An Open Letter To That One Friend Who Cancels All Travel Plans Last Minute

I am the sort of person who plans everything ahead of time and down to the last detail. From my days to weeks to months, I try to keep all my life events organised.

And this quality shows when I'm stuck dealing with last minute changes or tricky situations, or just people sometimes.

You¡¯ll know why I made this declaration in just a minute.

Growing up, the one thing that gave me a sense of relief and a chance to escape from the monotony of life¡ªand most of your will back me up here¡ªhas been vacations with friends.

What else could it be? There is certainly nothing to replace the level of joy and sense of freedom that comes from planning trips with your best friends. That said, I'm still trying to figure out what to do about that one friend who cancels at the last minute. Something gives me the sense this is a question a lot of us are trying to find an answer to.

We all have had that one panoti in the group who shits on the entire plan. (I'm not even sorry for saying this.)

Ironically, they're the ones most excited when any plan start to hatch. Don¡¯t be surprised if they turn out to be the admin of the WhatsApp group we set up to discuss our travel plans. Their enthusiasm at the peak of planning can be really misleading.

Yes, I have that one friend. We all have that one friend. Not taking any names here but, man, this has got to stop.

Just going to take a deep breath here before I ask you: why do you do this?

I don't even feel bad telling you that since the first day I've known you, ever since college, you¡¯ve been consistent at only one thing: cancelling on your friends, and that too last minute.

Your excuses need special mention in this piece:

"Yar paise nahi the."

"My relative is not well."

"Mom is not letting me go."

"My boss rejected my leave."

They're boring, old excuses, and we all know it. You should have tried harder, tried to be a little more creative in making up new excuses because you've not got anyone fooled yet.

See, here's the thing: I¡¯ve known you for years and I kind of get it when you are not being honest.

There is such a thing like being organised. I mean how hard is it to really plan ahead of time for a trip you've already promised your friends you're taking. You always know if you have money for the trip. The fact that you have to back out last minute is highly unacceptable.

I am running out of patience. I have better things to do than listen to your old excuses. You're disrespecting not just me and my time but everyone else's. Bottom line, if all this means very little to you then it¡¯s about time you realise it that we might not even ask you to join us the next time. Because "Yaar, kaam aagya hai urgent" is not something I'll listen to or accept going forward.

So, your best friends are going to Goa without you. I just hope you're able to make peace with it.