Share your worst travel experiences!

[Sprinkles&Stones]

After a flight where everything went wrong (aside from the plane crashing), I was having a pretty big pity party. But then I thought "hey, someone's gotta have had a worse experience than me!"

So go ahead and share your worst travel stories, SNAFU's mishaps, everything!

 

[azstonie]

Flying from San Antonio to Tucson after a conference. The worst turbulence EVER, to the point that the stranger next to me grabbed my hand to hold and I did not mind . The turbulence forced us to turn around and land in Dallas and all passengers were taken off the tarmack by bus to a hotel that was still under construction. They put all of us in a wing off to ourselves, and none of the rooms had DOORS!!!! I buddied up with a lady so we weren't alone in the room. No one slept anyway. They herded us back on the bus in the morning and we got to Tucson finally.

I also had trips flying around Alaska where I could see the treetops through the cracks in the floor (small planes), helicopter flights landing on glaciers where I rediscovered how to pray, AlaskaAir passengers with flu stretched out in the aisle, drunk passengers going "full nut-nut." One trip to Adak NAF in the Aleutian Islands was so bad with weather (and several otters were being transported by Fish & Wildlife and those otters were PISSED) that when I got back to the office in Anchorage, I informed my supervisor that that had been my last trip out there

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

once i shared a flight with quite a few nuns
i thought it was a miricle it didnt crash
they was always a nun on those old airport type movies

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

Flying from San Antonio to Tucson after a conference. The worst turbulence EVER, to the point that the stranger next to me grabbed my hand to hold and I did not mind . The turbulence forced us to turn around and land in Dallas and all passengers were taken off the tarmack by bus to a hotel that was still under construction. They put all of us in a wing off to ourselves, and none of the rooms had DOORS!!!! I buddied up with a lady so we weren't alone in the room. No one slept anyway. They herded us back on the bus in the morning and we got to Tucson finally.

I also had trips flying around Alaska where I could see the treetops through the cracks in the floor (small planes), helicopter flights landing on glaciers where I rediscovered how to pray, AlaskaAir passengers with flu stretched out in the aisle, drunk passengers going "full nut-nut." One trip to Adak NAF in the Aleutian Islands was so bad with weather (and several otters were being transported by Fish & Wildlife and those otters were PISSED) that when I got back to the office in Anchorage, I informed my supervisor that that had been my last trip out there

WHAT!!!!

First of all, I am speechless! A hotel without a door?!
Traveling with angry furry critters?! That definitely makes me feel better about my horrid travel weekend! Dang!

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

once i shared a flight with quite a few nuns
i thought it was a miricle it didnt crash
they was always a nun on those old airport type movies

Haha! Maybe all those nuns added good luck to your flight!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Haha! Maybe all those nuns added good luck to your flight!

we needed it !
flights in and out of wellington are never pleasent with all the wind
actually i used to enjoy flying before moving to Wellington (before 9-11 when you just parked the car and hopped on the flight with a couple of minutes to spair)

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

we needed it !
flights in and out of wellington are never pleasent with all the wind
actually i used to enjoy flying before moving to Wellington (before 9-11 when you just parked the car and hopped on the flight with a couple of minutes to spair)

Turbulence is awful! Oh man.... flying was so easy before 9/11 I agree!

 

[Mreader]

@azstonie that is so crazy! Why no doors? That would be hard to top. I’m afraid of flying (even though I do it frequently) and that turbulence sounds terrifying. Omg angry otters too. Wild.

my worst mainly involves being ill. We were in Guatemala traveling from Tikkal
to Antigua and I was already so uncomfortable with a yeast infection (sorry TMI) and we sat on the tarmac in the heat forever before taking off. It was a small plane. I started vomiting and that continued for the duration of the trip, from plane to bus ride (puking out the window - fun times). Blech.

 

[RockFox]

This is a few years ago now (2014). Flying out of Gatwick (UK) to South Africa via Dubai durning December to visit family. First our initial flight gets delayed, but still on track to make the change over. Once we board the NATS system (air traffic control) goes down across the UK, we must have spent 2 hours on the runway - and we didn’t even get offered water. They also couldn’t let us off the plane due to rules about luggage and passenger boarding. We finally take off, 9 hour first leg. But we arrive missing our connecting flight by 36 mins.

The airline in question does everything they can but the next flight is only the next morning. However if it’s under 12 hours you wait you don’t get a hotel you only get a food voucher - lucky us, and a rough night sleeping in the airport.

Next morning we are off, finally. Now travelling approximately 36 hours with very little sleep. Yet, upon arrival we find out our luggage is lost. This luggage contains all our family Christmas presents. Might be on the next flight. It wasn’t. Another 24 hours and endless calls to the airline and airport services we had to go pick our luggage up ourselves.

This experience was only beaten by the ash cloud of 2010 where we had to rebook our flights to reach our own wedding 4 times in the same week. Also cancelled all flowers, photographer, and some entertainment as we thought we wouldn’t make it. Only to land with 48 hours to go and having to reboot it all. We are still married though so there’s the silver lining

 

[azstonie]

@azstonie that is so crazy! Why no doors? That would be hard to top. I’m afraid of flying (even though I do it frequently) and that turbulence sounds terrifying. Omg angry otters too. Wild.

my worst mainly involves being ill. We were in Guatemala traveling from Tikkal
to Antigua and I was already so uncomfortable with a yeast infection (sorry TMI) and we sat on the tarmac in the heat forever before taking off. It was a small plane. I started vomiting and that continued for the duration of the trip, from plane to bus ride (puking out the window - fun times). Blech.

The doors were the last item to be installed! We could not believe the airline thought it was safe to put passengers in rooms with no doors!

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

@azstonie that is so crazy! Why no doors? That would be hard to top. I’m afraid of flying (even though I do it frequently) and that turbulence sounds terrifying. Omg angry otters too. Wild.

my worst mainly involves being ill. We were in Guatemala traveling from Tikkal
to Antigua and I was already so uncomfortable with a yeast infection (sorry TMI) and we sat on the tarmac in the heat forever before taking off. It was a small plane. I started vomiting and that continued for the duration of the trip, from plane to bus ride (puking out the window - fun times). Blech.

OH NO!!!!

That is awful and so embarrassing! You must have been miserable and felt so bad! i'm so sorry!

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

This is a few years ago now (2014). Flying out of Gatwick (UK) to South Africa via Dubai durning December to visit family. First our initial flight gets delayed, but still on track to make the change over. Once we board the NATS system (air traffic control) goes down across the UK, we must have spent 2 hours on the runway - and we didn’t even get offered water. They also couldn’t let us off the plane due to rules about luggage and passenger boarding. We finally take off, 9 hour first leg. But we arrive missing our connecting flight by 36 mins.

The airline in question does everything they can but the next flight is only the next morning. However if it’s under 12 hours you wait you don’t get a hotel you only get a food voucher - lucky us, and a rough night sleeping in the airport.

Next morning we are off, finally. Now travelling approximately 36 hours with very little sleep. Yet, upon arrival we find out our luggage is lost. This luggage contains all our family Christmas presents. Might be on the next flight. It wasn’t. Another 24 hours and endless calls to the airline and airport services we had to go pick our luggage up ourselves.

This experience was only beaten by the ash cloud of 2010 where we had to rebook our flights to reach our own wedding 4 times in the same week. Also cancelled all flowers, photographer, and some entertainment as we thought we wouldn’t make it. Only to land with 48 hours to go and having to reboot it all. We are still married though so there’s the silver lining

That's terrible! I am shocked at how poorly passengers get treated by airlines.

And how does luggage get lost?! where does it go, and does no one check the luggage tags to send that stuff back to the owners?!

 

[dk168]

9/11!

I was on my way to Vancouver Airport to collect a hired car to tour the Canadian Rockies after visiting my folks, to find the airport eerily quiet which transpired to be the result of planes being diverted elsewhere after the first plane had hit the World Trade Centre.

A week later after we finished our tour in the Rockies, having followed closely the nuclear fallout of 9/11 on TV, air travel was still in chaos, and our return flight from Calgary was delayed. Good job my then husband and I had sufficient funds to book ourselves into a nearby hotel for the night, to return to the airport the next day to wait for the next available flight.

We got back to central London eventually more than a day later after 03:00 in the morning, due to lack of tube/underground and fast train services from Heathrow into central London where I had a base at the time. There was a massive queue for taxis, and we eventually arrived at my flat some 2 to 3 hours later.

We just hugged each other for ages once indoors, and were truly thankful to be alive and back at home unscathed.

I dislike air travel since then due to tightened security measures. Much as I appreciate their necessity, they have taken some of the joys of air travel away from me.

DK

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

9/11!

I was on my way to Vancouver Airport to collect a hired car to tour the Canadian Rockies after visiting my folks, to find the airport eerily quiet which transpired to be the result of planes being diverted elsewhere after the first plane had hit the World Trade Centre.

A week later after we finished our tour in the Rockies, having followed closely the nuclear fallout of 9/11 on TV, air travel was still in chaos, and our return flight from Calgary was delayed. Good job my then husband and I had sufficient funds to book ourselves into a nearby hotel for the night, to return to the airport the next day to wait for the next available flight.

We got back to central London eventually more than a day later after 03:00 in the morning, due to lack of tube/underground and fast train services from Heathrow into central London where I had a base at the time. There was a massive queue for taxis, and we eventually arrived at my flat some 2 to 3 hours later.

We just hugged each other for ages once indoors, and were truly thankful to be alive and back at home unscathed.

I dislike air travel since then due to tightened security measures. Much as I appreciate their necessity, they have taken some of the joys of air travel away from me.

DK

oh DK!!!! I can't imagine the energy at the airport in lieu of 9/11... that must have been shocking and eerie and just numb! So glad you were able to make it home and to your destination!

 

[nala]

Seven years ago, arrived in London in the middle of a snowstorm to find out that our hotel burned down. Finally got relocated to another hotel. Same trip, rent a van In Paris and crash it in the parking garage, backing out, but we keep going. A few days later, Arrive back in Paris (after a wonderful trip to Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel)in the middle of the night but run out of gas—in the middle of the red light district.

 

[ac117]

Don’t remember the exact year but over 10 years ago now I was taking a red eye - not even an hour into the flight an elderly man who was in the first row (I was in the third row) died. Apparently he was very ill and was traveling back to his home country with one of his kids. The plane had to turn back to NY and the man’s body was laid out on the front floor the entire time. When we landed, we had to wait for police and first responders to come and take the body. By that time it was after 3am and the next flight out wasn’t until 7am. I was lucky I was at the front of the plane so I had first dibs at being rebooked but really I just felt so terrible for the man and his family.

 

[Mreader]

Don’t remember the exact year but over 10 years ago now I was taking a red eye - not even an hour into the flight an elderly man who was in the first row (I was in the third row) died. Apparently he was very ill and was traveling back to his home country with one of his kids. The plane had to turn back to NY and the man’s body was laid out on the front floor the entire time. When we landed, we had to wait for police and first responders to come and take the body. By that time it was after 3am and the next flight out wasn’t until 7am. I was lucky I was at the front of the plane so I had first dibs at being rebooked but really I just felt so terrible for the man and his family.

Holy sh*t! After each person’s post I think “wow that’s the worst one” but I’m convinced that one is the worst.

 

[Calliecake]

Don’t remember the exact year but over 10 years ago now I was taking a red eye - not even an hour into the flight an elderly man who was in the first row (I was in the third row) died. Apparently he was very ill and was traveling back to his home country with one of his kids. The plane had to turn back to NY and the man’s body was laid out on the front floor the entire time. When we landed, we had to wait for police and first responders to come and take the body. By that time it was after 3am and the next flight out wasn’t until 7am. I was lucky I was at the front of the plane so I had first dibs at being rebooked but really I just felt so terrible for the man and his family.

This makes any airport inconvenience I’ve ever had seem so trivial. @ac117 this had to be awful. The poor man and his family.

 

[Bron357]

My first overseas trip at age 26, to London, alone for the first 2 weeks (meeting up later with a Friend). There was a stop over in the Middle East and I went to the local markets while waiting for the next flight connection. At the markets I went to the Public toilets, weird as with a hole in the floor, and as I’m apt to do, took a drink of water from the bathroom tap. Here in Australia, back before bottled water, you always drank from a tap, no problem.
In this case.
A Big Mistake.
Flying the second leg into London I was staying in backpacker accommodation with various day trips organized until my friend arrived, when I became very very unwell and by day 3, apparently ringing my parents back in Australia totally incoherent, freaking my parents out and resulting in my Dad frantically contacting consulate officials and me being taken to hospital with cholera.
Nice.
I lost over a stone in weight in like 10 days and fortunately was able to recuperate at a the lovely home of an Australian Government official before meeting up with my friend.
I have never drunk water from a tap anywhere, ever again.

 

[missy]

Not to sound like a pollyanna but I always had wonderful travel experiences. From my very first trip abroad and alone at age 19 when I spent the entire summer in Europe and met two fantastic young ladies from Canada with whom I became fast and forever friends. To traveling to gorgeous Alaska with my best friends in the world and enjoying the breathtaking scenery and hiking in the wilderness. To rainy trips to the New England coast where my DH and I spent lazy romantic mornings in bed under a sky light with the pouring rain coming down. I remember the pitter patter like it was yesterday. So romantic.

OK yes one awful experience but the trip itself was AMAZING but for that one horrid misadventure. When Greg and I were in Italy I got food poisoning in Florence. And it was not good. First experience with food poisoning and I pray it was my last. Vomiting and diarrhea for over 24 hours. In our beautiful boutique hotel room. I was in terrible pain for days. We headed to San Gimignano after the Florence stay and it took days and days to feel normal again. Luckily everyone was so sweet and accommodating and got me extra cushioning for the beds for my wracked in pain body (from all the vomiting etc). And the trip was 22 days long IIRC so it was just a blip on the radar and I have the best memories from that trip despite the food poisoning.

I traveled a lot when I was young and each trip was memorable in its own right. Did everything go right? Nope, not at all. But somehow it just all worked out and each trip remains a very special memory.


I didn't take photos at that time but have a few from my friends and family who did take a few. Very happy memories and while I don't care for flying I do expect one day I will start flying again as I still want to see Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. And maybe get back to Alaska. Truly beautiful.



When I was 19 and spent three months (between college and graduate school) in Italy traveling by myself. My parents and sister flew to Rome to meet me and spend the last two weeks together. I am giving them the gifts I bought for them when they came to meet me.


It was a trip of a lifetime. My mom was so young here. Younger than I am today.

My dearest friends in the world. We traveled to Alaska, Vancouver and Victoria. We went back twice. Such a great trip.




And the infamous food poisoning trip. That was quite the adventure.
I had recovered by this time and we were enjoying the fantastic Lake Como.
Haha the baggy styles from that time. OMG.






So I guess if I have to choose my worst travel experience was also one of the best. When my DH and I spent 3 weeks in Italy. It was an amazing trip but the food poisoning experience was one of the worst experiences. Isn't that funny. The best and the worst in the same trip. Much like life itself.

 

[donnabrsd]

My worst was a flight from California to Hawaii. As were were getting ready to land, two flight attendants got out of their seats and hurried to the middle of the plane to look out the windows at the wings, then rushed to the cockpit. Then, flight crew did the same, but they were running. Captain stated something about the control panel showing something odd with the landing flaps. We flew up to a higher altitude and started circling. I cannot remember how long we circled, but then we got redirected to land in Honolulu instead of Maui because they had a longer runway. We had to get in the crash/brace position for landing. As we were landing, there were 3-4 firetrucks/emergency vehicles on each side of the airplane with sirens on traveling down the runway with us. We ended up landing fine. It was just a glitch with the control panel. Everything got checked and we flew in the same plane to Maui. It was so scary! Plus, I was 5 months pregnant with my first child.

 

[elizat]

The worst flight was to Barcelona. I never get sick flying and I vomited multiple times, having to jog down the aisle to get to the toilet. It was awful and there was a ton of turbulence. The man next to me kept getting out his rosary and praying and singing. I was sick for another 2 full days in Barcelona and honestly, didn't fell well until another 4 days. I kind of wonder if picked up something on that flight. The first two days in Barcelona I just slept and bought easy food from the grocery store that wouldn't make me throw up.

 

[Austina]

Flying from Gatwick (UK) to Miami with Virgin. We get to the airport, they make us sign a waiver to say they can do what they like with our golf clubs and they’re not responsible. Then we go through security and wait. And wait, and wait, and wait. They eventually told us the flight was delayed, (like we hadn’t worked that out for ourselves when we were still sitting there several hours after the flight was due to leave. They then gave us a voucher for about $3 to ‘get a meal’ - yeah, that’ll pay for a meal, just about covered a cup of tea. We eventually get on the plane and they hand us a piece of paper, telling us the flight had been delayed, and as compensation, we could get a derisory amount off of our next VA flight. I handed it back to the stewardess and told her politely where she could shove it. It also said any onwards flights booked with them would’ve been rearranged for us, and we’d be met at the plane door with tickets for our onward flights.

The service on the flight was appalling, or should I say lack of it. I went to the toilet, and there was no water coming out of the tap, so I couldn’t wash my hands. When I came out, I asked the stewardess where I could wash my hands, and she shrugged her shoulders and walked away. There was a water dispenser outside the toilet, so I put soap on my hands and held them under the water dispenser. I then called the stewardess and said she might like to clean up the mess before someone slipped on it and injured themselves.

I rang for service several times during the flight and nobody came.

We discovered during the flight that the reason the flight was delayed was because the plane had been in for service since December - this was February, and they knew that our flight had no chance of leaving on time.

When we arrived in Miami, of course there was nobody waiting with rescheduled onward flights, and the majority of the plane headed for the VA desk. There was 1 agent dealing with a plane load of irate passengers. When she eventually got to us, she said we were on standby for a flight that night, which I told her wasn’t good enough, and what would happen if we didn’t get on. She said come back and she’d sort something out. I asked her if I really looked that stupid that I believed at gone midnight she’d still be there. We took the tickets and went to the American Eagle desk and asked if there was anything they could do. They got us on the next flight which left in 30 minutes. They said they couldn’t guarantee that they could get our luggage on the flight, we said OK. We arrived in Freeport, and so did our luggage.

Needless to say, we never flew with Virgin Atlantic again!

 

[Lookinagain]

I've traveled a lot over the years and had flights cancelled or delayed many times where I had to stay overnight in an airport hotel or even 5 days longer in Dublin than planned because of the eruption of the Icelandic volcano several years ago. I've learned to roll with delays and cancellations and lost luggage to the point that I don't get bothered by them anymore. As far as my worst experience while on a trip, well, that's different and that for me would be in 2016 when I was in Nice for the terror attack and so close to the Promenade des Anglais that we had to run. It was very frightening, not really knowing what was going on and if there was a terrorist waiting around every corner as we ran through the old town. As we got to Place Garibaldi a restaurant owner told us were weren't safe on the street and he brought us into his restaurant (with a few others), took us upstairs to the kitchen and we stayed there for a few hours until he told us it was safe to go back to our hotel which was on the Promenade. We have since gone back to see him on our yearly trip to Nice (until Covid) and he has always treated us as special friends, even offering us the use of his car and vacation home (which we've never accepted). So something good for us came out of that terrible night but it changed the Bastille Day celebration in Nice for a few years.

 

[MamaBee]

I’m a nervous flyer. I fly anyway but I constantly watch the stewardess or stewards for any reactions meaning the plane is in trouble. I also want to sit with my son David..not with my husband. Somehow I feel better because I’m looking after him…It distracts me a little. We were flying to California to see my middle son who was interning for the summer. We were seated over the wing..I heard a funny sound..I turned to my husband who was across the aisle to ask him if he heard it. He rolled his eyes and said that it was fine. I heard it again…This time it was louder..My husband was getting annoyed with me..The pilot finally came on to say there was a problem with one of the engines. Now smoke was coming out of the plane. I grabbed my son’s hand and thought we were goners. My husband laughed and said it didn’t look good. We were able to land in Nevada. People were upset that they were going to miss events. The pilot refused to fly the plane even after the crew said they could fix it so we could be on our way. They were yelling at him to fly the plane after it was fixed. Out of character I stood up and yelled at everyone that they should feel lucky we didn’t crash! I turned to my husband and told him we needed to rent a car because I wasn’t getting back in any plane. Everyone started laughing so it broke the ice. When we got there I had multiple cocktails which I don’t usually do. It was the first and last time my middle son saw his mom feeling tipsy. My son and husband were hysterical. I kept saying I was so happy to be there. They still bring it up and start laughing.

 

[missy]

I’m a nervous flyer. I fly anyway but I constantly watch the stewardess or stewards for any reactions meaning the plane is in trouble. I also want to sit with my son David..not with my husband. Somehow I feel better because I’m looking after him…It distracts me a little. We were flying to California to see my middle son who was interning for the summer. We were seated over the wing..I heard a funny sound..I turned to my husband who was across the aisle to ask him if he heard it. He rolled his eyes and said that it was fine. I heard it again…This time it was louder..My husband was getting annoyed with me..The pilot finally came on to say there was a problem with one of the engines. Now smoke was coming out of the plane. I grabbed my son’s hand and thought we were goners. My husband laughed and said it didn’t look good. We were able to land in Nevada. People were upset that they were going to miss events. The pilot refused to fly the plane even after the crew said they could fix it so we could be on our way. They were yelling at him to fly the plane after it was fixed. Out of character I stood up and yelled at everyone that they should feel lucky we didn’t crash! I turned to my husband and told him we needed to rent a car because I wasn’t getting back in any plane. Everyone started laughing so it broke the ice. When we got there I had multiple cocktails which I don’t usually do. It was the first and last time my middle son saw his mom feeling tipsy. My son and husband were hysterical. I kept saying I was so happy to be there. They still bring it up and start laughing.

My dad always told me to sit near the wing...that it was the safest place to be in a plane. If I am recalling that correctly.
And LOL I would have felt the same way! No thank you. Let's drive to where we need to be.

 

[MamaBee]

My dad always told me to sit near the wing...that it was the safest place to be in a plane. If I am recalling that correctly.
And LOL I would have felt the same way! No thank you. Let's drive to where we need to be.

Haha That's why we were sitting there. I read that too. Even though I’m afraid..I can’t wait to get in one again and go back to Italy.

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

Seven years ago, arrived in London in the middle of a snowstorm to find out that our hotel burned down. Finally got relocated to another hotel. Same trip, rent a van In Paris and crash it in the parking garage, backing out, but we keep going. A few days later, Arrive back in Paris (after a wonderful trip to Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel)in the middle of the night but run out of gas—in the middle of the red light district.

OMG!!!! That's just one thing after another!!!

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

Don’t remember the exact year but over 10 years ago now I was taking a red eye - not even an hour into the flight an elderly man who was in the first row (I was in the third row) died. Apparently he was very ill and was traveling back to his home country with one of his kids. The plane had to turn back to NY and the man’s body was laid out on the front floor the entire time. When we landed, we had to wait for police and first responders to come and take the body. By that time it was after 3am and the next flight out wasn’t until 7am. I was lucky I was at the front of the plane so I had first dibs at being rebooked but really I just felt so terrible for the man and his family.

he died?!?!? that is so terrible! And awkward! his poor family, and also those poor flight attendants who had to deal with that!

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

My first overseas trip at age 26, to London, alone for the first 2 weeks (meeting up later with a Friend). There was a stop over in the Middle East and I went to the local markets while waiting for the next flight connection. At the markets I went to the Public toilets, weird as with a hole in the floor, and as I’m apt to do, took a drink of water from the bathroom tap. Here in Australia, back before bottled water, you always drank from a tap, no problem.
In this case.
A Big Mistake.
Flying the second leg into London I was staying in backpacker accommodation with various day trips organized until my friend arrived, when I became very very unwell and by day 3, apparently ringing my parents back in Australia totally incoherent, freaking my parents out and resulting in my Dad frantically contacting consulate officials and me being taken to hospital with cholera.
Nice.
I lost over a stone in weight in like 10 days and fortunately was able to recuperate at a the lovely home of an Australian Government official before meeting up with my friend.
I have never drunk water from a tap anywhere, ever again.

gah!!!! I can't imagine!!!!!!!!!!!!! you poor soul! Your parents must have been beside themselves with you being so sick so far away! eek!