My Worse Christmas Holiday Travel Experience

My Worse Holiday Travel Experience occurred when, at the last minute, we decided to visit my cousin who lived in sunny Florida. The kids got all excited at the thought of getting on a plane for the first time and leaving the snow in New York. My husband called all the airlines. He tried to book a flight for two adults and two young children. I started to pack. As it turned out, none of the airlines had an empty seat. Everyone living in New York had the same idea it seemed, to exchange the New York snow for the sunshine of Florida.

We had a family discussion and decided that a Greyhound Bus trip might be an exciting holiday travel experience. The kids agreed. We telephoned and purchased three tickets. My youngest would sit on my lap. The very next morning, we called a cab to drive the family to the Greyhound Bus terminal. We picked up our tickets, boarded the bus and waited for it to leave the depot.

We found three empty seats. The youngest sat on my lap. We were anxious to get on our way.

Finally the other passengers boarded the bus. The seats were not reserved. Each of the arriving passengers pushed and shoved to find an empty seat. Our holiday travel experience was like a nightmare. Little did we know that the worse had not begun.

Some of the new passengers were young. Others old. Most looked angry as they pushed and shoved in an attempt to get a seat. Many ended up standing, thus blocking the aisle. One burly looking guy stood next to my husband and blocked his access. I held the youngest on my lap and the other sat on the seat next to me. It was crowded, hot and uncomfortable and we had not as yet left the Bus Depot to reach our holiday travel destination.

Finally the bus driver shut the doors. The trip to Florida had begun. It was late in the day. Drivers were heading home on this holiday weekend. The highway was crowded. The bus driver drove slowly as he left the bus terminal. We were finally on our way.

The drive heading towards our destination was bumpy. Passengers, who ended up standing, shoved each other for much needed space. My kids were restless. They were tired of sitting so long and were hungry. Each needed to go the bathroom that was found at the very back of the bus. We were sitting at the front.

The bus driver made a few pit stops for food and use of the bathroom. However, we feared leaving the bus. We knew that others, who were tired of standing, would grab our seats. The crowd did not look a bit friendly.They were yelling and shoving. We got scared. I was glad that I had packed sandwiches and drinks to eat.

We closed our eyes in an attempt to get some sleep. It was impossible with all the noise inside the bus. We were not even halfway there but we wished we had stayed home on this Christmas holiday and gone to a movie! This was a terrible holiday travel experience.

Nightfall was upon us. A big gruffy man walked over. He had been standing during the entire trip. He yelled at us - and not in a kindly way- that we should hold our kid on our lap and give him the seat!. This was not a friendly crowd.The kids got scared and so did I. Little did I know that the worse was yet to come.

As we headed further South, the bus became local instead of express. It stopped at every bus stop and on every street along the way. People shoved to leave and pushed to get on. It was a rowdy crowd. The bus driver drove slowly. Our trip to Florida for the Christmas Holiday became a nightmare.

We decided to leave the bus and find a taxicab to finish the trip. By this time it was midnight. We had not a clue where we were. The only thing we knew was we were not going back on that bus!. We grabbed our bags and walked off the bus.

We went into the diner, ate, went to the bathroom and grabbed a cab. We had no idea where we were going. We managed to find a telephone booth and called my cousin. She was frantic. No one in the family had known where we were.

It was two in the morning when we finally arrived. They prepared a hearty breakfast for us and showed us to our rooms. We were exhausted and slept for half the day. They had called the family to let them know we were safe and sound.

The problem that lay ahead was how to get back home? Never would I take the bus back. We decided to figure it out later. In the meantime, we all enjoyed the visit to our family on this Christmas Holiday. This ended up to be our worse travel experience ever!

How we got home is another story!