Our little family has had terrible luck driving to North Carolina for vacations.
So far, both times we’ve set out on a road trip specifically to NC, it has ended disastrously. Two years in a row, we’ve ended up going home almost as soon as we got there – and losing a bunch of money on unused hotel rooms and AirBnBs.
I don’t know why we have this NC vacation curse, but we won’t be trying again. The third time will not be the charm because there will not be a third time! I’m officially sunsetting this state as a vacation destination for us.
Don’t get me wrong, North Carolina is beautiful: there are mountains, waterfalls and beaches, which are three of my favorite travel scenarios.
It’s not a bad drive for us, either: about ten hours from our door to the beach.
But our last two disastrous spring break trips – 2024 and 2025 – have made NC a no-go destination for us moving forward.
It all started with our 2024 spring break road trip. We set out on a chilly spring morning for the six-hour drive to an AirBnB alpaca farm just outside of Asheville in Candler, NC. All went well along the way and we immediately loved the place when we arrived. The weather was significantly warmer, the setting was picturesque and we got to befriend and feed goats, sheep, alpacas, turkeys, emus and very friendly cats.
Alas, due to a family crisis later that night, we only spent one night there instead of our planned two, and we never continued on to spend the rest of our spring break week on the beach. Sadly, we headed straight home the next morning instead. It was both a disappointment and a regret for me in 2024 – I truly wish things could have gone differently. Fortunately, we had a great family vacation in a different state later that summer, which helped wipe away the bad memory.
Then, early this year, we talked as a family about what to do for our 2025 spring break trip. When the idea was brought up to re-do our aborted NC road trip from the year before, I was hesitant at first. Then it became clear that this was the only trip my family wanted to take, so I quickly got on board. Better a repeat NC trip than no spring break trip at all, I figured.
Once again, we made plans to spend half our spring break week at the beach, and half back at that lovely little alpaca farm AirBnB. We set out on a bright spring morning for our long drive down to Surf City and Topsail Island, where we planned to spend the first half of our week.
The 10-hour drive down to NC went well and we were all in good moods, but Z was feeling a little under the weather. When we got to the Loggerhead Inn, we found our room cozy and comfortable. We immediately walked the half-block down to the ocean to soak up the full experience of being at the beach. Topsail Island beach was absolutely gorgeous – this is a perfect vacation spot!
Unfortunately, Z felt worse and worse as the evening wore on. We went to dinner and she was barely able to eat anything. She had a long list of symptoms and felt utterly miserable. Plus, because we didn’t know what was wrong with her, she also started feeling anxious about being sick so far from home. The anxiety fed into the physical symptoms and soon it became unbearable: she begged to go home.
At that point, we were all tired and E had driven us ten hours down to NC, so I asked her to hang tough and try to make it through the night and the next day. If she was still feeling lousy the next day, we’d see about getting a refund and head home on Tuesday.
Sure enough, she had a rough night tossing, turning and calling out in her sleep like she used to when she was tiny with a fever. She had full-body aches, joint pain and chills unless we kept her topped up on Advil or Tylenol. The next day, we drove around the island and stopped at a couple of shops. We had a few meals that were pretty good, and spent some time at the beach. Although we didn’t find many shells, I collected dozens of translucent moonstones and brought them home for my Topsail Beach jar.
One of my highlights from that day was getting up before dawn and walking down to the beach to watch the sun come up over the ocean. It was utterly beautiful, as pictured above!
Z was feeling well enough to ride in the back of our truck as E cruised gently along the beach at the North end of Topsail Island which is set aside for 4-wheel drive vehicles. That was so much fun! She and E also went for a bike ride in the afternoon using the free bikes provided by our hotel. After dinner, though, she confirmed that she had forced herself to play along with having a fun day because she was feeling so guilty about making us go home early. But without taking OTC painkillers, her symptoms were no better, and she still felt miserable.
At that point, we knew we had to take her home. We tried to get as much refunded from our hotel and AirBnB as possible (spoiler alert: not much), and we headed home the next morning. We took Z to the doctor ASAP and learned that her symptoms were likely from a virus leaving her body; apparently, sometimes they can go into the joints. The doctor said she would most likely feel better in a few days, and thankfully, for the most part, she did!
There’s no place like home – especially when you’re sick – and I’m glad we prioritized our kiddo’s health and comfort over our vacation plans. Still, it sucks that we had to cut our spring break vacation in NC short two years in a row. It feels like a vacation curse!
And that’s why, even though it’s likely no fault of the state, we won’t be vacationing in North Carolina again. I’m just not willing to take the risk of it happening again when our family vacations in CA, FL and other states seem to go just fine.
Have you ever had a weird vacation curse in a particular location? If so, I’d love to hear that we’re not the only ones. Let me know in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram!
