The Family Vacation Fail
Family vacations are supposed to be a time to relax, create lifelong memories, and spend time with the people we cherish most. However, a once fun and fulfilling break can quickly turn sour when an unruly family member begins acting out of line. This can make a once cherished road trip awkward and annoying, and ruin the vacation for everyone attending. In fact, nobody knows this situation better than our pal who has been through it himself, “Andrew,” with his awful aunt “Karen.” Gael
Andrew’s ancestors were Irish, and he took great pride in learning Gaelige, the Irish language. Little did Andrew know, his cousin, “Grant,” began learning Gaelige, too. Andrew thought this was the perfect opportunity for him and Grant to travel to Ireland, stay in Gaeltacht, and learn about their ancestors.
Unfortunately for Andrew, his aunt Karen and uncle “Brian,” wanted to be included in the trip to Ireland. Andrew couldn’t say no, since Karen and Brian were Grant’s parents after all!
Only hours into the trip, aunt Karen began to show her true colors to her entire family. Between Karen’s lousy attitude, yelling, and complaining, would Andrew be able to save his and Grant’s long-awaited international travel?
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Grant, Gaelige, And Gaeltacht
Andrew had a deep adoration for Ireland. His grandmother often told him stories about Ireland and instilled a sense of love and pride in his heritage from a young age.
A couple of years ago, Andrew took up studying the Irish language Gaelige. Even though he was only a beginner at speaking and learning, he enjoyed the process, and he thought it was a beautiful language. Slowly but surely, he became more and more skilled at speaking in Gaelige.
I’ll give Andrew props, learning a new language is hard!
Just as Andrew began considering taking a trip to Ireland, his cousin, Grant, contacted him. Andrew thought this was strange, as he and Grant weren’t close growing up. However, Andrew liked him well enough, so they began talking more often. To Andrew’s surprise, Grant was also in the process of learning Gaelige, and he was interested in having someone to practice with.
This was perfect! Not only could Andrew practice with Grant, but Grant could tag along on his trip to Ireland, too! Andrew had been to Ireland a few times before but had never stayed in Gaeltacht, where individuals primarily spoke Gaelige. He thought this would be the perfect opportunity for him and Grant to experience an important part of their heritage.
Only days later, Andrew spoke with his uncle Brian, Grant’s father, and made a deal for Grant to attend the trip. Since Grant was in his first year of college, Andrew made a deal that if he worked hard in his classes and maintained a good grade point average, Grant could attend the trip. While Grant’s GPA dropped slightly below what Andrew expected, he still allowed him to attend the trip. After all, Andrew wanted to encourage him to keep his grades up and continue working hard.
Just as Andrew and Grant began prepping for their international travels, Andrew’s uncle called and asked him a question that would impact the trajectory of their vacation for good.
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Andrew’s Agonizing Dilemma
When Andrew answered the phone, Brian asked, “Do you care if I and your aunt Karen join you and Grant on vacation?”
Andrew internally sighed and took some time to think about his decision. The vacation was supposed to be a trip for Grant to escape his family for a few days, but he couldn’t say, “No,” to his uncle.
You see, Andrew’s uncle Brian and aunt Karen didn’t have much money. Despite Brian working hard to give Karen and Grant good and comfortable lives, there was only so much the family could afford. For example, Brian and Karen couldn’t afford to send Grant on vacation while putting him through college. However, Andrew assured his aunt and uncle that the entire trip would be on him, and they didn’t have to worry about paying him back.
Andrew booked business class seats for him and Grant’s flight, plus two rooms at a nice bed and breakfast. Since it was relatively last minute, Andrew could only find economy-class flight seats for his aunt and uncle. Luckily, he was able to find another room at the same bed and breakfast, too. Andrew was excited about the trip, but Grant was quite literally shaking.
Andrew is such a good family member! Paying for an entire trip for his aunt, uncle, and cousin? Impressive! He knew his grandmother would have been proud of his generosity.
As the vacation quickly approached, Andrew ensured to stress to his aunt and uncle that the purpose of the trip was for him and Grant to interact with native Gaelige speakers. There would be time for sightseeing, but the primary reason for the trip was for Grant to learn more about his heritage.
His aunt and uncle seemingly understood, and the family went forward with the trip. However, not long after Andrew, Grant, and uncle Brian arrived at the airport, it didn’t take long for aunt Karen to show her true attitude.
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Economy Class Catastrophe
When Andrew, Grant, uncle Brian, and aunt Karen arrived at the airport, Andrew managed to upgrade his aunt and uncle’s flight tickets to economy plus. Which, on an international flight, was an impressive feat. However, aunt Karen wasn’t pleased. Dang Karen, can’t you be a little grateful for once?
Karen cried, “I don’t get why we have to sit in those seats! You and Grant should sit in the economy class, and the grown-ups should get the nice seats! Grant, give me your ticket! I don’t deserve to be treated this way!”
For reference, Andrew was thirty years old, and Grant was nineteen years old. They were grown-ups, too!
Uncle Brian stared at the ground, embarrassed of his wife’s actions. Andrew knew he needed to stop this situation before it went any further.
Andrew asserted, “I paid for all four of these seats, so I will determine who sits where. Economy plus seats are still great. You and Brian enjoy your flight.”
Karen aggressively retorted, “Oh, so since you paid for everything, you think you’re in charge?”
“Yes,” Andrew replied, matching her attitude, “And if you don’t like it, you’re more than welcome to go back home.”
Aunt Karen huffed and puffed, but she didn’t say one word afterward.
Uncle Brian winked at Andrew as a small congratulations for winning the argument, and Grant apologized for his mother’s behavior.
At one point, Andrew heard Grant quietly whisper to himself, “My mom always does this.”
“Great, lucky for us,” Andrew thought.
The family boarded their airplane, and the flight to Ireland went smoother than Andrew had expected. The first two days in Ireland were great, but it wasn’t until the fourth day of the family’s trip that aunt Karen snapped and had a complete meltdown.
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Karen’s Maniacal Meltdown
The first two days Andrew and Grant spent in Ireland, they went into town and attempted to awkwardly converse with the locals. Luckily, the locals were great and helped the duo in their efforts, and they had never felt more welcome on a vacation before. Andrew and Grant were separate from Brian and Karen for the majority of the trip, except when they had breakfast together each morning of their stay.
One morning, Andrew noticed his aunt Karen was getting a bit edgy. All of the sudden on the fourth morning of their trip, Karen snapped.
After the waitress greeted the family, Karen abruptly yelled, “Does anyone in this place speak English? It’s like a foreign country here! My grandmother lived here her entire life, and she could speak perfect English! Why can’t you?”
After Karen yelled, the room went silent, and all eyes were on the family’s table.
Seriously, Karen? Who gave you the right to be so entitled?
Before Andrew could fully appreciate how his aunt said, “It’s like a foreign country,” he was out the door and running across the yard to catch the waitress.
Andrew told the waitress, “I am so sorry. Here, take this,” and handed her a fifty euro note before going back to speak to his aunt. He couldn’t believe Karen had the nerve to treat a total stranger so poorly!
Andrew marched back inside the bed and breakfast and asked his aunt, “Do you not understand what I told you about this part of Ireland? I told you Gaelige is the primary language spoken here. Most people will start interactions in Irish, and it is a big part of the bed and breakfast business, too.”
Karen simply huffed and puffed once more. Now, Andrew had a new problem on his hands.
Andrew needed to ensure he and Grant wouldn’t be kicked out of the bed and breakfast for crabby Karen’s despicable actions.
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Cranky Karen’s Demise
While Karen sat in her room with a bad attitude for the remainder of the trip, Andrew went to speak with the bed and breakfast manager to ensure the family wouldn’t be thrown out. The manager didn’t tolerate the mistreatment of her staff but told Andrew the family could stay.
However, the manager warned Andrew, “If your aunt is rude to our staff one more time, I will have to ask your family to leave.”
“Thank goodness,” Andrew thought.
The same day, Andrew rented a car to drive out to where he and Grant’s ancestors originally lived near Castlebar. He invited his aunt and uncle, but Karen stayed behind and sulked in their room.
Both Andrew and Grant thought visiting the little village was a profound experience, and they felt like they could feel the spirits of their ancestors present.
The remainder of the vacation was quiet, but aunt Karen tactfully charged an expensive lunch to Andrew’s room using his card through a local expensive restaurant. Uncle Brian tried to pay Andrew back, but he declined like the gentleman he is.
Wow, Karen seems like a real piece of work!
When the family flew back, Grant could not stop talking about how amazing Ireland was. The trip gave Grant a whole new appreciation for international travel. In the following years, the trip to Ireland became regular for Andrew and Grant. However, Andrew knew he wanted to mix up Grant’s vacation during his senior year of college.
For Grant’s graduation gift during his senior year, Andrew sent him and his uncle Brian to Italy, where his uncle’s family was originally from. Andrew intentionally left out aunt Karen from the vacation plans, and he heard through the grapevine about how she was “deeply insulted.”
Well, Karen, Italy is “like a foreign country.” Besides, I’m sure you wouldn’t have liked it too much, anyway.
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