The woman — who detailed her story on a community site — says her husband says he “works hard and deserves a decent holiday”
- Woman says she told her husband she doesn’t think they should splurge on their annual family vacation this year because they need to pay for an extensive home renovation
- The woman, who shared her story on the U.K.-based community site Mumsnet.com, says her husband said he “works hard and deserves a decent holiday” — so he booked tickets for himself and their two teens without her
- The woman is now seeking advice from her fellow community members about how she should handle the tense situation
A woman is seeking advice after her husband booked a vacation for himself and their kids without her.
The woman detailed her experience on Mumsnet.com, a U.K.-based community site where women can go to get input from other women about interpersonal issues. In her post, the woman shared that she and her husband — who she says both work — usually take their teenage son and daughter on a yearly family vacation.
She wrote: “Most years we do an interrailing holiday around Europe, visiting several countries and a mix of sleeper trains and [four star] hotels. We always fly back from where we’ve reached with a budget airline.”
“It usually costs more than a standard two weeks all inclusive resort type holiday because of the cost of eating out/travel etc, but we love it,” she added.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/man-woman-arguing-040725-1-aeb1e116cfc1487b8da686ec50fda74f.jpg)
She went on to share that this year, they are spending “at least [75k]” on an extensive home renovation. “We have no savings, and the renovations will be added on to our mortgage,” she continued, adding that their yearly holiday will be going on her husband’s credit card.
Because of this, the woman said she suggested that they plan a domestic family vacation this year instead of going abroad in order to save money for “the unexpected costs that the renovations will kick up.”
However, the woman added that her husband “has refused,” telling her he “works hard and deserves a decent holiday.” She said that they have since been “arguing for weeks,” and she ultimately said she would not join him on a costly international trip — to which he said he would book a trip regardless.
“Last week he told the kids I didn’t want to go on holiday and asked them to choose — go with him or stay with me,” she continued, revealing that her daughter chose to go on the trip and her son chose to stay home with her.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/young-man-looking-out-train-window-040725-d36e115eeb434f5ba6ee243d7fec793e.jpg)
To add insult to injury, the woman said that now her husband is “dropping digs” at her in front of their kids — “[Saying] that I don’t understand how money works, that I don’t work as hard as him. It’s unbearable.”
She noted her husband also booked a ticket for their son, despite his wish to stay home.
“I really don’t know what to do,’ she concluded. “My son is adamant that he [won’t] go unless I do. If I go, we will end up getting more in debt. [My husband] won’t compromise on having a cheaper holiday.”
A number of Mumsnet.com users were quick to assure the woman that she has a right to feel upset — and many noted that they thought her husband’s behavior was absolutely not okay.
“His attitude is the bad thing here,” wrote one woman, sharing that she and her spouse are in a similar financial position. “Honestly we can’t afford the holiday we’ve booked but we’ve made the decision to do it as the kids are two years from leaving home and it’s important to us to do this whilst we have them at home. However it was a joint decision and we have a plan on how to pay it off.”
The same person added: “I can’t believe [your husband] would disrespect you so much in front of your kids. Completely unacceptable.”
“A holiday is a want, not a need. If he wants a holiday, he needs to look at something cheaper. He needs to suggest a budget that you feel comfortable with and then do the research to find something that would be within that price bracket,” said someone else.
Another person offered a more direct perspective (complete with a Britishism), writing, “No advice, but your husband is a complete arse.”
