Horror Stories - 6 Most Disturbing TRUE Vacation Horror Stories That Turned Dream Trips Into Nightmares

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Starting point is 00:00:57 Hello everyone and welcome back to horror stories. I know many of you use these episodes to fall asleep so before you drift off, I'd love it if you could leave a comment letting me know where you're listening from around the world. Also, don't forget to like and subscribe if you're enjoying the episodes. Story 1 A few summers ago, I was invited to join my boyfriend's family on a reunion trip in Ontario. His dad's side of the family had organized it. and everyone had pitched in money to rent a large condo for a week.

Starting point is 00:01:42 It was a big deal because his dad doesn't normally spend time with his relatives. In fact, he only talks to one of his three sisters. And even then, that relationship is a bit unstable, but his mom convinced him to go. And since I had been dating my boyfriend long enough by then, I was able to go too. At that point, they basically treated me like I was. was part of the family. The condo was tucked away in a quiet area, surrounded by dense brush and

Starting point is 00:02:15 tall trees on three sides. Out front there was a dirt road that hardly anyone drove on, and beyond that you could see a stretch of water that was visible from the porch. It was a serene place, the kind where you can sit for hours without hearing anything but birds, and once in a while, a boat out on the lake. One afternoon, after what felt like the third trip to the beach that day, I couldn't take any more sun. My boyfriend felt the same. So when everyone else got ready, gathered their things, and headed over there, we stayed behind. We sat on the porch with cold drinks, talking about nothing in particular. I remember I had just finished the Harry Potter books, and we were laughing about which character.

Starting point is 00:03:05 characters annoyed us the most. It was one of those typical summer moments where time stretches out, but in a nice way. And then she appeared. Out of nowhere on a woman came stumbling out of the trees near the side of the condo. She didn't look like someone who was just passing through. She looked desperate, like she'd been walking for miles. She was pale. Her hair was a mess. She was wearing only one sandal, and she was clutching a baby to her chest so tightly that the poor child was fussing from how hard she was holding him. My stomach dropped the instant I saw her. My boyfriend didn't hesitate for a second. He got up immediately and walked over to ask if she was okay. I stayed back, frozen, because there was something about the whole scene that felt dangerous to me. But when she

Starting point is 00:03:59 came closer. It was obvious she could barely hold herself together emotionally, like she was right on the edge. In a broken voice, she told us that her boyfriend had been drinking heavily for a long time and had become violent. He resented that she gave so much attention to the baby, especially because that child wasn't his. That day, while she was driving the baby home in the car, he snapped. He ripped out the booster seat. and threw it out the window while the baby was still in the back. Then he started hitting her. She managed to stop the car, grab the baby, and run.

Starting point is 00:04:39 She hadn't even finished telling us everything when we heard shouting from the woods. A man came stumbling out behind her. He tried to act calm saying things like, There you are. Let's go home. But he was slurring his words. He had a cruel look in his eyes, and he could barely stand upright. His act of being calm didn't fool anyone. I braced myself because my boyfriend isn't someone who gets into fights.

Starting point is 00:05:08 He's always been laid back, tries to keep the peace, and avoids conflict whenever he can. But that day it was like something inside him switched on. He's a big guy. He's six feet three inches, broad-shouldered, built like someone who looks like he trained for football, even though he never actually played and he walked straight toward that man to block his path he said bluntly don't come any closer

Starting point is 00:05:37 his voice shook a little but it had an edge I had never heard from him before the man tried to talk his way past him saying he was just going to take her home but my boyfriend held his ground when the guy tried to go around him my boyfriend blocked him again and this time he shoved to

Starting point is 00:05:57 him back a little with one hand. He said something like, you're not going near her or that baby, so turn around and get the hell out of here. The way he said it may be feel like if that man made one wrong move, everything would turn violent in a second. For a moment, the man just stared at him. He wasn't tall, maybe around five feet six inches or five feet seven inches. Next to my boyfriend, he looked small and unsteady. He muttered something I couldn't make out. But later, my boyfriend told me the guy had threatened to come back with a gun and kill both of us if we ever got in his way again. In that moment, my boyfriend didn't even flinch.

Starting point is 00:06:43 He just ordered him to leave. The man hesitated, pointed at us, and then turned around, walking back into the trees. The woman was sobbing uncontrollably. The baby was screaming, and I realized my own hands were shaking too. My boyfriend didn't throw a punch, but it was clear he was ready to, if the situation escalated even a little more. We brought the woman inside, called the police, and did our best to calm her down until help arrived. Later that night, we drove her to her sister's house, where she would be safe. We didn't hear much about her after that.

Starting point is 00:07:25 time my boyfriend told me she had married someone else, had another child, and was living a much better life. And as for us, the reunion continued as if nothing had happened. People argued over small family stuff. Kids ran everywhere, and in the end the trip still turned out to be fun overall. Story two. When I was around 14 and had just started high school, I lived in a small town in southern Germany. My dad had been working there for a few years, so my family ended up moving to join him. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience, but there were certain moments that really stuck with me. One of the biggest issues was everything related to school. Most schools were extremely far from where we lived, some almost two hours away. But I was lucky and managed

Starting point is 00:08:24 to get into an American-style school that was a little under an hour away by Bob. from our house. The downside was that I had to get up before sunrise to catch the public bus, and because the return schedules were so limited, I almost never got home until late afternoon or early evening. For most of the year, that was manageable, but in winter the atmosphere changed. The area was very popular with wealthy Russian families who traveled there to ski. I thought it was incredible that they would drive across Europe. up just to spend the winter in the Alps. But apparently, for them, it was completely normal.

Starting point is 00:09:05 Their kids stood out from the local kids in every way, not just because of the clothes or the cars, but also because of their attitude. It was common to see groups of Russian teenagers hanging around, drinking, looking for trouble, and clashing with the local German teens. At first it was almost funny, but sometimes the tension felt very,

Starting point is 00:09:28 real. One December morning, I took my usual early bus to school. Most of the students were half asleep or last minute studying for exams. And since winter break was coming up, everyone just wanted that week to be over already. About 10 minutes after the ride started, at one of the smaller stops, a black SUV screeched to a stop right next to the bus shelter. The door flew open and about six teenagers got out. They had rap blasting at full volume, so loud it made the car vibrate, and the vehicle had Russian plates. Each one was wearing a track suit in a different color, like some weird parody of a pop group or a cheap movie gang. They got on the bus and the SUV pulled away and disappeared. The driver spoke to them for a moment in clumsy, broken German,

Starting point is 00:10:23 and then waved them through without tickets. They walked straight toward the back of the bus, where my classmates and I were sitting. One, in a bright blue outfit, noticed the book I was reading and tried to say something to me in Russian. I shook my head and told him in German that I didn't understand. Then he pointed at my backpack,

Starting point is 00:10:45 repeated the same word, and I kept answering the same thing over and over until he got tired of it. The group kept moving, but the one dressed in black lagged a bit behind. He had a restless, aggressive energy, bumping one of his friends with his shoulder as he walked down the aisle and glaring at anyone who looked his way. For the rest of the ride, I heard them talking fast in Russian. I couldn't make out a single word, but from their tone it was obvious they were worked up about something. Everyone tried to ignore them, and I went back to my boyfriend.

Starting point is 00:11:21 book, though I couldn't help glancing over my shoulder from time to time. The one in black seemed to be arguing with the others the whole way. When the bus finally reached the last stop, we all got off and started walking along the short path that cut through the woods and led to the school. I was freezing and wanted to get inside as soon as possible, so I walked ahead of the group. At one point I realized the Russians were coming fairly close behind me, so I was smoking and laughing as if they didn't notice the icy air. The crunch of their boots in the snow followed me until suddenly one of them started running. I didn't even have time to react. An arm wrapped around my neck from behind. It was the one in the blue track suit, and he held me

Starting point is 00:12:12 in a kind of chokehold. I went stiff. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely think. The others closed in, and the one in black stepped forward with a switchblade in his hand. It was ridiculously large, the kind you'd expect to see in a movie, not on a cold morning in Germany. He waved it around while shouting something in Russian and grinning like he was performing for an audience. I could barely breathe with the blue guy's arm squeezing my throat, and I had no idea what was happening or what they wanted from me. The one in black came close enough to put the blade near my face, and then suddenly slid it back into his jacket. In an instant, the whole mood changed. The blue guy let go of me.

Starting point is 00:13:00 They all started clapping and laughing, and the one in black slapped me on the shoulder like we were friends. He offered me a cigarette and even gave me a quick hug, as if the whole thing had been a game. I didn't know what else to do, so. In a weak voice, I muttered Sposs. The only Russian word I knew, they kept celebrating until a campus security guard started walking over, drawn by the noise. The moment that happened, the group took off running back into the woods, still laughing. The guard walked me to the school office, and after I told them what had happened, the staff basically brushed it off. They told me it would be best if I went home and rested.

Starting point is 00:13:48 Later that day, my mom nearly lost it when I told her the story. She called the police and the school multiple times, furious that no one had taken it seriously. That night, the local news ran a story about a group of Russian teenagers who had tried to rob a grocery store using a toy gun. They showed a mugshot of one of them, and sure enough, it was the one in black. with the same ridiculous sunglasses he had been wearing that morning. In the end of my family pressed charges,

Starting point is 00:14:21 and in court they discovered that the one in black was linked to bigger crimes, including drug trafficking. He was supposed to get prison time, but there was political interference. Things got tangled up, and I never found out what ultimately happened to him. Some of the others only had to pay fines. Even so, the whole experience stayed with me, especially because of how quickly something that started as a joke could have turned into something much worse. Story 3 In the summer of 2017, a big group of us decided to rent a house for the weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Starting point is 00:15:07 There were around 12 or 13 of us total, and we found a place on a lake near Shelton, Washington. The house was set a little above the water and had a huge deck. Down a hill there was a small dock where we spent the day, staying there most of the time. There was also a separate garage that had been set up as a sort of sleeping area, and that's where I ended up sleeping with a couple of friends, because the main house was packed. The first day was exactly what you'd imagine with a group like that, grilling outside, too much alcohol,

Starting point is 00:15:42 people going in and out of the water and lots of late-night card games. By the time it hit 2 a.m., almost all of us were completely wiped out. A few people managed to claim couches and mattresses in the house, but a lot of people had to make do on the floor. In the garage now we pushed a bunch of beds together, shoved them up against each other, and that solved it. At some point around 3.30, I woke up because I needed to be. needed to use the bathroom. I got up trying not to make noise, put on some pants, and just as I was heading out, I noticed movement outside through the window. In the light from the street lamp, I could make out the long slow shadow of someone walking around out there, passing in front of the house.

Starting point is 00:16:33 At first I dismissed it, thinking it was someone walking a dog at that hour, or maybe a neighbor. But when I got to the main house, I realized something. The front door wasn't locked. That surprised me. Still, I assumed that with so many people going in and out during the night, it was totally possible someone had simply forgotten. Once inside, and I saw one of my friends sitting in the dark living room with his phone in his hand, scrolling with that exhausted, half asleep, half-drunk expression.

Starting point is 00:17:09 He looked startled when he saw me and whispered, Wait, weren't you in here a moment ago? I shook my head and told him I had just come in from the garage. He looked down the hallway with an uneasy expression and asked if anyone else from the garage had gone into the house. I told him no. Everyone was still asleep. He seemed unsettled, but he didn't push it.

Starting point is 00:17:35 So I went to the bathroom and then headed back out. This time I closed and locked the door behind me. The next morning we all gathered in the kitchen for breakfast, and while we were swapping stories from the night, another couple mentioned something strange. They said that in the middle of the night, the bedroom door where they were sleeping had slowly creaked open. Like someone had pushed it.

Starting point is 00:18:01 But when they looked, no one was there. They thought maybe it was a draft. but the only window open in the whole house was one in the kitchen that was barely cracked, and it wasn't even near their room. The friend I'd talked to in the living room perked up as soon as they mentioned the time. He asked what time they thought the door had opened, and they said it must have been around 3.30. At that exact same time, I had seen the shadow outside,

Starting point is 00:18:30 and at that exact same time, he swore he had seen me walking around inside the house. When we all started noticing how those details lined up, a cold, nervous silence settled over everyone. Later, as during the day, someone found a local post circulating online about a guy who, over the last few months, had been sneaking into houses in the area. He wasn't a typical thief in the usual sense. From what people were saying, he was more of a stalker, someone who slipped in quench, quietly just to watch women while they slept. That hit us hard, because even though nothing

Starting point is 00:19:13 had actually happened to us directly, the combination of the shadow, the unlocked door, my friend thinking he saw me in the living room, and the bedroom door opening by itself started to feel too connected, too aligned to be simple coincidence. We never filed a report because we didn't have real proof beyond a group of drunk twenty-somethings trying to piece together memory. memories. But when I think about it now, I can't shake the idea that that guy might have come in that night. None of us were armed. There was no security system. And if he really wanted to, he could have done a lot more than just scare us. Story 4. I still remember that trip like it was last year. My ex and I had been together for a couple of years, but we'd never manage more than a quick weekend getaway.

Starting point is 00:20:11 So when I realized my vacation days were about to expire, I insisted that we finally go somewhere that was actually worth it. The problem was that we didn't have passports, and since the decision was made at the last minute, the options were limited. I was looking for destinations we could go to without all that hassle when I found out that Puerto Rico didn't require one. That alone was a point in its favor. But what really sealed it was that my ex knew a guy who rented out a place.

Starting point is 00:20:41 just a few blocks from the beach. Suddenly, we had a plan. San Juan was our first stop when we landed. And to be honest, driving to where we were going to stay was eye-opening. I had this picture in my head of postcard beaches and colorful little houses, but what we saw was a bit different.

Starting point is 00:21:03 A lot of the neighborhoods we passed through looked pretty run down, and there were a lot of abandoned houses. Neither of us spoke more than a few basic words of Spanish and the roads didn't have clear signage so we relied heavily on GPS. The house, compared to everything we'd driven through, was on a better street.

Starting point is 00:21:25 Though even so, there weren't that far away some homes that were burned out or in ruins. All the windows had bars and the owner explained that was simply normal for that area. The garage entrance had a locked gate. and he emphasized that we needed to keep it closed and locked any time we were inside. It wasn't exactly the warmest welcome, but we weren't going to waste the trip being bitter about it. The rental was technically a studio, though in practice it felt more like a tiny one-bedroom apartment,

Starting point is 00:21:58 with part of the house under renovation or active construction. It wasn't anything luxurious, but it was $200 a week, so it was hard to be a week. so it was hard to complain too much. The only really serious issue was that the air conditioning didn't work, and in that climate it was miserable. Still we let it go, unpacked, and decided to focus on enjoying the time we had. Over the next few days, we got into a rhythm.

Starting point is 00:22:30 We walked to the beach, found a grocery store nearby, hung out at a little surf bar that became our regular spot, and we even got to hear live music. Up to that point, things were going well enough. It wasn't until the third night that things started getting weird. We'd spent the entire day hiking through the rainforest and came back completely exhausted. We cooked something simple for dinner and sat out in the patio for a while. My ex wanted to stay inside to catch up on some emails, but I felt restless,

Starting point is 00:23:05 like I had pent up energy. The moon was full, and the idea of taking a nighttime walk down to the beach sounded perfect. I grabbed one of those local beers, locked the gate behind me just like we'd been told, and started walking down the quiet street. Half a block down, I noticed a man standing next to a car with the door open. I assumed it was his vehicle and kept going. When I looked back a moment later, he wasn't checking anything anymore. He was just standing there and watching me.

Starting point is 00:23:40 He was far enough away that I couldn't make out his face. But in the dark I could see the silhouette of his white shirt. I tried not to think too much of it and kept heading toward the sand. When I got to the beach, I stayed on the little patch of grass near the palm trees, drinking my beer and letting the breeze cool me down a bit. That's when I realized the man had followed me. He had stayed at a distance at the end of the street. street, not moving, just facing toward where I was. I didn't want to make it obvious, so I acted

Starting point is 00:24:14 like I was focused on the sea, looking out at the ocean. Several minutes passed in that strange kind of tension, like a silent standoff where neither of us moved. My chest tighten and I kept telling myself I needed to stay near the light, so as naturally as I could fake it. I walked back toward a streetlight a little farther ahead. When I looked again, he was gone. For a second, I felt ridiculous for having worried. I even called my ex to laugh about the scare, but while I was on the phone, I saw him again. This time he was standing in the doorway frame of an abandoned house at the end of the block, barely visible. The moment I stopped walking, he took a step back and slipped into the darkness of the house until he disappeared from view.

Starting point is 00:25:07 My stomach dropped. I turned on to another street, pretending I was just extending the walk, but I picked up my pace. My ex was still on the call, and from my voice he immediately realized I was shaken. When I turned the corner, I risked looking back and there he was again.

Starting point is 00:25:26 He had come out of the ruined house and was walking toward me, not running, not yelling anything. Just closing the distance, moving silently. I ended the call and started running. The barking of some dogs from a house made it feel like my heart was going to explode out of my chest. But I didn't stop. I ran until I made it through the gate of our rental, locked it as fast as I could, and checked every corner of the patio before going inside.

Starting point is 00:25:58 The look on my ex's face said everything. I must have looked really big. bad. We spent the rest of the night locked in, blinds down, listening for footsteps, footsteps that never came. We didn't see him again for the rest of the trip, and overall, the vacation ended up being fine. But the image of that man in the white shirt silently following me down streets, I didn't know. That one, honestly, has never fully left me. Story 5. When I was a kid in the mid-90s, my family decided to take a trip to Cancun.

Starting point is 00:26:42 My parents thought it would be that kind of big vacation, family bonding, and shared moments together. But of course, my older brother and I had other ideas. He was 18 at the time. I was 13, and that age gap changed everything. He was already the right age to get into bars and clubs while I was stuck in the same. the hotel, unable to do much. Since we shared a room, most nights he would go out and I would be left alone, flipping through TV channels or wandering around the resort. Bored out of my mind. By the third or fourth day, I was especially restless. I was dying to be doing something

Starting point is 00:27:25 more exciting, but I was too young to go with my brother and too stubborn to just stick with my parents. One afternoon I was sitting at the hotel bar drinking a Shirley Temple, trying to look older than I was, when a woman sat down a couple stools away. She looked elegant, stylish, maybe in her late twenties, and for some reason she started talking to me. I don't remember word for word what we talked about, but I do remember very clearly how she made me feel like I wasn't just a kid, like she'd just a kid, like she genuinely cared about what I had to say. She suggested we meet again the next day, and I agreed immediately.

Starting point is 00:28:10 The next afternoon when we met up in the resort lounge, I was telling her how frustrating it was to be too young to do anything fun, and she listened with a kind of sympathy that felt flattering. She offered to get me drinks, because obviously the bartender wasn't going to ask her for ID, and I couldn't believe how lucky I was. 13-year-old me thought screwdrivers were the most adult thing in the world. So I had several.

Starting point is 00:28:39 Before long I was dizzy, laughing, feeling like the coolest kid in Cancun. That's when she leaned in and asked if I wanted to go up to her room to watch a movie and hang out. To my teenage, drunk brain, that felt like winning the lottery, more alcohol, the attention of someone older. And on top of that, the chance to sneak away without my parents finding out. I was thrilled by the idea. We started leaving the lounge together, and just as we were about to cross out, my mom appeared.

Starting point is 00:29:15 She was on her way to meet my dad near the pool, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect, or in that moment, more disastrous for me. I, all proud, introduced my new friend and explained that we were going up to her room to watch a movie. My mom's expression changed instantly. She went from smiling to completely serious and, without raising her voice, ordered me to go up to our room immediately. Then she turned to the woman and told her straight that she had no business spending time with a minor, and that if she tried again, she would be dealing with the police.

Starting point is 00:29:55 I remember that at the time I was furious with my mom and also dying of embarrassment but the way she looked at me left no room to argue the next day I was on my way to the pool when I saw that same woman sitting at the bar again only this time she wasn't alone she was with two older men definitely much older than her

Starting point is 00:30:18 maybe in their late 50s the three of them were drinking and when I passed by, she pointed at me. One of the men narrowed his eyes at me in a way that made my stomach drop, and the other gave me a slow, deliberate wink, almost calculated. I kept walking and pretending I hadn't seen anything, but it gave me a horrible feeling, like my skin was crawling. Over time, looking back, I understood how badly it could have ended if my mom hadn't stepped in.

Starting point is 00:30:53 At 13, I thought I was just having fun and that I was finally being treated like an adult. But in reality, the whole situation looked like a setup, something planned, and I was far too young to understand it for what it really was. Story 6. This happened when I was about 9 or 10 years old, sometime in the early 2000s. My parents had taken my sister and me on a family vacation to the Caribbean. And it was one of those trips where you live in total comfort inside the resort. But the moment you leave it, you realize how different the rest of the island is.

Starting point is 00:31:38 The resort itself was impressive, palm trees everywhere, white sand, elegant pools. But when we drove out through those gates, reality looked much harsher. There were small patched together houses, dusty roads, and people just, trying to survive. At that age, I didn't fully understand it, but I could feel it. Outside the resort, the atmosphere seemed like it belonged to a completely different world. After a few days, my parents signed us up for a sunset boat tour that left from a marina about 30 minutes away. We got on a shuttle bus along with another family and drove through neighborhoods that had nothing to do with the perfectly maintained paradise we were standing.

Starting point is 00:32:27 I remember looking out the window and seeing dry, arid land and little houses that looked almost handmade, put together with pieces of wood and recycled metal sheets. That contrast stuck with me. It was like going from a place full of flowers and endless fountains into a totally different landscape, rougher, more real. The boat tour was incredible. The crew pointed out birds and sea animals, shared little facts about the island's history, and even played music as the sun went down. By the time we got back to shore, it was very late, maybe close to 11 at night, and I was completely exhausted. When the boat docked, I got off before my parents with the only thought of getting back to the van that it brought us. The dock was very well lit, but as soon as I

Starting point is 00:33:22 turned toward the parking area. It was like stepping into total darkness. My eyes struggled to adjust, and I was trying to figure out whether the shuttle was still parked there when suddenly a hand gripped my shoulder. A man's voice snapped a harsh question, demanding to know who I was with. It didn't sound like someone being friendly or trying to help. I froze and tried to explain that I was waiting for my family, but he cut me off. He told me I was coming with him and that I needed to follow him to his car, and he started pulling me, dragging me deeper into the dark parking lot. For a moment, I didn't even resist, because I'd been raised to obey adults. But then I saw the vehicle he was dragging me toward. It was a small sedan, way too small to be the van we'd arrived in.

Starting point is 00:34:17 and that's when every alarm in my head went off. I planted my feet and tried to pull away, but he had a strong grip. I was just about to scream when suddenly the parking lot lit up with bright spotlights, like floodlights. At that exact moment, my parents and the other group came around the corner, talking loudly. The guy let go of me immediately, like he'd been caught in the act. I looked up and saw his face clearly, and that image stayed burned into my memory forever. A shaved head, scars running across his cheek, and an expression of surprise,

Starting point is 00:35:00 like he hadn't expected there to be people right behind me. One of the Marina employees shouted something at him, and he raised his hands like he was saying. It's nothing, before quickly moving off toward the dark as part of the parking lot. I stood there in shock until my parents reached my side. On the way back, my dad asked what the man wanted. I was young enough that I couldn't fully process it, so I told him maybe the guy thought I was getting into the wrong car that I was lost. My dad thought that sounded reasonable, and we never talked about it again.

Starting point is 00:35:37 But years later, I understood how dangerous that situation could have been. He wasn't a confused guy mixing up shuttles. He was trying to take me to his car. And if those lights and my parents hadn't appeared at that exact moment, everything could have ended very differently.

Horror Stories - 6 Most Disturbing TRUE Vacation Horror Stories That Turned Dream Trips Into Nightmares

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