Man Dumps Girlfriend Before Vacation, She Ensures His Ticket Isn’t Wasted

A woman enlisted an unlikely companion in an effort to overcome heartbreak and take the vacation she had been dreaming of.

A video posted by Anastasia Makus on TikTok has gone viral for revealing the trip to the Swiss Alps she took with her father in August—one that she and her ex-boyfriend were meant to enjoy. Makus, 21, spoke to Newsweek about how her breakup almost ruined her summer plans and how her father saved the day.

“The holiday made it out of the group chat,” Makus captioned the video. “My boyfriend broke up with me, so I went with my dad instead.”

Makus, a student in Germany, had been looking forward to a summer vacation with her long-distance boyfriend, who lives in Barcelona, Spain. The couple had been together for nearly a year when, one night, over the phone, they broke up.

“Many tears were shed, and I felt this void building up inside of me,” she said. “I was so looking forward to [the vacation], and I was really sure we would go on this trip together. I got so angry about it.”

After deliberating with family and friends, Makus decided not to take the trip alone. She went home to her family for a weekend, frustrated by her sudden lack of plans. That’s when she and her father put their heads together—they would go to the Swiss Alps on a hiking holiday.

It wasn’t a new concept for the father and daughter, who used to go on hikes every Sunday together before Makus moved away for college.

“It was a way for both of us to escape the reality for a while and spend time together and be around nature,” she said. With that, the two set off for a weekend trip.

‘Life is still full of joy’

Makus’s TikTok showed the lighthearted moments of the duo’s time together—moments that Makus said occur during periods of quiet.

“My dad is rather a quiet type of person, and if we hike together, we don’t really talk much with each other. We’re enjoying each other’s presence I would say, which is really comfortable and easy going,” she said. “But of course, there are moments where we both start to be silly and do things to make each other laugh.

“I was wanting to make the TikTok as a funny memory to remember that life is still full of joy and happiness and that there are other things that are waiting for you.”

While Makus did speak a bit about the breakup with her father, she said she was more determined to put it behind her.

“It’s in the past now,” she said.

Although the two no longer have a Sunday hiking tradition, the impromptu getaway inspired Makus and her father to try a bit harder to connect in nature. Makus said it was one of the best summer holidays she has ever had, and she even has another hiking trip booked with her father as soon as October.

“[This trip] will hold a special place in my heart,” she said. “Parents can also be your best friends; that’s what I learned many times now. I’m so grateful to have this special relationship with…my dad.”