20 Vacation Stories That Are Way More Interesting Than a Postcard

The long-awaited vacation is a time to relax, recharge, and have a great time. However, the heroes of this article probably didn’t plan to have adventures of this magnitude. But now they have stories they will tell their grandchildren someday.

• I arrive at a secluded, coastal hotel around 2 a.m. When the taxi pulls up to the hotel... it’s on fire. When the owner, standing out front sees us, he opens the taxi door excitedly, “You come. I have nice room for you!” I point out that the hotel is on fire but he simply gestures and says, “Small fire. No problem. You come.” I. Am. Utterly. Exhausted. I find myself following the owner into the hotel, stepping over fire hoses, waving away smoke, passing fire fighters as they run up and down a very nice staircase. We pause at the second floor landing and the owner tells me, “See. Fire only on this side of hotel. This side no fire. You come.” My exhaustion removes every ounce of common sense and I follow him to a room down the hall. The room is indeed fire-free. I quickly scan the in-case-of-fire message on the back of the door, checked the window escape, and promptly pass out with my gear and boots on. In the morning, I awake (alive) wondering if I dreamt the entire thing. I go down the smokey stairs past the charred other side of the hotel. The owner is so happy to see me (still alive) that he eats breakfast with me. I went back a few years later, and the hotel had fully recovered. © neverpennyless / Reddit
• I went on vacation with a friend. We found a local flea market and bought old suitcases. We wandered around, and it was time to return to the hotel. We got on the subway and noticed a horrible smell. We tried breathing every other breath. When we switched lines, the smell followed. At some point, I decided to smell my suitcase. Turns out, it was us causing the stink. © Overheard / Ideer

My dog wanted to go on vacation with us, so she tried to blend in with the luggage.

• Camping in Capitol Reef National Park with my family and one other family. We drove there without AC, kids and dogs piled in with all the camping gear in 100+ degree weather, 6-hour drive. Get there and set up camp, have dinner and get to bed early. We would tie our dog up to a tree on a leash that was long enough to reach into the tent, so she could sleep at our feet and go outside if she needed to. Left the tent half unzipped for her to go in and out. A skunk wandered into the tent, woke the dog, who started barking incessantly, the whole family was woken out of a dead sleep, stuck in the tent with a spraying skunk that can’t find its way out, and a barking dog. The aftermath was horrific. The stench we were covered in was so strong we were gagging, all our suitcases and extra clothes were covered in it. No showers at this campsite. We all had to “sleep” in the back of the truck the rest of the night. The other family wouldn’t come near us in the morning. Loaded back up in the truck for another 6 sweltering stinky hour drive home — all fighting for the first shower/bath in tomato juice when we got home (I guess that’s what removes skunk scent?). It was horrific. I’ve never once camped as an adult. I’m too traumatized. © wallace-asking / Reddit
• There were girls from Amsterdam at the hotel during our vacation. As a joke, they held a flirting competition between each other for the attention of the local entertainer. After 3 days of active attempts, the guy came up with the most brilliant move to ward them off. His grandmother started attending all the evening programs. © Zlobny_suslik / AdMe

I decided to grab a hot dog on vacation.

• I went on the sea vacation alone. Every morning I went to the beach and bought a chocolate donut on the way. About a week later, a neighbor started hitting on me. One day I woke up to a knock on the door, opened it, and there he was with a tray in his hands, and on the tray was a pile of chocolate donuts! He made them himself. I let him in, we chatted. From that morning on, we were together every day until I left. But he found me at home later! We’re getting married soon. © Caramel / VK
• I returned from the sea vacation — tanned, slim. In the evening my stomach hurt so much that I was taken by ambulance. They put me in a double room, and in the morning 3 young doctors examined me in turn. After the third one, my roommate burst out laughing. It turned out the second doctor was an ENT specialist, and the third was definitely from the children’s department, but she understands them because there are only old ladies in the hospital, and they want some variety. © Zhuzha Lapteva / Dzen

My dog said, “Vacation mode: activated.”

• When I was 19, my mom gave me money for a trip to the sea. I had a holiday romance there. 2 months later, I realized I was pregnant. That’s how, 10 years ago, my daughter was born. All these years I made up stories that her dad was a sailor or a pilot. Recently, I found him on social media and shocked him with the confession. He responded by saying that he dreams of having children and would happily acknowledge our daughter. © Mamdarinka / VK
• Have you ever made a spontaneous decision that you initially regretted, but later realized it was the best decision of your life? For me, that was a trip to Africa. I’m a workaholic by nature, have been working for 10 years without a single day off. One Saturday morning, I woke up and realized that I wanted to see something other than taxis to work and a tanned boss who recently returned from yet another resort. That very day, I booked tickets for a 10-day tour to Africa. I had dreamed of visiting Africa since childhood. While sitting on the plane, I was very anxious and regretted this hasty decision, but once I checked into the hotel, I realized it was the best thing I had ever done. I spent all 10 days as if in paradise. Africa welcomed me wonderfully. During this trip, I learned one important thing: no matter how busy you are, you must find time to rest. © Ward № 6 / VK

Once upon a time in Turkey

(Beware of the angry dog)

• I made plans with my friend that as soon as I got the chance, I’d fly to Germany to see the Cologne Cathedral. We talked about it a month ago, but I just couldn’t make up my mind — work, errands, you name it. Basically, after some time, I had enough and thought, “That’s it, I really need to go.” I found our chat, texted, “So, what’s the plan for the month? Anyway, I’m coming to see you.” I started checking flight prices, she sent over some hotel locations nearby, and I picked some dates. She asked, “Did you just suddenly decide?” I replied, “Yeah, I’m fed up,” and started talking about work, telling her, “I want to relax.” She said, “Well, give it some more thought, you seem to be rushing it.” And then, a couple of days later, my friend and another girl both responded to my post at the same time. I was like, stop. I scroll through the chat, check both of their profiles — and I realized all this time I’d been messaging the wrong person. Both had similar usernames and avatars. © mironenko.kr / Threads
• In Egypt, following the locals’ advice, I decided to save money on a taxi and take a minibus instead. I got to the corner, and suddenly, a group of men rushed toward me. One grabbed my suitcase, another made a call, while the rest just smiled. Then, a fancy minivan pulled up, and I was ushered into it, where local women with kids were already sitting. Turned out, this was the very minibus I was looking for. © stupina2132 / Threads

Our vacation rental was described as having a golf course view. Technically, that was true...

• In a restaurant in Brno in the Czech Republic, we didn’t speak much Czech, the staff didn’t speak much English. So they resorted to making the animal noises so we knew which meats we were ordering. By the time the waiter had got to the grilled lamb, half of the other guests in the restaurant were joining in. © Unknown author / Reddit
• Greece. Rhodes. Waiting in a queue in a small village bakery shop, I looked outside and saw a nearby parked car shaking slightly. I thought, “The driver must have left his engine running.” Then the woman serving in the shop suddenly screamed loudly and ran out the shop. Following her outside, I looked down the long straight country road and could see the entire road rising and falling in waves, just like undulating waves at the seaside. It was of course just an earth tremor. But scary enough to scare even the locals. © wcrucre / Reddit
• While on vacation, I met a guy and we had a whirlwind romance. The guy had a beard, and like in a fairy tale, he allowed me to pluck hairs from his beard and make wishes. We remained on good terms and corresponded via mail. In one of the letters, the envelope contained red hairs and a note: “Only for the most desired things.” So I wished for our reunion. 4 years later, that wish came true! © Karamel / VK

Here’s what I spent my vacation money on. It’s a sleep paradise.

• They invited me to a birthday party I wasn’t really keen on attending, but since I sort of promised, it felt awkward to back out. I didn’t think much about the gift, just asked the birthday person which game they wanted for their console, and bought the disc. While getting ready for the party, I decided to check if it worked and what the game was about. I ended up playing it for 6 straight hours. Didn’t go to the party, took 3 days off work, ignored calls and messages, lived off food delivery, and just played. Best unexpected vacation ever! © Not Everyone Gets It / VK

And these family vacations could be turned into movie scripts.