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Since other people have brought up that maybe the parents don't want to see him, is it possible that the OP just decided when he could come home, without bothering to find out if it's a good time for his parents to have a guest? He said both parents have to work the next day - maybe this is an awful time for him to be coming to visit. And frankly, just because he's a child, doesn't mean he has the right to impose himself as a house guest on anyone - I really hope he asked his parents if it was a good time for him to come home, and didn't just call them up and tell them when he would be coming and what time they needed to pick him up from the airport.
But the night vision is another thing. It could be that his parents aren't comfortable driving that far in the dark, and aren't yet ready to own up to the fact that their vision is going. In addition, the parents needing to work could be a huge factor. Is he flying in on a Wednesday night, when his elderly parents had worked an entire day's shift, and are very tired, and need to get a good amount of sleep to wake up the next morning and go back to work?
OP, you said "village". Is this one of those rural out of the way countries they live in where something like a cab ride/shuttle from the airport wouldn't really exist or be as readily available? I'm not being snarky, I'm asking just because of the language you used that kind of made me picture an airport in the middle of nowhere so if you don't have your own ride, you have to wait around on a dusty road until daylight when a colorful character in a buggy with luggage strapped to it shows up.
To answer your question, though, if your parents are older and uncomfortable driving at night or otherwise not so spry anymore that even a 15 minute drive at night before a work day might make them exhausted, I can understand it. Sometimes, people you're close to can be a little more honest about not feeling like doing something because you're close and you should understand. Other times it's the opposite so maybe that's not relevant lol
Hubby and I both have bad night vision. Do you have other relatives that could pick you up maybe brother or sister?
If you haven't made your reservations, perhaps you should just cancel the trip for the time being and try for another time. Our son sometime will get a good price on a night flight and we are about an hour from the airport. He never expects us to pick him up because of our problem with night driving. His sisters or brother-in-law usually pick him up if it's a night flight.
But I assure you if we only got to see him twice a year, we would arrange for someone to be at the airport.
When I lived overseas I came back to the US 4-5 times a year. The intl airport is almost 2 hours away from my US home. I simply ordered a car service to pick me up from the airport each time.
You have to remember that a 1 hour trip for you to get home is a 2-3 hour round trip for them. Be an adult and arrange your own transportation.
What, a 22 hour trancontinental plane flight both ways isn't enough for OP to arrange? I think you're the one being a little unreasonable
Oh please, this is not the issue. No parent wants a kid who comes home as a "favor" to them. Stop in at your local senior center, and survey how many are comfortable driving anywhere at night. I guarantee you, it will be a minority, if there are any positive responses at all.
The OP is an adult, he/she can figure it out.
They have to work the next day so it's unlikely that they're that old. I think at least one of them could make the drive or they could find someone else to pick OP up if they wanted to see him/her.
Still no followup from the OP, but my mother won't even drive 20 minutes to the airport after dark now. She isn't comfortable doing so, and given her age, it's completely understandable. I know she would if she could, at one point I booked the wrong airport in error, and my parents drove 4 hours one way to get me, and then took me back after the visit.
If your parents have always picked you up in the past, I would chalk it up to advancing age and difficulty seeing at night.
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Originally Posted by bg7
Yea -as one ages, night vision degrades more quickly than daytime vision does.
Quote:
Originally Posted by afoigrokerkok
They have to work the next day so it's unlikely that they're that old. I think at least one of them could make the drive or they could find someone else to pick OP up if they wanted to see him/her.
Hey, afoigrokerkok, many people work full time until their middle 60s or so. Both my husband and I are only 62 yet the eyesight for both of us has declined to the point that we prefer not to do significant driving at night. Errands and routine trips of 30 minutes or an hour or so aren't any problem but leaving home at or near bedtime for a 2 to 3 hour trip absolutely no way.
My daughter's last international flight was 2 1/2 hours late plus there was a long delay in customs and I was waiting for those 3 plus hours in the airport. It was during the day so it wasn't a problem. If the same thing happened to the OP, his parents may be waiting from the OP's scheduled arrival at 10:30 PM until 1:30 AM and then have an hour long drive home.
The OP hasn't said when they need to get up for work. I get up at 5:30 or 5:45 AM most days for work. If I got home at 2:30 AM and needed to get up at 5:30 AM and then put in a full day of work I would be totally exhausted.
Until the OP gives us more information we readers have no idea if the OP is being unreasonable or if the parents are being unreasonable or both.
They have to work the next day so it's unlikely that they're that old. I think at least one of them could make the drive or they could find someone else to pick OP up if they wanted to see him/her.
My night vision started going when I was in my early 50s, 10 years before I retired.
Also OP indicated she's landing in a different airport than usual, in order to get the reduced fare. Very possibly it's one not familiar to the parents. For those who haven't yet experienced diminished night vision, imagine that you're near-sighted and have been asked to drive, without wearing glasses or contacts, to an unfamiliar airport.
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Originally Posted by expatlily2
What do you think? I find it really not nice at all that they definitely dont wanna pick me up although Im flying 11h just to see them. only because they don't wanna go that far at 10.30 (1h drive). My mother of course says that my expectations are crazy. Thx
As others have said, OP didn't provide anywhere near enough info for us to offer advice. Since she's not willing to do so, she should be talking to her parents and/or other friends and relatives in their village about how to resolve issue, rather than go on the internet to seek support for her opinion about her parents' actions.
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