This saga kicks off in Vietnam, where I made it my mission to infect my long-term boyfriend with the travel bug.

After spending some time in bustling Hanoi, we were eager to keep moving and see more of the country. Our fifteen-day adventure remained largely unplanned, with just a few pre-booked arrangements. One of these was an extravagant and expensive multi-day tour – a first for both of us.

From Cát Bà Island, we were set to experience the famous Halong Bay. After our first day out on the water, we arrived at a teeny tiny village with minimal electricity. A key part of the tour; we were to stay in tiny wooden cabins, eat delicious local food and enjoy the serenity. Everything was perfect and we were geared up for another big day on the water.

It was early morning the following day when we were made aware that a sudden typhoon had hit the island. Our guide sent us a basic WhatsApp message with very clear instructions – we were not going to be leaving the tiny community today. The news of our tour being cancelled didn’t rattle us much, although we were curious about the conditions. We experienced some rain and wind where we were, but mostly remained sheltered.

Suddenly, our guide changed tactics and revealed that they were on route to collect us. She had successfully bribed a boat captain to pick us up despite the storm. Restrictions had already been put in place and fines were being actioned against those who disobeyed. “If it’s not safe, don’t come!” we cautioned, but they were determined to ‘rescue’ us due to the looming threat of more typhoons. We accepted their decision and made our way to the dock.

As we stepped onto the boat, we came face to face with our Guide’s petrified face, drained of all colour and professionalism. Still oblivious to the seriousness of the situation, we soon found ourselves engulfed by monstrous waves, screaming winds, and torrential rain. The boat battled through the mayhem, narrowly dodging jagged rocks and limestone mountains.

Our captain was sweating bullets as the boat crashed from side to side, I screamed at my partner: “are we going to sink?!”. Saltwater  pooled around our legs and attempted to pull us from our balance. The cherry on top was when we noticed our tour guide teary-eyed and throwing wads of Vietnamese Dong in the water, praying for our survival and safe return to land.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we docked. We hit land. We were safe.

We almost kissed the ground as we praised the captain endlessly (who just wanted us to get the fuck off his boat at this stage) and paid tribute to the Vietnamese Dong that allowed us safe passage. We sat down with our guide at a nearby café, drinking avocado smoothies and watching the storm. It was then that we discovered that our guide had never learnt to swim.

I wanted my partner to become obsessed with travel. A picture-perfect tour was intended to do the job, but instead we saw chaos and money down the drain (literally). As a result, we ended up having an unforgettable holiday.

We remain utterly obsessed with Vietnam.