Yikes! :eek: I'm not riding with you pal :D

Toronto hotel nightmare
 

Stayed at a Fairmont there. Neighbors were incredibly, incredibly loud into the wee hours of the morning. Mgmnt, after several calls to them, finally confronted them with their security staff and sent the 'guests' home. No sleep for me that night. It sounded like there was a party and a construction crew both in the room together. I still wonder what they were doing. Memorable anyways...

Ya know after that creepy cruise ship murder, reporting stuff like noisy neighbors should be SOP.

Get me to CAE
 

This was, by far, the longest day of my life...sorta like Chevy Chase's Vacation movies...

Background

When I left for my sophomore year of college (near CAE), I was given my Mom's old car. It wasn't very old, but it broke down so often that the dealership service guys and me were on a first-name basis. I tried telling Dad I needed another car, but he insisted it would be cheaper to keep fixing it.

One day, I planned to drive from CAE to HPN - stay a few nights - drive to BOS to visit friends for the weekend - return to HPN for a few nights and drive back to CAE. Prior to leaving CAE initially, I stopped at the dealership and the car checked out fine.

Made it from CAE to HPN, but car broke down in BOS - Dad had to pick me up and tow the car. We took the car to a NY dealership - they fixed it again ("new problem" this time).

The Journey Begins
A few days later, we wake-up at 4 am to drive south. Ten miles before the NJ / DE border, Dad comments how smooth the car feels. We stop to pay the NJ / DE toll and the car won't go back in gear.

Dad decides to call a tow truck to take us to a small, regoinal airport. The plan is we will rent a car with a hitch and tow the car back to the dealership in CAE.

This airport was about 5 miles and tow truck #1 charged us some insane amount (like $250). Every rental counter claims to have no cars available. Dad begs and pleads and finally gets an employee to admit. "Well, we have no CLEAN ones...". At this point, Dad would have probably driven a garbage truck. Finally, they rent us a car, but will not permit us to attach a tow-dolly because the car does not hae a metal bumper.

So, Dad implements Plan 2 - tow the car from the small airport to the XXX dealership, rent a car at the dealership to drive to the PHL airport and fly to CAE. We pay another ridiculous amount to have the car towed to the dealership, rent a car, and drive to the PHL airport.

At the time (many years ago), air tickets to CAE were a fortune and last-minute air tickets were a double-fortune. Dad somehow convinces the gate agent to sell us military tickets for $99 OW.

The flight leaves in two hours. They check our suitcases - but won't check the sewing machine unless we put it in a box. So we drive to the cargo area to find a box. Dad hands me the tickets and boarding passes.

When we return, Dad goes inside the terminal to check the sewing machine and I head to the restroom. When we meet back at the car, we peek through locked doors to see the keys hanging from the ignition - the flight leaves in 25 mintues.

The car rental company sends a guy to the terminal to unlock the car and we rush to the gate. Everyone is on the flight and they are about to close the boarding door.

Dad turns to me for the tickets. I have both tickets, but only one boarding pass. I guess they took pitty on us because I was past the point of tears.. They let us board and said they would charge us for another full-fare ticket if we did not mail them the boarding pass within a week.

We did not arrive in CAE until after midnight. In the end, the car-rental company did find the boarding pass and on my next trip home, I got a new-used car! :D

During a cold, rainy night driving back to school from PA to CT, the engine in my car exploded. This was on the NJ turnpike literally right in front of EWR (this should give you an idea). No money and this was 1985 - no cellphone and about the scariest year possible in terms of urban crime).

You know that movie with Griffin Dunne; this was basically the same sort of thing but in Newark instead of NYC! :eek:

Two words - Tower Air.

You have either been through hell with them, or never flew them.

Two words - Peach Air.

The worst airline ever. My employers chartered them to bring us DUB - LGW - DUB and it was the most horrible experience ever. From the overwhelming peach theme (seats, cabin crew uniform, cabin crew make up, cabin crew fake tan) to the ghasty meal ("scone" you could use as a stressball) to the fact that they almost killed us all on the approach back into DUB. Horrible. Oddly enough, no longer in business.

In my early 20's some flight going to somewhere on US Airways I think was diverted to some redneck southern state where we had to overnight (comped by the airline) on some regional jet.

Some lady was really after me, would not leave me alone whether looking at, talking to, or rubbing against me.

Far be it for a horny 20-something guy to give up a guaranteed piece of ... of but she was just not doing it for me. One of those great bodies but with a face that would make the Eiffel tower go limp.

Besides I was dating a H2D already and did not need to have that baggage.

For some reason I loathed that travel experience more than any delay, misconnect, diversion, or cancellation I've been on, which can be fun due to the bonding that can occur.

On a trip to Hawaii for work I had to sit next to a really boring guy who would NOT shut up. He would blather for an hour until I pretended to fall asleep. When I opened my eyes he would pick up where he left off. This went on for several cycles.

He finally shut up and picked up his National Enquirer to read. He seemed particularly interested in an article about an ax murderer who was now missing.
I pointed to the picture of the guy and asked him if he thought I looked better with or without the beard. After a few moments he moved and I never saw him again for the next 4 hours.

True Story. El Al flight TLV-VIE in the mid-80's. I was only about 10-12 years old, on a family vacation.
Flight to Vienna was smooth. We were getting ready to land in Vienna, got the seatbacks back to their upright position, you know the drill. But instead of landing shortly thereafter, we found ourselves still flying above the city. After a few minutes of flying (when were were already supposed to be on the ground), I realized we were circling the city. We made a few rounds before the pilot told us that the landing gear on one side wouldn't come down, so we had to burn off all remaining fuel and do an emergency belly landing.
All passengers were told to take their shoes off (so that their shoes wouldn't puncture the inflatable emergency slides), and to assume the crash position (tray tables down, arms folded on the tray tables and our heads inside our folded arms.
We were told to brace for impact, and that as soon as the plane would land on its belly, we would have to calmly move to the nearest exit and slide down the chute (yes, even though the plane would still be moving).
We were all getting ready... the plane was getting closer to the ground... just when the wheel finally decided to come out and we had a normal landing. Phew. Somehow I'm still addicted to flying after that experience!

LMAO! :D

Also can't beat the coup story but I do have another Venezuela one. I was touring the Venezuelan Andes a couple of days before my return flight to the US from Caracas. After coming off a mountain in the evening found out there was to be a transport strike the next day. With only passing Spanish I managed to bargain my way into the last ticket on the last bus out for a "red eye" to Caracas. My seat was the middle one in the back. Between being thrown a few inches into the air every time the bus hit a bump and having an M-16 shoved into my face at every state border crossing I didn't get any sleep. I did make it out though.

After taking the bar exam in summer 2002, I wanted a nice, relaxing vacation before starting work. Because I had to attend two weddings (on opposite coasts) and move to DC, I only had one week in which to cram that nice, relaxing vacation. So a friend and I decided Prague and Budapest might be fun....

Pre-trip: highly recommended travel agency fails to send tickets and travel information until day before trip, despite repeated calls. Stress level high.

Day 1: I arrive at JFK from DCA, and wait for friend, who is living in NYC, to meet me there. We are flying Czech Air JFK-PRG-BUD. Flight begins pre-boarding, still no friend. Finally comes running up - her cab driver hadn't known how to get to JFK from Midtown. :rolleyes: Stress level very high. We are seated 15 rows apart in Y and enjoy turbulence all the way across the Atlantic.

Day 2: After tight connection in PRG, arrive in BUD to find that my checked suitcase has been lost. First told bag is in PRG, then told airline has no idea where it is. Luckily have clean t-shirt and underwear in carry on. Stress level very high.

Day 3: Still no bag. Clean t-shirt no longer very clean. After repeated calls to Czech Air bag finally arrives in the evening. Stress level normal.

Day 4: We decide to celebrate last day in Budapest by having dinner at what we've been told is the nicest restaurant in town. We enjoy a good meal, and, having been told by the hotel not to take taxis because we will get ripped off, take the metro back to the hotel around 11 pm. Get confused with the metro requirement of ticket stamping (can't find the stamping machine when we transfer lines). On getting off metro at our stop are immediately accosted by three loud and angry ticket checkers, screaming at us and demanding to see appropriately stamped tickets. We show approximately 20 properly stamped tickets accumulated over 2 days in BUD and explain inability to find stamping machine. They scream louder, threaten to call Hungarian police. I say bring it on and whisper to friend that we can probably make a run for it as checkers are large and appear out of shape. Friend, as voice of reason, allows us to be marched to an ATM to pay $6 fine. Stress level astronomical.

Day 5: Arrive at airport to find early a.m. flight to PRG cancelled. No Czech Air reps telling us anything. A group of about 10 of us of varying nationalities end up spending about 12 hours together in the airport. Stress level off the charts. Finally get on an evening flight and arrive in PRG. So happy to be out of BUD that I literally jump for joy on arrival. Stress level low.

Day 6: Explore PRG but due to recent, devastating flooding Charles Bridge and much of the Jewish Quarter is closed. Friend reads in travel book about statue of patron saint of lawyers on Charles Bridge, thinks about bar exam, and bursts into tears. I start thinking about bar exam. Stress level medium-high.

Day 7: I depart (friend is meeting up with dad for more travels). Am seated on aisle next to two frat boys concluding first overseas trip who consume approximately 10 beers each and alternate hitting on me with pushing past me to get to the lav. Again, a bumpy ride all the way across the Atlantic.

One good thing came from this debacle of a trip - when my luggage was lost, that was the third time it had happened in a year. I bought a smaller rollaboard suitcase and from then on have never checked a bag.

But did you pass the bar? :p

Thankfully yes, we both passed! :D