Going on a vacation abroad with a friend is a perfect way to bond and an opportunity to create fond memories while getting to know a new country. A trip a little bit further away from home is always an adventure, so why not go for it, as after working hard, it is nice to reward yourself.
Even though you work hard, before going, you should make sure that the trip is within your budget. It can get awkward when one of the people can’t afford anything and it can make the whole voyage pretty miserable, as it happened to Dancingmoonlight. She got invited to go to Berlin, but kind of regretted going since the friend kept asking her for money.
More info: Mumsnet
Woman thought she was going on a fun trip abroad with a friend but it turned sour when she had to pay for almost everything
Image credits: Alvaro Galve (not the actual photo)
The Original Poster (OP) is in her 30s and lives in the UK. She had quite a friendly relationship with a coworker she doesn’t work with anymore, but since then they started spending more time together. The coworker was always nice to her and they started going for cocktails and to similar outings.
The friend decided to go on a weekend trip to Berlin and asked the OP if she would be interested. She was, but as soon as they were at the airport, the OP noticed something strange.
Turns out, the friend took barely any money with her. At the airport, she had €60 and £7 ($73 in total) for a four-day trip where no food was included with the room they were staying in.
And it’s not that the friend wasn’t earning enough, but more so that she was quite irresponsible with her money, as right before the trip, she was spending money left and right. She had so little money that she wouldn’t even buy coffee at the airport and the OP had to spend her own money on both of them.
The OP become friends with a former colleague who invited her to go on a weekend trip to Berlin
Image credits: Dancingmoonlight
At the time of writing the story, the two friends were already in Berlin and on top of not having money, the friend was also angry. Mainly because the OP wanted to go to various shops as you do as a tourist and the ex-coworker was just unhappy about it because she couldn’t buy anything.
The OP gave more information about their trip in the comments. When she found out that her friend didn’t have money, she offered to pay for cheap meals, but refused to buy any souvenirs for her.
She also mentioned that it was supposed to be a cheap vacation. She herself took €280 ($300) that she had been saving for the four-day trip and they both weren’t planning on going to expensive restaurants or spending money on designer goods. The OP also suggested free activities they could do, but the friend promised to pay back the money instead.
The issue was that the friend turned up with practically no money and it was supposed to be a four-day trip
Image credits: Dancingmoonlight
The OP was paying for all their meals and was getting hints to give the friend money for souvenirs
Image credits: Dancingmoonlight
The OP updated on the situation when they came back home and it turns out, she spent €110 on her friend who promised to return the money, but the woman was doubtful that she would be getting it back. She messaged the former colleague a couple of times and after a few days, she finally got €30. Since then the friend has been unresponsive.
While still in Berlin, the OP let out her frustrations to the internet and was considering cutting ties with this person because she felt used, the attitude the friend gave her was exhausting to deal with, and the financial strain made the trip far less enjoyable. It seems the friend had the same opinion.
On top of that, the friend was angry all the time because going into various shops just reminded her she couldn't afford anything
Image credits: Dancingmoonlight
In the end, the OP spent over a third of her budget on her friend who didn't even bother to give it back after the trip
Image credits: Miguel Discart (not the actual photo)
People who read the story immediately felt suspicious of the friend and had a hunch she was one of those people who takes money but doesn’t give it back. They were also convinced that it might happen again so the OP should definitely be strict with her friend and set clear boundaries about money or just end the friendship altogether.
Would you have acted differently in this situation? Do you think the friend is just financially irresponsible or was all of this planned? Let us know your reactions in the comments!
People in the comments were immediately suspicious of the friend and were concerned she was using the OP
