How an 18-Year-Old Outsmarted a Tour Guide: The Petty Revenge Hotel Saga of Buenos Aires
Ah, youth. That magical time when travel means adventure, mishaps, and, if you’re lucky, a dash of righteous pettiness. Picture this: four 18-year-olds from Brazil venture into the wilds of Buenos Aires in the 1990s, armed with optimism, questionable hotel arrangements, and a thirst for fun. What unfolds is a story so entertaining it set Reddit’s petty revenge community alight—with everything from cultural clashes and late-night shenanigans to a showdown so memorable it deserves its own movie.
But underneath the hijinks lies a tale of standing your ground in the face of injustice, a travel misadventure that resonated with hundreds online, and a comments section that’s as spicy as a chimichurri-laden steak. Ready for a ride through South American nightlife, questionable tour guides, and a masterclass in petty revenge? Let’s jump in.
Lost in Translation (and Transportation): The Setup
It all started with a budget tour package, a Uruguayan guide, and the promise of Buenos Aires nightlife. Our protagonists—four eager Brazilian teens—joined a group of 15 other travelers, blissfully unaware of what their cheap ticket had in store. Their hotel? “Better than camping,” the original poster (u/cityflaneur2020) quips, setting the tone for the chaos to come.
The city beckoned by day, but the real adventure was slated for midnight: a club outing, because, as any seasoned partygoer knows, “In Buenos Aires nothing starts before midnight.” The group split into taxis, but our heroes’ driver took the scenic route—practically a world tour—before depositing them at a riverside nightclub far from civilization. The plot thickened: their guide, keeper of the coveted club tickets, was nowhere to be found, and the doormen were as welcoming as a bouncer at closing time.
When Prejudice Meets Petty: The Nightclub Standoff
Here’s where the story gets its emotional punch. While the group waited in vain, the OP realized they were being stonewalled—likely because one friend was mixed race. “She didn’t notice,” he writes, “but I paid attention to the dirty looks.” It’s a sobering reminder of the 1990s’ social climate; as one commenter, u/FilmYak, noted, “I’m not remotely surprised there was plenty of racism down there.”
Faced with rejection and a guide who left them stranded, the teens made the best of it—heading back to town for their own fun, but the sting of injustice lingered. The OP’s fury simmered. And in true petty revenge spirit, that anger would soon manifest in a glorious, sleep-deprived showdown.
Rise and Shine, Tour Guide: The Art of Petty Revenge
Unable to sleep, our protagonist decided: “If I don’t get to sleep, so won’t you.” What followed was a masterclass in annoyance: repeatedly calling the guide’s room phone at 3:30 a.m., then, when the phone was unplugged, escalating to ringing the doorbell and dashing for the stairs like a pajama-clad ninja.
“Who’d win the whole ‘didn’t sleep at all’ fight?!” the OP muses. Spoiler: it wasn’t the 50-year-old guide.
Come morning, the tour group gathered in the lobby. The guide looked “10 years older.” And then, in a moment worthy of slapstick cinema, the OP climbed a chair, finger-wagged in the guide’s face, and asked (with a smirk), “ALSO, did you sleep well tonight?” Chaos ensued: the guide tried to push them off the chair, a cleaning lady intervened, and eventually, the guide was expelled from the hotel. “How does it feel to be outsmarted by an 18yo?” the OP gloats, and honestly, who could blame them?
Community Chorus: Fact, Fiction, and the Spirit of Petty Revenge
Reddit’s r/PettyRevenge community devoured the story with gusto—though not without a few skeptical side-eyes. The most upvoted reactions were pure appreciation: “Thanks for the creative story it was an enjoyable read,” cheered u/Delicious-Fig-3003. “It sounds like a movie lol,” added u/Koloristik. Meanwhile, others offered cultural context: “My grandmother is from Buenos Aires… I’m not remotely surprised there was plenty of racism down there,” shared u/FilmYak, grounding the tale in real-world history.
Of course, no Reddit revenge saga would be complete without doubters. Some questioned the timeline, logistics, or the very premise. “Soooo… You hired an Uruguayan to tour you in Buenos Aires, an entire different country? You had it coming,” scoffed u/PinAriel, pointing out the region’s notorious nightlife exclusivity and suggesting the group’s youth or attire—not race—might have triggered the cold shoulder. The OP fired back with clarifications (“Imagine that if I were lying, I would not have added that detail”), reminding everyone that memories from decades ago aren’t always crystal clear.
But as u/nedodao wisely put it, “I don’t care if your story’s real… but I like your comment style. Good luck!” Sometimes, the spirit of a story matters more than the minute details, especially when it captures a universal feeling: the urge to get even, just a little, when the world is unfair.
The Last Laugh: Why Petty Revenge Resonates
What makes this saga so satisfying isn’t just the chaos or the clash of personalities—it’s seeing an underdog win, if only for a night. Whether you believe every detail or not, the essence rings true: sometimes, the only justice you can get is the kind you dish out yourself, one sleepless night at a time.
So next time you find yourself wronged in a foreign land, remember: you might not get your club tickets, but if you’re creative (and a bit petty), you can still walk away with the best story in the room.
What’s your favorite petty revenge travel story? Have you ever outsmarted someone who underestimated you? Share your tales in the comments—because as this saga shows, reality can be stranger (and funnier) than fiction.
Original Reddit Post: If I don't get to sleep, so won't you (a hotel saga)