My Cancun Travel Experience

It was spring break. I was in the car on the way to the airport to fly to Cancun. I was ready for this trip. This was my first international trip, and I was beyond excited. My first critique of the Cancun airport is the insane amount of people trying to convince us to buy products. We had to try to find our cab while people were trying to sell us things. Everything becomes 10 times harder when you don’t speak fluent Spanish. We eventually found our car, and we drove to our resort. The ride was fine, our driver was nice, and I practiced my Spanish with him.

Thursday night we explored the huge resort and ate at a decadent Italian buffet. The food was incredible, and later we went to the ‘kids bar’ where we drank mango smoothies. Friday was equally amazing. We stayed at the pool all day. My friends and I went on a three-mile walk on the beach and everything seemed perfect.

But, everything came crumbling down Saturday morning. I woke up around 5:00 AM and was extremely sick. I thought I would get through it and it would go away, but it did not let up. I thought about everything I ate during the trip that could have done this to me. I didn’t drink any of the water, and I didn’t eat any unpeeled fruit. I still don’t know what made me so sick. I eventually came to the realization that my vacation was ruined, and there was no way I was getting to the beach for another day. I had food poisoning. I don’t totally blame the hotel or hotel food. Obviously, it was their fault they gave me the food that made me sick. However, they sent flowers and a letter saying to feel better to my room, which I did appreciate.

My family and the friends we traveled with went to breakfast, but I stayed in the hotel. They went to the beach, but I stayed in the hotel. They went to the swim up restaurant, but I stayed in the hotel. I had been looking forward to this trip for months. I had prepared everything. I had gone shopping, and my suitcase was packed with clothes perfect for the warm sunny weather of Cancun. All of this work, all of this preparation, all of this excitement, all down the drain. We were supposed to fly back to Atlanta on Monday, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to. I also knew that I didn’t have a choice. I had to get back to America.

To preface this, let me say that I am not proud of what I did, but to be honest I felt like I didn’t have another choice. My friends came into my room and I told them that I could not walk through the entire airport, that it wasn’t possible for my dehydrated body.  But they had medical tape and a great plan.

We wrapped my ankle and I limped into the airport so that I would get a wheelchair. No, I did not injure my ankle. Yes, I did fake an injury so that I could get through an airport in Mexico in a wheelchair. No, I’m not proud of it. However, it did work. I got my wheelchair, and I got through the airport easy with no passing out. While it was definitely not the favorite vacation I've ever been on, it did have the funniest ending. Even so, I doubt I will be going back to Cancun any time soon.

By Ben Schleifer