A woman who traveled to the Dominican Republic with her ex-boyfriend has gone viral after sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the awkward trip – which came just a month after the former couple split.
Lydia Bird, 18, from Connecticut, was determined to go on non-refundable leave anyway – even if it meant going with her ex, Jaeden Lemelin, also 18.
The couple, who previously dated for two years, booked their spring break getaway to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, in early January without ever thinking they would split.
Lydia, a student at Rollins College in Florida, originally planned to cancel the trip and didn’t expect any problems. However, after calling Cheap Caribbean, the company they booked with, she found that there was no way to cancel the trip or get a refund.
An 18-year-old Connecticut college student has gone viral while documenting the awkward vacation she took with her ex-boyfriend just a month after their split
Lydia Bird, a student at Rollins College, Fla., booked a non-refundable trip with Jaeden Lemelin before they spat – but they decided to go on the trip anyway to avoid losing money
The college student (pictured with Jaeden before their split) began documenting her spring break getaway to the Dominican Republic on TikTok, where her posts quickly went viral
“We were separated for about a month — at the time we were planning the trip, we weren’t expecting a breakup at all,” Lydia told Jam Press.
“I broke up with him a little over a month before the trip, there were a variety of reasons, but basically things didn’t work out and we ended things on relatively good terms.
“I spoke to my mum 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 buy an entire holiday 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 tried to persuade me to go on holiday because it was such a cool experience – we either paid not to go or paid to not go.
“Since there was no way to get a refund, we decided to visit an exciting new place.
“Although excited, I was very reluctant to travel, especially as the breakup was so recent.
She explained that her mother originally offered to take Jaeden’s place on the trip, but the travel company said the names could not be changed without paying for a whole new booking
Since the tickets were non-refundable and non-transferable, the former couple decided to make the trip anyway
Lydia admitted she was incredibly apprehensive about the trip because it came so soon after she and Jaeden ended their two-year relationship
“I’m a big believer in ex-boyfriends being friends, but a month was a short time to make that transition.”
The couple’s flight ended up being delayed by over 10 hours so they spent some morning time at the airport, but the vacation ended up like any other – if not better.
Lydia said: “We spent a lot of time on the beach and by the pool. Oddly enough, after two years of being together, this was our first big trip together, even though we broke up.
“We went out to eat, enjoyed the sea, the nightly shows and all the entertainment.
“I would love to come back, Puerto Plata was beautiful.”
As great as the holiday was, Lydia found it difficult at times.
She said: “Travelling together so soon after the split was challenging because he and I have been so close for so long.
“We dated for over two years and it wasn’t a ‘see you a few times a week’ relationship, we spent every day together so we became incredibly close.
The journey was made even more awkward by the fact that she and Jaeden were given a room with only one bed, despite having specifically requested two
Though she says the pair had a blast exploring a new place, she admits there have been some awkwardnesses – and some fights – during the getaway
Lydia said that she and Jaeden started arguing about how much time she was spending on her phone during the getaway
“Even though we both know we will always be close, I think Jaeden would agree that we need to focus on building our friendship so we can still be in each other’s lives.
“I told him before the trip that I really wanted to stay friends, especially since the breakup was so recent.”
Lydia shared the crazy experience on her TikTok account, sharing clips of the duo’s travels.
Her posts began with a video of herself and Jaeden at 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 even more embarrassing, after landing in the Dominican Republic, Lydia revealed that the hotel had given her and Jaeden a room with just one bed, even though they specifically requested two.
Despite some tension during the trip — as Lydia at one point revealed that she and Jaeden “fought” over how much time she was spending on her phone — the couple managed to make the most of the trip, with Lydia even revealing that to her ex agreed to take several photos of her during her short vacation so she could post on Instagram.
“When you and your ex are forced to go on vacation but he knows your sides so well [you get] new posts on Insta,” she jokingly wrote on one of her many TikTok updates.
Despite her arguments, the teen said her ex agreed to act as her Instagram photographer during the trip and joked that he “knew her angles”.
TikTok users were mesmerized by their videos, and many people insisted the couple would 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 journey came a little too soon for both to feel comfortable as friends
“Even though we both know we’ll always be close, I think Jaeden would agree that we need to focus on building our friendship so we can still be in each other’s lives,” she explained
Her post has 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 are likely to meet up again, or at least in some way, during their trip Romance would engage in activity together.
“Yep, they’re definitely going to team up,” commented one viewer.
Another person added, “Let’s all just do stuff with her ex over spring break.”
“I took mine to Disney it was a 5k trip I didn’t waste it,” wrote another.
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 with fond memories.”
“Restrainedly a good movie or book idea,” said another viewer.
Someone else advised, ‘$20 will get them back together.’
‘Girl are you alright?’ asked a concerned viewer.
Another person described the trip as a “honeymoon”.