Back in 2004, a deadly tsunami struck Thailand, killing more than 5,000 people. One family was lucky to survive, and it's all thanks to a last-minute change.
Speaking with People, Meghan McTavish says that she and her family booked a 10-day stay at a beachfront resort at Kata Beach in the country. However, upon arrival, they realized their reservation had been canceled. Finding another place was almost impossible, but they eventually found a place on a nearby hill to stay at.
"We'd been there about a week and developed a bit of a routine: wake up, breakfast, snorkel, lunch, snorkel, etc. Every day was pretty much the same," McTavish told the outlet. "Thailand is truly like no other place on earth. It's such a mix of wild adventure, luxe travel, beautiful local restaurants, and a party atmosphere — if that's what you want. You can get as involved or stay as out of touch with the world as you like. I love it there."
Avoided Tsunami
The day after Christmas the tsunami hit the country. They had been at the hotel and planned to go to the beach when the water receded. Their dad noticed the water was gone and suspected that something was wrong. McTavish's father forbade the family from going down to the beach.
"I'm almost crying typing this because, in hindsight, you know what happened to those people next," McTavish says. "It's something I feel so guilty about but, like I said, nobody knew for sure."
"So many people have shared their own stories of 'near-misses' and lucky breaks from disaster," she told the outlet. "I've also had people who lost family and friends in the tsunami reach out and thanked me for bringing the story to light. I am so honored that they appreciated it."
"I think the reason my story went so viral was because of the almost 'mundane' elements of it," she also adds. "Back then, we didn't have as much connectivity and relied heavily on cable news. We devoured every piece of information and didn't change our flights home because we knew people desperately needed to return to loved ones, and we didn't want to take their seats. So we camped out in limbo, unsure what to do."
