WWYD: Mom Gets Slammed with Surprise Vacation Bill: When Did I Become CFO of Costa Rica, Inc.?

So, here’s the WWYD scene: Your 16-year-old daughter gets invited on a sweet Costa Rican vacation with her friend’s family. You think, “Awesome! She gets a jungle adventure, and I get a quiet house for a week. Win-win.” You assume you’ll maybe cover a few tacos and zip-lining fees. Standard parent stuff.

But nope. Fast-forward to post-trip, and BAM—your inbox gets hit with an invoice that could fund a mid-sized wedding. Lodging? Car rental? Did I accidentally sign up for a timeshare? Suddenly, you’re less “cool parent” and more “unwilling investor in Costa Rican family fun.”

“I assumed they’d only charge us for food and activities,” the mom wrote on Reddit. “Nope.” (Translation: I thought I’d pay for snacks, not buy the jungle.) There's also another story with the folks at People Magazine.

The kicker? She’s been on the other side of this vacation scenario before. Two years ago, she brought one of her other daughter’s friends on a trip. Did she bill that kid’s family for hotel stays or gas money? Heck no. Because normal people don’t Venmo-request you for their vacation plans.

“I would never dream of charging so much when I was going anyway!” she ranted, fully channeling the righteous indignation of every parent blindsided by surprise costs.

When Reddit detectives asked if she had discussed money with the hosting family beforehand, she admitted she had… kind of. But she also “made a bunch of assumptions” and now knows that assuming makes an invoice out of you and me. Lesson learned.

Sure, she’s got the cash, so this won’t ruin her, but it’s still awkward. She’s now weighing whether to politely email the other family or just let it go. Either way, this whole fiasco is a gold-star reminder: If someone invites your kid on a vacation, don’t just talk about sunscreen and snack preferences—get crystal clear on who’s paying for what.

Because whether it’s a Costa Rican paradise or a weekend at Great Wolf Lodge, no one likes being blindsided by a bill that screams, “You’re the ATM now!”