To ask for stories about ruined friendships/relationships from holidays

[Spice22]

Just that really. My family is going to Florida with another family next week and I'm slightly nervous. It got me thinking what stories people have. Basically, I'm looking for some Sunday evening entertainment.

Bonkerz, not even family? Do you only holiday solo now??

I was on a trip to Amsterdam when I was 19 years old, with a group of people. On the last day two of us just wanted to chill out. She was the person I knew least in the group.

We went and sat on an unused landing bit for the canal boats and had a picnic lunch and sunbathed a bit, when a couple (two men)came down and sat on the other side.

Well, it was mortifying. She was VERY loud in her condemnation of gay couples, how it was disgusting and should not be in public etc etc. I was mortified and didn't know how to react. Now I would very loudly talk her down, but I was 19, quite socially awkward and didn't know her very well. I did say that I though she was wrong, and that she should not have come to Amsterdam in the first place if that was her outlook. She was AWFUL.

It's been a long time. I can't even remember her name but oh boy I can remember her ugly, smug expression.

We went away with 6 friends over DH's 40th. The group was very split down the middle from the beginning - DH's friends didn't want to join in with us and wanted to sit in bars drinking beer all week. In fact they had a thing where each day they had to have one more pint of ridiculously strong beer than the previous day. Fine if that's what you're into - but odd when you're skiing. I think most days they didn't come up the mountain at all. On chalet night off they were really rude to me and we left the restaurant, following which one of them wrote shit about us on Facebook (yes, that mature) and the other couple didn't want to "take sides". The last two days were really awkward - us trying to avoid everyone but that was easy as nobody else seemed to want to ski. I still have no idea what happened but it was clear that they weren't feeling friendly towards us from us arriving on holiday and we haven't seen or spoken to them since.

Long story cut short.
Went away with best friend, her boyfriend and their little boy.We noticed a few weeks before we went that their relationship was a bit iffy...lots of bickering and arguing.Was too late to pull out as holiday had been paid for...and we'd paid two thirds of it as they were pleading poverty.
The holiday was for two weeks. By the first Tuesday evening they had fallen out numerous times.....then spent the whole night arguing.And I mean the whole night! Their poor little boy was in a right state. We offered to take him out the next day to give them some space, but she refused so he had to put up with the screaming and shouting from them all day. Tried to talk to friend about it, only to be told to butt out. They did make some kind of truce for the rest of the holiday but it was like walking on eggshells. He couldn't do anything right and was actually scared of her. We ended up spending our days apart from them during the second week as we couldn't stand the atmosphere.
A few days after the holiday had ended,I hadn't heard anything from her so I gave her a ring to see how things were. She went off on one about her partner, saying HE had to change, HE was in the wrong......then I said " Well things weren't great between you two on holiday so I hope you get sorted" Her reply? " Well, that was your fault. If you hadn't been there, we would've been ok!"
That was 14 years ago, and I haven't spoken to her since.

I was an ancient history student. She was a law student. I declared I was going to tour the hill towns of Umbria to see the Romanesque churches and frescos. She asked if she could tag along.
On day 3 she complained about having to walk up hills.
On day 4 she said she was bored of churches.
To keep the peace I agreed to skip visiting Asissi and do something different.
I had to drive past the very gates of Asissi, grinding my teeth with frustration.
Shortly after the holiday was the earthquake that spoiled those frescos. I still haven't seen them. I haven't seen that ex-friend since then either.
Why oh why would you ask to holiday with a historian, visiting hilltop churches, if you are not willing to walk up hills or look at churches?! What did she think would happen?

Oh and they were far from broke.....she paid half the mortgage off two weeks later!

Went to NYC with a good friend of mine. Friend was meeting a lady off the internet (we are all female). Fine. What was not fine was the following events:

• Moving said lady into small hotel room for the week, and then waking me up in the night as my bed was rythmically bashing the wall. On daring to open my eyes, said friend and then girlfriend was in a position I hope never to see again.

• Friend got in massive strop when I suggested that her gf should contribute to the cost (also, didn't feel o.k having 3 people when we'd booked for 2).

• Friend asked me to get some photos developed. Fine. On collection, the man said: "I see you are enjoying NYC." Looked at photos to see friend and gf in various naked poses in hotel room.

• Friend's g.f drank a bottle of tequila and vomited all over room.

• At end of week, they decided to apologize by way of taking me for a meal. To a steakhouse. Except I'm vegan. This was known.

It took a while for the friendship to recover!

I hitched hiked down to Cornwall with a so called friend when I was 17. We got jobs by the seaside and shared a room. Half way through our working holiday her then boyfriend turned up and she left me and went to stay with him in his tent and they both totally ignored me from then on. Our friendship did not recover from her selfishness.
I meet her sometimes now at College reunions and she has subsequently had a bit of a dogs life and looks like shite. Her husband is still on the scene, and although a professional high earner, he is a horrible person who is abusive when drunk. Yuck. Mmm...comeuppance...

Went down to London to visit an old friend. She took me to the COOLEST party in an old warehouse with a roof terrace. I was having a great time drinking gin and dancing when she literally shoved a pill down my throat before I knew what was happening. It was ecstasy. I projectile vomited in the toilets, I was sobbing in the stair, I was FREAKING out I might die. Her friends that had also come finally had to force her to take me home in a cab. She was petulant and arsy the whole way home. That was maybe forgivable as we both used to be quite keen on drugs so she would have assumed I was up for it. She also could almost be excused for being a bit arsy when we had to leave as she was also off her tits. HOWEVER, i had expressed a desire to see kew gardens the next day but she had been invited to a bbq on the other side of London which I felt I had to attend as her guest. It was Sunday so tubes stopped early. I felt dreadful all day but tried to get in the spirit, her friends were very nice and friendly (thank goodness). By about 9 pm I was dying from fatigue and come down and asked to go home. She said "yeah, we'll go soon". I found out that tubes stopped at 10 and kept trying to get her to leave. Unfortunately for me there was a handsome chap at the party that was single which she had zeroed in on. Hence 10 pm and "whoops!" we missed the last tube. "Oh dear, we'll have to sleep on this girl's sofa-bed with the guy on another sofa at the other end of the room". He was sooooo not interested in her.
The next day I mentioned kew gardens and all the girls were like "ooooo yeah, let's go!". But first we have to get dolled up and go for breakfast etc. Etc.
My train left at 4 and I barely made it to the station without ever having seen kew. I have heard tales of her assholeishness from other friends too. I've not been back.

Place marking

18 years ago I went on holiday to Mexico with a work colleague. We were both single, she was 20 years older than me but we got on well at work and she acted young for her age. I knew she like the odd joint and told her I didn't want her taking anything out with her. Anyway 3 days into our holiday in on my bed and she is on the balcony and I smelt a familiar smell. Like and behold she did bring cannabis into Mexico. I was livid. Ruined the holiday and we didn't really speak again.

18 years ago I went on holiday to Mexico with a work colleague. We were both single, she was 20 years older than me but we got on well at work and she acted young for her age. I knew she like the odd joint and told her I didn't want her taking anything out with her. Anyway 3 days into our holiday in on my bed and she is on the balcony and I smelt a familiar smell. Like and behold she did bring cannabis into Mexico. I was livid. Ruined the holiday and we didn't really speak again.

Went to Italy for a week with friends. SHE was actively trying to conceive and pestered the poor Thompson rep as to whether it was safe to go in the thermal pools. Wouldn't swim in the sea as the sea was better where she was from. Moaned that her prawns hadn't been pre-peeled. One night her dh scrounged a sneaky fag from me and she exploded. Said I was trying to kill him and sabotage any chance of her getting pregnant. She chased him back to their room waving her stiletto shoes at his head. We avoided them for a couple of days after that. They are now divorced and I came back from the holiday unexpectedly pregnant

My worst holiday with other adults was with my ex and his parents. Him and his Dad bullied me mercilessly pretty much the whole time. His Mum wasn't as bad but never spoke up so might as well have been. I hurt my neck really badly on the third day and they refused to take me to a doctor - the parents lived there so could have done it easily. I said I would never go again but was persuaded by being promised the moon on a stick by ex - exact same thing happened again! Hellish fortnight, counting the days till home time.

I've been with various sisters and SIL and it was nice enough but my kids are both autistic and I often feel very judged and tense when they lost it. I prefer not to holiday with other adults now.

We went on holiday with my lifelong friend. We met at nursery aged 3 and were best friends until the age of 30. Previous to this (pre children) me and DH and friend and her DH met up loads to socialise. Everyone got on really well. Cue holiday with our first two children and their first two children. The children did not get along at all. Mine were very much into sports and swimming. Hers only wanted to visit train stations and archeological grounds. We tried to fit in everyone's needs. Her youngest did nothing but whinge and cry whenever we planned anything but a trip around trains. His crying lasted all day and all night! It all became very fraught and ended up with them leaving after 4 days. We have not spoken since. That was 10 years ago. If I ever have any advice for anyone I would say never holiday with friends.

I was travelling in Mexico with a now ex. He bought some coke and took it to a club and kept nipping off to the loo to take some. I had told him to leave it in the hotel.
The bouncers caught him and put us both in a cage and called the cops. The cops took us to a cash machine and made us get $300 dollars out then let us go.
Weirdly; although it was his coke, it was my cash point card we paid the police off with. We split up.

Ooof. My Aunt.

My 1st holiday abroad. Aged 17. Went with her to Black Forest.
She spent the whole time throwing herself at the tour guide, to the point he asked me to ask her to 'give it a rest' as she 'was embarrassing herself'. I tried to say (nicely) and she went ape. Spent the rest of the time bitching at me.

FF 5 years. I had the chance of a couple of weeks in Spain. week one with boyfriend. week 2 alone. Mother asked if I could invite Aunt. I did so with heavy heart. Despite fact she was 18 years older than me she arrived with no money. Not for food / bus fares / lemonade / coffee - anything at ALL. she said she expected me to pay for 'ruining her German holiday'. We went for Paella. She expected me to peel her prawns for her as 'she didnt like doing it'. The was a nudist hotel not far (we discovered by going for a coffee!). I wanted to leave and she wanted to stay and went sonar when I refused.

She was odd. The dynamic was odd. When I was given my first valentine aged 13 (by my best friends brother) I had to hide it when Aunty Chris came around as she hadnt' had any and Mother said it 'would upset her'.

Weirdos.

Two weeks ago I was at Gatwick. Due to a knee injury I had to book a wheelchair via special assistance. I had to meet the lady helping downstairs.

When I got out of the lift she asked if I was ok. Apparently, a fight had broken out in the lift she was in between a large family travelling together. The Grandmother had punched the son in law. Husband and Granddaughters had to hold her back. I said to the Special Assistance Lady. 'Family holidays can be stressful. Something must have happened out there.' 'No' She replied. 'They are on their way to departures'

Have some friends who are lovely but a bit stressy, and very uptight!

Mine and DH's idea of a good holiday (or at least it was, pre-DC which this holiday was), is staying somewhere nice, having a lie-in, not getting too worried about when breakfast/brunch should be, having a leisurely coffee and reading the papers, then either going out for lunch or having a nice lunch in. A visit to see something always good, but we don't like to get too stressed about what must be seen or by when. Love to go to an art gallery, browse the shop, have a coffee and cake; maybe explore a village or some shops; then later in the afternoon have a cocktail, maybe go somewhere for dinner, have a couple of glasses of wine, try some new food, stay out a bit to soak up the atmosphere, get to bed about midnight. Basically, we love a relaxed city break somewhere like Berlin, or somewhere in the French countryside (not too rural, not too urban). In a city we might go to the opera one evening, or in the country drive to a nearby town and do some people-watching. I like to get a balance between seeing the sights and doing new things, and not getting too stressed about timing and fitting everything in - the whole point is to relax and not stress, surely?

Well. We discovered that our friends had a totally different conception of what a holiday was. Booked a lovely villa with them (very plush and comfortable, expecting to cook/eat in a lot). All fine until we came down the next morning about 10am (I was recovering from an illness so needed a bit of sleep), to find them sitting with faces like thunder, dressed in cagoules, walking boots, the whole caboodle, with the dining-room table militarily laid as if for a breakfast expedition in Imperial India. It turned out that they had been expecting us to be down for a formal cooked breakfast at 7 sharp, and then ready to leave for a wholesome four-hour hill walk at 8am. (Obviously it had not occurred to them that anyone's moral fibre was so weak as to rise at 10am )

(DH and me NEVER go walking. Our idea of a holiday in the countryside is to drive to a scenic pub for a late lunch, admire the view and then go home sharpish for a late afternoon g and t.)

The whole holiday continued in this vein - when we cooked, there were mutterings about "foreign" food; when we had more than a small glass of wine, eyebrows were raised and looks exchanged. We were not allowed to leave the table without immediately washing up and drying all the dishes (no leaving it for an hour or so or sticking things on the side to soak). Comments were made about water wastage if either of us were in the shower for more than about 4 minutes. Friends became visibly anxious and distressed to the point of tears (really), if we were more than a minute late to leave to see a particular local attraction at exactly the specified time.

DH and I ended up rebelling, and staying in playing cards and drinking coffee and gin while friends went for LOOOOONNNNNGGG hill walks.

Surprisingly, we all quite enjoyed the holiday once we got used to the mismatched expectations; and holidayed with them twice more.

Now we both have small DC, and I don't dare suggest a holiday with them! I can just imagine the raised eyebrows and worried glances at our far too relaxed parenting

my first girly holiday almost ended in disaster.

me and bff joined on to a girly trip away but holiday dates varied slightly to other girls and we had different accomodation. i had not realised how much bff was into getting herself ready beforehand and got a massive shock.

felt like i spent the first few days waiting for her to do hair / make up. add into the mix we had both veen warned by dps to stick together etc and very early on in hol she met someone and wouldnt come home.

fortunately everything turned around when our friends came over but had it not im 99.5% sure id have flown home. im a bit more tolerant nowadays and fortunately our friendship weathered the storm.

When I was 18, I decided to go backpacking around Europe. I am from Canada so this was a big and costly trip, not just jumping across the channel.

My loose plan was to buy a three month Eurail ticket and see where it took me...

A friend asked if she could come for the first three weeks. She was quite young for our age, very religious (not a bad thing but we didn't share this), and didn't really drink. I told her my plans. She agreed she wanted the same.

Cue arrival in Europe. She had a list of things she wanted to see. Set her alarm every day for SEVEN AM and would write an itinerary for the day over breakfast. Wanted to be in bed by 10pm. Got mad if I wanted to stay out dancing. Judged me when I snogged a boy (or two). Refused all alcohol. Refused to eat in any sit down restaurants because she was on a budget. Refused to invite other hostellers to join us for days, etc.

Another friend arrived at the two week point. The plan was for her to stay for the third week and fly home, the three of us would therefore be together for a week then he and I would be alone for the fourth week.

Turns out she was madly in love with him. I mean embarrassingly. Kept wanting to cuddle him and borrow his hoodie but still wouldn't be even remotely flexible about her lifestyle. She tried to kiss him, expressed her feelings for him. He finally told her he was gay (he was, I suspected for years). Cue not only having to deal with her broken heart but also with her gross judgement of people who are gay.

that was a long, long three weeks!!!!!!

Istanbul about 4 years ago.... A 5 day trip with a good friend, and two of her friends. All girls in our early 30s, no kids etc.

My friend has been to Istanbul before and has a couple of friends out there. So I totally get that she doesn't want to be dragged around the Aya Sophia etc again. So me and the other girls arrange to do that in the mornings while she sees friends, then meet for a late lunch, back to hotel then put for the evening - a mixture of culture and fun.

In the 5 day trip not once does she manage to get to the pre arranged lunch place, she doesn't even try to introduce us to her Istanbul friends and she arranges nights out without us. I was sharing a room with her and she lost her key and made me come & meet her in some awful suburb miles away and take her back to the hotel at 3am. She argued with the taxi driver between the airport & hotel, then tried to pursue the hotel receptionist/Porter to come on a date with her (he was married and clearly not happy with bent propositioned by a mostly drunk Brit). I barely saw her the whole 5 days. Luckily her friends were lovely and I made two new mates who I'm now close to!

I should have known that would happen - she's the sort of person who double books all the time or whom you meet up with for a pre arranged dinner to find that she's an hour late, then has to leave as shes got another engagement to attend.... Even though you've had your dinner in the diary for months as she's always busy (and you've had to fork out for a babysitter and a cab.)

I went on holiday to Costa Rica with a relatively new boyfriend for three weeks. On about day 2, I realised my cashpoint card didn't work and I'd forgotten my credit card. No travellers cheques. Could have been very awkward.... Fortunately, he proposed about 10 days later on bended knee on a deserted beach, so he obviously didn't mind that much.

Okaaay so this got scary quick ! Some of these are really awful ( except neolara's ! )

I don't know what the solution is though . I've never had a meal by myself , never mind holidaying solo

Spice, I would suggest starting by going to a restaurant alone. It's not that big a deal, honest!

Also, you could try a group holiday for singles - a friend went on one and loved it - company if you wanted it, but not forced. It wasn't a matchmaking thing, just a group of people that were all single and wanted to go on holiday.