Horror stories due to terrible travel companions
Jul 23, 2018, 6:32 pm
#122
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: MSY
Programs: BA GfL
Posts: 5,928
This may not rise to the level of a horror story but it is emblematic of some of the things that make me cringe with some travel companions: last Saturday I was in the tiny town of Jean Lafitte, LA (just 30 minutes outside New Orleans but kind of a world away). My friend Gloria was visiting from Philadelphia and we were at a ridiculously fun local event, the annual pirogue races. Among other things, she felt the need to point out (a) the fact that one of the spectator boats was flying a Confederate flag, and (b) the theory that she and I were possibly the only Jews that many of the other spectators had ever seen. Mind you, this was in the middle of a substantial crowd of seriously down-home bayou Louisianans who were super nice and funny, although they might have been less nice if they’d heard what she said. I quickly told her to put a sock in it. Sigh. You can THINK things, but you don’t have to say them!
Jul 23, 2018, 8:15 pm
#123
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
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Posts: 6,900
Jul 24, 2018, 3:34 am
#125
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sydney Australia
Programs: No programs & No Points!!!
Posts: 14,222
I used to be in a group of 10-20 guys who would meet in Las Vegas every year. We developed rules, one of the most significant being that one person just picks up each bill, whether it be restaurant, taxi or whatever. None of this "well, I just had the cottage cheese and iced tea" stuff for us. We were all friends, and we knew it all averaged out.
.
.
Jul 25, 2018, 2:36 am
#126
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wonderful Weald of kent
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 989
Well my horrendous travel companion was my ex husband!
i was brought up in a family who had to travel back and forth to the UK, and my parents had a golden rule with us all - if you want it - you have to carry it around..... so it focused us on only taking what we need on trips. My packing tends to be well thought out, and I have a list of what I’m packing and in the week before, ensure that it is all washed, ironed and close at hand, before finally packing at the last possible moment to minimise time in the bag. I can manage well for a fortnight with a small suitcase. We went on holiday as a family once with just two suitcases...... he had the larger one all to himself, whilst my daughter and I shared the smaller one!
He would open his suitcase on the spare bed or the bedroom floor anything up to a month ahead and drop stuff in in dibs and drabs, all the while calling me out for not having started packing yet..... insist on packing the kitchen sink (he should have been born in the Edwardian era as a toff as he couldn’t choose an outfit for the day, and stick to it - he would change multiple times a day, and litter up the bedroom with discarded outfits which may or may not be worn again, and then insists on us all going and “doing something” when the kids and I were quite happily lounging and playing beside the pool....not that he actually had anything in mind - he just didn’t want to lounge by the pool. He’d throw a hissy fit when the rest of us refused to just pack up and follow him to no particular destination. I used to tell him to go off and do whatever he wanted and leave us to enjoy ourselves!
he was another one who loved his hiking, and never missed an opportunity to drag us off in the ooloo- despite the fact we had no proper hiking shoes or protective clothing (because we had never planned to do any hiking) then yell at us for not keeping up with his route March pace. It got to the point that eventually we decided on separate holidays - kids and I doing our thing (bucket and spade holiday in nice resort) him doing his (cross country skiing, sailing, hiking) with just a short family holiday together where we jointly decided where to go, how to get there and what we were doing once there! It helped to have everyone’s expectations managed!
now we are divorced, he still does his holidays from hell alone, and the kids and I still go off together and have a normal holiday!
i was brought up in a family who had to travel back and forth to the UK, and my parents had a golden rule with us all - if you want it - you have to carry it around..... so it focused us on only taking what we need on trips. My packing tends to be well thought out, and I have a list of what I’m packing and in the week before, ensure that it is all washed, ironed and close at hand, before finally packing at the last possible moment to minimise time in the bag. I can manage well for a fortnight with a small suitcase. We went on holiday as a family once with just two suitcases...... he had the larger one all to himself, whilst my daughter and I shared the smaller one!
He would open his suitcase on the spare bed or the bedroom floor anything up to a month ahead and drop stuff in in dibs and drabs, all the while calling me out for not having started packing yet..... insist on packing the kitchen sink (he should have been born in the Edwardian era as a toff as he couldn’t choose an outfit for the day, and stick to it - he would change multiple times a day, and litter up the bedroom with discarded outfits which may or may not be worn again, and then insists on us all going and “doing something” when the kids and I were quite happily lounging and playing beside the pool....not that he actually had anything in mind - he just didn’t want to lounge by the pool. He’d throw a hissy fit when the rest of us refused to just pack up and follow him to no particular destination. I used to tell him to go off and do whatever he wanted and leave us to enjoy ourselves!
he was another one who loved his hiking, and never missed an opportunity to drag us off in the ooloo- despite the fact we had no proper hiking shoes or protective clothing (because we had never planned to do any hiking) then yell at us for not keeping up with his route March pace. It got to the point that eventually we decided on separate holidays - kids and I doing our thing (bucket and spade holiday in nice resort) him doing his (cross country skiing, sailing, hiking) with just a short family holiday together where we jointly decided where to go, how to get there and what we were doing once there! It helped to have everyone’s expectations managed!
now we are divorced, he still does his holidays from hell alone, and the kids and I still go off together and have a normal holiday!
Jul 25, 2018, 7:43 am
#128
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
I used to be in a group of 10-20 guys who would meet in Las Vegas every year. We developed rules, one of the most significant being that one person just picks up each bill, whether it be restaurant, taxi or whatever. None of this "well, I just had the cottage cheese and iced tea" stuff for us. We were all friends, and we knew it all averaged out.
One year, a guy we knew to be a cheapskate invited himself along. You knew it wasn't going to work when he decided to stay in some off-Strip, William H. Macy in The Cooler-type motel as opposed to the reasonably low-priced Strip hotel the rest of us were in. (Note that the guy was a well-paid engineer. He was just cheap.) Then the new guy got all worked up when he was told about the payment rules and informed that it was his turn to pay. He eventually coughed up some money but never took his wallet out for the rest of the trip and basically tried to do the rest on the cheap. Not exactly the attitude we wanted to have on our annual gambling outing.
The following year, when it started coming up on trip planning time, he started asking about dates. I said we weren't sure we were going, etc, and I'd let him know. Of course, we planned the trip privately and had a great time without the cheapskate.
One year, a guy we knew to be a cheapskate invited himself along. You knew it wasn't going to work when he decided to stay in some off-Strip, William H. Macy in The Cooler-type motel as opposed to the reasonably low-priced Strip hotel the rest of us were in. (Note that the guy was a well-paid engineer. He was just cheap.) Then the new guy got all worked up when he was told about the payment rules and informed that it was his turn to pay. He eventually coughed up some money but never took his wallet out for the rest of the trip and basically tried to do the rest on the cheap. Not exactly the attitude we wanted to have on our annual gambling outing.
The following year, when it started coming up on trip planning time, he started asking about dates. I said we weren't sure we were going, etc, and I'd let him know. Of course, we planned the trip privately and had a great time without the cheapskate.
Jul 25, 2018, 8:32 am
#129
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Earth. Residency:HKG formerly:YYZ
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invisible: You have just confirmed the stereotype of your profession's lack of humour. You need to spend more time reading Dilbert.
Jul 25, 2018, 11:21 am
#130
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 499
Well my horrendous travel companion was my ex husband!
i was brought up in a family who had to travel back and forth to the UK, and my parents had a golden rule with us all - if you want it - you have to carry it around..... so it focused us on only taking what we need on trips. My packing tends to be well thought out, and I have a list of what I’m packing and in the week before, ensure that it is all washed, ironed and close at hand, before finally packing at the last possible moment to minimise time in the bag. I can manage well for a fortnight with a small suitcase. We went on holiday as a family once with just two suitcases...... he had the larger one all to himself, whilst my daughter and I shared the smaller one!
He would open his suitcase on the spare bed or the bedroom floor anything up to a month ahead and drop stuff in in dibs and drabs, all the while calling me out for not having started packing yet..... insist on packing the kitchen sink (he should have been born in the Edwardian era as a toff as he couldn’t choose an outfit for the day, and stick to it - he would change multiple times a day, and litter up the bedroom with discarded outfits which may or may not be worn again, and then insists on us all going and “doing something” when the kids and I were quite happily lounging and playing beside the pool....not that he actually had anything in mind - he just didn’t want to lounge by the pool. He’d throw a hissy fit when the rest of us refused to just pack up and follow him to no particular destination. I used to tell him to go off and do whatever he wanted and leave us to enjoy ourselves!
he was another one who loved his hiking, and never missed an opportunity to drag us off in the ooloo- despite the fact we had no proper hiking shoes or protective clothing (because we had never planned to do any hiking) then yell at us for not keeping up with his route March pace. It got to the point that eventually we decided on separate holidays - kids and I doing our thing (bucket and spade holiday in nice resort) him doing his (cross country skiing, sailing, hiking) with just a short family holiday together where we jointly decided where to go, how to get there and what we were doing once there! It helped to have everyone’s expectations managed!
now we are divorced, he still does his holidays from hell alone, and the kids and I still go off together and have a normal holiday!
i was brought up in a family who had to travel back and forth to the UK, and my parents had a golden rule with us all - if you want it - you have to carry it around..... so it focused us on only taking what we need on trips. My packing tends to be well thought out, and I have a list of what I’m packing and in the week before, ensure that it is all washed, ironed and close at hand, before finally packing at the last possible moment to minimise time in the bag. I can manage well for a fortnight with a small suitcase. We went on holiday as a family once with just two suitcases...... he had the larger one all to himself, whilst my daughter and I shared the smaller one!
He would open his suitcase on the spare bed or the bedroom floor anything up to a month ahead and drop stuff in in dibs and drabs, all the while calling me out for not having started packing yet..... insist on packing the kitchen sink (he should have been born in the Edwardian era as a toff as he couldn’t choose an outfit for the day, and stick to it - he would change multiple times a day, and litter up the bedroom with discarded outfits which may or may not be worn again, and then insists on us all going and “doing something” when the kids and I were quite happily lounging and playing beside the pool....not that he actually had anything in mind - he just didn’t want to lounge by the pool. He’d throw a hissy fit when the rest of us refused to just pack up and follow him to no particular destination. I used to tell him to go off and do whatever he wanted and leave us to enjoy ourselves!
he was another one who loved his hiking, and never missed an opportunity to drag us off in the ooloo- despite the fact we had no proper hiking shoes or protective clothing (because we had never planned to do any hiking) then yell at us for not keeping up with his route March pace. It got to the point that eventually we decided on separate holidays - kids and I doing our thing (bucket and spade holiday in nice resort) him doing his (cross country skiing, sailing, hiking) with just a short family holiday together where we jointly decided where to go, how to get there and what we were doing once there! It helped to have everyone’s expectations managed!
now we are divorced, he still does his holidays from hell alone, and the kids and I still go off together and have a normal holiday!
Jul 25, 2018, 11:48 am
#131
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
Well my horrendous travel companion was my ex husband!
i was brought up in a family who had to travel back and forth to the UK, and my parents had a golden rule with us all - if you want it - you have to carry it around..... so it focused us on only taking what we need on trips. My packing tends to be well thought out, and I have a list of what I’m packing and in the week before, ensure that it is all washed, ironed and close at hand, before finally packing at the last possible moment to minimise time in the bag. I can manage well for a fortnight with a small suitcase. We went on holiday as a family once with just two suitcases...... he had the larger one all to himself, whilst my daughter and I shared the smaller one!
He would open his suitcase on the spare bed or the bedroom floor anything up to a month ahead and drop stuff in in dibs and drabs, all the while calling me out for not having started packing yet..... insist on packing the kitchen sink (he should have been born in the Edwardian era as a toff as he couldn’t choose an outfit for the day, and stick to it - he would change multiple times a day, and litter up the bedroom with discarded outfits which may or may not be worn again, and then insists on us all going and “doing something” when the kids and I were quite happily lounging and playing beside the pool....not that he actually had anything in mind - he just didn’t want to lounge by the pool. He’d throw a hissy fit when the rest of us refused to just pack up and follow him to no particular destination. I used to tell him to go off and do whatever he wanted and leave us to enjoy ourselves!
he was another one who loved his hiking, and never missed an opportunity to drag us off in the ooloo- despite the fact we had no proper hiking shoes or protective clothing (because we had never planned to do any hiking) then yell at us for not keeping up with his route March pace. It got to the point that eventually we decided on separate holidays - kids and I doing our thing (bucket and spade holiday in nice resort) him doing his (cross country skiing, sailing, hiking) with just a short family holiday together where we jointly decided where to go, how to get there and what we were doing once there! It helped to have everyone’s expectations managed!
now we are divorced, he still does his holidays from hell alone, and the kids and I still go off together and have a normal holiday!
i was brought up in a family who had to travel back and forth to the UK, and my parents had a golden rule with us all - if you want it - you have to carry it around..... so it focused us on only taking what we need on trips. My packing tends to be well thought out, and I have a list of what I’m packing and in the week before, ensure that it is all washed, ironed and close at hand, before finally packing at the last possible moment to minimise time in the bag. I can manage well for a fortnight with a small suitcase. We went on holiday as a family once with just two suitcases...... he had the larger one all to himself, whilst my daughter and I shared the smaller one!
He would open his suitcase on the spare bed or the bedroom floor anything up to a month ahead and drop stuff in in dibs and drabs, all the while calling me out for not having started packing yet..... insist on packing the kitchen sink (he should have been born in the Edwardian era as a toff as he couldn’t choose an outfit for the day, and stick to it - he would change multiple times a day, and litter up the bedroom with discarded outfits which may or may not be worn again, and then insists on us all going and “doing something” when the kids and I were quite happily lounging and playing beside the pool....not that he actually had anything in mind - he just didn’t want to lounge by the pool. He’d throw a hissy fit when the rest of us refused to just pack up and follow him to no particular destination. I used to tell him to go off and do whatever he wanted and leave us to enjoy ourselves!
he was another one who loved his hiking, and never missed an opportunity to drag us off in the ooloo- despite the fact we had no proper hiking shoes or protective clothing (because we had never planned to do any hiking) then yell at us for not keeping up with his route March pace. It got to the point that eventually we decided on separate holidays - kids and I doing our thing (bucket and spade holiday in nice resort) him doing his (cross country skiing, sailing, hiking) with just a short family holiday together where we jointly decided where to go, how to get there and what we were doing once there! It helped to have everyone’s expectations managed!
now we are divorced, he still does his holidays from hell alone, and the kids and I still go off together and have a normal holiday!
Jul 25, 2018, 12:35 pm
#132
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17,454
But do you write Terms of Service, by any chance?
//also just a joke....I think//
Jul 25, 2018, 3:58 pm
#133
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wonderful Weald of kent
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 989
To all those who replied to my travel companion from hell....
yes, I was probably his companion from hell too..... but he genuinely found it difficult to accept anyone's ideas for activities bar his own. Kids and I use a holiday as a reason to relax and unwind, and generally chill out. Outings are fine as long as they don't involve hours sitting in a car on small twisting roads, and exploring in the heat of the day we aren't interested in routemarches at great speed!
the things he liked doing were not what the rest of us wanted, and he didn't want to do what we wanted to do - hence separate holidays...... him to his "action man" adventures and the rest of us to our pool hogging - the kids have never expressed any desire to run up mountains, or cross country ski 50km a day ��
Funnily enough - neither does his new girlfriend.... she can't stand the overpacking and let's "do something!" Nagging either!
yes, I was probably his companion from hell too..... but he genuinely found it difficult to accept anyone's ideas for activities bar his own. Kids and I use a holiday as a reason to relax and unwind, and generally chill out. Outings are fine as long as they don't involve hours sitting in a car on small twisting roads, and exploring in the heat of the day we aren't interested in routemarches at great speed!
the things he liked doing were not what the rest of us wanted, and he didn't want to do what we wanted to do - hence separate holidays...... him to his "action man" adventures and the rest of us to our pool hogging - the kids have never expressed any desire to run up mountains, or cross country ski 50km a day ��
Funnily enough - neither does his new girlfriend.... she can't stand the overpacking and let's "do something!" Nagging either!
Jul 25, 2018, 9:04 pm
#134
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Owner of 2,000 TWA shares
Posts: 812
Well my horrendous travel companion was my ex husband!
i was brought up in a family who had to travel back and forth to the UK, and my parents had a golden rule with us all - if you want it - you have to carry it around..... so it focused us on only taking what we need on trips. My packing tends to be well thought out, and I have a list of what I’m packing and in the week before, ensure that it is all washed, ironed and close at hand, before finally packing at the last possible moment to minimise time in the bag. I can manage well for a fortnight with a small suitcase. We went on holiday as a family once with just two suitcases...... he had the larger one all to himself, whilst my daughter and I shared the smaller one!
He would open his suitcase on the spare bed or the bedroom floor anything up to a month ahead and drop stuff in in dibs and drabs, all the while calling me out for not having started packing yet..... insist on packing the kitchen sink (he should have been born in the Edwardian era as a toff as he couldn’t choose an outfit for the day, and stick to it - he would change multiple times a day, and litter up the bedroom with discarded outfits which may or may not be worn again, and then insists on us all going and “doing something” when the kids and I were quite happily lounging and playing beside the pool....not that he actually had anything in mind - he just didn’t want to lounge by the pool. He’d throw a hissy fit when the rest of us refused to just pack up and follow him to no particular destination. I used to tell him to go off and do whatever he wanted and leave us to enjoy ourselves!
he was another one who loved his hiking, and never missed an opportunity to drag us off in the ooloo- despite the fact we had no proper hiking shoes or protective clothing (because we had never planned to do any hiking) then yell at us for not keeping up with his route March pace. It got to the point that eventually we decided on separate holidays - kids and I doing our thing (bucket and spade holiday in nice resort) him doing his (cross country skiing, sailing, hiking) with just a short family holiday together where we jointly decided where to go, how to get there and what we were doing once there! It helped to have everyone’s expectations managed!
now we are divorced, he still does his holidays from hell alone, and the kids and I still go off together and have a normal holiday!
i was brought up in a family who had to travel back and forth to the UK, and my parents had a golden rule with us all - if you want it - you have to carry it around..... so it focused us on only taking what we need on trips. My packing tends to be well thought out, and I have a list of what I’m packing and in the week before, ensure that it is all washed, ironed and close at hand, before finally packing at the last possible moment to minimise time in the bag. I can manage well for a fortnight with a small suitcase. We went on holiday as a family once with just two suitcases...... he had the larger one all to himself, whilst my daughter and I shared the smaller one!
He would open his suitcase on the spare bed or the bedroom floor anything up to a month ahead and drop stuff in in dibs and drabs, all the while calling me out for not having started packing yet..... insist on packing the kitchen sink (he should have been born in the Edwardian era as a toff as he couldn’t choose an outfit for the day, and stick to it - he would change multiple times a day, and litter up the bedroom with discarded outfits which may or may not be worn again, and then insists on us all going and “doing something” when the kids and I were quite happily lounging and playing beside the pool....not that he actually had anything in mind - he just didn’t want to lounge by the pool. He’d throw a hissy fit when the rest of us refused to just pack up and follow him to no particular destination. I used to tell him to go off and do whatever he wanted and leave us to enjoy ourselves!
he was another one who loved his hiking, and never missed an opportunity to drag us off in the ooloo- despite the fact we had no proper hiking shoes or protective clothing (because we had never planned to do any hiking) then yell at us for not keeping up with his route March pace. It got to the point that eventually we decided on separate holidays - kids and I doing our thing (bucket and spade holiday in nice resort) him doing his (cross country skiing, sailing, hiking) with just a short family holiday together where we jointly decided where to go, how to get there and what we were doing once there! It helped to have everyone’s expectations managed!
now we are divorced, he still does his holidays from hell alone, and the kids and I still go off together and have a normal holiday!
Jul 26, 2018, 12:11 am
#135
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sydney Australia
Programs: No programs & No Points!!!
Posts: 14,222
Mine is not really a horror story, but a dear friend and I just got back from a RTW. We have very different spending habits, and it seemed that I ended up paying half of her spendthrift bills. She's the only person that I've ever eaten with that orders 2 meals or 2 desserts (it was in France, but still...) just to try them both. She ordered a $40 bottle of wine, I had a glass full at her insistence, then ended up splitting the bill when checking out of the safari camp. I was happy in the lounge with free snacks, appetizers and wine, she wanted to go to the restaurant. Her spending habits are far different than mine. This is a dear friend, that I want to stay dear friends with, but splitting the bill during the trip, by the day, or whatever seems to still be costing me a bundle.
We went out with a group and they were just being DB's and didn't even wait for us to get to the restaurant before they started ordering and eating. I said to my husband as we ordered our own meals, we are definitely NOT splitting the bill this time.