Did you ever have a vacation that just wasn't what you hoped it would be, and being back at home just sounded so much better?

Two come to mind for me.

1. Camping. Well not camping like Jonas camps, but at a campground in a good sized trailer. We had a kitchen and a bath and shower....and yet, I learned I will never ever do it again.

2. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We went to a few different Caribbean islands over a certain time period. I know a few folks who had been to Santo Domingo, who love it. So off we went with another couple.

Upon arrival, the airport made me Ladies room stalls with no door, but yet folks were using the toilet, broken toilets, and my blond friend got the creeps from the way some of the men were looking at her. I thought we were in a third world country, but then again, I don't get out much.

The hotel accommodations and grounds were quite lovely. The room was nice and clean. Heading out to dinner Rick looked out and saw the security guard on the perimeter of the property with his gun. We had never encountered that at other islands. The beach "looked" ok, but there was some kind of reef or something which seemed to prohibit the water from moving around....the water seemed stagnant.

The food....All inclusive resort, and the food was just not "calorie worthy." The desserts were lovely in appearance, but tasted like sawdust, though I've not actually eaten much sawdust in my day.

Three out of four of us got sick and hesitated to stray too far away from our rooms. Hotel entertainment could only be called "lame."

We were there over the Easter holiday and the locals started to stay at the hotel.....screaming kids everywhere.

Had we not been on a charter flight, I think I would have looked for an early flight home.

FTR, we did go on an island tour, and parts of the island were actually quite lovely. Our personal experience was such that that island remains on the list of places we won't rush back to.

 

I honestly cannot say I've ever taken a vacation and actually wanted to go home early. Everywhere I've ever been I could have stayed on longer and Jim has had to carry me home kicking and screaming all the way.

 

I can picture that, Val.

The camping trip I will describe as a learning experience...the other trip....OMG.

We generally figure ANY vacation day/time is better than working, but it was hard to see the positives during that Caribbean trip.

 

I tend to find most vacations to be too much work for their value. RUnning aroud to make sure you get it all in can be too much. With kids I dont look forward to vacations at all.

My last real vacation was my honeymoon in Cozumel. We stayed at one of the best places on the island and pretty much stuck to it, no site seeing crap. We sat on the beach under our palapa and had drinks brought out to us throughout the day.

Id happily rerun that vacation over and over. Other than that, I would be happy to cut them all in half and let me relax in peace at home.

 

Mike there is a difference between a "family trip" and a vacation.

Family trips can be pretty tiring.

Give it a few more years and you and Ginny can sneak away for a "real" vacation again.

 

You were in a third world country!

I've had a few otherwise nice vacations ruined by illness. It's frustrating to go half way around the world, and return with nothing but a knowledge of the local plumbing practices.

The only "this vacation is hell" trip that I can recall was a sailing trip from Friday Harbor, WA to Newport Beach, CA. The skipper of the boat was abrasive. (Isn't that a much nicer phrase than "pompous jerk"?) His second in command was incompetent. Between the two of them I was either hating every hour on board or fearing for my life. I seriously considered jumping ship when we pulled in to San Francisco for a few days. I can't remember how they talked me into staying. It might have had something to do with how drunk I was on the night we left SF. The 5-6 days of sailing produced about 15 minutes of fun sailing memories.

 

Gee. I just finished one. We went to middle Tennessee Wednesday to see if we would like to move there. (Wife wants to move closer to Kidz). After two days of arguing with her about why a beautiful house was not suitable for her, I was ready to pack up and come home.

 

Never thought of the Caribbean as third world country, but after that trip.....

 

Not one of mine...but here's a lousy vacation...a woman from Argentina thought she was headed to her vacation in Sydney, Australia but ended up in Sydney, Nova Scotia!

STORY

 

Cora goes off to college in 5 years but Elise turns 2 in 4 weeks.

How many years is a few?