Just don't go.

mrsconn23

Dear Prudence,

My boyfriend’s parents are fine in their home environment, but are the world’s worst travelers. His mom is a nervous wreck and constantly imagining doomsday situations, while his father loses the ability to tell time and blames everyone else if he is late. We went on a cruise together. I basically planned everything, down to helping them pack. It was so stressful, I needed a vacation from that vacation. I told my boyfriend that I am not doing that again, but he and his parents want to do an international trip now! I am digging my heels in here. I love my boyfriend and his parents are great, but his mother freaked out over a gate change and his father almost missed boarding because he was taking too long in the bathroom. Help!

—Trip Stress

Casadena

Girl, this is not even your husband and you are spending way too much energy giving a shit about what his parents do/don't do on vacation. His mom panics about a gate change? Ok, just tell them you're going to start walking to the new one and don't engage. You PACKED FOR THEM? That's insane. You don't need to parent the parents. Chances are, if you just act excited but don't offer to plan anything and say stuff like "sounds great, let me know when you guys are ready to book and i'll see if it works on my end" or something to that effect the trip probably won't happen at all. 

Also, you don't have to travel with them at all....

VarunaTT

LW....WTF are you doing?  These are whole grown adults and this is not your job.  Where was your boyfriend in any of this?

mrsconn23

OMG, did y'all see the news story about the kid who got back on the cruise ship and let it sail away without his parents because they were taking their damn time shopping at the port?  He was all, "I told them and they didn't listen, so I ditched their asses."  Anyway, this letter made me think of that situation. 

If they're OK once you get to the destination and it's just the flying part that is insane...then book different flights.  If it's the whole kit and kaboodle, then just don't do it.  Don't plan it, don't ask about it, don't make suggestions, etc. Nada, null, nein, all the nopes.  

And seriously, this is your BF's parents.  They're HIS problem.  Stop letting them become yours.  

banana468

Was he....not there?? There's no way I'd do this.  

short+sassy

mrsconn23 said:

OMG, did y'all see the news story about the kid who got back on the cruise ship and let it sail away without his parents because they were taking their damn time shopping at the port?  He was all, "I told them and they didn't listen, so I ditched their asses."  Anyway, this letter made me think of that situation. 

If they're OK once you get to the destination and it's just the flying part that is insane...then book different flights.  If it's the whole kit and kaboodle, then just don't do it.  Don't plan it, don't ask about it, don't make suggestions, etc. Nada, null, nein, all the nopes.  

And seriously, this is your BF's parents.  They're HIS problem.  Stop letting them become yours.  

I did!  It was such a great story.  The teenager being the responsible one.  I love that he got to enjoy the rest of the cruise, while his parents scrambled to find (expensive!) plane tickets to either the next port or back home (I forget which they did).

There was a close call on one of the excursions I did.  It was tour guide-led, but you also had periods of free time to wander the city.  I was hanging out at a gelato shop with two of the other women on my excursion.  We left the shop when there was about 10 minutes left before we had to get back to the central meeting place.  The other women said they were going to window shop further down the street.  I said we only had 10 minutes left, so I was going to head back to the group.

They ended up being about 20 minutes late and we were only a few minutes away from walking back to the bus without them!  

downtondiva

Stop traveling with your boyfriend's parents. Just because you love them doesn't mean you're compatible travel companions. It's like friends who can't stand each other as roommates. My in-laws are lovely people, but their traveling style is completely different from mine, and my husband and I have agreed that we're never taking a vacation with them. 

If your boyfriend still wants to go on an international trip with his parents, let him. See how he likes it when you're not there to babysit them. (And P.S., if you must travel with them in the future, don't take on so much! They're adults who should be able to pack their own damn suitcases!)