Vacations can be fun, but it’s a different story when you’re on a strict budget, and the destination country is pricey.

So, what would you do if you planned an expensive vacation and invited your significant other who couldn’t afford to participate in outings or meals? Would you help them out and cover their costs? Or would you sit back and watch them struggle?

In the following story, one man finds himself in this exact situation and opts for the latter. Here’s what happened.

AITA for inviting my (29M) Girlfriend (28F) on an expensive vacation and expecting her to pay all of her share? (I make a lot more than her)

My girlfriend, myself, my parents, my brother, and his wife all went on vacation to another country a week ago. My brother and I were the ones who did most of the planning of the itinerary, although we asked everyone else for input.

For background, I make around $150,000k as an IT consultant, and my girlfriend is a teacher making $45,000k. My parents are pretty affluent, as are my brother and sister-in-law.

My girlfriend knew this trip was coming up and took on a second job, waitressing on the weekends for several months to get ready for it. We have always split things 50/50 in the 2 years we have been together.

Several times, she skipped outings with him and his family.

There were a few times on the vacation when she did not go on outings with us, such as wine tasting, scuba diving, etc. She also would only eat 2 meals a day, simply stating that she was on a budget. My family does favor more high-end (*expensive*) places.

My parents thought it was very strange that she only eats 2 meals a day although normally she eats 3.

When we got home, I asked her why she skipped out on several of the outings and only ate 2 meals a day- I mentioned how I heard her stomach growling one night and said I was concerned about her having an eating disorder.

Sadly, she couldn’t afford to take part in everything.

She got teary-eyed and said that 3 meals a day weren’t fiscally feasible for her, and neither were the outings that she chose not to go on (she went on 3 of 6 outings). She said she was not expecting everything to cost so much, and she was overwhelmed.

She also said she doesn’t know if this is going to work long-term if she is expected to go on vacations like that with people who make so much more than her.

I feel bad that I did not pick up on her discomfort sooner. But we did agree to split everything 50/50, and I don’t know why she agreed to come if the cost was an issue.

AITA?

Wow! This story does not present him in a good light.

Let’s check out what advice the readers over at Reddit have to offer him.

Here’s a great question.

Exactly! He’s treating her like a friend rather than a partner.

This person thinks the story is probably made up.

These are harsh words but very true.

As this person points out, he’s oblivious to her problems.

This guy needs to get a grip.

He should make it up to her by taking her on an all-expense paid vacation to show that he cares.

And if not, he needs to let her go because she deserves better.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.