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Mumsnet users share their best and worst travel stories with Arla BIG Milk

310 replies

JustineBMumsnet · 25/03/2019 12:09

This sponsored discussion is now closed.

Whether you’re going on a day out or on holiday, the journeys to your destination and back can make or break the entire trip. They help to determine if you have memories of a BIG adventure or a disappointing day. Arla would like to hear about your best and worst travel stories.

Here’s what Arla Big Milk has to say: “We know how important it is to get your little explorers out in the world around them, so we’ve partnered with Magic Light to bring you yearlong BIG Adventures. We’re also running an on pack monthly prize draw, available across UK grocery retailers, to give you the chance to win an amazing trip to Chessington World of Adventures Resort. Helping to fuel these BIG Adventures, Arla Big Milk is simply fresh whole milk that’s enriched with essential nutrients. So, if you want to join in on the adventure, come visit our site to explore activities for your Easter holidays.”

Do you have any travel stories that were memorable for all the wrong reasons? Perhaps you’ve experienced the misfortune of a child vomiting all over the back seats of the car or all over you following too many sweets? Perhaps you checked into your hotel and found that you’d got the date wrong? Have you had to fill time after your flight was delayed playing a dreaded game of eye-spy for hours on end?

Or, maybe you’ve been lucky in your travels and you managed to sleep throughout an entire journey, arriving bright eyed and bushy tailed at your destination? Perhaps you remember a journey where your children gave up bickering and actually liked each other for once? Perhaps you’ve been unexpectedly upgraded to first class or premium service and lapped up the free luxury?

Share either your best or your worst travel story on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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Mumsnet users share their best and worst travel stories with Arla BIG Milk
OP posts:
MAForster · 01/04/2019 15:20

Worst: being locked in a public toilet in France when it was going through its automatic cleaning cycle.....

Montydoo · 01/04/2019 15:21

When we set off for a day by the beach, which should have taken 50 minutes to drive there. A lorry had jack-knifed loosing it's load of hay bails, leading to no-one moving for 3 hours.
I and other car drivers went to the grassland behind the hard shoulder, we got out our picnic hampers - there were 3 other families who had the same idea, so all in all - we never got to the beach, but made new friends swapped our picnic treats and the children got their beach games out and played whilst the traffic police got the lorry and it's contents back on the road.

Doodygirl2009 · 01/04/2019 15:44

My worst travel story since becoming a mum was a few years ago we thought our daughter was travel sick therefore we had to wait until she was old enough to give her travel sickness tablets this was two years ago. We planned a family day out, got on the bus well we didn’t get far in fact we got to the next stop our daughter was screaming in a panic, her heart was pounding we had to get off the bus. Later we found out she has a phobia of transport so we are currently limited to our village for days out etc

socat · 01/04/2019 15:53

Eurostar First class to Paris was magical. Food, champagne and hot flannels! Also love Paris with the atmosphere and food!! Closer to centre than flying.

IonaAilidh11 · 01/04/2019 15:57

going on the train for the first time and the kids were so excited

emmmaaa26 · 01/04/2019 15:59

Delays are the most frustrating thing, especially with children. Its already hard enough to keep them happy and entertained and then they delay your flight and bam... chaos.

janeoho · 01/04/2019 16:05

After a week in Spain with my family, we were on our way home but the plane was delayed by 7 hours... then 10 hours... then 14 hours. We were stuck in the airport for 2 days with no explanation. This was over 20 years ago so wasn't a time for compo complaints. No food or accommodation was given. Just had to live in the airport for 2 days!

DonPablo · 01/04/2019 16:31

Ah, I'd forgotten about our most memorable trip but readi g these has bought it all back. We'd travelled by train to see dhs family with our 8 month old first baby. The train was a complete nightmare coming home, delayed, changed and eventually, about 60 miles from home terminated.

For some reason we got a black cab home. The baby had slept the entire journey. Until we got into the taxi. He screamed and screamed and screamed for the entire journey. The poor taxi driver. I have no idea how he concentrated! As soon as we got out of the taxi he stopped. That was the worst hour in a taxi I've ever spent. Smile

SuzCG · 01/04/2019 16:32

So many horror stories about travelling with children...

Getting stuck on the M6 for 7 hours travelling to my parents and running out of food & water, coming back from my 40 th birthday in Brighton and my 6 year old throwing up all over the car (we never got rid of the smell and got rid of the car instead), taking an overnight flight to Dubai thinking the kids would sleep - actually none of us slept a wink, despite being super tired and my daughter was on the floor hysterical. The list could go on and on... Tell me again why I ever thought it was a good idea to travel with my kids and show them the world?!?

sheilads105 · 01/04/2019 16:56

I have lots of good travel memories - singing along to the radio, listening to books on tape, eating picnics by the road side.....

frances93 · 01/04/2019 17:05

Travelling on a plane with my then 11 month old to visit family, I was on my own with her and she wasn't in the greatest of moods. We had been delayed 2 hours and it was a late flight, we eventually got on the plane and ten minutes into the journey she was sick EVERYWHERE! We were both covered in it, I couldnt reach my sick covered handbag to grab some wipes so had to rely on other passengers to help me. Thank goodness for the kindness of others, I felt so sorry for them having to go the rest of the journey with the whole plane smelling of sick

maclinks · 01/04/2019 17:55

The catamaran home on BANK HOLIDAY Sat in august was cancelled from Jersey to Poole, there was no hotel accommodation available on the island, because the height of the holiday season. had husband and 2 young children, ended up sleeping in the car in a lay-by in Jersey... then had to catch the ferry the next night instead of 5 hours had to catch a 12 hour ferry to Portsmouth, with no sleeping accommodation (as it was all taken) so had to sleep on the floor of the ferry bar in a force 6-7 gale. It was vile and frightening . Portsmouth much further to commute home too. Got home Bank Holiday Monday in the afternoon instead of Saturday afternoon...Was only compensated £50 as the crossing was cost was cheaper...no compensation for the lack of accommodation or given any accommodation for 48 hours .. the last time I go with condor ferries. Turn a nice holiday sour.

alwaysinleggings · 01/04/2019 17:58

My worst holiday was our holiday to Tenerife, first one in term time, so cost £££££'s. Only 3 out of our 4 suitcases arrived from the plane to the hotel. All of my husbands clothes - suit - sandals and underwear. The hotel was very good about it - so it was the lost property section of crumpled unwanted clothes for the first 3 days - endless phone calls, until finally it arrived. As we only went for a week, it pretty much was not the relaxing break we needed.

daniel1996 · 01/04/2019 18:05

Has to be our narrowboat holiday - the brochure said a 'relaxing break at a slow slow pace'. The boat was lovely - but the not as easy or relaxing as advertised, navigating locks was a nightmare, keeping an eye on the children in their lifejackets. Mooring up was something we always argued over. The glimpsed of delight were when we stopped off and looked around the villages and towns on our route, seeing the wildlife (the local heron was a joy). - Never again.

Nikita90 · 01/04/2019 18:38

My husband decided to take us to Chester Zoo last year (DD was 10 months old) for my birthday... We had a lovely day at the Zoo - DDs first time... However, getting home was a nightmare as a lorry had crashed into a bridge... What should have been 1hr30 min journey turned into a 5hr commute... Not fun with a baby!

ncullinane · 01/04/2019 19:07

Thankfully so far none of our journeys hVe been too bad, but I do remember as a child one of my sisters always getting travel sick. I remember my parents picking us up from a guide camp and having to pull into a fire station because my sister had vomited everywhere,

kathrob · 01/04/2019 19:35

My worst journey was a flight back from LA. First flight out of the airport after 9/11. Everyone was jittery and the film was " What is the worst that can happen?. I have never been so glad to arrive at Heathrow.

Rachdayan · 01/04/2019 20:01

Being on the 8 + hour plane journey to Orlando Florida, with my very excited 5 year old who did not sleep for a second of the flight and asked if we were there yet every 10 minutes. No tantrums but overwhelming excitement. I think I should have kept it a secret until we landed.

Ikea1234 · 01/04/2019 20:14

We have had some great holidays, usually on the cgeap, with a bit of donkey work by us and some local apps to get some bargains. GroupOn, GPS My City and local tourist attraction cards have all saved us a fortune and have some amazing experiences all over the world, including Mauritius, USA, Luxembourg and Netherlands. Put in a bit of research yourself and save money!

Lydiag1 · 01/04/2019 20:36

Best travel experience -Olu Deniz,Turkey
Wow what a gem of a place the perfect family holiday , fun fun fun for the kiddies and perfect blissful setting for us mummies to relax , what made our holiday even more special was my now husband proposing on the beach in front of my whole family at sunset
Worst travel story -Ilfracombe in a bed sit that was just dirty , I am all for camping etc so I can handle mucky but this was a whole new level entirely , the stench was unreal 😩😩

sarah861421 · 01/04/2019 20:40

the first time we took our son abroad, he was only 4 weeks, and we went by ferry to France for the weekend. there was a storm and I thought the boat was going to capsize, I was terrified, but he just slept

NicHay · 01/04/2019 21:10

My worst journey was being in a traffic jam on the m25 when my youngest was continually travel sick in my dads brand new car. We stopped at the services and cleaned everything up, started the journey again and she continued to be sick.

pennwood · 01/04/2019 21:10

The best family holiday ever was when we booked a two week Caribbean cruise for the price of a package holiday to Spain because we booked on the Saturday afternoon prior to flying the following morning.

Longdistance · 01/04/2019 21:16

Worst trip was flying over to Sydney when I was pg with dd2. Dd1 didn’t sleep all the way to Sydney for a total of 24hours. Little did we know that dd1 was teething her first tooth. That was fun Blush

kerryv · 01/04/2019 21:21

Ten of us went out on a big family holiday to Majorca. One by one we were struck down with sickness and diarrhoea. There was not one meal on holiday when we were all together, someone was always ill in their bedroom. We’d planned a boat trip, but couldn’t go as we were all so ill.