveling 14 hours up to Astoria, OR. I think the kids were all under ten years of age.

It was April Fool's Day and we headed out to the beach. I decided to take a hike and left my husband to watch the kids. Our middle son got caught in an ocean current and started drifting away, hubby ran in the ocean and pulled him out.

We were going home to change and when we returned to our house we discovered our five bikes had been stolen from our house.

My husband went next door to ask the neighbor about it and took my small daughter with him. I heard a bunch of barking and yiping and crying. His snauzer had torn into my daughter thigh.

I waited at the house to comfort my middle son and file a police report with the bikes while he ran her in the ER to receive five stitches.

I phoned my mom to tell her what happened and all she could say to each incident was "April Fools!!" Which I certainly felt like that day. LOL ***kim***

garyt22

Freeport, Bahamas...way too overated, way too expensive, way too boring, way too dirty, way too much attitude mon! Not to mention the 4 days in bed with food poisoning...

KathrynT

Karens, your story tops just about anything I can think of. We did have one family vacation when I was a child with a similar theme. My parents had a brand new station wagon and we were only going to be away for two nights to a motel with a swimming pool (a big treat for us.) Day one was great, day two rained the entire day so we left early. On the way home all five of us children managed to get the stomach flu and "christened" our new car. It was raining so hard, my parents didn't have the heart to make us get out in the downpour when we felt ill. So much for that "new car smell!"

Maggi

It's such a bummer when you get sick on a well deserved vacation. Sorry you had such a miserable time! Last spring we flew to visit relatives in Munich. When we arrived at their apartment their two year old was throwing up and had diarrhea. What followed was basically a repeat of your experience, with everyone in the house (except me) eventually following suit, one after another. A week later the whole group, us included, symptom free at last, attended a wedding. After the wedding all of those people came down with it as well. This time my husband was bedridden and was the sickest I have ever seen him in our 34 years of marriage. It continued for 3 days.

I don't know if this was connected or not, but three months later he suffered permanent hearing loss (Menieure's disease) from a virus attacking the nerve in his right ear. I attribute this to a weakness in his immune system from the earlier onslaught on his body.

I never got that virulent sickness in Germany, perhaps because I have always taken nutritional supplements (especially large amounts of C). If you have all undergone a severe illness you might look into building up your immune systems.

Your story made me wonder how many people on your flight got sick as well. How could this be prevented? I doubt an airline would allow you to reschedule penalty-free if you are sick. But wouldn't it be nice if they did, to prevent exposing all the passengers?

applejack

A couple of years ago we went to Alabama (driving)and on the way I got food poisoning - never have I been so ill - ended up spending 6 days in the hospital. I am very particular about places to eat - so I know all of the places we stopped were clean. We finally determined it was a barbecue place - we ate the same - but I had slaw on my sandwich and my husband did not. I had poison in my spleen and my esophagus. It was a royal mess - so much stomach pain (right up there with childbirth) throwing up and diarhea. I tried to deal with it the first day - thinking it was a virus and would get better - but then was throwing up so violently and passing blood - so stopped in emergency room and they admitted me pronto. I got wonderful care - but it is hard to be in a strange town with strange Drs. I am glad you and your boys are now well Karens and hope Hubby is o.k. Glad he at least stayed well until you got home.

fdecarlo

Good lord, I'm not even sure where to begin. Lots of horrible travel experiences over the last 30 years..

Off-season summer jaunt to Las Vegas, blew a radiator 10 miles outside lush, beautiful Baker, California, with 110F temps and no drinking water..

Spontaneous (and crazy) weekend driving tour from L.A. to Tahoe (12 hours driving, 12 hours there, 12 hours back), ran into pea soup fog at the Grapevine and couldn't stop because my friend "HAD" to be at work in a few hours.. Drove 80MPH not being able to see 10 feet in front of the car.. Luckily we almost rammed right into a big rig, we tailgated him all the way through the fog (we figured if anything was on the road it's best for *him* to hit it first)..

Being inundated by an incredibly massive swarm of insects in the middle of the desert while refueling our car, picking squashed bugs out of our hair and clothing for the next two days.. I still have nightmares about that one..

Flying from L.A. to Pittsburgh and having the storm of the century come in, the plane was out of fuel and the pilot was forced to land on an iced runway.. As we were coming in we could see dozens of ambulances and fire trucks right next to our runway. When we touched down the back of the plane start to slide around.. I have no idea how the pilot was able to correct it, but it was one of two times I've had my life flash before my eyes.. That, and:

Getting hit by a car while bicycling, flying 30 feet and landing by sheer luck on the only unpaved spot of ground within 100 feet that was soft enough to save my life..

Those are a few of the worst.

hauntedheadnc

My only horror story is the time I travelled cross-country to meet who I thought was the man of my dreams only to find that he was a drunk, a drug addict, and made it very clear that I didn't come first to him. Not even second or third. Booze, the bars, and his friends came before I did, and I think the low point was the night I'd forgotten my prescription medicines back at the house, and he screamed at me for having to leave the bar to take me back to get them so I could take them on time.

Now, on a lighter note, my brother almost never has a nice vacation, and he's more than willing to stop even trying, but his wife insists. Some of their better highlights include their trip to Myrtle Beach, and coming back from a daytrip to see the Battleship USS North Carolina up in Wilmington, to discover that a hurricane was bearing down on the Grand Strand and that Myrtle Beach had been evacuated. They had to bribe a guard to get into their hotel so they could retrieve their luggage and come home.

On another trip, this time to Clearwater, FL, a hurricane followed them home to North Carolina. They drove in the outermost fringes of the storm all the way from there to here, and on the way a truck ahead of them kicked up a rock that cracked the windshield.

On a recent trip to Disneyland in Orlando, this time with my mother in tow, the party never stopped, what with the power going out at their hotel in Kissimee (but not at any of the others nearby), my mother almost being separated and swept away by the crowd at the nightly parade at Disney (she's legally blind, deaf in one ear, and an amputee, so it's not as though keeping up with my brother in a throng that dense was easy), plus the very nice gentleman who backed over my mother's luggage as they were packing to come back home -- and mind you this luggage contained eyeglasses and prescription medicines -- and smiled a jaunty smile, laughed a carefree laugh, and gave my brother the finger as he drove away, knowing full well what he'd done.

There was also the trip to Cape Canaveral that my brother and his wife took, also with my mother along for the ride, during which, in a torrential downpour that lasted the entire trip, my brother's wife finally snapped and made the whole group go on a forced death march all over the Kennedy Space Center because by God she'd come all the way to Florida to see the Kennedy Space Center and she was GOING TO SEE THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, SO DON'T FRICKIN' ARGUE!

BuffaloGirl

Yikes, I can't imagine going through some of the things mentioned in previous posts! Karens - my son got quite ill on a trip to Florida some years ago. Had it coming out both ends at the same time. I'd just get his butt on the toilet, and he be throwing up on my legs as I was doing it. This pretty much lasted most of the vacation. By the time we went home, he seemed much better - hadn't been sick in a day or so. Anyhow, on the plane trip home he leaned over and puked on me. To top it off, it was one of the plane rides from hell (but better left for another story). That was bad, but I can't begin to imagine everyone having it at the same time!

Manzanillo, Mexico - I think I was sick from the minute I stepped foot into a taxi from the airport (I use the term taxi lightly...it was a 20 year old car with rust holes in the bottom where you could see the ground pass by as we travelled very swiftly on twisting roads with four of us in the back seat with no seat belts and loud Mexican music playing on the radio (my stomach is turning already). The rest of the week was no better. I was just plain old sick from both ends the entire trip. My husband wanted me to see a doctor, but no way was I going to a doctor in that town!!!

karens

Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear I'm not alone in having a really unpleasant travel experience!

Maggi - my husband has Meniere's, too. He was just diagnosed last year. His symptoms come and go, and he's had mild symptoms (and mild to moderate hearing loss) for the past several weeks. He was starting to experience some dizziness on Sunday, and I was worried about having to deal with a not-well husband and two kids. As I look back, that would have been a lot easier than what we did go through!! Thankfully, his dizziness went away and he was symptom free for the remainder of our trip. (or maybe he just had bigger problems to deal with!)

Looking back, I had wondered if maybe we would have been better staying an extra night. But, we had just returned the rental car when son #1 got sick. And I didn't get any symptoms until about 20 mins. after the plane took off. And 3 of us practically spent the whole day in bed y-day, so I don't know how we would have dealt with hyperactive son #2 in a hotel room for that time while we were incapacitated. What I did learn is that I will never travel without Immonium AD and some Enterex!!

Susan - we did our first family ski trip for a long weekend this past Feb. We didn't have any major mishaps, but I agree that skiing is a lot of work!! We purchased our own equipment, but just getting ready and dressed and to the lift takes about 2 hours and you're tired before you even make your first run. We traveled with another family who had to rent all their stuff and it took them forever to get everything. They (the mom and dad) just went this week and bought their own skis at an end of the year sale.

Leona

Several years ago, when the children were probably 4 & 8, we took our first family vacation in a long time, a car trip to a resort in the Pocono mountains, where we had a week in a cabin reserved. We had enrolled the girls in camp & my husband and I hoped we could get some time together. We packed the car, got in & my 4-year-old, who was carrying a box of cookies, gets stung by a bee who had apparently hopped into the cookie box on the way to the car. We take care of that calamity, the tears eventually subside & we are on our way. We arrive at the resort, and she starts to complain that she doesn't feel well. House doctor time! She was diagnosed with a strep throat (NOT connected to the bee sting) and we have to get medicine for her (they only had pill-form antibiotics, so she learned pretty young how to swallow a pill) and keep her with us for the entire week! No camp for her, but her older sister complains the whole week how the little one "gets to stay with Mom & Dad, she's lucky". What a vacation.

I'd bring it back in a minute, though, now that they are both grown!

14VK8SHN

Last year we were planning on a summer vacation to San Francisco. I requested some information at Fodors on "not miss" things to see/do while in SF in our limited time there. Several posts were touting great things to do in and around San Jose. They seemed so insistent and were going on and on about how wonderful San Jose was. They explained about the problems in SF and highly suggested San Jose as a great alternative. We took them up on some of their suggestions and... OUR WORST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE EVER! My family still won't talk to me. Thanks alot. Last time I use a travel forum for suggestions on vacations!

indie

Worst trip was a trip out to Austin - six of us rented a car started out late evening on Friday. On the way out a friend and I who had overindulged in caramel popcorn were sick.

We were fine next morning and went out for a boat ride - the water was choppy and the sick friend from the previous night was feeling sea-sick so we turned back and mid-way through I was tossed up and landed on a cup holder built into the boat. It hurt a bit - but it passed - so I did not think about it.

As the boat pulled in one of my less experienced friends was at the wheel and she ended up crashing into another boat that was docked- fortunately - no one hurt.
On the drive back to the hotel I was in unbearable pain and realized I had a hamburger sized clot on my butt! Off to the emergency room - some snickering by nurses and Doctors .

When we got back - I slept - however my friends stayed up talking. Round midnight one friend walked to the kitchen - we had moved out the dining room table and there was a light over that table which hung fairly low. Guess what my friend walks into it, it breaks lands on his wrists and makes a deep gash back to the emergency room.

The next day we started out with great trepidation and fortunately reached home incident free. Austin still remains one of my favorite places

wagonwheel

First trip to Disney as a child was a whopper ! First off was the renatl car that would not turn off..took the keys out and the motor continued to run and the wipers wouldn't stop. Take four very light skinned Canadians who have never been to Florida, put them in Wet and Wild for a day with little to no sunscreen, and can you say heat stroke for 4 to go ! After the heat stroke, we went to Disney, and remember throwing up in the trolley that was taking us from the parking lot. I kept saying I was fine, and please let me in to Disney. Next day went out to get to the car, and there was a a huge black snake curled up on the hood. Again, Canadians don't see many huge black snakes so my Dad decides to throw a rock at it to scare it...scared it so much it just reared up and hissed at us, but didn't move. Called security,and find out it's a water mocassin ( sp ?), which is unusual. Topped the trip off with burnt eyes from opening them in the salt water pool, and the very unfortunate drowning of a young boy in the pool, it's surprising we ever went back. ( PS we have at least 5 times, and can't wait to take my son when he's old enough ! )

karens

Hi all. I did follow up on our worst travel experience with a thank you letter (and gift card) to the EMT who helped me on our flight. I also wrote a letter to USAir letting them know how nice it was to have someone like him help me. I told them I thought he deserved some sort of thank you compensation from them, either a one-way trip or double or triple frequent flier miles. I explained that the flight attendants were able to just step over me and not worry if I was in really bad shape b/c he was there.

I mailed the letter to USAir on Sat. and this past Monday someone from USAir called acknowledging the letter. I was pleasantly surprised. Truthfully, I hadn't expected to hear anything from them based on the level of customer service I am used to from this airline. But they told me they would follow up and thank the EMT. I was distracted when the call came in, and it didn't occur to me to ask just how they were going to thank him - if they were going to give him some extra miles or if it was a mere thank you. But anyway, I was impressed that they responded to me so quickly. Maybe they are taking Southwest's new presence in Phila. seriously. Let's hope so!

Happy, healthy traveling! Karen