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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Inviting someone else on holiday

94 replies

Carbosug · 07/02/2019 07:51

I've arranged to go abroad with a friend of mine for a few days over. Easter. The plan was to have some time on our own to catch up without family etc. She's now invited another friend of hers that I've never even met, saying she knows we'll really get along and friend has been a bit down lately.

AIBU to be really annoyed and feel she had no right to do this without consulting me?

OP posts:
fabulousathome · 07/02/2019 09:51

I don't blame you. Just remember she's the one who is in the wrong, not you.

With any luck, in a day or two, you may have friend on the phone saying the original holiday is back on so perhaps give it a short while before you forgo your deposit, just in case?

famousfour · 07/02/2019 09:51

UANBU. At the minimum she should have checked with you first so you could discuss (and you would have been well within your rights to say no).

If it were me I would probably say appreciate her position and I’m
sure your friend is lovely but would prefer to save my time and money for when we can do what we planned. And bail.

anxiousbundle · 07/02/2019 09:57

@Carbosug ah that sounds bad if she pushed herself into the holiday! I thought your friend just felt sorry invited her herself.

Is there anyway you can rebook?

lola006 · 07/02/2019 10:04

OP, great question you asked her about what you’d be pushed into! As others have said, a person who pushed themselves into a holiday with someone they’ve never met is likely the type to dictate your movements once there.

Can you get money back?

Juells · 07/02/2019 10:06

You've saved yourself days of sitting around listening and commiserating with all the friend-of-a-friend's woes. Some holiday that would be!

Stompythedinosaur · 07/02/2019 10:12

I think you've done the right thing.

KeepCalm · 07/02/2019 10:14

@Carbosug well that's completely different. Bin that right off until your friend wises up. Thanks

Jaxhog · 07/02/2019 10:17

I'd pull out too. There is absolutely no excuse for doing this. She had the perfect out too. She could have just said 'I need to check with my friend'. As you say, if she pushed your friend into inviting her, then she will push her into doing stuff on holiday, and try the same with you too.

Hope the deposit wasn't too much.

Purplecatshopaholic · 07/02/2019 10:18

I would probably just have gone. However if you are not comfortable doing that then bailing now is defo the thing to do. It was defo rude of your friend to do what she did

TaimaandRanyasBestFriend · 07/02/2019 10:18

This mate sounds really down alright, dropping hints and pushing to crash someone's holiday. Your friend's a wet lettuce. You made the right move pulling out.

punishmepunisher · 07/02/2019 10:19

I would have done the same thing OP.

newnameforthis7 · 07/02/2019 10:22

YANBU, I would cancel personally.

I get really fucked off when I arrange to meet someone and they invite someone else along. It's awkward. I have a friend who does this occasionally, and a family member too. It's like THEY know both people - me and their other friend - but me and the other person don't know each other, so we both feel awkward.

The person who invites the other person seem oblivious, and thinks because THEY are huge social butterflies who love to meet lots of new people, that everyone else should be the same.

I actually fucking hate it, and wish people wouldn't do it.

45andahalf · 07/02/2019 10:26

I'd be horrified if a friend did this to me! YANBU.

BrusselPout · 07/02/2019 10:46

This happened with me too, and the other friend was a cow that turned it into a week of 'who does x like most'. The holiday was awful

BrightYellowHat · 07/02/2019 10:52

That's a shame - sorry it worked out like this.

Bakingberry · 07/02/2019 10:55

I'd pull out if I was you. Had a similar thing happen to me twice. Thankfully it was just on long weekends. Both weekends ruined by a selfish friend who had no consideration for anyone else. I found out the hard way how people you know can act so different around other people.

unexpectedgifts · 07/02/2019 11:38

I had a close friend who would always, always do this. I think she couldn't say no to anyone and had vague boundaries.

She once turned up to a close family event I'd arranged with someone else's children in tow as she'd decided to mind them last minute. The children ran riot Confused. It wasn't even an emergency.

Eventually I grew some courage and would call her about an hour before we were due to meet to confirm it was just her coming. Almost always there was another she had asked along. I'd say 'You have a lovely time but I won't meet up on this occasion, let's arrange another time'.

Finally, after many attempts the penny dropped. I think it was a theatre trip and she'd paid for tickets, I was paying her back and I still did. But to have the empty seats next to her made her realise I meant business.

She now arranges things with other friends and invites me as part of the group and I'm absolutely fine with that.

I just think, having made arrangements to do something it is rude to spring changes on the other person with out asking first.

I was and am always fine if there is a family emergency and changes have to be accommodated. It's when it was every single time I got cross.

OP, I would have pulled out too. There's no guarantee you'd get along, you've never met. It's a lot to assume, that you'd share a holiday without being consulted.

Really it is basic manners to ask before you invite an extra person.

She's now put you in this position and it makes you look like the bad guy when you are definitely not. She should have run it by you before inviting an extra person along.

I'd politely text and say that you wish her and her friend a lovely holiday but you don't feel comfortable spending your holiday with someone who you don't know.

You might be able to transfer the deposit to her friend so you won't lose out financially.

I think your friend, like mine, lacks boundaries.

Janedoughnut · 07/02/2019 12:16

YANBU at all but be careful that the other person doesn't use your already paid deposit for her.

rosablue · 07/02/2019 12:17

Guessing that the friend is probably sounding sniffy because she's just realised that whereas before she was hoping that having you there would decrease the effect of the pushy other friend, and that you would be able to be strong and stand up to her, it now means that she is committed to a holiday with the pushy other friend on her own, something she would probably never have dreamt of initiating with her...

Unfortunately she has only herself to blame and hopefully she will have learnt her lesson not to change plans that involve other people (particularly when it involves time and money) without asking them first!

cushioncovers · 07/02/2019 12:21

That's bad form op. I wouldn't go if it were me.

oldowlgirl · 07/02/2019 12:21

I would have pulled out too Op - she's very out of order. Disappointing however that she has accepted you not going rather than telling her other friend she could no longer go. I'd be upset with that.

halfwitpicker · 07/02/2019 12:25

YANBU.

No randoms on holiday.

TwitterLovesMAPs · 07/02/2019 12:29

No way would I spend my hard earned money and use up my precious annual leave going on holiday with a total stranger who’d invited themselves.

Dimsumlosesum · 07/02/2019 12:33

Hard pass. This happened to me once on a day out in London with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. She ended up bringing a friend of hers along who'd "been feeling a bit down" recently. It was just one long depression fest for the entire day, and whilst I felt for her, the constant negativity on a very rare day away was just completely exhausting and depressing when it was supposed to be a day of chat and catch up for us.

cstaff · 07/02/2019 12:42

@Dimsumlosesum And that was just a day out. Imagine a few days or a week like that. That would be my idea of hell.