It was a last-minute May half-term break. We knew the cottage, lent to us by a relative, would be tight for my husband, three teenage daughters, and me. “But hey,” I told my unconvinced family, “it’s near the beach—we’ll hardly be inside anyway.”
One daughter had a party the night before; she promised to be home by midnight, and we agreed to start the six-hour drive at 9am. That daughter came back as I was making my morning tea. She was still drunk, and she had lost her phone.
After a lot of Facebook messaging, it turned out the phone had been taken by a friend to someone else’s house. But no one knew which friend or which house, and everyone who had been at the party was now passed out (including our daughter). My husband, a control freak whose mantra that morning was something like, “When I say we’re leaving at 9am, I mean we’re leaving at 9am,” was now pacing the kitchen, saying this holiday had always been a terrible idea. We had no idea then how much worse it would get.
Around noon we set off, having agreed to take an hour-long detour to the house where the missing phone might be. On the way, the party-girl daughter was sick out of a back window. My husband angrily swerved the car into a side road, and I rushed to the corner shop for bottles of water to clean up the mess. A young couple pushing their perfect baby down the road gave us horrified looks. “Don’t worry,” I shouted, “this will be your life one day.” They looked away and hurried off.
We arrived at the phone house, parked outside, and watched as the party-girl daughter swayed unsteadily up the garden path. “She’s still drunk,” said my husband. As the front door opened, my daughter was sick on the doorstep. My husband slid down below the steering wheel. “You deal with it,” he said.
An hour later, after cleaning up, we were on our way again. Five hours behind schedule, we joined the motorway, where the cars were barely moving. My husband, furious, said absolutely nothing. Everyone was starving, but no one dared suggest we stop for lunch.
By early evening we were in Cornwall, but the cottage was near Land’s End, so we still had a way to go. “It won’t be long now,” I called cheerfully from the front. Moments later, the car sputtered to a stop. We ended up in a crowded pub garden at 10pm waiting for the AA, which took an hour to get the car going again.
It was after midnight when we arrived at the cottage, and despite everyone’s relief, it was immediately clear it was much too small. My claims that we’d be at the beach anyway vanished when we woke up the next morning to thick fog and driving rain. By mid-morning, everyone wanted to be somewhere else, a situation I hoped to improve by taking my husband to the pub for a drink. There, we had a huge argument, and he stormed back to the cottage to book a flight home. The party-girl daughter, who had realized the recovered phone was actually broken, begged him to take her with him.
We dropped them at Newquay airport the next morning, and the other girls and I went to a cafe. As we watched their plane take off, the clouds parted and the sun came out. “The beach!” we shouted. We raced back; every day after that was sunny, and the cottage was now the perfect size. The three of us have returned many times since; my husband and our other daughter have never been back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the scenario My holiday from hell my teenage daughter was drunk and we had a 12hour car ride ahead of us
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What exactly happened in this story
A family went on holiday and at the end of the trip the parents discovered their teenage daughter was very drunk They had to drive her home for 12 hours while she was still intoxicated
2 Why is this called a holiday from hell
Because a relaxing vacation turned into a stressful scary and exhausting nightmare for the parents They had to manage a drunk teenager for a very long car ride which was dangerous emotionally draining and ruined the trip
3 Is this a common problem for parents
Unfortunately yes Many parents worry about their teens experimenting with alcohol especially on holidays or school trips The specific situation of having to drive a long distance with a drunk teen is a common fear and a real challenge for many families
4 Whats the biggest danger in this situation
The biggest danger is the drunk teenager She could vomit choke become aggressive or try to open the car door The driver is also distracted and stressed which makes driving for 12 hours extremely risky
5 What should you do if this happens to you
First ensure everyones safety If possible dont drive immediately Wait for her to sober up even if it means staying an extra night If you must drive have someone else in the car who can watch her and keep her calm Keep water and a sick bag handy
AdvancedLevel Questions
6 How do you handle a teenager who is belligerent or aggressive while drunk in a car
Stay calm and do not argue Do not engage in a power struggle If she is verbally abusive ignore it If she is physically aggressive or tries to grab the steering wheel pull over safely and stop the car immediately Call for help if you cannot control the situation
7 What are the legal consequences for letting a minor drink on a family trip
This varies by country and state In many places you can be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor child endangerment or even providing alcohol to a minor It can lead to fines
