What has been your biggest wasted journey?

[reecejackox]

I would traveling an hour to work only to remember I was off that week.

 

[bcla]

I would traveling an hour to work only to remember I was off that week.

Once I was working a contract job where I didn't get paid unless I showed up. Almost everyone at the worksite was on the near-mandatory week off between Christmas and New Years. That feels weird although it wasn't quite a wasted journey.

I've dropped my kid off at school but then realized it was an off day at school. It was one of those days where the teachers would spend all day in meetings. I wasn't the only one though. At least these days most people will have smart phones to look up that sort of thing.

Another time I made an appointment at the DMV to apply for a Real ID driver license, which has to be in person. The first appointment I could get was the Saturday after Thanksgiving so I took it. I got an appointment reminder the day before by email. Then I showed up first thing in the morning, saw a line with people hoping to walk in as well as others with appointments. We didn't see anyone inside about 10 minutes before Saturday opening time. There were no signs saying they were closed. But then I looked it up and found that statewide all DMV offices were closed for the entire Thanksgiving weekend from Thursday to Sunday. I think putting up a sign would have been appropriate.

Another odd situation was where my dad heard from something about special clothing sale from a company called "International Male". My dad didn't hear much about where it was but wanted to drive around the city of Concord, California looking for it because he heard a friend say the location. I figured it out later, as it was at a place called the "Concourse Exhibition Center" in San Francisco. I don't remember if my dad ended up trying to find this place, but this is what I would think of as a wasted journey.

 

[Lumpy1106]

When I graduated from college jobs were REALLY hard to find. A lot of undergrads applied to Graduate school and more-or-less delayed graduating. I couldn't afford to do that so I had an EXTENSIVE job search. I sent out over 100 resumes to employers that had listed job advertisements. After months I finally got an interview with a small engineering firm that was a 5 hour drive away. By that time my car was less-than-reliable so I had to rent a car too. 5 hour drive there, 5 hour drive back. The interviewer gave me maybe 15 minutes. GRRR!!!

 

[bcla]

When I graduated from college jobs were REALLY hard to find. A lot of undergrads applied to Graduate school and more-or-less delayed graduating. I couldn't afford to do that so I had an EXTENSIVE job search. I sent out over 100 resumes to employers that had listed job advertisements. After months I finally got an interview with a small engineering firm that was a 5 hour drive away. By that time my car was less-than-reliable so I had to rent a car too. 5 hour drive there, 5 hour drive back. The interviewer gave me maybe 15 minutes. GRRR!!!

I've had interviews that ended fairly quickly. One time I was scheduled to end around 2 PM with the last interviewer taking me to the company cafeteria for lunch. I've interviewed at this company before and many interviewers like it because they get a free lunch voucher out of it. But the manager ended it at about 10:30 AM because he figured I just didn't match the job description, even after one of his employees phone screened me for an hour the week before.

Did you get reimbursed? I've had a couple interviews where I drove and was given information on how to request per diem and mileage. However, almost any interview that would have taken 5 hours one-way driving time I was offered airfare, lodging, and a rental car.

 

[fly girl]

First thing that popped in my head when I read the title of the thread . . .

The Road to Hana in Maui.

It was in 2007 after they had a drought the journey was not this picturesque wonderment everyone raved over. It was a winding, boring, road that led to a few dinky beaches with red and black sand. Big whoop! My family coined it, "the road to hella."

 

[Lumpy1106]

Did you get reimbursed? I've had a couple interviews where I drove and was given information on how to request per diem and mileage. However, almost any interview that would have taken 5 hours one-way driving time I was offered airfare, lodging, and a rental car.

NOPE. I was a desperate fresh-out-of-school graduate. I got NADA.
Contrast that with my current job - I got hired on the spot and went to the company holiday party a week before I actually started. I came into the office on my own time to a client meeting and we headed to the party from there. NOTE TO FORMER SELF (and any new grads having a hard time now), it DOES get better!

 

[Lumpy1106]

First thing that popped in my head when I read the title of the thread . . .

The Road to Hana in Maui.

It was in 2007 after they had a drought the journey was not this picturesque wonderment everyone raved over. It was a winding, boring, road that led to a few dinky beaches with red and black sand. Big whoop! My family coined it, "the road to hella."

My DW did that drive with her family right before I met her - she wouldn't consider going past Paia when we went to Maui 20 years later. We did do the drive to Haleakala the afternoon we flew out. THAT took a lot longer than I remembered too and was pretty hellish with a very carsick DS in the back seat.

 

[bcla]

NOPE. I was a desperate fresh-out-of-school graduate. I got NADA.
Contrast that with my current job - I got hired on the spot and went to the company holiday party a week before I actually started. I came into the office on my own time to a client meeting and we headed to the party from there. NOTE TO FORMER SELF (and any new grads having a hard time now), it DOES get better!

Yeah - I've had some weird ones over the years. I had a few local ones that were scheduled for a half day but then they just ended it when it turned out I wasn't qualified. It was probably my mistake for applying for one job (not sure why I did it). However that time I was asked for the half-day on-site interview without talking to anyone first and they should have figured out from my resume that I wasn't qualified.

I've had a few where everything (rental car, hotel room) was covered and I even got a per diem Visa debit card to use on anything. I mentioned the meal to the manager and he said I could contact someone regarding charging a meal of my choice to the company. I declined since I knew I was getting the per diem card.

More or less my first industry job I went to an all day orientation for new hires on Monday. Tuesday was a company event at a local convention center, where I got to meet some of my new coworkers who didn't interview me. Part of how they made sure that people showed up was that annual bonus checks (not direct deposit) were handed out at the end of the day. It felt kind of weird because I wasn't getting one after two days as an employee. But I asked anyways just in case they had a prorated check for me.

 

[low-key]

all of our long wasted journeys involve love that didnt work out

 

[disneychrista]

I've gone places (some over an hour away) specifically to purchase something that they were of course out off.

 

[slo]

Multiple times we would drive hours to a softball tournament to have the entire thing rained out. Waste of time, gas, hotel room, food and etc. Its a good thing my DD and I enjoy each other’s company as much as we do, because we make the best of it and always have good laughs and conversations in the car.
Great memories!

 

[Moliphino]

I was in Guam for work and decided to go out to Ritidian Point, because it's supposed to be gorgeous. I checked the hours and I had time. I drove all the way out on the most horrendously pot holed road I've ever seen, worried I was going to break my rental car, only to find the gate closed and locked at the end. It was closed because of the government shutdown.

 

[Kittyblue]

all of our long wasted journeys involve love that didnt work out

Thinking along those lines, the longest wasted journey mileage wise was across the US, the longest wasted journey time wise was walking down the aisle

 

[BlueStarryHat]

We wanted to see the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian on one of our trips. It was so hot and muggy that night, and we were going to take the monorail from the MK to the Grand Floridian, but it wasn't running so we took the Grand Floridian bus over. No air on the bus that night and so we arrived sweaty and disheveled and tired from a late night at the MK only to discover that they were holding a swanky event in the lobby where the house is kept. People were dancing wearing tuxedos and evening dresses, and here we were in our shorts and matching t-shirts and ear headbands.

The lobby was open though, so we trudged over to look at the house, which took about five minutes. We then went over to the GF bus stop get a bus to the MK to get on another bus back to the All-Stars where we were staying, but no bus ever came even though we waited nearly an hour in the pea soup thick humidity. Finally the monorails came back up and we got on to go back to the MK so we could transfer to our hotel's bus. The monorail stopped on the track for at least twenty minutes but finally limped into the Mk station. Waited a long time for our bus and finally got back to All-Star Movies at something like two in the morning.

 

[SteveH]

2007 Christmas vacation to WDW staying at the Dolphin. We were there 2 days and had a blast, woke up Christmas morning feeling awful, running a high temp, sweats yeah awful. Called down to the Front Desk to inquire about the nearest walk-in clinic or ER. To my shock and "excitement" they said they have an in-house doctor on call. Price really was no different then an ER visit. Doc came up and did a flu test and sure enough, the flu Thankfully she had the needed medications in her rolling bag so I never had to leave the the hotel (which they preferred). I was out for 3 solid days. My youngest was dying to go on Everest, but my wife and oldest wouldn't go. My fever had broken so I trudged over feeling actually pretty good. I watched them on Kali then came time for Everest. My youngest loved it and as we got off the ride he wanted to get the photo. Me on the other hand wanted to find a trash can. Thankfully I didn't get sit, but I was white as a ghost. But mission accomplished, except for the photo. I went back and rested the rest of the day. After that trip I got the flu shot every year. Felt like a wasted trip for me I don't have the memories that my family has.

 

[aprilchem]

Missing my exit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike when I was in grad school and having to drive something like 80 miles to get to the next exit, turn around, and come back.

 

[RUDisney]

Missing my exit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike when I was in grad school and having to drive something like 80 miles to get to the next exit, turn around, and come back.

This reminds me of the first time DH and I went to visit his BFF in Chicago. DH had never been on a long distance driving trip, so he thought it would be cool to go that way. We drove all night, switching driving and sleeping every hour or so. It wasn't so bad.

On the way home, I was dozing and he was driving. Instead of watching for signs to stay on I80, he followed a truck to the PA turnpike. He woke me up to ask since when was I80 a toll road in PA. I took out the map (this was before GPS was available) and he drove to almost the first exit. He pulled over and I took over. I can read a map and he can't, so he didn't trust the way I said we should go. "Ask the toll taker," he said. Well, he told me to go the wrong way and DH said I needed to listen to him because he lived here. We drove a few miles until I said, "are you ready to try my way?" We got to I80 and he took the wheel again around State College, because he had been there plenty of times before.

After wasting that time and him understanding that a long distance road trip is more work than it's worth for us, we flew every time we went back to Chicago for a visit.

 

[MrJT]

My family and I drove about an hour and half to load the truck for a couple of wrestling shows. We got there and waited a couple of hours, no truck. There were going to be 2 shows, both further north. At some point, we decided to not wait, and head to the vacation house that we were going to stay between shows 1 and 2. Eventually on the next day, we were informed that both shows were cancelled. Luckily we were staying at the house for free.

 

[JLTraveling]

I have a couple:

1. I used to work at Kongfrontation at Universal. First trip to NYC, I really wanted to ride the real Roosevelt Island aerial tram. So my dad and I headed out late at night, grabbed a cab, told the cabbie where we wanted to go. He drove us out there and dropped us off at the tram station. Didn't bother to tell us it was closed for repairs! Ever try to get a cab anywhere near the tram station in the middle of the night when the tram is closed for months???

2. My then-boyfriend, roommate and I spent the day at Disney (lived 40 minutes away). We then decided we wanted to go to Six Flags Over Georgia. So we did. Drove all night. Got there absolutely exhausted but giddy at about 8am. Super confused when there was nobody manning the parking booths, and no other cars in the parking lot. Had our National Lampoon's moment when we walked up to the gate and saw the sign: Closed for Season! It worked out OK though. Got a motel room, took a nap, then spent the day in Atlanta before driving home.

 

[elphaba91]

When my sister was at university she was doing a placement at a hospital an hour away. My aunt has a beach house nearby so my sister would stay there during the week and come home at weekends. One weekend she got mad about something so angrily drove back to my aunt’s house on Sunday night instead. My mum then got a phone call at 11pm that my sister had managed to lock herself in the house with the keys in the door outside. We drove the whole way down, unlocked the door and then drove the whole way back, about 3 hours in total. My aunt confirmed a few weeks later that the screen to the window next to the door easily pops out so she could have reached the key.

First thing that popped in my head when I read the title of the thread . . .

The Road to Hana in Maui.

It was in 2007 after they had a drought the journey was not this picturesque wonderment everyone raved over. It was a winding, boring, road that led to a few dinky beaches with red and black sand. Big whoop! My family coined it, "the road to hella."

Oh man, that is one day of my life I will never get back! We weren’t comfortable driving so did a bus tour instead. We were never sure when our next stop would be so felt like we spent the entire day using public restrooms. We stopped at one nice beach but only for a few minutes before being shepherded back into the bus, when our driver said, “I hope the parade is finished” - it was not, so we sat stopped (unable to see said parade) for a good 30 minutes. We then had the opposite problem to you and there had been too much rain, so we couldn’t even swim at the pools. The tour then did the back road, which was a whole bunch of winding nothing. We got back to our hotel about 5 minutes before happy hour ended and literally sprinted for the bar!

The one positive was we met a gorgeous young couple on their honeymoon and are still in contact with them. (They had an even worse time - she got so bus sick and didn’t dare take anything other than peppermints in case she was pregnant).