Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Going abroad against DH wishes.

427 replies

Expatfamily · 20/07/2024 14:27

DH is firmly in the camp that we travel together as a family, and if I’m desperate to go abroad to visit family we’ll use every penny of our savings to go. He understands how much I love my family, he does love them too, but it’s slightly unreasonable to be expected to spend every holiday, every year, visiting my family. He feels it’s fair that we go every other year, with alternate years holidaying elsewhere.

Don’t want to be too outing but my family are British but immigrated to the other side of the world. The place where they live does feel like home to me, I’ve spent considerable time over there and have my own friends etc there too. I do love it over there. My family used to visit over here often but not going into too much detail it’s difficult for them to visit due to their kids in school/costs for all them to fly/not many family members over here to visit/we don’t have a big enough house to host for a prolonged time etc.

It’s expensive for us all to visit them, it’s a long-haul flight away and it’s an expensive country. Before living with DH when I’d visit, as I’ve been many times, we wouldn’t bother doing much touristy things, just hanging out really. The same as what you’d do staying with family here: BBQs/cooking in/watching tele/visiting friends/enjoying the local area/running errands/taking the kids to their activities etc. Stuff that doesn’t really cost that much money apart from the odd day out, getting a coffee in town, getting the odd burger at the street food fest etc.

Obviously when I’ve gone with DH we’ve done the expensive tourist attractions/days out/treating it as a holiday. The last time we went we spent ££££s as spending money. On of the days we spent a ‘home’ DH got a taxi into a different local town as he was a bit bored, and that cost him just over a hundred quid.

I’ve gone on bit of a ramble but essentially I do want to go home. I want to watch tele with my family, share DD with them, and just do normal family things. I know they miss me/DD terribly and everyone in my life keeps mentioning it. I’d love DH to be there, but we’re a bit strapped for cash, and really cannot justify ££££s at the moment.

My family have offered to pay for me (which I/we could afford to just pay for my flight) but when I said about DH joining they said (rightly in my opinion) if we can afford for his flight, why can’t we just pay for me to come over (they’re not loaded by any stretch of the imagination).

The very simple solution is that I just go with DD1 (she’s free until she’s 2). But DH really isn’t a fan, and if anything it’s the first time he’s ever dug his heels in. I think it’s wound him up that everyone in my circle keeps expecting me/us to go over. He somewhat snapped the other day (for the first time ever) that if they were so desperate for us to visit this year they could pay for both of our flights, if not, we’ll hopefully visit next year.

The subject is becoming painfully awkward on all sides (and other family members/friends/acquaintances often mention it as chitchat too).

It would be the first time me and DH would have ever had a real disagreement/either of us has plainly vetoed the others feelings/opinions.

OP posts:
Growlybear83 · 20/07/2024 14:52

Mrsttcno1 · 20/07/2024 14:39

See I’m on his side here because I wouldn’t like my daughter to be away from me for 3 weeks and I know my husband would hate to not see her for 3 weeks so it would be everyone or nobody for us here. They chose to move, the consequence of that is not being able to see people as much as they’d like

I completely agree. I can't imagine wanting to be away from my husband for any period of time. Apart from a couple of hospital stays I've never been away from my husband, with the exception of a week's trip to Australia with my mum for my brother's funeral. It was right in the middle of my daughter's A Levels so there was no way he could come with us, and aside from the obviously very upsetting circumstances, it was horrible being away without him and I felt like a fish out of water.

RoachFish · 20/07/2024 14:52

As someone else has mentioned, I don't think your family likes your husband and they are trying to find a way for you and DD to come by yourselves. He sounds very controlling so perhaps the dynamics change when he's around and they might want to see you in a more relaxed way.

GuinnessBird · 20/07/2024 14:53

They chose to move, do they visit you?

Piffle11 · 20/07/2024 14:53

Is DH saying you CAN’T go, or that he doesn’t WANT you to go?

How would you feel if it were reversed? That you spent most of your holidays long haul to visit his family, and then when you all can’t afford a particular trip - which his family are wanting you to make - they decide they will pay for him to come with DD and leave you at home?

dbeuowlxb173939 · 20/07/2024 14:57

I don't think there's anything wrong with you visiting alone with DD, I would if this was our situation and DH wouldn't mind.

CelesteCunningham · 20/07/2024 15:01

Piffle11 · 20/07/2024 14:53

Is DH saying you CAN’T go, or that he doesn’t WANT you to go?

How would you feel if it were reversed? That you spent most of your holidays long haul to visit his family, and then when you all can’t afford a particular trip - which his family are wanting you to make - they decide they will pay for him to come with DD and leave you at home?

Exactly.

I've read loads of threads over the years from women in the DH's view, and they've always been met with a lot of sympathy.

LashingsOfLemonCurd · 20/07/2024 15:02

I'm actually on his side.

If your parents miss you and DD that much, they should have thought about that before they left the country.

DelilahBucket · 20/07/2024 15:04

If it will be completely free for you to go then yes absolutely go, but if it will involve you sending money you don't have then you shouldn't be going. At the end of the day, they chose to move away from you. DH's mum lives abroad. We've not seen her for three years. She won't travel back here now, too cold apparently. They moved at a time when cheap flights could be purchased through the likes of Ryanair and had it in her head we would be visiting all the time along with DH's sister. The reality was, the cheap flights were available term time only in February. They live in an expat community without so much as a pool or air con. Neither of these things made it a holiday to visit them and by the time we had totted up the cost of flights, airport parking, food, car hire (we wouldn't all fit in their car), it would be the cost of a holiday without the fun. As a result we have never visited them. I've always said to DH if he wants to visit without DS and I then he's welcome to do so.
My point is, it won't be a holiday for your DH either. They are your family not his. He deserves a holiday too.

Mrsttcno1 · 20/07/2024 15:04

YoshiIsCute · 20/07/2024 14:41

That’s just selfish in my opinion. Yes OP’s parents may have chosen to move but these things are never as simple as “they chose to move, their problem”. OP has admitted they don’t really have the room to adequately host at her home, so it makes more sense for her to go to them. a few weeks apart is nothing as something anyone can deal with once a year or so.

No, selfish is moving to the other side of the world and then expecting family to come visit you. Neither I or my husband would be happy with our daughter being taken away for 3 weeks at that age especially and that’s totally normal.

Expatfamily · 20/07/2024 15:04

Real mixed response.

Hand on heart DH isn’t controlling, if anything he’s the opposite. He just hates being away from us. Which I understand, as if the shoe was on the other foot and his parents offered to take him and DD away on holiday I’d be climbing the walls too.

I know he’d miss us. He would rather just spend the money on the flight, sit watching paint dry, praying that we don’t have an unexpected expense then be away from us. I know he’d be worried about missing one of DD first moments too. It would be DD first time on a plane.

As an adult any job I’d interview for I’d ask if I could take my AL together for me to go over once a year. In an ideal world I’d go over for two weeks, but I’d compromise for a week/ten days.

I reckon last year we spent close to £3,000 over the three weeks. I reckon I could get a flight for £450 and have £200 spending money for two weeks.

OP posts:
LashingsOfLemonCurd · 20/07/2024 15:04

OhmygodDont · 20/07/2024 14:43

would you be happy for your husband to be away with your DD for however long with no invite for you across the other side of the globe?

And this is exactly why I'm team DH too

Annalouisa · 20/07/2024 15:06

I think the OP is being unreasonable - just try reversing the roles:
>A DH with family in India wants to take his 1-year old daughter to India to visit his family. The wife says no, we can't afford it, and DH says: "No problem, my family is paying for me, but not for you! So you stay here, and I'll be back in three weeks with DC. All you want to do in India is sightseeing, visiting the Taj Mahal and what not, whereas I just want to watch TV with my family."

Honestly, if the roles/genders were reversed, everyone would be advising the wife: Do not to let DH leave the country with their DC. Hide the passport etc. You are a family unit with shared finances, no special treatment for one parent etc. Followed by calls of LTB.

OhmygodDont · 20/07/2024 15:07

So you wouldn’t be happy and you basically send any spare cash to go and use up a lot / most of your AL. sorry but that’s selfish.

your family as in you, dh and dd deserve holidays that are not just sitting watching tv with your family.

If you wouldn’t leave dd behind with him for the weeks or let him go away for weeks on end with dd without you, then you shouldn’t expect to do it to him.

He actually sounds like a decent dh who loves and misses his wife and child willing to spend every last penny to keep you happy visiting.

Spondoolies · 20/07/2024 15:07

Could your DH join you for one of the weeks?

Mrsttcno1 · 20/07/2024 15:07

Annalouisa · 20/07/2024 15:06

I think the OP is being unreasonable - just try reversing the roles:
>A DH with family in India wants to take his 1-year old daughter to India to visit his family. The wife says no, we can't afford it, and DH says: "No problem, my family is paying for me, but not for you! So you stay here, and I'll be back in three weeks with DC. All you want to do in India is sightseeing, visiting the Taj Mahal and what not, whereas I just want to watch TV with my family."

Honestly, if the roles/genders were reversed, everyone would be advising the wife: Do not to let DH leave the country with their DC. Hide the passport etc. You are a family unit with shared finances, no special treatment for one parent etc. Followed by calls of LTB.

Absolutely. Especially now that OP has said about this being child’s first flight etc, you want to talk about someone being selfish I can only see 1 selfish person in this scenario and it’s certainly not DH

mightydolphin · 20/07/2024 15:08

I agree with the PPs that think it's fair for you to go if your parents cover the flights for you. You shouldn't be going if you're spending family money or using up annual leave when things are tight/annual leave is limited - especially if it means you don't get a family holiday together this year.

GoldFrame · 20/07/2024 15:08

I certainly wouldn’t want my dh telling me I couldn’t visit my family with our child

TinyYellow · 20/07/2024 15:09

It’s a bit shitty of your family to be so dismissive of your husband so I can see why he’s offended and has dug his heels in.

Obviuosly, it’s perfectly possible to be able to afford one flight but not two. If your family could help you both go, knowing that your DH would still be sacrificing a family holiday he has some input into, why wouldn’t they? It seems really mean and disrespectful to your DH for them to say they will only help you visit if he doesn’t come.

Sirzy · 20/07/2024 15:09

A long haul flight with a toddler for a week? Sounds like a nightmare!

Merrow · 20/07/2024 15:10

Zanatdy · 20/07/2024 14:51

Or maybe they can’t afford another adult flight to the other side of the world? Sometimes parents just want to spend a bit of time with their own child, and not the DH constantly there. As OP said it changes the vibe of the visit, from lazy days spending time with family to day trips and doing something constantly. I get why OP wants to go alone but I’ve got family who live elsewhere and it does change the visit when someone else is there to consider who might be bored

But they've not been asked to provide two adult flights - they've offered to pay for the OP, and once OP suggested that might mean that they'd be in the position for DH to come too (as OP would only then be paying for an adult fight for DH, rather than the two of them) then the offer was withdrawn.

I get that the OP's parents might just want time with their own child, but I do think the long haul dynamics changes whether that is feasible.

Treelichen · 20/07/2024 15:10

Aquamarine1029 · 20/07/2024 14:34

Your husband is being absolutely ridiculous and alarmingly controlling.

Go visit your family.

I view it the other way. I think OP is being controlling insisting that every family holiday is a visit to her family on the other side of the world. The husband's suggestion of every other year sounds totally reasonable to me.

StormingNorman · 20/07/2024 15:11

We have family all over the place and it’s normal for blood family to go without spouses. Because of cost and priorities for annual leave.

I think he should come round to you going.

LibertyDuck · 20/07/2024 15:13

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

OhmygodDont · 20/07/2024 15:13

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

So she can go without the Dd

Blondeshavemorefun · 20/07/2024 15:14

Makes sense to go Now as dd is under 2 so free

Swipe left for the next trending thread