October 21, 2026 at 3:10 pm

A Couple’s Camping Trip Excitement Vanished After The Family Changed The Destination And How Everyone Would Get There

by Chris Allen

stressed out woman

Shutterstock

A relaxing family camping trip can quickly become more work than fun.

This young woman originally agreed to a simple plan that changed completely at the last minute.

Instead, she now faces extra driving, added supplies, family pressure, and an impossible transportation problem.

No wonder she wants to stay home.

AITA for refusing to go camping with my partners family?

I (23F) was with my partner (26M) celebrating his sisters birthday.

We had a great time and after dinner his sister said in two weeks time they were going camping and asked if we were busy. We weren’t busy so they offered for us to come.

We said sure!

Their lives are pretty busy.

My partner and I work Monday to Friday and long hours. We hardly get time to do anything in the afternoon, we eat, showers sleep. And his family know this, so being able to pack etc is hard/limited time.

But things were going smoothly.

My MIL is elderly and disabled so we help her a lot and she is also going camping.

It was supposed to be simple.

But the plans have changed.

Sister in law would pick up MIL and take her to the camp site.

When my partner and I both finished work we would drive to the campsite. (Me go in his two seater car).

Now we’ve been told that the campsite has changed to a new location, and my SIL no longer wants to drive the distance (30 mins) to pick up her own mother and now is expecting us to take her somehow. (Again 3 people…2 seater car) and may I add the campsite is 2 hours away for us and only 25 minutes for my SIL.

My MIL also wants to take her old dog that doesn’t handle camping well.

She offered another option, but her MIL didn’t like it.

I have a friend visiting to feed and play with my cat and I said he can with the dog, but she is just certain that’s not enough and she needs to be with her dog the whole time.

So now it’s stressing us out.

I now have a going away party for my boss at a job I have only been at for a month the day I go camping. So for context now I have to work, finish work, go to the going away party, then drive on my own to this campsite.

I also am not confident to do this by myself.

It’s going to be a really long day and a really short trip.

I’ll be getting to camp so late like 9pm earliest, and I feel like I’m going to have no fun camping since it’s only Friday and Saturday night we’re staying. Then spending all Sunday afternoon unpacking and getting ready for work the next day.

This doesn’t feel worth it.

We’ve also had a lot of stress of family saying all we needed to bring was tent, bedding, snacks.

Now we’ve been told last minute more things and have been rushing to get it all.

It’s gotten expensive and stressful.

It’s been a huge waste of money and now me and my partner are so overwhelmed his mother doesn’t care at all how stressed we are and won’t take no for an answer.

And we both don’t want to go.

What do I do?

I want to go because it’s camping, time with family, his mother doesn’t get to do this stuff often anymore. But it’s all rushed and bad timing.

She wants to back out of the trip.

And because of work we hardly have time to pack and do what we need.

Now I don’t want to go.

And I feel so guilty but I don’t know if I should go or not.

When I mentioned I don’t want to go they seem disappointed and have basically made me feel like I have no choice.

I’m ready to just not go. But AITA for saying no? I know it’s hard for my MIL to get these opportunities but I don’t feel like I HAVE to go.

I think the SIL is the jerk here for changing the camping plans. They should’ve stuck to the original plan.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

Changing the plans changed everything.

Screenshot 2025 09 29 at 11.46.46 AM A Couples Camping Trip Excitement Vanished After The Family Changed The Destination And How Everyone Would Get There

Here’s a suggestion for what to say to back out of the camping trip.

Screenshot 2025 09 29 at 11.46.35 AM A Couples Camping Trip Excitement Vanished After The Family Changed The Destination And How Everyone Would Get There

Here are some more suggestions.

Screenshot 2025 09 29 at 11.47.10 AM A Couples Camping Trip Excitement Vanished After The Family Changed The Destination And How Everyone Would Get There

This is a good point.

Screenshot 2025 09 29 at 11.47.27 AM A Couples Camping Trip Excitement Vanished After The Family Changed The Destination And How Everyone Would Get There

This woman agreed to the original camping plan, not the stressful mess her partner’s family created afterward.

Her sister-in-law lives closer and changed the transportation deal, so the couple shouldn’t be guilted into solving everything.

The family somehow turned camping into unpaid event management.

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