The story you will tell forever. But most people can probably name at least one trip they wish had gone differently.
Sometimes it is the destination itself. More often, it is everything around it: the people, the timing, the pressure, the planning, or simply expecting too much from a few days away.
A recent international survey by Travel Guard found that 93 percent of travellers regret at least one trip, while nearly a third say they regret several. The findings suggest that disappointing holidays are far more common than many people admit.
The years people look back on most negatively are overwhelmingly their twenties. Half of respondents said their biggest travel regret came during that decade of life, a period that often combines tighter budgets, ambitious itineraries and less travel experience. In Portugal, Hungary and South Africa, around 60 percent of people surveyed said the trip they regretted most happened in their twenties.
Family holidays
The survey also found that family holidays create the highest levels of regret. More than a quarter of travellers said the trip they look back on least fondly involved family members. Coordinating different personalities, expectations and travel styles can quickly turn even beautiful destinations into stressful experiences.
Adventure trips and short city breaks also ranked highly. While adventure travel can be rewarding, it often comes with unpredictability, physical exhaustion and logistical problems. City breaks, meanwhile, frequently leave people feeling rushed and overstimulated, especially when travellers try to fit too much into a short amount of time.
Reasons for regretting
The reasons people regret trips are surprisingly familiar. Delays, illness and cancellations topped the list, followed closely by poor planning and feeling too overwhelmed to enjoy the experience. Choosing the wrong travel companions was another major factor.
Accommodation issues were the most common complaint overall, followed by arguments, overcrowding and bad weather. In many cases, travellers said the destination itself was not necessarily the problem. It was the pace, expectations or circumstances surrounding the trip.
Perhaps most interesting is how these experiences shape future travel habits. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said past travel mistakes changed the way they now approach holidays. Many said they prioritise comfort more than they did when they were younger. Others plan further ahead, leave more flexibility in itineraries or avoid travelling during peak seasons altogether.
Travel regret, it seems, is almost part of becoming an experienced traveller. Most people do not stop travelling after a disappointing trip. They simply learn to travel differently.
And perhaps that is the real difference between golf and travel. You rarely get to replay the exact same trip, but you do get another chance to approach the next one with a little more perspective.