My sister keeps criticising me for travelling

Honestly, I think you both need to stop judging each other's choices. And that's all I have to say on the matter.

If you really want to get under her skin, compliment her MiL on having such patience and fortitude and energy to take care of 2 little kids for long weekends every single month and you could never keep up.

I just saw your post about her kids. That's pretty sad, poor babies.

Don't ever agree to babysit for her.

Not enough people are willing to tell interfering busybodies to just fuck off in my opinion.

Jealousy is a disease 😄😄, keep on enjoying yourself girl!

She’s obviously jealous that you have the freedom to do longer trips & aren’t tied down with kids. I’d tell her it’s her who’s being excessive by going on holiday once a month when she has children to care for. Leaving your kids to go on holiday once a month is ridiculous

Don't let this go on. It's time to shut that shit down and the best way to do that is make a comment about how often she leaves her kids for long weekends. Put her on her back foot and she'll think twice about coming at you to deflect attention from her parenting or whatever she's got a damn bug in her bonnet about.

It is odd that they go away so much. Aren't the kids a bit disregulated from all the disruption? Surely the bils parents are taking a bit of a toll with them going a way so much, haven't they complained? It can't be great for the kids.

I normal fins saying travel police is here again or food police etc each time the person brings it up does the trip.

Yeah no wonder there's a lot of judgement! Couldn't imagine leaving my DS to go away once a month- different if it's a work necessity- but to actively choose to leave my child behind every month?! No way.

She is envious.

You are living the life she could have had if she hadnt settled down so quickly. So now she leaves her kids once a month to sod off abroad to pretend she is free of responsibilities. As a result she wants you to shackle yourself to a mortgage, so you will have less money to travel. I would imagine that her perfect scenario would include at least one kid to tie you down even further. She can't give her kids back to get your life, so her next best thing is to make sure you at least have the same (or fewer) opportunities to travel, to make herself feel better.

If she mentions it again say "I have no plans to buy just yet" then ask "How was [insert her latest destination] by the way?" She will soon get the message.

I first started reading & it reminded me of a close friend about 20yrs ago, it sticks in my mind cos she said she was kind of jealous of me being single and able to do as I wanted but she felt she was juggling all the hats of mum, wife, friend, employee & seeing family.

But then you say sis is going away more so that can’t be it.

we all follow our own paths there is no rush to settle down, do the mortgage, marry, kids. Take things your own pace & tell sis to mind her beeswax

Have you mentioned that you "feel for the boys"? Maybe this has got her back up
Also, the bil's parents who look after them may be getting pissed off.

Tell them to mind their own business .. sound jealous to me.
You travel as much as you want it's your life and sounds like a great life doing what you want ..
You go girl get on your travels x

Are you not particularly close @whoamitocomplain ?

Surely, you would hash this it one to one and put all the arguments to her that you have done here?

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people are incapable of thinking on their feet. “It caught me off guard”. Well obviously, as people don’t tend to send an agenda in advance of a conversation, but in the circumstances you set out it MUST have entered your head that you had been abroad once this year and they go every month?!!!

I absolutely can't stand hypocrites. She literally goes away more than you do - and with two kids!

I had my son young, so was home for all my 20s, and my slightly older sister was always abroad and living it up when she had annual leave from her well-paid job. We're talking Australia, New Zealand, the USA, all over Europe etc. I was delighted for her, at worst happily envious and curious, and wouldn't dream of judging. What on earth business is it of anyone's but the traveller?

She’s projecting. Did the monthly breaks start after they had their kids, or was this normal for them even before they were born?

I would tell her you don’t have children so it’s fine. She probably feels shitty on her own kids for leaving them excessively.

But to be clear, your travelling sounds fine and your sister is being odd.

I think it’s fine to reply “ha ha, you can talk!”

But also I’d take a big step back from her. Your family sounds quite enmeshed, people commenting on and judging each others travel plans.

Everyone needs to mind their own business!

At the start of the comment, I thought the sister might be right - too many flights = too many carbon emissions. But once I read that the sister was having even more holidays, I think YANBU. A mortgage might be a more sensible choice but travelling is also great. Do what you want.