There's no better way to test a relationship than by spending every waking minute with another person on vacation. 9/10 times couples are able to learn and grow, and come out of it stronger than before. Here are some stories about the other time. Source can be found at the end of the article!
1/7. We had been together for one year, and went away for three weeks to a resort in Hawaii. We had unlimited time together, but never had sex. He kept saying he didn't feel wellbut he seemed fine when he was trekking up mountains?
I began to feel increasingly depressed, so at 2am one night, I packed my bags. The next morning I told him I wanted to break up, and that I was going to spend the last week on my own. He seemed relieved. But the island was tiny and it was peak season, so I literally could not find a room. I had to wait out the rest of the vacation, sleeping in the same bed as him, until it was time to go.
At the airport, I asked for separate plane seats, and cried all the way home.
Francesca
2/7. I'd been dating my man about four years. He was Malaysian, and we were headed back there with his family on a 15-day holiday to meet the grandparents. We had been looking forward to the trip for a long time, but on the plane ride over things turned.
His parents explained that my boyfriend had actually been married before. More of an unofficial 'religious marriage', but it was considered rude to get divorced, and it would have shamed his 'wife'. So, if I didn't mind, could I pretend to be my boyfriend's brother's girlfriend instead? Otherwise, his grandparents would disapprove of my boyfriend dating while still married.
I wanted to get on the next plane back, but I didn't want to cause a scene. The whole time I pretended everything was fine, and said all the right things.
My boyfriend, meanwhile, had better places to behe's an impulsive person, and got a ski contract in Austria just a few days after we arrived. Then, on night 13 of the trip, he called super drunk to say he had just married a girl over there because she didn't believe in sex before marriage. Suffice to say, we broke up after that call.
- Steph
More horror stories on the next page!
3/7. We were 22 and living out a summer romance in Thailand. We'd chosen a typically average beach resortdodgy aircon, lizards on the walls, mosquito nets with giant holes.
I didn't think I needed sunscreen outside New Zealand. But this turned out to be a schoolboy error, as I ended up getting a chest infection because of severe sunstroke. After a few days, we were trying to be intimate, but I was really sick and she got upset that I was ruining the holiday. Not surprisingly, she was [also] really disappointed with my performance.
I said, "I can't cum because I'm on antibiotics, not because I don't like you!"
This was a big blow I just couldn't recover from. By the last few days we both knew it wasn't going to work and we ended it with a really awkward goodbye at Suvarnabhumi Airport. On reflection, it probably was because I didn't like her enough.
Larry
4/7. I travelled to Colorado two years ago to see my boyfriend. We'd been dating a while and I couldn't wait to put the long distance behind us.
As soon as I arrived, I messaged him to tell him I was here and ready to party. After a few hours with no response, I called and sent a few more messages. Still no reply. This continued for a few more days until I got the hint that he didn't actually want to see me.
As soon as I got home, he resurfaced. His message read: "I wish we could see each other more."
Alice
Keep reading for more!
5/7. We had been emailing and Facebook chatting for a long time. He lived in San Diego and I lived in Auckland, so we met in LA.
I'm someone who has to eat often: little, healthy things. At this point even more so than usual, as I had just done a cleanse. He didn't have a very rounded dietchocolate for breakfast, the odd coffee, wine. No vegetables. A couple of days in, I opened the fridge to find bedsheets in there. He said it was because he didn't have much shelf space.
We'd slept together by this stage, but I got a really upset feeling in my stomach and didn't want to keep sleeping together. But I suggested we travel together to Palm Springs, and we left the next day.
When I ate a scone in the next morning, he passed comment about it being full fat. A few days later, the tension had reached its peak, and he launched into a tirade about my diet. We decided to head back.
He then skipped town and went on a family vacation to Mexico. I ended up staying at his apartment for a few days, trying to figure out where to stay in LA. I figured it was fine for me to be there while I got organised; after all, I was away from home. But when he came back he asked me why I was still there.
Emma
The best is yet to come!
6/7. I met a guy from London in a bar in Wellington. We hit it off right away and had loads of mutual friends. We went back to mine and didn't have sex which should have really been a sign. He flew back to London shortly after, but we kept in touch. After a while of getting to know each other, we decided to go travelling together in India.
But, on one condition: that we kept it old school romantic and only write letters. Eight months passed and it was time to meet in our expensive hotel in Delhi. The stage was set, but we didn't even kiss. About three days in, a wall started to come down around him. Both of us were wondering what we had done. We had committed to three months together on the back of an Enfield motorcycle across India; I'd rented out my home and put my business on hold.
I began to comfort eat. He began to look around and sleep with other women. At one point, we had been staying in a village for a while, and I learned I had become known as 'The girl with the sad eyes'. If I ever went out by myself, locals would ask where my husband was. The women he was with were asking why I was there. Was I was his sister?
At the end of the three months I was broken, and couldn't understand how it had all happened. I guess it's easy to portray yourself as something you're not, via social media or in letters. It turned out he was having a relationship with someone else before he'd left, anyway keeping his options open. I learned the hard way that expectations reduce joy.
Jolene
Keep reading for more!
7/7. I was working at the front desk of a resort in Hawaii back in the 90's. Two newlyweds ended up there for their honeymoon and when they were checking in they had a few questions. The questions started off normal but got progressively more interesting. I couldn't help but notice the wife staring at me and holding eye contact for a little longer than what would be considered appropriate. I answered their questions as best I could.
NW's: "What time is check out?"
Me: "12pm, unless you request to do it later"
NW's: "When does the main bar close?"
Me: "2AM."
NW's: "Do you guys have a chocolate fondue fountain?"
Me: "Yes... we actually do for special events,"
NW's: "Can we have it delivered to our room?"
The husband insisted that he was a professional chef and knew how to operate it. In the luxury hotel business we aim to please so I told them that I would see what I can do. They requested that if it was possible, I deliver it myself. Then the wife ripped a 50 dollar bill, gave me half and put half back in her bra. I was motivated to get them the fountain.
As it turned out, I was able to get them one and when I went to their room I was disappointed to learn they werent inside. I left it, along with a note that I signed.
Later on they called down to the front desk asking for me to personally deliver some champagne to their room. "Time to get the other half of that 50!" I thought. When I got up there I knocked and waited a little longer than normal for them to come to the door.
When the door finally opened, the wife answered in just a thong and they were both covered in chocolate fondue sauce! They asked me to come in and I was extremely uncomfortable but was hoping to get tipped so I did. However, once inside, the husband proceeded to ask me if I wanted to have sex with him and his wife and I quickly nope'd the f*ck out of there.
Continued on the next page...
Later on I was telling some other hotel staff about what had transpired and my friend Greg who happened to be bisexual seemed extra interested. He claimed it was pretty normal among young couples where he's from. The next time they ordered room service Greg delivered it and wasn't back for much longer than normal...
When he returned, he seemed dazed but said he had an "interesting" story to tell. He had been asked to sleep with the couple and being much more adventurous than I am, he accepted the offer. He said it started off normal (at least as normal as a one night stand with 2 newlyweds and a chocolate fondue fountain can be) but then took a turn for the worst. While he was with the wife, her husband got very jealous and screamed at him to leave. The wife was insisting that he stay but the husband wasn't into it. A huge fight broke out between the two and just before Greg left he heard the husband say, "I knew my sister was right, I shouldn't have married you."
The wife requested to switch rooms and for the rest of the week I didn't see that couple together again.
The moral of the story is, always ask for the other half of a 50 dollar bill before declining sex from a weird newlywed couple.
Brad
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.