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

[JustineBMumsnet]

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

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Driving 4 hours to a wedding. Toddler is in car seat, me in front, DH driving. Car breaks down. 2 hours wait for AA. Running severely late but never mind.

AA fixing car. Go to put toddler back in car seat, toddle throws up on my pale gold dress. Toddler then throws up on DH's pale blue suit. Toddler then throws up up himself.

AA then says car cannot be fixed. End up towed to local garage, and 8 hours later, limp home, still covered in dry sick and with a ££££'s garage bill

Overnight train to french alps, kids slept the whole way down, and arrived fresh for extra days skiing on quiet slopes, as transfer day for plying skiers - best way to do it.

My most memorable trip was to Disneyland Paris. The break itself was magical and full of fun and excitement for my two sons. The drama began when we tried to get back to the airport. My sons both had tonsillitis and we got on a train bound for Champagne instead of the airport and a high speed taxi ride ensued to get us back to the airport in time to catch our flight. We made it despite our flight being closed when we arrived. My memories of Mickey are always tinged with the dread I felt at being stuck on the wrong train!

I travel a lot for work, so have had quite a lot of low points. But the worst was when I developed a migraine on the way to Italy and threw up at intervals on the flight there, in the taxi, in the hotel. Managed to get through the meeting the next morning, but then had a very green faced journey back.

We travelled for a wedding last year, all the dc dressed up in their finest and all of us camera-ready. DS2 started it off by vomiting over his new suit. Then DD2 was sick as well. Had to stop by a service station and clean up the dcs and the car (which was a hire car as we don't usually drive). Changed DD3 in the toilets, where we realised she had a poonami explosion all over her lovely glittery new Monsoon dress.

I've never had a bad journey YET

On the way to a holiday in India I ate a curry on board ( BA flight) and I was terribly ill for a couple of days. Just as I was coming out of it, the rest of the tour group were ill- real Indian food to blame this time - Delhi belly'! I, on the other hand, ate everything on offer including whippy ice-cream and wasn't ill again!

Worst journey. Almost at our holiday campsite and DS4 threw up in the back. All over the sleeping bag, his favourite soft toy and various other bits as we'd jammed everything around him.
Favourite journey memory. We got an overnight ferry to France and had a cabin for us and the DC. It was soooo exciting - we loved sleeping on the boat!

our worst travel was a car journey across Italy, the roads were all closed for maintenance and DS and DH were both ill.

Best ever, getting upgraded and flying to Orlando in premium :-D! Worst - getting super sick on a coach trip as a child and projectile vomiting everywhere!

In 2011 i spent the most amazing 3 weeks in goa for christmas. we did so many activities and saw so much wildlife was a trip of a lifetime. the people and food were amazing was definately the best holiday ive ever had

Ok, I think every parent will have experienced the 'projectile vomit in car' scenario at least once. And of course, as prepared, practical parents we had wipes and a change of clothes in the car for DS.
What I never thought to pack, though, were any spare clothes for me or DP. Because even if you manage to avoid being caught up in the spew-shower firing line it's nigh on impossible to wrestle a small person out of the car seat and get them swabbed down without ending up daubed in vomit yourself. ESPECIALLY when your little one is distressed by the whole thing and really just needs a cuddle to be comforted and reassured.
One very unpleasant, smelly car trip later: lesson learnt the hard way!

My worst travel experience was abroad on honeymoon in Cyprus. The taxi that collected us from the airport was driving very fast and every time he went downhill, he switched off his engine to save fuel I presume!. It terrified the life out of me and I was bloody glad to get to the hotel alive

Worst travel story being delayed 24 hours by our airline on way home from our honeymoon and having to stay at a hotel for the night, awful when you just want yo get home!

Worst was ordering a breakfast on a jet 2 flight and spilling baked beans on my white top, it looked ridiculous!

Projectile vomitting of an ice-cream whilst I was in the driving seat, lesson learned!

travelling the length of the country on the train with DS3. Lady opposite complimented me on how well behaved DS was and how nice it was to see a child not constantly staring at a screen. I was so relieved when we got to the next stop and she got off... and I could give in and give him his tablet without feeling I was letting soemone down LOL

Being arrested in NZealand for the illegal possession of a nectarine!

A massive snake fell out of a tree and landed right next to me on a secluded path at a resort in Thailand. I don't know who was more scared, me or the snake!

Worst - a toss up between the time I came down with a tummy bug while travelling solo with DS when he was a toddler and the time DD screamed her head off the whole time we were landing because she didn’t like having her seatbelt on

Best- a helicopter transfer from the airport to our ski resort in the alps, it was gloriously fast and the views of the mountains were breathtaking. A completely unforgettable experience.

My daughter falling over on holiday and her front teeth going through her bottom lip, the panic and screaming and language barrier and all the stress.

A week in a caravan where it rained constantly. DC2 chose that week to stop sleeping so we were struggling with being up all night and we got soaked every time we tried to go out despite good waterproofs. Drying clothes was a nightmare and DC missed a lot of their toys from home. We did find indoor things to do but spent an absolute fortune trying to keep everyone entertained when we'd been hoping for long walks and time on the beach.

The UK is wonderful when the weather is good but we went abroad for many years after that experience and found it considerably more relaxing.

My daughter had a knack of throwing up 5 minutes before we get to our destination when she was younger. Every single time. As she's grown up she's got better at keeping it in .

We spent a two week holiday 2 hours ahead of everyone else. Changed out watches at made a mistake. Didn't realise till we arrived at the airport at the end of he holiday

We got stuck in a massive jam on the M5 on our way to Wales last year. What should have been a 2 1/2 hour journey turned out to be 13 ! Kids were grumpy, dog was grumpy and we missed our food delivery so had nothing to eat except shortbread biscuits.