Tell me about a family trip or day out that didn't go to plan when you were a kid. What happened?

A natural way to answer

We planned a big day at a theme park, but I got carsick on the way and then we discovered half the rides were closed. Everything seemed to go wrong at once. Still, my parents kept their sense of humour, and we salvaged the day with ice cream and a long walk.

Key phrases to use

• chuck it down — to rain very heavily“It chucked it down all weekend.”
• let it ruin — to allow something bad to spoil an occasion or mood“Don't let one mistake ruin the trip.”
• go pear-shaped — to go wrong, especially after starting well“The plan went completely pear-shaped.”
• go wrong — to develop in a bad or unintended way“Everything that could go wrong did.”
• salvage — to rescue something from a bad situation“We salvaged the evening with a good meal.”
• descend into chaos — to quickly become disorganised and out of control“The day soon descended into chaos.”
• make off with — to steal something and hurry away with it“A fox made off with the chicken.”
• laugh about it to this day — to still find something funny long after it happened“We laugh about it to this day.”