Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Couple Trick Clingy MIL By Changing Their Vacation Plans Last Minute: “Cue The Waterworks And Victimization”
It’s not unusual for families to go on vacation together. Of course, that doesn’t happen often, but people still choose to go on holiday with extended family members. In fact, according to the 2022 US Family Travel Survey, 46% of Americans take vacations with family members beyond just parents and in-laws.
These in-laws, however, invited themselves to a couple’s vacation. Even after being told a resounding “no,” the parents wouldn’t admit they’re not welcome. So, the couple had no other choice but to change their plans without telling the in-laws. And, as expected, mother-in-law drama followed their decision.
RELATED:
A couple planned the perfect vacation for themselves, but their in-laws also invited themselves
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
So, the couple had no other choice but to change the plan, this time without telling the in-laws
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Bride1234109
Vacations with in-laws can work, but they have to be invited first
Image credits: S’well / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Maintaining a good relationship with your in-laws is hard as it is. Studies show that 75% of couples have a difficult relationship with their in-laws. A holiday might be the perfect chance to run away from all that drama; yet, the couple in this story weren’t so lucky.
In itself, a vacation with in-laws isn’t anything to fear. The demographic that finds trips with in-laws the most advantageous is couples with children. As Kris Ann Valdez writes for Business Insider from personal experience, grandparents can be the best built-in babysitters. Traveling with extended family can also be cheaper, strengthen familial bonds, and allow grandparents to spend more time with their grandchildren.
But what if there are no children? What if it’s just the couple? If they don’t get along with the in-laws in a natural setting, a vacation isn’t going to change anything. As marriage and family therapist Anne Ziff explained to the Washington Post, “The point of a vacation is get away from the stresses of life. If you really don’t get along, don’t travel together.”
Professor of human development at Cornell University, Carl Pillemer, goes even further to say that in-laws are not, in the case of this story, part of the wife’s family. Still, even if she doesn’t like her in-laws, she at least feels great pressure to get along with them.
A few tips on how to survive a vacation with in-laws
Vacations with a group of people can be difficult as it is: different expectations, different budgets, and different preferences. But when part of that group is your in-laws, the trip might become even more difficult.
A few holidays or special events a year with in-laws are sometimes just inevitable. But one family blogger, Jackie, has some advice on how to make it through a trip with in-laws an come out unscathed:
- Make a plan ahead of the trip. Talk about things like who will be responsible for cooking, cleaning up, what activities you’ll want to do, and what the quiet times are going to be.
- Pick a neutral vacation spot. Don’t just piggyback on somebody else’s vacation like the in-laws did in this story. Make sure that both families want to go there and that neither side covers the accommodation alone. That way, if the in-laws pay for the hotel, the couple may feel pressured to adhere to their rules and schedules.
- Do activities separately. Bonding is great, but alone time is also crucial, especially on vacation. Let the in-laws enjoy a spa day while the couple goes kayaking or surfing.
- Be prepared for disagreements. Arming yourself with patience is a prerequisite for vacations with in-laws. Still, try to be as understanding as you can and find common ground.
- Do regular family meetings. Take time to communicate what’s working and what’s not working; let everyone express their thoughts. It can be a great way to prevent misunderstandings.
The couple decided to limit contact with their in-laws after the incident: “MIL and FIL have been placed on a complete info diet”
The woman also posted an update directly from their vacation: “We’re on board and having a blast!”
Image credits: Bride1234109
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Jack 3 weeks ago
This is why I don't give out specifics like that. "Going to ______." is all that need be said. They don't need to know what resort you're staying at. If they ask, "I don't remember, that's in my notes" and they don't need to know where your "notes" live. In my experience, if you tell people you have time off, a sudden influx of cash, or a vacation, there's a class of people who think you are asking them to help you spend the money, use the time off, or join them on their vacation. You don't have to invite them, they just assume that you're low key inviting them into your decision on the topic. They also get really mad when you don't want to do what they want you to do. Better to simply not tell people, only tell them after the fact, or only give them vague details.
Tabitha 3 weeks ago
One wonders if the parents were even going to tell the kids that they’d be at the same vacation spot at the same time they were, or if MIL and FIL were going to just (unpleasantly) “surprise” them once they were there. TBH, if any of the kids want to troll them in future, they could look up the WORST places to visit or cruises to take and start talking about one of them as the vacation they have planned—-even if they haven’t planned a vacation somewhere else or at all, a staycation or just a week or two with MIL and FIL far away on the worst vacation in the world would be like petty heaven.
wobbly jelly 3 weeks ago
Book a naturist resort or an extreme retreat, let them copy then change it
Janelle Collard 3 weeks ago
This reminds me of a JustNoMIL story where MIL tried to take over when the OP + hubs were having a baby. (Showers, clothing, decorate nursery, etc.) They didn't tell *anyone* when OP went into labor and only told the out-laws about the baby a week or so after they brought the baby home.
David Houde 3 weeks ago
I have a brother and SIL that is kind of the inverse of this. For years they would schedule any major event (kids birthdays, graduation parties, anything where extended family is expected to attend) on holiday weekends. Not just once or twice a year either, it was nearly every major holiday. Heck, even when they got married it was out of town, Halloween weekend (day after Halloween to be exact). I haven't been to any holiday weekend events of theirs in years now. I don't get a lot of time off, so the holiday weekends are important to my sanity. I've reserved them for that.
Crystalwitch60 3 weeks ago
Monsters in law lol ,when she was posting passive agro shite about selfish people lmao I’d have (I don’t use social media eugh to toxic ) but I’d have put in caps lol TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE !! Also I wouldn’t have told them we had changed minds n going else where. Let them turn up expecting you to how was it he put it navigate 😂like w*f that even mean , well done on the twist lol serves the entiled losers right ! N your sis is AWESOME TOO X
Kate Johnson 3 weeks ago
I'd go no contact for the foreseeable future with these boundary stompers. I'd also consider moving as far away from them as possible. People this rude cannot be reasoned with, they just have to be avoided.
Jack 3 weeks ago
This is why I don't give out specifics like that. "Going to ______." is all that need be said. They don't need to know what resort you're staying at. If they ask, "I don't remember, that's in my notes" and they don't need to know where your "notes" live. In my experience, if you tell people you have time off, a sudden influx of cash, or a vacation, there's a class of people who think you are asking them to help you spend the money, use the time off, or join them on their vacation. You don't have to invite them, they just assume that you're low key inviting them into your decision on the topic. They also get really mad when you don't want to do what they want you to do. Better to simply not tell people, only tell them after the fact, or only give them vague details.
Tabitha 3 weeks ago
One wonders if the parents were even going to tell the kids that they’d be at the same vacation spot at the same time they were, or if MIL and FIL were going to just (unpleasantly) “surprise” them once they were there. TBH, if any of the kids want to troll them in future, they could look up the WORST places to visit or cruises to take and start talking about one of them as the vacation they have planned—-even if they haven’t planned a vacation somewhere else or at all, a staycation or just a week or two with MIL and FIL far away on the worst vacation in the world would be like petty heaven.
wobbly jelly 3 weeks ago
Book a naturist resort or an extreme retreat, let them copy then change it
Janelle Collard 3 weeks ago
This reminds me of a JustNoMIL story where MIL tried to take over when the OP + hubs were having a baby. (Showers, clothing, decorate nursery, etc.) They didn't tell *anyone* when OP went into labor and only told the out-laws about the baby a week or so after they brought the baby home.
David Houde 3 weeks ago
I have a brother and SIL that is kind of the inverse of this. For years they would schedule any major event (kids birthdays, graduation parties, anything where extended family is expected to attend) on holiday weekends. Not just once or twice a year either, it was nearly every major holiday. Heck, even when they got married it was out of town, Halloween weekend (day after Halloween to be exact). I haven't been to any holiday weekend events of theirs in years now. I don't get a lot of time off, so the holiday weekends are important to my sanity. I've reserved them for that.
Crystalwitch60 3 weeks ago
Monsters in law lol ,when she was posting passive agro shite about selfish people lmao I’d have (I don’t use social media eugh to toxic ) but I’d have put in caps lol TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE !! Also I wouldn’t have told them we had changed minds n going else where. Let them turn up expecting you to how was it he put it navigate 😂like w*f that even mean , well done on the twist lol serves the entiled losers right ! N your sis is AWESOME TOO X
Kate Johnson 3 weeks ago
I'd go no contact for the foreseeable future with these boundary stompers. I'd also consider moving as far away from them as possible. People this rude cannot be reasoned with, they just have to be avoided.
You May Like MIL Demands Son Leaves Pregnant Wife Alone During Holidays, Is Baffled He Says 'No' Woman Is Made To Choose Between Work And Husband's Family, Picks Her Career: "Just Figure It Out" Woman Excludes Her Daughter-In-Law For Years Then Acts Surprised When She Goes No-Contact
Mantas Kačerauskas
Jonas Žvilius
Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Related on Bored Panda
53
16