Woman Doesn’t Want to Invite Partner’s Mom on Couples’ Vacation, Despite Her Parents Joining Them

A woman turned to Reddit for advice after a planned family trip to Japan became more complicated than expected.

She explained that she and her partner had originally planned the getaway for just the two of them. Later, her parents expressed interest in joining, and she happily agreed — especially since her father is 84 and may not have many opportunities left to travel with the whole family.

However, tension arose when her partner’s mother later assumed she could come too and began making plans to join the trip.

The poster said the issue isn’t just about group size — her parents are uncomfortable traveling with people they don’t know well, and her partner’s mom tends to dominate social situations.

“She’s lovely but has a huge personality,” she wrote, adding that they had already taken a recent trip to Punta Cana with his parents.

Her partner believes it’s only fair his parents are included if hers are. While she understands his point, her mother would prefer to keep the trip small and intimate.

“Am I being unreasonable here for wanting the trip to be just the four of us?” she asked Reddit. “If so, how do I tell this to my partner in a way that isn’t upsetting?”

Reddit users quickly weighed in with their own opinions.

“If your parents didn’t go on the Punta Cana trip, it’s their turn for this trip,” one commenter said.

Another wrote, “Oh, your partner thinks this is fair? So he can take his parents and you go with yours. Fair.”

Others suggested the situation might have been avoided if the original couple’s trip had remained just that — a trip for two.