I Went All-Inclusive And Stumbled Into Hell | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

I Went All-Inclusive And Stumbled Into Hell

I honestly don't know how I thought that a place that offers 24 hour discos and bottomless alcohol for thirsty Brits was a good idea

16
I Went All-Inclusive And Stumbled Into Hell
Amy Aed

I've seen so many crappy advertisements about how people make life-long friends during all-inclusive stays, but I struggled to see the likeliness of that as I glanced around.

A creepy Slenderman-esque creature was getting dragged away from a group of children, a rich man from Dubai was outrightly taking photographs of teens in their swimming costumes and a member of staff glared at me from the restaurant as I'd earlier mentioned my boyfriend and he had gone mental.

The first woman we met upon arrival was caught shrieking at a waiter for taking her (empty) glass back to the kitchen, before telling another member of the staff in hushed expletives exactly what he should do with his "quiz night."

As a kid falls in a tantrum and starts bawling at everyone walking past and Heart FM starts roaring across the country on the speaker beside me, I realize that instead of a relaxing holiday, I may have just entered Hell.

THERE WAS NO AUTHENTIC SIGHT OF ANYTHING

Yes, I knew that when I signed up to an all-inclusive, three-meal buffet, I most likely wasn't going to glimpse gözleme or dolmah at the tables, but the same three-day-old Russian food each evening was unnecessary. When you stay all-inclusive, you get the chance to witness absolutely zero of the culture or local life of the country and might as well say that you stayed in a slightly warmer version of your hometown but with the fun addition of two extra water slides.

What is the appeal in traveling to a country without seeing more than just glimpses of the country on the transfer to the villa? I stayed in a resort in Turkey, and upon arriving home was asked, "what did you think of Kemer, or Antalya?" Imagine how absolutely shite it would be to answer, "I wouldn't know, I stayed all-inclusive so didn't see a single point in leaving the resort."

DAY TRIPS ARE TOURIST TRAPS

Oh, really, you left the resort? That will be three times the price of what the trip actually costs but with the added bonus of an artificial culture trip surrounded by flaking Brits and a wide assortment of pizza and orange soda.

Prepare to be surrounded by hundreds of tourists all with the same idea of leaving the resort (despite the fact that they love it soo muuuch), only to be woefully disappointed as you're faced with absolutely nothing pure about it.

Taking the boat to an abandoned ruin like I did? Get yourself hyped to have to shove through a whole hoard of other travelers, only to stop and be greeted by an old man with rotting teeth offering his trained rabbits to tell your fortune - and oh, by the way, now that you've stopped it will cost you 45 lira for the pleasure. Each.

ENTITLEMENT IS RIFE

My absolute favorite thing about traveling all-inclusive was the fact that so many people were insanely rude and entitled. From the woman I mentioned earlier who was yelling at the waiter, to the lady in front of us in the ice-cream queue absolutely screeching at the man behind the counter to "UNDERSTAND ENGLISH, IT IS NOT THAT BLOODY DIFFICULT!"

I can't say that I have been entirely won-over by the people we met.

Whilst there were some absolute sweethearts, I have never been in such a condensed amount of space with so much rudeness and just overall god-awful people. Also, talking about guests, I completely understand why all-inclusive is branded as "perfect for families" - anyone else would have to fight back the urge to give a little poolside push to the kid that punches them or starts purposefully breaking everything for the 999th time.

ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IS A CRINGE-FEST

Oh, cool, the resort does entertainment? Prepare for Barbie Girl to be played a million times with shirtless drunken dads pulling down the microphone to sing into it. Or wow, they do traditional Turkish hammams? Get ready for a questionable work ethic as every aspect is made to cater to the Yelp Critics - you get a traditional towel! And traditional foot massage! And traditional (not at all tourist-orientated) music, and surroundings, and drinks!

I'm going to put this out there first, fair-do's if you're a traveling family, an Instagram sun-worshipper, or an utter pi**head - all-inclusive is perfect for you! However, if you are literally anyone else in the world, please tell me what the hell you see in it?

I honestly admire people who can spend two weeks by a poolside with nothing to entertain themselves other than children's magicians and free shots dished out by a lad from Bolton bragging about his latest 25k Rolex robbery, but I personally couldn't do it. Somehow, the French kids' discos and Dubai peeping tom didn't quite sell it for me.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
college just ahead sign
Wordpress

1. You will have that special "college" look to you.

2. You will feel like an adult but also feeling like a child.

3. You will have classes that are just the professor reading from their lecture slides for an hour.

4. You will need to study but also want to hang out with your friends.

5. Coffee is your best friend.

6. You don't know what you're doing 99% of the time.

7. You will procrastinate and write a paper the night before it is due.

8. Money is a mythical object.

9. It is nearly impossible to motivate yourself to go to classes during spring.

10. The food pyramid goes out the window.

11. You will have at least one stress induced breakdown a semester.

12. Most lecture classes will bore you to tears.

13. You will not like all of your professors.

14. You will try to go to the gym... but you will get too lazy at some point.

15. When you see high school students taking tours:

16. You will try to convince yourself that you can handle everything.

17. Finals week will try to kill you.

18. You won't like everyone, but you will find your best friends sooner or later.

19. You actually have to go to class.

20. Enjoy it, because you will be sad when it is all over.

girl with a hat

This is for the girls who have dealt with an emotionally, mentally, physically or verbally abusive father.

The ones who have grown up with a false lens of what love is and how relationships should be. The ones who have cried themselves to sleep wondering why he hurts you and your family so much. This is for all the girls who fall in love with broken boys that carry baggage bigger than their own, thinking it's their job to heal them because you watched your mother do the same.

Keep Reading...Show less
Blair Waldorf Quote
"DESTINY IS FOR LOSERS. IT'S JUST A STUPID EXCUSE TO WAIT FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN INSTEAD OF MAKING THEM HAPPEN." - BLAIR WALDORF.

The world stopped in 2012 when our beloved show "Gossip Girl" ended. For six straight years, we would all tune in every Monday at 9:00 p.m. to see Upper Eastside royalty in the form of a Burberry headband clad Blair Waldorf. Blair was the big sister that we all loved to hate. How could we ever forget the epic showdowns between her and her frenemy Serena Van Der Woodsen? Or the time she banished Georgina Sparks to a Christian summer camp? How about that time when she and her girls took down Bart Bass? Blair is life. She's taught us how to dress, how to be ambitious, and most importantly, how to throw the perfect shade.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

11 Moments Every College Freshman Has Experienced

Because we made it, and because high school seniors deserve to know what they're getting themselves into

676
too tired to care

We've all been there. From move-in day to the first finals week in college, your first term is an adventure from start to finish. In honor of college decisions coming out recently, I want to recap some of the most common experiences college freshmen experience.

1. The awkward hellos on move-in day.

You're moving your stuff onto your floor, and you will encounter people you don't know yet in the hallway. They live on your floor, so you'll awkwardly smile and maybe introduce yourself. As you walk away, you will wonder if they will ever speak to you again, but don't worry, there's a good chance that you will make some great friends on your floor!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

21 Things I've Learned About College Life

College is not what everyone expects it to be.

350
laptop
Unsplash

The college years are a time for personal growth and success. Everyone comes in with expectations about how their life is supposed to turn out and envision the future. We all freak out when things don't go exactly as planned or when our expectations are unmet. As time goes on, we realize that the uncertainty of college is what makes it great. Here are some helpful reminders about life in college.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments