Travel Regrets

Have you ever experienced a truly terrible holiday, had a wasted trip or just been the victim of bad luck at a new destination?

An unexpected injury or sickness, a badly suited companion, the impact of a quick decision or some really bad karma can ruin your holiday or trip leaving you returning home full of regrets.

Or was it the destination? Was the location of your stay, your accommodation the straw that broke the camel's back?

I have experienced all of the above, (thankfully not together) and they can really inflict on what should be blissful memories, but they have never made me regret my trips.

Some of them even provided me an opportunity to do or see something different, when I took a hell of a reaction to sandflies (yes they exist) in Thailand I found myself exploring the inside of San Paulo Hospital, Hua Hin, which was an eye opening experience. Again that same reaction led me and my boyfriend to stay in the lap of luxury on Viti Levu, Fiji as a treat of enduring my pain for two weeks during and island hopping trip.

Find yourself unable to get accommodation? – Stay the night in the airport, sleep in a car – the less money you have the more inventive you need to be!

If you don't like your travelling partner – take a day off go exploring by yourself and you will find a world of exciting things and you may also make new friends.

Hate the destination ... well that is a tough one – catch up on some reading possibly?!

My travel regrets are made up of places of things I just didn't get around to:

• We didn't have time for a three day visit to Fraser island on Australia's East Coast
• Ruled out Chang Mai because it was a long distance to travel
• Dismissed Milford Sound in New Zealand as a nice Day Trip
• Cut Washington DC out of our USA tournament

When you meet someone and talk about a specific country or area you have visited and you hear about a place (which is obviously the BEST thing to do according to everyone) but you didn't visit – do you feel regret?

You shouldn't of course you should just note it in your mind to go back, and this I have done – but Fraser Island and Milford Sound ... that is not going to be my next weekend away is it?!

A friend told me a regret is something you wanted to do but were afraid, or rushed into too quickly.

Like not travelling solo, wishing to stay somewhere for longer but not doing it, not travelling full stop.

You can't help that you get sick, your friend is an ass or you lost all your money – that is all part of the travel experience but you can regret foolishness and letting yourself be bounded by fear.Now that I think of it, I do regret not seeing that ping pong show in Bangkok ....!

Ping pong show ...

Do you have any travel regrets?