When visiting a foreign country, it’s best to do a little research on the basic rules and regulations.
People should know how to travel.
And, most importantly, what not to pack in their bags that might land them in trouble.
Case in point…
Redditor Interesting_Life_890 wanted to discuss their experience and get some feedback. So naturally, they came to visit the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit.
They asked:
“AITA for not packing my brother’s luggage and letting him get arrested?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“My parents and brother seem to consider me his servant since he was born.”
“Don’t know why, though. It’s not cultural.”
“We are as homegrown as can be.”
“He is five years younger than me and has always been spoiled. Whatever.”
“I got out and got my education.”
“Thanks to my dual citizenship, I was able to get a job in Vancouver, Canada in the film industry, and I like to think I’m doing well.”
“I met my boyfriend here, and we will see where that goes.”
“My parents brought my brother up to ‘visit’ me last week.”
“My brother is on his gap year, and my parents wanted to take him skiing up here.”
“They stayed with me for a couple of days on their way home.”
“It was great to see them even though they tried to turn me into his maid again.”
“On their way home, he tried to tell me to pack his bag for him.”
“I politely told him to get f**ked.”
“I wasn’t in our parents’ house, and I didn’t have to follow their rules.”
“He got angry and just crammed his stuff in his bag.”
“Fun fact about cannabis in Canada.”
“Each province sets its age limit for use.”
“Next door in Alberta, you can buy alcohol and weed at 18.”
“In my province, it’s 19.”
“There are also signs all over the airport that say not to travel with that over the border even if it is legal in your state.”
“Guess what he had in his luggage?”
“Guess who got in trouble for not being careful about his luggage?”
“My parents are mad at me because I was so irresponsible to let him pack that in his luggage.”
“My brother thinks I’m an a**hole for not packing his luggage.”
“And I actually feel quite bad about that idiot getting in trouble.”
“He is a spoiled little jerk, but I do love him.”
“And if he had asked me nicely, I would have helped him pack and reminded him of the law.”
“So AITA?”
Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed some options to the question AITA:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Many Redditors declared OP was NOT the A**hole.
“NTA. I’m glad you set a boundary and stuck to it.”
“Natural consequences for him and your parents.” ~ PurpleGreyPunk
“Parents and brother are all the a**holes!”
“Whenever you go travelling all customs worldwide ask the same question.”
“Did you pack your bags yourself?”
“If not, you can’t take the bags with you!”
“Your brother is in for a rude awaking when real life hits him, and he has to be responsible for his own actions!” ~ Apart_Foundation1702
“I mean, I was taught to pack my stuff when I was well, maybe starting when I was 8?”
“I would get a rundown of stuff from parents, once, but I was in charge.”
“If I forgot something, pretty much, oh well, it was on me.”
“Okay, minus a toothbrush, which I would get a new one if need be.”
“These parents are completely not preparing their son for adulthood. Wow.” ~ Sleipnir82
“Listen, if your kid is getting arrested with drugs at an airport, you have failed.”
“I was like 6 when I had the DARE lesson.”
“Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows weed is illegal federally and internationally, and you can get in trouble because it is still illegal across the entire world, and airports tend to follow a standard set of laws.”
“I worked at a courthouse in a state where weed was legal while in undergrad as a clerk and had to go to the federal court to help out.”
“Idiot comes in with weed and a medical ID card screaming at the officers that he can have it, it’s legal, blah blah blah.”
“Finally, L[ieu]T[enant] on duty has had enough of this clown and calls the town where the card was issued, and the convo goes ‘Hello, this is LT X calling over from X federal courthouse.'”
“‘I have a Mr. Clown here with a Weed Card issued from your town.'”
“‘As you know, weed is still illegal in the USA, and being in possession on federal property is grounds for arrest. He’s here insulting my guys and assuring us this card grants him authority.'”
“Person on the other side of the phone must be upset because your county is supposed to advise people on this law when they issue the card.'”
“‘So LT says Yes, Ma’am I’ll take care of the card right away.'”
“And he cuts the medical card up right then and there.” ~ millioneura
“My stepdad was in the military and had the same ideology.”
“I was a bit of a problem in that I tended to overpack.”
“I think by age 7 or 8, maybe, we were expected to pack our bags and take care of our own stuff.”
“And dang, OP, look at your brother having to ‘suffer’ the consequences of his own actions!”
“It may be an expensive (and I’m guessing a bit embarrassing for your parents) lesson to learn, but keep reiterating he is not your responsibility.”
“Like you see on here a lot, ‘not my monkey, not my zoo, not my circus.'”
“And tell them you charge $1,000 per carry-on size bag, $3,000 per checked bag they expect you to pack.”
“Oh, and any items deemed illegal in your province will not be packed but either turned into authorities or destroyed – whichever is deemed appropriate to you.”
“If they insist on putting you as responsible for his crap, then you ain’t going down for his stupidity!” ~ NightTimely1029
“This was a close call for OP.”
“If they had packed the bag, who is to say that the brother would not have added the cannabis to the bag later?”
“I doubt the brother would have happily left behind cannabis he paid for.”
“And then, when caught, blamed OP for packing the bag, with the parents as witnesses that OP packed the bag?”
“I have no doubt that the parents and brother would have used OP as a scapegoat.”
“As it is now, the brother made such a fuss about the fact that OP didn’t pack the bag, which clears OP of being blamed for what was found in it.”
“You set your brother up to look like he committed a crime ‘is far worse’ than ‘you didn’t do his work for him, so he committed a crime.'” ~ Jazzlike_Humor3340
“NTA. The mental gymnastic your family had to do to try to turn this around on you is almost impressive.”
“They’d win gold at the mental gymnastics Olympics.” ~ solivia916
“NTA. He’s an adult.”
“He can get his own crap together.”
“If he can’t, that’s a him problem.”
“If he wants to break laws, then he’s going to have to face the consequences.”
“Did you tell him to transport something illegally? No.”
“Therefore you have no responsibility here.”
“If anyone does, it’s his parents.” ~ Lady_Of_The_Manor
“NTA. The good news is you’ll never be asked to pack his bag again because he won’t be going anywhere.”
“In every Canadian airport I’ve flown international from they literally have garbage cans under the ‘don’t travel with pot’ signs so you can toss it right then with no consequences.”
“That’s a level of stupid you can’t fix and definitely aren’t responsible for.” ~ unlovelyladybartleby
“This is honestly funny.”
“I know you probably can’t laugh right now, but that your parents really think you are responsible for your brother’s drug use is… hilarious.”
“NTA. Also- if your brother is under 21, everyone should really be concerned about him smoking it anyway.”
“It is proven to be bad for developing brains.”
“Long-term side effects that can follow him for years- like depression.” ~ CakeEatingRabbit
“NTA. Your brother is an adult.”
‘Since he has graduated from his school, it is safe to assume he can read.”
“It’s not your fault he thinks the rules do not apply to him.”
“Your parents are a**holes for blaming you for his decision and trying to guilt you for not being his servant in your own home.”
“Good luck with your career.” ~ International_Set522
“NTA. If he’s going to use, he should be aware of where it’s permitted.”
“Dude has to learn to read signs, easy.”
“That has to be a good solid life lesson for him to have as he is an adult now and solely responsible for his use and enjoyment of those substances.”
“Your parents are, respectfully, pretty bad parents to him.”
“If they harass you again about it, tell them that your brother’s drug use is his own responsibility, not your own.”
“And that they as his loving parents, are making him incapable of being a responsible adult.”
“Glad you’re away from them, find your voice, start putting hard boundaries on what they expect you to do.” ~ Rohini_rambles
“NTA… if your brother is too incompetent to pack his own luggage as an adult, his mommy or daddy should do it, not you.”
“YOU did nothing to get him in trouble.”
“If anyone is to blame (other than obviously your brother), it’s your parents for coddling him.” ~ winesis
Well OP, Reddit is with you here.
People, especially grown people, should be able to pack their own luggage
And if someone is planning to transport illegal substances, they should really be on top of it themselves.
Good luck.