What Is Your Vacation Horror Story?

Patti Schom Moffatt, co-general manager, ?Edelman Vancouver? “It was my first trip abroad. I fell really ill in West Africa and was hospitalized. An elderly doctor diagnosed me with pleurisy and told me to drink lots of fluids. I continued to get worse and eventually checked myself out of the dodgy hospital. I met a European doctor who told me I didn’t actually have pleurisy! The local water was the reason I was still sick; my treatment was my punishment.” Garry Mancell, partner, ?Davis LLP?

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Patti Schom Moffatt, Garry Mancell and Sara Au Yeong’s travel tales include African diseases, 2,000-foot drops and other vacation fun.

Patti Schom Moffatt, co-general manager, 
Edelman Vancouver



“It was my first trip abroad. I fell really ill in West Africa and was hospitalized. An elderly doctor diagnosed me with pleurisy and told me to drink lots of fluids. I continued to get worse and eventually checked myself out of the dodgy hospital. I met a European doctor who told me I didn’t actually have pleurisy! The local water was the reason I was still sick; my treatment was my punishment.”


Garry Mancell, partner, 
Davis LLP



“During a four-day hike on an Inca trail in Peru, I slipped and the weight of my backpack carried me over the edge of the mountain. I bounced off a rock and got hung up on a bunch of trees. I remember looking up at the sky thinking, ‘This cannot be good.’ But for those bushes, I would have been freefalling without a parachute 2,000 feet to the Urubamba River.”

Sara Au Yeong, owner, Jules & Eve 
clothing retailer



“When I arrived in Las Vegas for a trade show, my luggage was missing. I remember waiting at the airport until everyone was gone except for myself. It was a nightmare. All my suits were in my bag. The airline offered me $50, but as a woman you need your clothes and your makeup. This costs more than $50! I ended up having to buy everything. Since then, I have carried a spare set of clothes in my carry-on bag as a backup.”