How do you invite a friend for your daughter and then ask them to pay their own way?

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Daughter's friend did go to the beach with us for a week in early summer and her friend took our daughter to Maine in late summer for a week. Our parents, who also came on the trip, paid for our beach house, and we drove. We paid for everything else though. This makes ABSOLUTELY no difference, though my daughter's friend's Grandmother who also went on there trip, paid for my daughters airline ticket and also the house they rented in Maine. Her parents paid for everything else, except souvenirs. I can understand the awkwardness of sleeping in a room with a strange family. That is another issue we are considering. Even though it's a totally different thing, the girl we're considering asking has spent the night at our house many, many times since she was in kindergarten.

So are you getting a bigger room since she would be coming? Or just financing 1/4 of your dream vacation?

 

[SC Minnie]

We have taken a freind of DD's to WDW twice- different friends- and are taking another one at Christmas. Each and every time the friends parents gave us the money for the park tickets. They were well aware of the cost of the tickets and didn't expect us to pay for them. The parents also gave us money for food although I didn't expect them to- it wasn't enough to cover all meals but it did help and the girls then felt like they could order what they wanted and not guilty if they didn't order the cheapest thing on the menu. When we did character meals or other things that costs extra I never asked for the girls to pay for that because those things were our choices. The girls also had money of their own for souveniers.

And no, I didn't ask the parents for money they insisted. I would never dream of asking someone we invited to pay for part of the room too.

 

[dizneefan13]

This thread is ten years old, but I still want to add my opinion because I have had this happen.
I would NEVER expect someone to pay my way just because they invited me or one of my kids on a trip.
And I would expect, after me having explained to them up front, that they pay at least some of the cost when I invite them. I would make it very clear how much money they should have to come along, or for their kid who was coming with my kid.
I have paid for my daughters' friends to go to DL with us, but only because I knew they had no money for this kind of thing. When the parents can easily afford it, I talk to them about what things cost and what our budget looks like for the vacation, too.
I wouldn't keep quiet and wait and see. Make it clear beforehand what you expect and think would be fair.