My worst/funniest holiday memory, ft. Elin Hilderbrand, Katie Marsh, Sarah Maine & Emily Giffin

Featuring screaming children on an airplane, a spontaneous fashion show, tropical storms and food poisoning! Part of the Bookends Beach Party.

Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Identicals

Back when my children were small, my ex-husband and I used to take 6-8 week holidays in Perth, Australia in the winters.  Flying from Nantucket to Perth (Nantucket-New York-London-Singapore-Perth) with a 3 year old and a 10 month old is something I am proud to have survived.

Katie Marsh, author of This Beautiful Life

Hmmm. Spoilt for choice here, but I think the worst and the funniest (in retrospect) happened when I was Interrailing around Europe after ‘A’ levels with my friend Kate. Our budgeting was absolutely rubbish, and there was lots of wine we wanted to drink, so we were persuaded into entering a Fashion Show in the French seaside town of Canet-Plage. The thought of it still makes me nauseous. We had thought it would be a low-key affair, but on arrival we found ourselves imprisoned in a sweltering back-room surrounded by bronzed beauties in minimal bikinis. After three weeks of travelling, it was fairly clear that our dingy wardrobes were not quite up to this. It is still horribly vivid now – the pulse of the music, the baying crowd of clubbers and being (literally) shoved down some steps and forced to walk around and pose in my hideous Tammy Girl swimsuit. Someone was videoing the whole thing – if it ever comes to light I would seriously consider fleeing for plastic surgery.

Sarah Maine, author of Beyond the Wild River

First night out in a beautiful two-masted schooner in the Galapagos and we encountered the worst tropical storm for fifty years. By dawn we had lost both masts and had to call Mayday  as they had shattered the lifeboats (except one) when they fell. A small vessel answered the call and we were rescued before we had to abandon ship, given tea and sympathy by a group of English travellers, and so just sat back and watched the great frigate birds wheeling above us in the stormy skies. Amazing – wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

Emily Giffin, author of First Comes Love

I went to Barcelona for my thirtieth birthday. On the first night, I got food poisoning and didn’t leave my hotel room for the next five days.