What is the worst holiday you have had?

[TwinklyFawn]

I will start. In 2023 i went to the haven caravan park in Berwick. I stupidly forgot to pack a shower mat and i slipped while getting out of the shower. Anyway i had to phone an ambulance as i could not put any weight on my right leg. At the hospital the doctor asked me to stand up. I could put a bit of weight on my leg but i fell again when i tried to walk. My knee just gave way. I still shudder when i think about this holiday.

On a canal boat in Lancashire in October half term - me, dh, 2dc, PIL and our large dog. I could describe all the reasons it was shit, but I expect it would be obvious to any sane person. I honestly don't know what we were thinking!

Nothing majorly bad

Tunisia at 17 with my parents in 2002 - coach trip to the desert, I got an ear ache and was either throwing up or asleep.

Butlins BR in 2015. Other guests multiple fights breaking out. Unrelated to them, I was in the early stages of pregnancy and started bleeding and was taken to hospital (thankfully baby was fine)

Thought we'd try Butlins again in 2018. The pool was freezing. Our last day I felt awful pains in my chest and back. Got home and slept then was taking to hospital because I had pneumonia.
Not Butlins fault but never again !!!

Another one here that will never go back to Egypt or Tunisia. Came back from the former with excruciatingly painful stomach cramps and diarrhoea for about three weeks. The latter just felt so unsafe and the food was terrible. Similarly to a PP, the entertainment staff were relentless and the men were gross.

Not sure it was the worst holiday, but certainly the most stressful. In 2001 I went with my sister to Rome for a week, to celebrate her birthday. Her birthday is 11 September. So we were there for 9/11. We were out all that day sightseeing, so we had no idea it had even happened (pre smartphones etc). Arrive back at the hostel in the evening with the staff running up to us in a panic as they thought we were American. We gather something awful has happened but don’t know what’s going on. Queue up for the one computer they have that’s connected to the internet, finally get on and I remember looking at the Guardian website and thinking WWIII had broken out. All flights grounded so we have no idea how we’re going to get back. It was completely surreal and quite terrifying. Luckily the flights started up a day or two later and we managed to get home, but it took about 15 hours what with all the cancelled flights, plus they were checking eveyone’s bags (quite understandably). I’ve never been so happy to arrive at Gatwick.

Reading all of these is making me realise that I think I hate holidays.
I really do and I don’t know why I do it , I think it’s something I should like but I find absolutely awful. Start to finish.

I was thinking if there was a thread called ‘best holiday ever’ I would really struggle to contribute. I find them so stressful and am also ashamed to say that, I feel it’s so embarrassing to say that, (as if it’s a real flaw) and also I should be so grateful to have been on any at all.

It was awful. I still get nightmares about it.

Just remembered another one! A work one!
Between 1991 and 2012, I worked as a residential care officer in mental health services, in a hostel.
Back in the 90s, two of the service users decided they'd like to go to Sellafield and do the nuclear tour and an overnight stay.
So myself and one of my colleagues got the job! Booked the B and B at St.Bees Head, booked the tour, crammed us all, including a massive unnecessary suitcase for an overnight stay, (neither of ours I hasten to add!) into the house car, a 1ltr Fiat Panda and off we went!
Arrived and checked into the B and B. Most of the other residents were workers at Sellafield and it kind of showed! Think demented hillbillies and you're somewhere close!
We went and did the tour, found a nice restaurant to have dinner, that was all fairly ok. There was a pub opposite the B and B, so we went there for a couple of hours, as there was literally nothing else to do. Most of the workers also went in there, so we were subjected to a barrage of questions and bawdy proposals! We decided to leave, got back across to the B and B and that's where the fun started!
One of the blokes had taken a shine to my colleague and after being knocked back by her all evening, decided to get a chair and sit on the landing, staring at her door and chuckling maniacally... All. Fucking. Night!
I was doubled over laughing, while she knocked along the wall to get me to the window where we could converse, via the small crack as the windows would open beyond the vent!
I don't think we got any sleep at all!
Breakfast was the same as the pub, fending off weird comments and questions!
We went for a walk on the beach, which was full of massive boulders, then decided to head back home. As we turned round to go pick our bags up, there was a the biggest crack down the gable end of the B and B! That wide, you could have actually slept in it!
Sets off back home, thought we were heading in the right direction, took a wrong turn up a near vertical, tarmac, but one track road, desperately trying to find somewhere to turn around. Then the car decided it didn't want to carry on with us and all our luggage, so it just stopped! Engine running, it just wouldn't drive forward! After several attempts to get it to continue up Everest, we all got out and my mate drove it up to a flat area, while we trudged up for a mile, laden down with luggage, to reach her! As we looked round, we were so high up, Sellafield was a pin prick in the distance below us!
We actually laughed about that for months afterwards!
Turns out, the suitcase one of the service users took, was full of power tools!!! For what reason, I still have absolutely no idea! He did that several times on holidays, I had visions of the cleaners going into rooms and finding all their furniture dismantled!!! 🤣🤣🤣

It wasn't horrendous, but the time about 20 years ago DH and I camped in Cornwall and it rained all week, flooding the campsite. The ground was very hard so we had to keep irrigating the grass around our tent by making little holes with a tent peg to stop the water washing in. The unfortunate family next to us had young DC and they were playing a 'Postman Pat' cassette on a loop to keep them entertained: Postman Pat (and his black and white cat) soon became very old news! We braved the rain and escaped on day trips which mostly consisted of quickly finding a pub to hole up in and do crosswords.

It didn't stop us camping in subsequent years (the following year we had smashing weather) and we still holiday in Cornwall but now we are middle-aged we prefer the comfort of a static caravan.

I could describe all the reasons it was shit, but I expect it would be obvious to any sane person.

😂

We went to Austria on a ski holiday in March 2019. Unusually we drove there we had been out nearly all day skiing and having a meal in a restaurant so returned to our hotel late and went straight to bed. Got up the next morning for breakfast and we were the only guests in the dining room then we the found out that Austria was closing borders due to Covid that morning so no breakfast and a very hasty pack up and fast drive to the border hoping that we could get through Germany and France to the ferry.

I've been reasonably lucky in most of my trips I think. Worst I can think of is a arrving at a gite complex in France, did a tour of the lovely facilities, pools, games room etc - then dd fell of the swing and broke her wrist in 2 places. Spent the night on a camp bed in local clinic whilst she had it reset under GA. Had had no food, and dh got lost on his way back to clinic from gite with supplies - they locked the place up for the night about 9pm. Then it pissed it down for the rest of the week. Never did get to use the pool. Dd, all plastered up, made friends with the elderly Belgian couple in the gite next door and happily spent hours playing board games with them, whilst dh and I wondered how early we could open the wine. We did do a couple of nice days out at least.

I can't remember the exact name but the insurers were from something like Compare the Market and it was via the AA. They had a connection to Royal Bank of Scotland. The Canadian people I had to deal with brought me to tears on several occasions, like when they insisted the DDs fly home alone, via a connection in Chicago when they were 8 & 6. Then they said they would fly "a relative" out to collect them. MiL was in her 80s and disabled, FiL was on end of life care, my DM was dead and I needed DF in the UK to do the UK chasing up. BiL is mentally handicapped and lives in residential care. It took DF threatening to drive up to Edinburgh to deal with RBS personally for them to back off.

The Head of Social Work in Tucson was a complete legend. I broke down in tears about the insurers and she conjured up a letter signed by the Head of Psychiatry and DH's Consultant that said that not having the DDs around would be detrimental to DH's recovery. That shut them up. Then they refused to pay for me to travel home in Business Class with the DDs. As long as DH did BC so he could lie flat, I was happy to sit in Economy with them. The wonderful Nancy in Tucson contacted BA who bent many rules on the flight to allow me to check up on DH mid-flight. The BC cabin crew came through the curtain and gave me a thumbs up every hour just so I knew he was ok, and brought me his wine as he wasn't allowed it. Other Economy people weren't impressed by my "special treatment" but the crew could not have been kinder in diffusing it. When we finally got back to collect my car which was at DF's in Manchester, there was no wheelchair for DH. The Captain sent the First Officer to get one whilst showing me and the DDs round the cockpit. Every single BA person went the extra mile for us.

I know what you mean. I cannot think of a single holiday that i have enjoyed. I am far happier going on day trips.

The last holiday I had with my exh and kids. We were on the cusp of separating but had to go as it was already booked and we were meeting friends there. It was an awful atmosphere, he was passive aggressive to me the whole time, I had a stinking cold which didn't help. Trying to hide it from the kids and our friends was exhausting. Horrible holiday. Still shudder when I think of it.

I stupidly went to Turkey with selfish 'DP' (now ex) whilst I was pregnant. Had nausea the whole trip and spent a great deal of time looking for plain dry food whilst ex enjoyed the local delicacies. He had moody fits about the heat and argued with the locals. He left me at one point in the town centre on my own. He then spent most of our money on gifts (for other people) and I had to get more money out to cover our costs. He then tried to spend it all again and I had to go without a meal so we would have enough to get to the airport.

@KimberleyClark I m not a fan of the Algarve either and we stayed in what is considered one of the upmarket nice places and visited all the places people raved about. To me felt like sub standard Spain , sea wasn't nice, and apart from some nice sardines in Portimao food wasn't great either - and it rained for 4 out of 7 days in early September. Went for a lovely week staying in old Marbella 6 weeks later as it had been so shit in Portugal - and it was chalk and cheese.

Glad I’m not the only one. I loved Lisbon though!

Carvoeiro in Portugal is beautiful. The sea and beaches surrounding there are amazing, as are the restaurants. We've never had a bad holiday there yet, as in the place itself. We rent apartments when we go, then we're not tied down to any shit hotel food or timings! We can either eat out or get local produce and cook at the apartment, I don't mind that at all on a holiday, but I know some people do. We always hire a car and go off exploring. We've found some of the nicest tucked out of the way restaurants doing this.

Weekend break birthday celebration with multiple family members. Marital infidelity came to light through phone snooping, all hell broke loose, kids crying, shouting, door slamming etc, the injured party fucked off in the family car and the guilty party stayed to unashamedly share more details of the infidelity than any of us wanted to know.

I was glad when the rest of the family buggered off too. I don't recall them ever properly apologising to the person whose birthday weekend they ruined.

Can't decide between the time we went to Morocco and there was a big earthquake 3 hours after we arrived, or the time I nearly died in Indonesia, or the time I got arrested in Malaysia.

How did you not know who you were going on holiday with?

@3luckystars
You aren't alone though, I know 3 people off the top of my head that don't like holidays. I think we're just expected to enjoy holidays even though we know not everyone likes the same things. You'll be much better off if you don't go on holiday too!

A few more:

Went to a holiday park in SW France, early September as was before our son started school. It rained pretty much every day, sometimes all day whilst we sat in the mobile home doing a sticker book and reading Thomas the Tank Engine stories. We tried to hire a car but none available. Husband was quite snappy as his brother was in the last stages of cancer. His mother was giving daily updates then went quiet. H rang and discovered his brother had died which was horrendous- he'd been expected to last a few more weeks and the family had insisted we went on the holiday. We only had a few days to go so stayed on but H was obviously badly affected but wouldn't talk about it, just kept disappearing on long walks by himself. At around the same time all the school holiday crowd went home and the site was nearly empty and most of the facilities (shop, restaurants etc) closed. Suddenly two days before we left, there was a huge influx of new guests, mostly Irish. We were baffled until someone told us the Pope was visiting Lourdes nearby. Thankfully this meant the shop and pizzeria reopened, cheers Pope!

Holiday in Tunisia at May half term. The resort was OK but the weather was cold and very windy, I only braved the pool once. Another day we went to the beach wrapped up in our plane clothes (combats and hoodies) but gave up when the sand kept blowing in our faces. Warned not to go out of resort, went to the old town once and got so much hassle. People kept "giving" things to our son and then telling us we had to pay for them. Worst bit was that our marriage was in a state after a late pregnancy loss, several miscarriages, endless fertility treatment/investigations, family bereavements (over about 4 years) - we'd had a huge row the morning we left and divorce was mentioned. So the atmosphere was awful. I was trying to jolly along for our sons sake and H was angry that I was "being fake". At this point in time our son was train mad and there was a level crossing opposite the hotel and he'd ask every day if we could go there and watch for trains. On the third day of this the hotel security guard who had been watching with an increasingly worried expression (three miserable looking people standing in silence by a high speed train track) told us to go back inside.

October half term holiday to Fuerteventura. Very run down resort. Fridge in kitchenette leaked brown stuff over floor every night. Flight out was very early so when we arrived we went for a nap. Toddler (yes we did have another baby in the end!) woke up first and decided to change her own nappy, she couldnt find the wipes and used MY pillowcase. I woke up to this shitty horror and madly searched for the wipes, during which time she managed to break a bathroom glass and crawl in it cutting both her knees. Rained half the time (there is pretty much nothing to do when the weather is bad). One day we went to the Salt Museum, along a "path" on the beach such was more like mud flats and the buggy kept getting stuck as we could were lashed with wind and rain - we got a taxi back. One day booked to go to a water park but when we got there it was raining so torrentially everyone refused to get off the coach until it stopped and the driver got really stroppy. Toddler slipped over in the restaurant and banged her head and screamed. The lovely staff brought her a giant lollipop which cheered her up but she then ate no lunch and was all grumpy and hangry later. Another day toddler realised she could open the back door of the apartment by pushing the handle down (it had no handle on the outside so there was no need for a lock). We were not aware of this as the door was only used by the cleaning staff for taking the bin out down an alleyway. I realised she was missing and found her marching round the edge of the swimming pool, singing, and wearing just a nappy and my trainers which were like boats on her feet. Despite all this is probably the holiday we talk about and laugh about the most.

Finally Corfu 2019. Last minute "bargain" holiday as had spent most of our money renovating new doer upper house. Missed plane (went to Gatwick instead of Heathrow, god knows how we made that mistake), had to spend £2k on credit card on new flights. Not best start. Second day someone stole our beach towels off the drying rack on the apartment terrace. Third day son got electrocuted from a plug when trying to charge his phone (luckily not badly). The remaining four days were OK and we really liked Corfu.

I've missed another plane since (ADHD). Not proud of that. I don't knew anyone else who has missed three flights.

@MoonWoman69

I'm not sure that ever had the makings of a 'good holiday'!

If I ever come across a slippy shower, I just put a small towel down. It does the same job as s bath mat.