Cutting down on luggage
A few years back, me and my family went on a trip to Lake Toba, North Sumatra. Before departing, I convinced my sister to pack her belongings into my luggage so we would not need to pull along too many bags – to which she agreed.
Upon boarding at the airport, I realised I’d left the key for my luggage lock at home.
I knew my dad would make a big fuss, so I quietly told my siblings. We all held on to the secret until we reached the hotel, which by then was close to midnight.
While checking in, we secretly asked our guide if the hotel could get someone to try to open the lock for us; 15 minutes later, a guy came… with a SAW.
We started laughing as the poor guy tried to saw through the lock, while my parents – who heard and came over to our room later – laughed, too.
From then on, my siblings would never share luggage with me again! – Pamela June, Petaling Jaya Malaysia
(Close one, Pamela. That could have spiralled into a full-on family feud.)
Crowded camping
It was the mid ’70s and I was an Air Traffic Controller in Sydney. I had the Easter Saturday and Sunday rostered off and decided to go camping, as the weather was forecast to be simply superb.
I packed everything Friday and headed off at 6am Saturday for the Blue Mountains. There were a number of camping spots I knew that on a normal weekend you hardly ever saw anyone, and you needed a four-wheel drive to get to them.
I visited six sites altogether, each one was tent city with no space available for even my small tent.
I arrived home that same evening at 5pm and, as I cooked a sausage over the coals of a small fire in the brazier of my backyard in Cammeray, I decided I would never go on holiday over Easter again. – Glenn Griffin, Ormeau Queensland
(Sorry, Glenn – but you should have read Tip No.9 on our list of Top 10 Worst Camping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.)
Lost car keys debacle
We went camping with some friends at Ocean Shores in the far north of New South Wales. On the way home we stopped at a lagoon for a swim. Everyone was having a great time swimming, until it came time to leave.
The keys for the car were gone! Nowhere to be seen.
All four adults peered into the tinted glass of the car to see if we could see them.
We called roadside assistance, but because the car was new they couldn’t get into the lock or get through the window.
We ended up sleeping in our friend’s car (four adults and three children). Thank goodness it was a wagon!
Turns out the next day they were found under a lantern. Made for a very interesting end of a good holiday, that’s for sure. – Brianna Farrall, Brisbane Queensland
(Not as dramatic as that time a lost set of keys provided the crucial evidence in a murder case.)
