The Absolute Worst Ways To Ruin A Vacation
Reddit user UndercoverSports asked: 'What’s the worst way to ruin a vacation?'
Some people absolutely dream of the weekend each week, and don't even get us started on how people dream of the perfect vacation.
But sometimes even the most thought-through trips wind up being a total mess, and some of the reasons why can be really surprising.
Redditor UndercoverSports asked:
"What's the worst way to ruin a vacation?"
Getting Laid Off
"Getting an email from your boss, scheduling you for a disciplinary meeting as soon as you're back from vacation."
- theassassintherapist
"A buddy of mine got a call from his HR department saying he was laid off in the middle of his vacation."
"With his family. At Disneyworld. Right in front of the Cinderella Castle."
- Whizbang35
Different Strokes for Different Folks
"Traveling with people who aren’t on the same travel 'vibe' as you."
"If you’re super active and want to see all the sites, go with people who are looking for the same experience. If you want to lounge and spend days being lazy, you’re going to be miserable and vice versa."
- RandomValentina1980
A Vacation Is What You Make It
"Something I realized as an adult is that a good vacation is 75 percent just willingness to have a good vacation. If you want to have a bad time, you'll find a way to make that happen."
"Relaxing? Say it's boring."
"Eventful? Say it's chaotic."
"Busy schedule? Complain about how stressful it is."
"Fun evening out? Say you're tired, have a headache, and be cranky."
"Beautiful walk? Think of it as an exhausting hike."
"So basically, always look for the worst in everything and be loud and vocal about it."
- Cody6781
Too Real.
"Usually my period."
- motorgurl86
"I know, right? I feel like my body actually plans it out to annoy me, because even if I organize a holiday a week and a half after my period is due on short notice, then that is the month that my period is a week and a half late (and the same goes for early)."
- xa12349
The Worst Kind of Company
"My ex-FIL had... unreasonable expectations. Any experience less than 'perfect' in his opinion was ruined."
"The worst way to ruin a vacation was to be on one with him."
- midOrWild65
Inconvenient Injury
"I twisted my ankle and messed up my foot the night before flying to France."
"Just so happened to be a trip where we had planned to visit many small towns and villages."
"It didn't exactly ruin the vacation, but let's just say being on crutches with a swollen, f**ked up foot while hobbling through many old cobblestone roads and paths isn't all that fun."
- DevappaJi
Any Plans in 2020
"A pandemic."
- TheGreatGamer1389
"I was helping my SO (significant other) with a photo shoot in Vegas in March 2020. It didn't get canceled. We still had fun."
"But when we got there and turned on the news, we saw reports of a melee breaking out at a Costco over toilet paper."
"I had no idea this was happening everywhere until I got back home."
- flibbidgygibbit
A "Lit" Friday Night
"Having your car burst into flames next to a 300-year-old pub on a Friday night."
"It makes the firefighters hate you because they can't go to the pub. The whole village hates you because they can't go to the pub. The pub owner hates you for ruining his pub."
"The recovery dude hates you because the fire was so hot the remains of the car are sunken into the asphalt which has hardened again overnight. The owner of the parking lot hates you for ruining his parking lot."
"Your insurance hates you because you just bought the car an hour before with the intention of driving it back and importing it into your own country and you managed to insure it on the VIN so they have to pay for all the damages. Local police hates you because it was a V5 vehicle but still on English plates and with foreign insurance."
"Source: Friends and me."
"(To be honest. The townsfolk were absolutely amazing when they got over the fact that they didn't get their Friday night beers and fish 'n chips. We had a place to stay before the fire was out and got an amazing breakfast the next morning.)"
"Other than that, I really need some like-minded people around me when traveling. The way I travel it happens all the time that strangers are part of the group and as an introvert that can be quite tiring. It can be nice to just sit apart from the others with one or two others for an hour or so after a long day of having to interact with many, many people."
- akamsteeg
Too Tight of a Budget
"I don't understand people who aren't willing to spend money at all during international vacations. You already paid good money to be in this place you're visiting, and it may be the only time in your life you see it, so why not experience it?"
"Obviously, you can't splurge on everything but spend money on things that spark joy. For me, I like treating myself to good food and live music when I travel. I also don't mind spending a bit extra to get around quickly and comfortably. It's different for everybody."
- KWONdox
Poor Money Management
"Going across the United States and getting stranded on your way home because you ran out of money and you have to hitchhike all the way back home."
- Aries_Forever
"I knew a girl who did this in college. Didn't account for any expenditures and blew her money on souvenirs. Didn't plan for hotel fees or gas and severely underestimated the cost of food."
"She had to get a waitressing job somewhere one-third of the way into what was supposed to be an incredible road trip vacation because she just had no concept of not blowing every cent she had to her name."
"She was really irritating, stuck-up, and awful, so I thought it was hilarious."
- coconut_greek_yogurt
The Vacation Patch
"Just do what my dad did and quit smoking a week before every vacation."
"By the time you're traveling, you'll be such a f**khead from jonesing for a smoke that you'll make everyone's lives miserable until you have a massive, blowout fight."
"Then you give up, start smoking again, and wait for the next vacay!"
- bellrunner
Don't Forget the Essentials
"Just do what I did, and lose your wallet/phone/passport. You won't be able to go anywhere, and you'll be panicking the whole time. A great trip!"
- Jimmy_whispahs
Simply a Safe Environment
"The worst vacation I ever experienced was as a young teen (only child) accompanying my parents from Texas to Florida by car."
"Dad drank and raged and parents fought the whole time. I was miserable, lonely, and frankly, frightened, for the whole trip."
"So the way they ruined our vacation was by being selfish, narcissistic, dramatic, drunk, and lacking empathy for their child."
"Think of others, be nice, and keep your self-centered, moody attitudes to yourself if others are with you."
- peachesswearengen
Pack Extra Drama
"Make every possible thing go wrong."
"Book the wrong date for when you have to leave or the place you're staying at."
"When you're going somewhere for fun, like maybe a boat ride, make sure you make everyone wait for you so you're all late."
"Pretend to or actually get sick."
"If there's someone on the trip you don't like, try excluding them. Bring someone everyone doesn't like."
"There are so many more options, lol (laughing out loud)."
- anonymousgirlonhere
A Positive Spin
"I've never had a bad vacation."
"I can say, though, that if I went on vacation with someone that was negative or poking holes in everything, etc, I’d probably straight up tell them to shut the ever living f**k up, and that would be the end of that relationship (if friend or boyfriend) or hamper it (if a family member)."
"I don’t care about your misery on vacation. Suffer in silence for one week or however long the vacation is. Start up your s**t when we get back to our day-to-day lives. Though I always get tired of victims/oh-woe-is-me people so HA."
- Inside_Scheme_2883
Though vacations are meant to be fun, it seems there are countless ways to ruin them.
But there are ways to save trips, too, if everyone can be accountable for their own behavior and consider what they are bringing to the trip emotionally.
People's Absolute Worst Vacation Destinations
Reddit user ITSSAMMYG asked: 'What was your worst ever holiday destination?'
Traveling for most people is a wonderful adventure, full of new experiences, sights, and memories.
But even for the best travelers, there are bound to be some flop destinations along the way.
Redditor ITSSAMMYG asked:
"What was your worst ever holiday destination?"
Canberra
"Canberra. Not a bad holiday overall, there just wasn't much to do. It's such a weird place."
- Capital-Rhubarb
"If you're a nerd like me, then you never get tired of visiting Canberra. All the national institutions, museums, galleries, libraries, courts, parliaments new and old, decent food and beer, and beautiful walks around the lake. Not a touristy place at all for most people, but I love it."
- pistola
"Absolutely agree. Canberra should theoretically be a great city… but it’s just a bit... off?"
- aimztw
Las Vegas
"Las Vegas. The Douchebag Capital of America. When all our kids were in summer camps, my wife wanted to go on a lark. I've been to multiple conventions here, so it's old hat to me."
"The weather was actually unusually mild for late June, so no complaints there. But, having been to LV on both business and pleasure now, every visit follows the same pattern."
"Day One: Oh, cool. Neon! Wayne Newton! Weird architecture! Naked excess!"
"Day Two: Okay. Yeah, seen that and done that. And no, I don't want to deal with a gauntlet of guys handing me t*tty flyers as I walk down the street. F**k, I just want to have a drink in peace without somebody's rowdy bachelor party going on two tables over."
"And I really am bothered watching that 80-something woman feed quarters into a slot machine for fourteen consecutive hours. She was there this morning, she was there when I went back to my room, and now she's there at 10 tonight. Like she's grown a taproot or something. That woman's the real Las Vegas, not what you see in the ads. This place is like a really f**king hot Gatlinburg with slot machines."
"Day Three: Get me out of this place. Red Rocks. The Hoover Dam. Any place but this soul-sucking, tacky-a**ed, gimcrack s**thole. Short of Gary, Indiana, or a Calcutta slum, this has to be the most depressing place on the planet."
- AnybodySeeMyKeys
"The perfect way to do Vegas is to fly in early on a Saturday, do all the pool stuff, or golf, or see some of the sights. Have a nice lunch, and maybe play some games. Eat a really nice dinner, gamble and drink all night, and fly out before noon the next day. One night, in and out."
- SeeYouOn16
Gatlinburg
"Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee."
"I went a few times in the 90s and it was great. Nice hiking, beautiful views, and a secluded cabin. Just nice and relaxing."
"I went again in 2018 and you couldn’t pay me enough to ever go anywhere near there again. Traffic is a nightmare, tourist trap, s**tty food, crowded hiking trails, the views are littered with McMansion-style 'cabins.'"
"And our 'secluded cabin with mountain views' we went down in a valley with 10 other cabins. Our Mountain View was out of one window on the top floor if you looked up at the right angle. Worst vacation ever, I couldn’t wait to leave."
- PhobiaToyBox
Marmaris
"Marmaris, Turkey."
"Just constant harassment from locals who assume you're rich and my Black mate would be called Eddie Murphy or Micheal Jordan (which he thought was kinda funny as he's a short a**)."
"Such a dirty overcrowded s**t hole."
- Hankstinkbuckle
Liechtenstein
"Liechtenstein. It wasn't bad, just not very interesting."
"Also, both my friends and I got horrific food poisoning in a café before heading to the airport to fly home. We all had the s**ts, and I even ended up vomiting into the X-ray tray when going through security, causing me to miss my flight. Not my finest holiday."
- TheWouldBeMerchant
Dominican Republic
"I went to a destination wedding at a resort in the Dominican Republic. I paid full price for a room that wasn’t as nice as advertised (jungle view is actually a vista of more damn buildings) and they wouldn’t stop pestering us to attend timeshare sales meetings."
"It wasn’t safe to venture off the resort. Never going back."
- BlueLarkSpur_1929
"In Dominican Republic, my friend's parents paid for a guided tour, and at the end of the trip, the guide took all of their money and valuables."
"He was meant to have been really funny and charismatic, they thought he was joking at first."
- TheRealSlabsby
Jordan
"My Jordan experience was sexist."
"I have to say everywhere I've been to has been great, but, speaking for my ex-wife, I'd have to say Jordan."
"She surprised me for my 30th Birthday with a trip to Jordan. She also wanted to prove that the scene in Indian Jones (the third one, I think?) in Petra is real."
"The hotel staff was very condescending to my wife, looking at me to 'take over' and handle it. Kept asking me questions while she was standing right in front of them. At one point, she went down to get money off the credit card and they refused her. I took HER, not my, credit card and they gave me money without batting an eye."
"Tour guides were very unresponsive to her questions, and conversation, and engaged me as a tour guide would."
"We decided to head out a day early, not much to do after ruins and Petra. She called the airlines, and they refused to change the tickets, informing her there was no room. She went into Karen mode to no avail. Frustrated, she hung up the phone after probably 30 minutes."
"Something told me I should call them. I called right after her, and they were more than happy to put us on an earlier flight."
"We got... extra security... when we left. We were used to random questions, passport checks. That comes with traveling the world."
"First, an armed guard did the passport checks, asking us all sorts of questions about WHY caps on purpose, we went here, and WHY we went there. Very aggressive. Consulted with another armed guard and let us go. Then, while sitting down, a uniformed military person say down next to us and started questioning us."
"I would definitely go again, but I would advise my significant other about the experience."
- ReticenceDriftShadow
Albania
"Albania 2022. It was full of trash, scammers, and s**t quality everything. All the cities are so worn down and everything is concrete grey. No beautiful old towns like Croatia, Spain, and Italy."
"Every beach we visited was full of jetski jerks, waterbikes, and garbage. All the restaurants/bars/beach clubs were competing to play the loudest music. The only thing tolerable to enjoy was some scenic nature when driving far away from everything, but still, you would walk around in garbage if you stepped out of the car."
"And that rental car was moldy and s**t to drive. We had booked a newer model car, but that was stuck on a truck in France (sure thing) but we would get a 100 euro refund and get a very nice car instead. It looked like a bear had attacked the car. We're still waiting for that refund. Hate it!"
- ColdFeedPotatoe
Branson, Missouri
"Branson, Missouri. I will never go again until I'm a senior citizen."
- el_monstrueo
"I’ve said that for years. It’s only fun if you’re under 12 or over 70."
"I had a great time at Silver Dollar City a couple of times as a kid. Then I went in my mid-20s and thought I would die of boredom."
"Now, in my 40s, I’d enjoy more of the rural-type things near there, like fishing, boating, kayaking, hiking, etc. But you would not get me anywhere near that awful Branson main drag."
- mmm_unprocessed_fish
Venice, Italy
"Venice in mid-June eight or nine years ago. The city itself is impressive and the architecture is marvelous, but it was terribly crowded, full of tourists and street scammers/ suspicious ambulant vendors, also everything was at least twice as expensive as other lovely but more low profile places we saw in Italy."
- Latham_Scandelieus
Southern Illinois
"I went to Southern Illinois at Christmas time. First time I'd been there. Flat, desolate, brown, and f**king cold. It's like being on a s**t version of the moon where everything f**king sucks. Awful."
"I went there in spring once though, it was lovely."
- Doctor_WhiskyMan
Delhi
"Delhi. Unfortunately stayed in the worst part and almost lost my leg the first night we were there."
"I was in a tuk-tuk crash and had I not been a tourist and looking around, I wouldn’t have seen it a moment before it happened and my leg would have been crushed between the tuk-tuk and the road barrier. The whole side of it crumpled in and needed lifting back onto the road. Very frightening."
- ItsYaBoyTC
Jamaica
"Jamaica. Upon leaving the resort it was immediately obvious that the place was unsafe for tourists. The resort itself was adequate and we didn't mind staying within the bubble, someone with plans to explore the island was sure to be disappointed or dead or both."
- cutelyaware
"My wife and I went to pick Ocho Rios for our honeymoon. Our room was a 'jungle view,' meaning it was in the part of the property across the road from the main hotel and restaurants. They had golf carts that you called to bring you back and forth. We were warned not to cross on our own, as once we left the gate, we were subject to police harassment or getting assaulted by local criminals."
- pedantic_dullard
Sihanoukville
"Sihanoukville, Cambodia. We left after one night despite having booked for longer. Empty, abandoned concrete skyscraper shells and loads of Chinese who are Triads. Horrible experience."
- Davelydelicious
While traveling is an important and enriching experience for a person to learn more about someone else's culture and beliefs, it's clear that there are some experiences that will be had that are better off not being repeated.