Dubbed Britain’s White Lotus, the BBC’s Two Weeks in August sees Call The Midwife’s Jessica Raine return to our screens as a stressed mother who acts on an impulsive desire that fractures a friend group already teetering on the edge.
Unfolding on a remote Greek island over two weeks of what are supposed to be fun and frolics, this gripping eight-parter from Catherine Shepherd (Peep Show) tracks a paradise escape that turns into the holiday from hell.
And as I watched the unsettling thriller, where a group of old pals head off together on one of those holidays you just know is going to go badly wrong, I couldn’t help but reminisce about my own nightmare trip with friends.
My first and only holiday ‘with the girls’ was two decades ago. It was such a disaster that it ended my relationship with my best friend and I’ve not gone on a trip with pals since.
When friends here in the UK ask me if I want to go on vacation with them, my first thought is always ‘never again’ as I remember the catastrophe that was our trip to Prague.
During my days at university, aged 18, I had quickly become best friends with Jenny*. She always came across so lovely, warm and genuine. She soon introduced me to her BFF from school, Sarah*, and we became a trio.
It was great at the beginning – then, in our mid twenties, we went on our first girls trip to the Czech Republic. I couldn’t wait to sightsee all the tourist attractions and hidden gems I’d heard about.
But instead, Jenny invited some of her colleagues on holiday with us who I hadn’t met before, and that’s when I saw a whole new side of her.
It was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime, where the three of us could spend time making memories and having a laugh. But instead, I was ignored and made fun of the whole week.
Worse, my best friend betrayed me, sharing my secrets with these strangers behind my back.
UK-based Minreet Kaur (pictured), now in her forties, recalls her nightmare trip with friends to Prague in her early twenties
Within a day of being in Prague, I saw a whole different side to Jenny. In front of others, she tried to impress her ‘new’ friends and ignore me. I felt deliberately isolated.
There would even be times where she would chat to Sarah and ignore me, talking about memories before they met me, and didn’t even include me in the conversation. I didn’t know the other ladies. I was completely alone.
I’d always seen the good side in Jenny, we got on great when it was just the two of us, but admittedly, when it was the trio hanging out, I felt constantly left out – and this holiday highlighted the issue even more.
They’d talk about me behind my back, sharing strange looks and giggles, and Jenny would think it funny to put me down and poke fun at me in front of the group. This, again, became even more apparent on the trip.
Without anywhere to escape to, I felt so lonely – the few days we were there felt like a lifetime and I couldn’t wait to go home. Truthfully, I cried when I realised the person I thought was my best friend wasn’t really the person I thought she was at all.
I always went out of my way for Jenny, dropping her off to see her boyfriends, covering for her, driving her around.
But on that holiday, I sadly realised she was just using me and was never really there for me.
I was going through a bit of a bad patch, and Jenny kept saying ‘we can chat it all through properly on the trip’ – but she didn’t spend any time catching up with me. Instead, I was ignored as she tried to impress her colleagues.
Dubbed Britain’s White Lotus, the BBC’s Two Weeks in August (pictured) sees Call The Midwife’s Jessica Raine return to our screens as a stressed mother who acts on an impulsive desire that fractures a friend group already teetering on the edge
‘As I watched the unsettling thriller, where a group of old pals head off together on one of those holidays you just know is going to go badly wrong, I couldn’t help but reminisce about my own nightmare trip with friends,’ said Minreet (pictured on the trip)
Jenny decided where we would go, what we would do, and everyone went along with it. She made that trip all about her. It was her show.
She’d showcase all the guys wanting to be with her, draw attention to herself and quickly forget about any of her friends as soon as a good-looking man was around – despite already seeing someone and talking to his friend at the same time (I disagreed with it all).
Ironically, during a lunch on the holiday, Jenny complained behind Sarah’s back about our friend ‘flirting with so many guys and being unfaithful’.
But if she could talk about that friend to me, she could do the same to me, I realised.
The holiday proved to me that this wasn’t a good friend of mine and that I had been blinded by her ‘fake’ charm and kindness when it was just us hanging out, but in front of others and a group of women, she was a person I didn’t even recognise.
Even still, the worst betrayal came when I discovered she had shared my secrets with the others on the trip.
I found this out when her friend hinted at something private about me, that I knew she could have only been told by Jenny. That was the moment I realised this was a friendship I no longer needed or wanted. It was the final straw for me.
I walked away when we got back. I slowly stopped getting back to her and we distanced ourselves. It was a relief, and I wish I’d done it sooner.
‘My first and only holiday ‘with the girls’ was two decades ago. It was such a disaster that it ended my relationship with my best friend and I’ve not gone on a trip with pals since,’ said Minreet, who is pictured on holiday in Prague with her friends
Since then, I’ve made other good friends – but the holiday was a real eye-opener for me, and made me realise how some women can really be: competing with each other, not supporting one another, and wanting to get ahead.
I can’t deal with toxic women, and the jealousy between them isn’t for me. I want to surround myself with supportive women, those who cheer me on and encourage me – rather than try to bring me down.
But as an Asian woman it’s far worse than other communities. I see it a lot of the time and I hear it from many women about the lack of solid friendships.
To this day, now into my forties, I don’t have a tight circle of friends like I did back then – as I just can’t trust them, and I refuse to handle being around women with egos and who are vile about others.
Women b**** about one another, when we should be empowering each other. It leaves me questioning, why do women get a kick out of this toxic behaviour?
I’ll never understand, so for me less is more, I have very few people in my life that I trust, and that works for me.
*Names have been changed
