The article reflects on a significant historical event in Finnish tourism as it recounts the experience of Marja-Leena Myyryläinen, who was working as the chief guide for Kalevi Keihänen's travel company, Spearair Oy, in Torremolinos, Spain, during the company's bankruptcy in May 1974. On that fateful day, Myyryläinen was at a hotel in Fuengirola with her husband, preparing to send documents back to Finland when she learned from clients at the reception that Kalevi Keihänen's travel business had declared bankruptcy. This stunning news was met with disbelief, as Myyryläinen had not observed any signs of financial distress prior to this, with payments flowing smoothly from Finland to local hotels.