Well… My trip to Barbados went a little off the rails. Mainly, absolutely nothing happened according to plan and I am currently sitting on my bed at my parents’ house. And since, it’s (kinda) funny and (totally) crazy, I’m going to tell my story to you guys.

My friend Kimmy and I flew down to Barbados on Saturday morning, planning to stay a full week at a resort covered by my parents timeshare plan. Arriving in Bridgetown, the temperature was a balmy 85 degrees, the sun was out, it was going to be a good day. We transferred via shuttle to our resort and that’s where the whole thing fell apart.

While we were checking in, the concierge brought it to our attention that our timeshare only covered the cost of the actual room and not the all-inclusive (food, drink, etc) aspect of the resort… to the tune of $2500. But here’s the kicker, no one ever notified me, Kimmy, or my parents of this charge. It wasn’t advertised on their website, never sent to us in an email. Zip. Zero. Nada. It was advertised as “accommodations included”, which at an all-inclusive resort should mean everything. Ya know?

And for a postgrad with a very small salary and a college kid with no income, $2500 was way too much to drop unannounced. After considering our options, we agreed that the best course of action was to return back home with our finances (somewhat) intact. By some miracle, we were able to stay overnight at the resort and change our flights to return to the US the next day. Obviously, I was super bummed that our vacation had not turned out as planned. But Kimmy and I made the most of our one night in paradise, enjoying the beach and trying every.single.dessert. at the resort. The next day, we took a dip in the ocean and got on a flight for NYC. And I did manage to grab a couple of pictures before we made our way home.

And don’t worry, I’m not taking this lying down. I’ll be calling the timeshare company, expecting some sort of reimbursement for our flights. After all, it’s no one’s fault but theirs. But don’t let my sad story become your vacation reality. If you’re booking with a time share, check, check, and check again. Be that annoying person who makes a bajillion phone calls. Next time I do, you better believe that I’ll be asking all the nitty gritty questions that make people roll their eyes. Consider this a life lesson, from me to you.

Is it disappointing? Did my vacation get thrown a major curve ball? Am I sad that instead of getting tan, I’m still wearing boots and a warm coat in PA? Yes, yes, and oooohhhh yes. But when life gives you lemons, you make chicken with lemon basil cream sauce ’cause that’s what I’m doing tonight!