Group trips often look a lot better in theory than they do in practice.

So when one woman tried to plan a friends weekend on the ski slopes, only for her friend to change the plans last minute, she realized she’d be stuck as the third wheel.

But when she confronted her friend, she found herself iced out completely.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for turning down a skiing trip with my friend?

My friend Maria and I agreed last summer that we would go skiing together.

We found a tour that included transportation and accommodation in the mountains.

But she had a hard time getting Maria to commit to a date.

When it was time to book, I asked her several times to check the travel dates, but she kept postponing it.

At the same time, she said we should agree quickly while the price was good.

Eventually, the prices went up and most spots were taken.

None of the remaining dates worked for me, so we decided to organize the trip ourselves.

Maria continued to sabotage the plans at every turn.

While planning it, Maria asked if her boyfriend, her brother, and his girlfriend could join us.

I said I didn’t mind, although I’ve often felt uncomfortable on previous trips because I was the only one without a partner.

She hasn’t always had the best experience in the past.

I have a boyfriend, but due to the situation in my country, he can’t travel with me.

In the past, my ex also couldn’t join these trips, so I was always the “third wheel.”

She was always clear about her limitations, but then the plans changed once more.

Because I live in another city, it takes me 11 hours to get there.

I could only take one day off work, so we agreed on a Friday–Sunday trip.

Later, her brother suggested extending it from Thursday to Monday.

That would require me to take two extra days off, which I couldn’t manage.

So she leveled with Maria, who couldn’t have been less understanding.

I called Maria and explained that I didn’t want to feel left out again and that extending the trip didn’t work for me.

She hung up and later texted that I had ruined everything because I had promised to go.

I apologized for changing my mind, but nothing had been booked yet.

She went skiing without me and hasn’t replied to my apology.

AITA?

 

What did Reddit think?

To this commenter, it’s clear Maria is to blame.

It’s hard to plan a trip with someone this inconsistent.

Next time, it couldn’t hurt to be a little more firm about her boundaries.

Some people can’t handle being confronted by their own shortcomings.

No one wants to feel like a third wheel on their own vacation.

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.