January 27, 2025 at 12:49 am

Son And Daughter-In-Law Decline Family Vacation Until They Learn It’s In Europe, But Then They’re Told It’s Too Late To Add Them To The Trip

by Heather Hall

Source: Reddit/AITA/Pexels/Mikkel Bendix

Family trips take a lot of planning, especially when multiple schedules are involved.

So, what would you do if a family member declined an invitation to a vacation only to change their mind after everything was booked? Would you go out of your way to accommodate them? Or would you stand firm on the plans already in place?

In the following story, one person finds themselves at odds with their son and daughter-in-law after refusing to change a family vacation for them. Here’s how it all went down.

AITA for telling my daughter in law and son that it is too late and I will not change the family vacation plans so they can come.

Every year I try to do a family vacation.

Around Easter, I asked everyone for their availability.

The best days for almost everyone was a winter vacation. My DIL and son told me that day wouldn’t work for her, so they can’t go. I asked if the backup days would work, and it was a no.

Usually, the vacation is something that everyone can drive to, and it was going to be this year, too, until all the adults agreed the kids were old enough to leave the country.

When the son and DIL learned the details, they wanted to go on the trip.

So now the trip is to Europe.

Everyone has bought their tickets, and I have booked where we are staying. Everything is getting finalized.

My son and DIL were not in the family vacation chat since they weren’t going on the vacation. They heard about the plans and want to be added in.

She called me up, asking about it and what they needed to do.

I asked her how she could get off work and she explained she just could.

She told them it was too late, and they couldn’t come.

I personally think she didn’t want to go on the trip until she learned it was to Europe and lied to me that she couldn’t come in the first place.

I told her it was too late, things were booked, and I was not willing to pay more than I already had ( I paid for all the lodging, and we would need to upgrade to fit two more adults).

She asked if I was serious and that it is cruel to not include them on a family trip around Christmas.

I told her it is what it is and it’s not my fault

Her son is upset too.

My son is mad. He told me that I could afford to add two more adults, and that is true.

I reiterated what I told his wife.

He called me a jerk.

AITA?

Yikes! It’s easy to see why they want to go now, but it seems to be too late.

Let’s check out what the folks over at Reddit have to say about this story.

This person brings up a really good point.

Source: Reddit/AITA

According to this person, the son is an adult and should cover the costs.

Source: Reddit/AITA

Great questions.

Source: Reddit/AITA

Here’s someone who thinks she’s right for excluding them.

Source: Reddit/AITA

There must be another way to handle this.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.

Heather Hall | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Heather Hall is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in internet culture, workplace conflict, and viral customer service stories. With over a decade of editorial experience in digital publishing, Heather excels at curating trending online discussions and providing insightful commentary on the daily dramas that capture the internet's attention.

Since beginning her career in 2011, she has developed deep expertise in SEO-driven digital content, having written for a wide array of publications covering lifestyle, business, and travel. At TwistedSifter, Heather focuses on synthesizing complex social media threads into engaging, highly readable narratives that highlight the human element of viral news.

When she isn’t analyzing the latest internet discourse, Heather is a dedicated mother of three sons who takes family gaming nights entirely too seriously—whether she is dominating in Mario Kart, exploring The Legend of Zelda, or jumping into Roblox.

Connect with Heather on Facebook and LinkedIn.