A woman who travelled to the Dominican Republic with her ex-boyfriend has gone viral after sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses at the awkward trip – which took place just one month after the former couple split.
Lydia Bird, 18, from Connecticut, was determined to still go on the non-refundable holiday – even if it meant going with her ex, Jaeden Lemelin, also 18.
The couple, who had been together for two years previously, booked their spring break holiday to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, in early January without ever thinking they’d break up.
Lydia, a student at Rollins College in Florida, initially planned to cancel the trip and didn’t expect any issues however, after calling Cheap Caribbean, the company they had booked with, she found out that there was no way to cancel the trip or receive a refund.
An 18-year-old college student from Connecticut has gone viral while documenting the awkward vacation she took with her ex-boyfriend just one month after they split
Lydia Bird, a student at Rollins College, Florida, booked a non-refundable trip with Jaeden Lemelin before they spit – but they decided to go on the trip anyway so as not to lose money
The college student (pictured with Jaeden before they split) began documenting their spring break getaway in the Dominican Republic on TikTok, where her posts quickly went viral
‘We had been broken up for about a month – at the time of planning the trip we did not anticipate a break up at all,’ Lydia told Jam Press.
‘I ended up breaking up with him a little over a month before the trip, there were a variety of reasons, but basically things weren’t working and we ended things on relatively good terms.
‘I spoke with my mother and she agreed to take Jaeden’s place on the trip, I called to change his name, and we found out she would have to purchase an entire vacation to be allowed to come.
‘The first thing I did was text Jaeden to offer him the tickets, and I would pay my half.
‘He then attempted to persuade me to go on the vacation because it was such a cool experience – we either would pay to not go or pay to go.
‘Since there was no way to get a refund, we decided to go to visit an exciting new place.
‘Although I was excited, I was very hesitant to travel especially because the break up was so new.
She explained that her mother had originally offered to take Jaeden’s spot on the trip, but the travel company said the names could not be changed without paying for a whole new booking
Because the tickets were non-refundable and non-transferable, the former couple decided to go on the trip anyway
Lydia admitted that she was incredibly apprehensive about the trip, because it took place so soon after she and Jaeden ended their two-year relationship
‘I am a firm believer that exes can be friends, but one month was a short time to make that transition.’
The couple’s flight ended up being delayed for over 10 hours so they spent some time at the airport in the morning, however, the holiday ended up being just like any other – if not better.
Lydia said: ‘We spent tons of time at the beach and pool. Weirdly, after two years being together this was our first big trip together even though we were broken up.
‘We went out to dinner, enjoyed the ocean, the shows at night, as well as all of the entertainment.
‘I would love to go back, Puerto Plata was beautiful.’
As much as the holiday was amazing, Lydia found it hard at times.
She said: ‘Traveling together this soon after the break up was a challenge because he and I have been so close for so long.
‘We dated for over two years and it wasn’t a “see each other a couple times a week” relationship, we spent every day together, so we became insanely close.
The trip was made all the more awkward by the fact that she and Jaeden were given a room with just one bed, even though they specifically requested two
Although she says the pair had a great time exploring a new place, she admits that there was some awkwardness – and some fights – during the getaway
Lydia said that she and Jaeden began fighting over how much time she was spending on her phone during the getaway
‘Although we both know we will always be close, I think Jaeden would agree that we needed to focus on building our friendship so we can still be in each other’s lives.
‘I told him before the trip that I wanted to stay strictly friends, especially because the break up was so recent.’
Lydia shared the crazy experience on her TikTok account, sharing clips of the duo travelling.
Her posts began with a video of herself and Jaeden in the airport, which Lydia jokingly captioned: ‘POV [point of view]: you and your ex bought a non-refundable, international spring break trip. SOS.’
To make matters all the more awkward, Lydia revealed once they landed in the Dominican Republic that the hotel gave her and Jaeden a room with just one bed, even though they had specifically requested two.
Despite dealing with some tension during the trip – with Lydia revealing at one point that she and Jaeden were ‘fighting’ over how much time she was spending on her phone – the couple managed to make the most of the trip, and Lydia even revealed that her ex agreed to take several photos of her during their getaway so she could post on Instagram.
‘When you and your ex are forced to on vacation but he knows your angles so [you get] new posts on Insta,’ she jokingly wrote on one of her many TikTok updates.
Despite their arguments, the teenager said that her ex agreed to serve as her Instagram photographer during the trip, joking that he ‘knew her angles’
TikTok users were captivated by her videos, with many people insisting that the pair were going to rekindle their romance on the trip
Lydia believes that she and Jaeden (pictured together before their split) can be good friends in the future, but the trip came a little too soon for either of them to feel comfortable as pals
‘Although we both know we will always be close, I think Jaeden would agree that we needed to focus on building our friendship so we can still be in each other’s lives,’ she explained
Her post garnered over 13 million views and more than 2.3 million likes, and people were quick to share their thoughts – with several commenters suggesting that Lydia and her ex would likely reconnect during their trip, or at the very least engage in some kind of romantic activity together.
‘Yep, they’re def gonna hook up,’ one viewer commented.
Another person added: ‘Are we all just doing stuff with her ex over spring break.’
‘I went to Disney with mine, it was a 5k trip I wasn’t wasting it,’ someone else wrote.
One person said: ‘I actually did this once – we called it our farewell tour and it was the best week of our relationship, we left on a good note with good memories.’
‘Low key a good movie or book idea,’ another viewer said.
Someone else guessed: ‘$20 they get back together.’
‘Girl are you alright?’ asked one concerned viewer.
Another person dubbed the trip an ‘unhoneymoon’.
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