There is nothing more annoying than having someone tag along into every conversation or plan you have with your friends. I know that I absolutely hate it when people invite themselves into my plans, and most likely many of you do, too, but the issue here is this: how do you politely let them know that you aren’t the biggest fan of them tagging along?

Last weekend, I was on a short, lovely little vacation with a few friends, and we had everything planned from who was bringing what type of snacks to who was sharing rooms with who. What we didn’t plan on having was someone who we hardly talk to and feel uncomfortable around stay with us in our room.

Once we found out, we were upset and disappointed because we knew how uncomfortable we would feel around that person, but that didn’t mean we were going to rudely ask them to move into someone else’s room. We knew that if we told her to leave, that would hurt her feelings, and the last thing we wanted to do was make someone feel bad.

Because of our nobility, we decided not to say anything, but then it got to the point where it was really uncomfortable. This person began borrowing certain clothing items from a few of us without asking for permission, listening in on our conversations, inviting herself to our plans. It was just too distressing.

After discussing it, we decided it would be best to ask her if she would be okay to room somewhere else because we felt uncomfortable, and we knew she probably wanted to be with her own friends herself. Thankfully, she completely understood and accepted our proposal.

Talking to her politely and just asking her rather than not saying anything and ruining our vacation was definitely a wise choice. At the end of the day, she was happy herself because she wanted to room with her own friends after all so it worked out both ways, and she held a grudge.

The point here is, never keep yourself from speaking out about what is making you feel uncomfortable and unhappy. Keeping it all to yourself will probably make matters worse, and when you do decide to say something, always say it in a polite, respectful manner without hurting anyone’s feelings.

So, when you’re stuck in a big mess, don’t forget to Ask Albery.