AITA for not inviting my brother to our family vacation even though he did the same thing?
We are a family of 13 people and three generations. Our family is very close, and we love family reunions. However, my brother often relies on our father to pay for his family's travel expenses, which has become an expectation. My husband and I always pay our own way, and my sister also pays for herself and sometimes for her nieces and nephews. My brother and his wife, on the other hand, expect the best accommodations and meals without contributing financially. They also tend to make plans with other friends and ditch us during vacations.
My brother and his wife earn about the same as my husband and me, and our parents are retired school teachers living on a fixed income. Due to financial limitations, our family reunions have become less frequent. My husband and I still go on vacation with our kids every year, sometimes joined by my sister and mom. My dad has physical limitations and only travels when he is well enough.
My kids have been requesting a trip to my homeland, where we have many distant relatives. We decided to keep our plans quiet to avoid being hijacked by the family. We booked an Airbnb and only told my sister, who decided to join us. This created an issue with my parents, as they expected her to visit them. My mom eventually bought plane tickets for herself and dad using air miles, without telling dad. So, it's now the eight of us going, and we decided not to invite anyone else due to financial constraints.
I recently learned that my brother and his wife were also planning the same trip but with her friends. When they saw the cost, my brother called dad, hoping he would pay for it. However, my parents have faced financial hardships recently. Dad did not fund my brother's trip, and mom secretly told my brother about our plans, asking him to reach out to me. He never called and canceled his plans.
My sister accidentally told one of our nieces about the trip, who then informed her parents. My sister-in-law was furious, she told me she would have invited us if they were planning a trip. I told her I knew of her travel plans and we were not included. I then suggested we all go on a family cruise and would be happy to plan it. I reached out twice with the suggestion, but she has not responded.