I’ve met so many people who have whale-watching as an item on their bucket list so I feel like I’m doing a bit of public service here by announcing that it’s really not all that it’s cracked up to be. This, I believe, is my first travel-related post where I write about an experience I wouldn’t repeat.

But maybe you’ll do it/ you’ve done it and you’ll love it/ you’ve loved it. If you have a strong stomach, which I don’t. And if you enjoy being out at sea, which I don’t. Come to think of it, why did I go whale-watching anyway? Why was it something I wanted to do? I’m not sure. A whole afternoon I will never get back.

My memories of that afternoon are now a bit blurry (thankfully!) but then so was my vision on the day. Seasickness is a real bitch and one that accompanies me every time I step onto a boat. That afternoon was no exception. And the longer we stayed afloat, with the boat rocking like crazy, the more I thought that I was not going to make it back to dry land.

All that could even have been worth it if I’d seen some whales but, in those four or five or 345 hours I spent on that godforsaken boat (it’s hard to judge time when you’re having the worst time of your life, really), all I could do was keep my head between my knees or inside the barf bag, taking the occasional quick peek every time someone on the boat went ‘oooooh’ or ‘aaaaah’ or ‘look!!!’ – and still, the best I saw was what you see in the photo above.

Am I the only one who hated a bucket list experience? Have you ever done something you were really looking forward to do only to be massively disappointed by it?