NEED TO KNOW
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A 30-year-old said his parents had an “emotional blowup” after he announced his solo travel plans
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The traveler, who explained his story on Reddit, said his parents called him selfish, unsafe and crazy
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“I expected them to realize that I’m a grown man and someone they can trust. But that’s not the case at all,” he wrote
After revealing plans for a two week solo trip, a traveler says he got something he never expected at 30 years old: an “emotional blowup” from his parents.
“I have taken some trips in my 20s, however usually with friends,” a Reddit user wrote in the r/solotravel forum on Nov. 13. “My parents would have the usual ‘Is this safe? Be careful!’-type worry, but were fine overall.”
Solo trips are nothing new for the man, but they’re usually under “the guise of ‘need this for work,’” according to the original poster (OP).
“Usually it would be like a conference I attend in another city, but then I just tack on a few extra days to enjoy on my own,” he wrote.
But recently, the OP booked his first “pure solo trip” for two weeks, which he decided to tell his parents about.
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A male solo traveler in an airport
“Instantly the backlash and emotional blowup happened,” the OP claimed. “They became furious when they found out I was going alone. They threw all sorts of phrases at me: how selfish I am, how unsafe, how crazy I am, why would I go alone, etc.”
While the OP predicted some worrying, he says he never anticipated this kind of reaction.
He wrote: “I expected them to realize that I’m a grown man and someone they can trust. But that’s not the case at all.”
In the days since his announcement, the poster claims his whole family has given him the “cold shoulder,” even his siblings.
“[They’re] purposely not interacting with me,” he said. “When they do, it’s texts like, ‘Can’t believe you are still planning to go even when you see how much mom and dad are stressing about it.’”
“They have taken this solo trip announcement so over the top, as if I was caught joining a cult or something.”
At the end of the post, the traveler wondered if he made a mistake by telling his parents. He wanted to “keep them in the loop” but now thinks he “should have lied and said I was gonna be away for work.”
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In the comments, other users shared their own experiences receiving negative reactions from parents over solo trips.
“Even if they’re giving you grief for traveling, go anyway,” one user said. “You’re an adult and can make your own decisions. You get enough trips under your belt, eventually they’re going to get used to it and won’t react as strongly anymore.”
Others suggested he continues to lie: “I think for future trips your idea of saying a work trip might make sense to keep them from freaking out. Or just picking a trusted friend to be your emergency contact and sharing minimal info with parents if they can’t handle you making your own choices.”
Read the original article on People