'It wasn't the trip we planned': Tension sparks during friend group’s long-planned trip to Brussels when one member, Leo, secretly invites girlfriend, despite everyone agreeing to keep it college friends-only, forcing last-minute itinerary changes

Author image for Emma Saven
Emma Saven
Nov 12, 2025 7:00 PM EST

There's nothing like reminiscing on the good ol' days of college parties, college breakups, and endless college moments shared between 'the friends you'll make for life.'  No matter how many years pass, you'll always have those few years to bond you for the rest of time. And occasionally, if you're lucky, you can have plenty of college reunions with your nearest and dearest…Just like this college friend group awaiting their long-planned trip to Bruges, Brussels. 

This group of six spent all four years of college as an inseparable bunch, and planned to do the same on their upcoming trip, specifying that the invitation strictly ends at the six of them. That was at least until one member, Leo, decided to secretly invite his girlfriend, playing the oh, what a coincidence card…Now forced to be stuck with someone they explicitly mentioned they did not want to come, having to change all the bookings and itinerary to fit her in, and having one of his friends sit out on a walking tour so that she could attend…Let's just say the trip is not going exactly as planned…

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  • The thing about friendship is that everyone needs to be transparent and honest. If all five friends are feeling the same way about her ‘grand entrance’ and can all agree with the weird shift in dynamics since she arrived, then they should be honest with their friend. If not, this won't be the only trip she coincidentally ends up on!

  • 01
    Annoyed woman and couple arriving on vacation
    via dean-drobot

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    Friend invited someone we explicitly didn't invite to our group trip

    This happened last month and I'm still kind of processing it. So my friend group (six of us) planned this weekend trip to Bruges.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 03
    We'd been talking about it since January, booked this whole house rental, had a group chat going for months coordinating everything.
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  • 04
    One person in our group, Leo, kept asking if he could bring his girlfriend Saskia. We'd all met her a few times, she was fine I guess, but like.
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  • 05
    This was specifically a friend group trip. People we've known for years. We wanted it to be just us.
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    Friends on a group vacation
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 07
    Multiple people in the chat said pretty directly "let's keep it to the core group this time" and "maybe next trip." Not mean about it, just clear boundaries.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 08
    Leo said okay he understood. We get to Bruges on Friday afternoon. We're unloading the car and Leo's like "oh Saskia's meeting us for dinner, she was already in Brussels for work so it made sense." I'm standing there with my bag like.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 09
    What? He acts like it's completely normal. Says she'll just join for dinner and maybe some of Saturday, she won't stay at the house, she got her own hotel room.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 10
    But here's the thing. We'd planned specific dinners at restaurants. Made reservations for six people. Had a whole itinerary that we'd all discussed and agreed on.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 11
    Now suddenly we're reorganizing everything on the spot. And Saskia shows up and she's perfectly nice but it's just.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
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    Bruges, Brussels
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 13
    Weird? The dynamic is completely different. We'd been planning to do this dumb tradition where we all cook breakfast together and tell embarrassing stories from university.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 14
    Can't really do that with someone who wasn't there and doesn't know the people in the stories.
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  • 15
    Saturday morning Leo asks if Saskia can come on the walking tour we'd booked. It's already paid for, for six people.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 16
    I end up giving up my spot because I didn't want to be the asshole who said no to her face.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 17
    So I miss the thing I'd been most excited about. Nobody said anything direct the whole weekend.
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    We all just kind of adjusted around it and pretended it was fine. On the drive home one friend said something like "that was weird right" and everyone agreed but nobody's actually talked to Leo about it.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
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    Couple arriving on vacation
    via monkeybusinessimages

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 20
    DifferentZucchini3 You guys should have said something before you left as awkward as it may have been for Saskia she wasn't invited (unless Leo told her she was) and that you weren't changing your plans. But you should have never given up your spot. That was the moment for you to say no you're going on the trip you paid for. You're enabling Leo's behavior. What's going to happen next time there's a trip and he invites her?
    via DifferentZucchini3
  • 21
    I keep going back and forth on whether this is worth bringing up now or if I'm being petty.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 22
    Like she was nice, nothing terrible happened, but it wasn't the trip we planned. And he specifically asked and we said no and he brought her anyway.
    via Upper-Meeting4566
  • 23
    kifflington Astounding. Five entire adult humans and not a complete backbone between them. Call the medical journals.
    via kifflington
  • 24
    Alarming-Bell6507 Why did you give up your spot for the one thing you were excited about going?
    via Alarming-Bell6507
  • 25
    Fullmoon-Angua Simple answer is to not invite Leo next time. If he asks why, tell him straight that he ignored the boundaries last time around.
    via Fullmoon-Angua
  • 26
    Flat-Guard-6581 If you can't communicate with a friend then there is no point crying about it now. Next time have the metal to actually use your voice.
    via Flat-Guard-6581
  • 27
    OverRice2524 Next trip don't invite Leo.
    via OverRice2524
  • 28
    stuckinnowhereville You all should've called him out on it right then and there. That was the time it was OK to embarrass him in front of her. I would have a friend conversation with him over this. Stop inviting him. He has earned a time out,
    via stuckinnowhereville

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friendship invitation secret booking Awkward friends travelling brussels surprise girlfriend plans group six unannounced trip itinerary college exclusive
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