Ever go travelling with someone,

[Mizmoon]

only to make the horrible realization that, in fact, you cannot stand this person?

Damn, she seemed nice enough when we were PLANNING the trip...

[LisaLynne]

1. Been there.

You have my sympathies. :)

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. Yes......

:evilfrown:

This was a bipolar person taking lithium and drinking booze while taking the drug.

[Mizmoon]

4. How long were you trapped?

I was trapped for five long days.

[greatauntoftriplets]

10. A little more than 3 weeks.....

WAY too long a time. Thankfully, I've never heard from her since.

[sbj405]

23. Three weeks with anyone would be tough n/t

[greatauntoftriplets]

24. True....

There were so many things, but the worst was that I could never gauge her reaction to anything. With the booze and the lithium, she seemed to veer between moods like quicksilver.

The first thing was that British Airways had upgraded me from coach to business class (uncrowded plane and I was one of several picked at random). It was such a thrill to have leg room on a trans-Atlantic flight (I am a 5' 10" woman) and I mentioned it to this woman when I greeted her plane at Heathrow. She was immediately pissed off....and it went downhill from there.

I had been to England before a number of times. She had never been previously. I felt comfortable there, she did not. I felt comfortable to the point where people would come up to me on the street and asked me directions. Usually then I'd pull out my map and try to help. That pissed her off.

I could go on and on....

[randyrat]

3. Ugh...

Too many times, man.

I am not going on trips with family any more either... Now I know why we live in different parts of the country.

[Mizmoon]

12. Welcome to DU randyrat!

:hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. You bet.

And I'm related to her, so there are times (funerals,weddings) where we have to travel together...blech.

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. Yup.

1991--pre-reprehensor. A week and a half.

My mom and I planned a trip to Italy with a lady my mom and dad had known when they lived there (1958-1961). My dad was stationed at Aviano AFB. P's husband and my dad were workmates.

P's husband was dead, my dad was dead, and Aviano AFB was having a reunion of folks who;d been stationed there. I was SOOOOO psyched about Italy!

We traveled from Milan to Pisa, to Florence, to Pordenone, Venice, and back to Milan with this woman, and she began driving both of us bonkers.

We'd drive past a castle on the highway, and she'd claim it was the same castle we'd seen the day before (even though we were all the way on the other side of the country from the last castle).

All she could talk about was her daughter Teri this, Teri that...

And when she saw the doctor who;d delivered her one kid on base, it was Doctor Sirugo! Doctor Sirugo! She introduced herself to this man at the reunion, gushing all over him like they were old friends, and he looked at her like she was crazy. Like "Who the hell is this woman?? Mama mia!"

In Venice, I was in line to get us tickets for the water-taxi, but my Italian wasn't very good, so I needed her there with me. She hung back. Italians are very aggressive line pushers, and WILL cut in front of you. The further forward I got, the further back she hung.

So, in frustration (since I thought I'd get to the front of the line and wouldn't know what to say), I said "Get OVER here!!!!" in a panic.

She snottily turned on her heel, walked away, and I was left ot get the tickets ANYWAY, stuttering over my Italian. Mom and I were left looking all over the Venice train station for this fat, loud, pain-in-the-ass windbag, when all I wanted to do was freaking LEAVE her there.

When we finally found her at the bar, melodramatically wiping her tears and acting SOOOO put upon, she demanded that I apologize, and telling me I needed to respect my elders. I about told her to go fuck herself right there. Mom and her pained look was the only reason I didn't.

She went back to Tennessee, and we went back to Texas, and I don't think they've talked since!! (I know she and I haven't!)

FSC

[Mizmoon]

8. Yes, the navigationally impaired

So my companion and I are trying to find a certain cafe. I tell her I'm sure it's just down the road and all we need to do is turn around and go back, we must have missed it.

Now this girl has gotten us lost about 10 times by now ... she obviously has no idea how to use a map, but is certain she's God's gift to navigation. She whips out her useless map yet again and stands there mumbling. After several days of her getting on my nerves, getting us lost, and saying the most moronic things possible to everyone we meet, I have had enough. I say, "I know where it is. Either follow me or meet me there." And I walked away.

I find and sit down in the cafe about 2 minutes later. I have a hot chocolate and cake. Still my companion does not show up. I get a cup of tea and wait. About 45 minutes later she shows up, says,"I got sooooo lost!" and then complains that I ate without her. THEN she starts bragging about what an "incredible sense of direction" she has.

This is but a tiny sample of the many times I nearly killed her for the good of all humanity. Then I remembered that all creatures have a purpose. She's lucky. It is this belief which saved her life.

[NV Whino]

7. Yes

Five weeks in Scotland. By week three we weren't talking. We would arrive at a destination, he would go his way and I mine. We met for dinner and whatever was on at the festival. He married a nice lady shortly after that, and amazingly we have remained good (but distant) friends.

I've also traveled with a female friend several times. She hates to travel with her husband but we get along fine.

[flamingyouth]

9. Oh yes...

Ugh. I traveled once with a Complainer. She carped loudly and cruelly at every hotel, in every restaurant, everywhere. I was so embarrassed.

We met up with friends in a restaurant, and we all ordered drinks. I got up to use the restroom and walked by the bar. My traveling companion was her usual charming self. :eyes: The server went to the bartender and placed the order for our drinks, adding, "Make it fast! They really need it!"

[Mizmoon]

11. Mine had a free room and STILL complained about it

We rented a houseboat, but at the last minute she could not afford it. I offered to pay the entire rental, which meant that she had her very own private room on a canal in Amsterdam for free. And she complained. The "blige pump" was too loud, the boat "rocked" too much, and she wanted to know if she could come use the kitchen (in my bedroom) even if I was sleeping. The swans on the canal weren't very interesting because "swans are mean". I could go on and on ...

[flamingyouth]

13. LOL - "swans are mean"

Someday you'll laugh about this, I promise. :D

[amazona]

20. aw poor swans

My friend said the swans in Amsterdam were funny looking! He was bothered by the young (blotchy) ones.

[bif]

14. I spent 6 months with a childhood friend in Europe

And we got along great. Actually we split up for a time when I made friends with someone else. But it was a mutual split. We hooked up at the end of the trip. And now, almost 30 years later are still friends. And I'm still pals with the other guy I met in Europe. But I've heard many horror stories about travelling with friends. Check out Bill Bryson's book about this. It's very funny.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

15. That is what every couple should do... that is how my wife

and I knew we were meant to be.
We travel the same way.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

16. My buddy SouthoftheborderPaul has THE BEST story about this

I can only sum up.

He went to Italy to hiis brother's wedding with a girl he was in a relationship with. She ended up staying up all hours hanging ith poolboys, treating him like crap and embarrasing him in front of his family.

Finally his mother chewed her out he gave her her plane ticket, got her a cab and said "I never want to see you again"

When he first told me this in all its glory I told him to write a screenplay. Maybe he'll stumble upon this thread and elaborate

:)

[hunter]

17. Oh bother, as Pooh says...

It's the travelling that's fun. Who cares where you end up?

By myself I've travelled across the United States and parts of Mexico never staying at good motels or campgrounds, sleeping just wherever I land.

My wife doesn't like to do that. She likes to have reservations at nicer places that have clean toilets and no biting bugs.

For goodness sakes, you lucky devil, you are traveling with "she." Do what you can to make her happy.

[Mizmoon]

18. Well, I'm a heterosexual "she"

so it's not quite as exciting as you might imagine.

[hunter]

21. I saw, after I posted...

But "swans are mean" is funny. You will have fond memories of that.

When I was in college I was traveling with this guy through New Mexico. We stopped in this little town and rented a motel room with two beds for seven dollars. There were roaches in the shower, but they ran away when you turned on the light. Rinse off the floor, and you were all set.

I was sound asleep when I heard a woman screaming. I instantly woke up and saw my idiot traveling companion having sex with this scary looking woman with very skinny arms. She was on top of him and she looked at me and licked her lips.

I put on my pants, grabbed my shoes, and went out for a long walk.

On this trip the guy also discovered he liked cheap beer. Previously he'd thought Heineken was cheap beer, since his parents gave him a very generous allowance, but then we bought some Old Milwaukee and he couldn't believe how cheap it was, so he bought three cases, which he drank in three days, during which he was mostly dead weight, and I was hauling his ass around whenever we weren't pulled over so he could piss and drink some more.

I laugh about it now, but then I was angry then.

[fudge stripe cookays]

26. I'm with your wife!

I'm entirely too spoiled for Motel 6.

I go for the 3 star and above. I figured...I spent most of my life struggling and saving. Now that I have a good job, I like to travel in style (while I can...in this economy it could go at any time!).

FSC

[hunter]

27. Motel 6 is good, mostly.

I met Erin Brockovich's agent at the Motel 6 in Barstow. I have very fond memories of the Motel 6 in Riverside.

[amazona]

19. yes this one couple from hell

I didn't know the lady very well and just thought she was shy. It turns out her problems go way beyond that. She wrecked the rental car (as in totalled it) and left food sitting out all over the rental house. As far as I can figure out she was raised by wild pigs. Her husband was a little better but really only a little.

[skygazer]

22. I always travel alone

I took a train trip from Vermont to Oklahoma once with a guy I knew fairly well. What a pain in the ass! He clung to me like glue, embarassed me in front of other travellers, was completely ignorant and tiresome - surprised the hell out of me. People change completely when they travel.

Oh, and then there was the boyfriend who was the "planner". We'd take a road trip and he'd be marking out the proposed route with highlighters, with rest stops and motels circled, the whole nine yards. I'm impulsive and fly by the seat of your pants. He was like a CPA, everything graphed out beforehand. Ex-boyfrined, I should have said.

Now I travel alone. Much better. Do whatever I damn well please and I can sing along to the radio, too.

[SarahB]

25. Nope

But it would be nice to find out one way or the other soon. In my case anyway.