To expect more consideration because we are not rich

[Bluebelle1012]

DS 18 got taken to Italy by his friends family. We sent him with some money for food, parents said local town had loads of cheap bars, could buy food in town, shops, etc...

However, the town is actually an hours walk down a long hill. Room service ranges anywhere between 40-100 Euro. A Diet Coke is 10.

Breakfast is included, but all other food has to be paid for. DS rang me last night saying he wants to come home because he is ordering extra at breakfast to last as he can not afford lunch or dinner from the hotel. They haven’t been to town yet as the parents have booked activities every day

I have no money to give him as I’m broke! He’s going to town (walking) today when he finally has the free time to buy some pot noodles and stuff for the rest of the holiday.

AIBU to think that if a very, very wealthy family take a normal- lower/ middle class teenager to a hotel where it can easily cost £600 to feed yourself for the week should bear this in mind?

The mother made a barbed comment about when she went on holiday with friends it was reasonable to pay for yourself as “theyve already done a favour by inviting you.” Normally I’d agree, but surely they must recognise that there is NO way he can afford to eat every meal here? I just expected more consideration, even offering a chance to go into town would have done

It’s only a short holiday and he will manage on pot noodles.

AIBU?

Having read through the whole thread again I have sympathy for OP and the hosts who have enabled her adult DS to have the chance to go on the holiday of a lifetime where the terms appear to have been discussed.

Setting aside the frankly unbelievable figures reported (such that appears OP has been reported to MN as disingenuous) and given the terms of what appears to have been agreed, the host parents shouldn't make allowances for the fact that he won't dip into his savings to pay for himself.

The pair of DS's sound like they couldn't organise the proverbial between them and both are expecting the respective mumsies to come to the rescue.

The family should definitely pay for all his food and should have agreed a contribution in advance if they wanted one.

How could any family go to a restaurant at home or abroad and pay for everyone in their family and then expect their guest to pay for himself. Should he ask for a separate bill at each meal. Is the parent paying the bill really going to sit there and work out what your son has eaten and drunk at each meal and ask him to get his money out? Or would they say right there are 3/4/5 of us and 1 of you so you need to pay 1/4, 1/5, 1/6th etc of each bill?

I have never heard anything like it.

That said op, £20 per day would barely cover drinks and ice creams. You’d struggle to live on that in the U.K. (eating take outs, ready made food etc) with no kitchen it cooking facilities. Self catering can be budgeted but if staying in a hotel then you have no option but to buy all your food ready cooked (shoos or no shops) which costs a fortune for all meals for 6 days. Really unbelievable to think you can manage that for £20 including drinks and snacks.