10 Things That Will Definitely Ruin Your Vacation

A recent poll asked, “ What’s the worst way to ruin a vacation?” Readers added over one thousand comments and stories to answer this question. 

We’ve gathered the top answers based on votes and comments to share with you. 

Getting An Email From Work

The whole point of vacation is to get away from work, so turn those notifications off! Nothing can ruin the carefree vibe of a good vacay like a harshly worded email from your boss.  

One person shared this story: 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.

Yikes.  Hopefully, the trip was already paid for!

Traveling With People Who Don’t Share Your Travel Vibe

Imagine that you are the type of person to get up early and take in all the sights, but your travel partner sleeps until late afternoon and lazily hangs around the hotel room the whole time. 

One commenter said, “My wife picked our family vacation a couple of years ago, and she chose an all-inclusive on the beach in the Dominican Republic. She and 2 of my kids had a good time chilling on the beach and doing nothing for a week. Me and Boy #2 were bored out of our minds and were going stir crazy after 3 days. It was not a fun vacation for us, and I left feeling more stressed than if I had just stayed home and worked.

Food Poisoning

Let’s face it: Any illness can be a super big bummer on vacation. Nobody wants to spend their days off sitting in the bathroom of a hotel or, worse yet, get sick on a hiking or camping trip. 

I’ll spare you all the disgusting details, but the top culprits appear to be bad seafood, scary street foods, too much alcohol, and unclean water.

Aiming for Perfection

Attitude is everything in life, and the same is true for vacations.  If you have a strict schedule and leave no room for deviation, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.  

One reader shares a story: “Within the first hour of any road trip, my ex ruined it. The sandwiches needed more mayo, bought the wrong brand of chips, didn’t like the weather, didn’t believe in pit stops, etc.

On the other hand, my sister rolled with everything, never got mad, bought random treats, treated all the workers with respect and kindness, tipped really well, and could entertain herself when things went South.”

Forgetting your Passport

You’ve paid for your trip, and the day has finally come.  You load your bag in the car, lock up the house, and head to the airport.  After checking your bags and getting to security, you realize… you don’t have a passport with you. 

Ouch.  No vacation for you.

Missing your ride

Have you ever heard the term pier runners? In the cruising community, it refers to those who drink too much, shop too long, or otherwise get distracted and don’t return to the ship on time when departing the port. 

Its quite entertaining to watch from the ship and see them running as fast as they can to make it down the long pier before the ship pulls away.  

Also, missing your flight, train or tour bus can equally put a damper on your vacation plans.

Getting Sunburned on the First Day

Anyone who’s ever been on a tropical vacation has likely experienced the unpleasant effects of too much sun. When it happens on your first day, it can really ruin the rest of your trip. 

I took my family on a Caribbean cruise, and the boys got so sunburned on the first day (despite wearing sunscreen) that they spent the rest of the trip in long sleeves, trying to hide from the sun. 

Take your sunscreen, and reapply more often than you think you need to!

Weather

If you’ve ever planned for a vacation only to be sidelined by the weather, this one will hit home. The thread is full of stories of tropical vacations being hit by hurricanes, wildfires ruining hiking expeditions, and extreme heat or cold weather generally just making things miserable.

Not budgeting Properly

Can you imagine being stranded on vacation with no money for food or getting home? According to this poll, this happens quite often.  

Travelers report not accounting for added expenses, spending too much on drinking, or even getting robbed and not having money to keep the vacation going.

Breaking Up

You are on your dream vacation with the person you love most in the world, and then mid trip, they break up with you.  Now what? You are stuck with them in awkward silence for the remainder of your vacation.  

Life tip: If you want to break up, just wait 3-4 more days until you are home!

Source: Reddit