We flew from Chi to Delhi and had to layover in Bombay due to fog. We were told hotels had been arranged for us. As time went on, no hotel. Then we were told we would be taking off relatively soon so no hotels would be necessary. To make a long story short we took off- 9.5 hrs. later after hearing repeated falsehoods about our situation. Very frustrating. When we finally reboarded KLM told us the truth. The airport did not have staff to process out that many people (Bombay got several other flights bound for Delhi that noc) so they let us sit and told lies untill we finally left. The hotels had been arranged for during our flight. So from the time I arose the morning of our flight until my head funally hit a pillow was abour 52 hrs!

Hi Karen! Somehow i missed this when you first posted. I'm soo sorry to hear about your nightmare experience! How is dh's grandma, hope she didn't catch it, too!?

Anyway, its heartening to know the airline responded and so quickly. The very least they should do for the EMT is double miles - like pocket change for them. Keep us posted. And happy healthy travels to YOU!

Mt god,after reading these I am depressed and will never travel again(hardly).

My best travel experience was backpacking across Europe with my room mate from high school. Eight counties,countless cities and met some of the best people of my life. It also taught me how to travel on a budget which has been paying me back ever since.

I forget about the worst trips and reminisce about the great ones;-).

I am the only child in my family and going up I seemed to make it a tradition to have to end up in the hospital or doctor's office on every vacation we took. My poor parents. I fell camping and had to get stitches, dislocated a knee cap, had double pneumonia which my parents thought was me overracting about a cold, not to mention the inevetiable ear infections.

Karen,

I'm so sorry that your trip was a nightmare but thank you for the trip report giggles. AGH--and people wonder why we mothers buy L'Oreal by the truckload!!!!!!!!

karens, You're right I can't top that one. I have a daughter though, 13, that we take on vacation every year and she's only not gotten sick on 2 vacations...Mexico and Hawaii. I've always thought how bad it would be to be in route when she got sick. You're whole family will be talking about that one for years to come.

My worst "vacation" was a motorhome trip for our family of 5. (Did I mention the motorhome was made for 2?) This was about a 14 hour trip in August in the midwest where the humidity peels paint off of buildings. The RV didn't have an internal generator, so hubby rigged our regular old generator up to it so the kiddies could watch TV while we're going down the road. Did I mention he bolted it on top of the RV and had to physically climb up on top to shut it on and off when we stopped? Do you have any idea how loud a (not-made-for-RV's) generator is on top of a motorhome? Can you imagine the looks that we got at gas stations, especially when he fired it back up? Can we say: Here Come The Beverly Hillbillies?

So we get to our destination: a campground north of Chicago. (Did I mention that I've always hated camping?) We pull into the park and there's a sign 10 feet high listing all the park regulations. The first one concerns firearms, my eyes glaze over after that. We have to back up into our site, closely flanked on each side so it's a nightmare . . . and it's dark.

We finally get situated; everyone's starving and looking at the only person in the world who can possibly feed them before they die . . . me. Did I mention that cooking for a family of 5 in an RV built for 2 is kind of like cooking in a closet with very few necessities?

Finally, it's bedtime. There's a 3/4 size bed for hubby and I, which is really the couch flattened open, so there's a nasty 1" crack in our backs. The 2 older kids sleep in the overhead bed with 2" of clearance above their heads, so they can't sit up and must enter and exit horizontally. The youngest is on a cot in the aisle that must be moved every time someone needs to use the bathroom (which is really smaller than a closet.)

Then . . . are you ready? . . . the AC quits. The overhead is now an oven death trap, so there's sweaty bodies laying anyplace they can be wedged.

Did I mention we sold the motorhome?