Planning a weekend away in the mountains requires a certain amount of effort, especially if you’re a family of five. You need to book accommodations, figure out your driving schedule, pack up enough food, and ensure you’ve coordinated with the property owner leasing you their space. Most crucially, it seems that your accommodation would be the most vital, and thus most frequently double-checked, particularly in frozen environments. Clever travelers would never show up with snow boots in hand, mittens balled up, and sleds in their trunk without first confirming they had a warm place to sleep. 

But here’s the thing: Not all travelers are clever and diligent like this, and most of all, many travelers on a budget are willing to assume their family member’s belongings to avoid paying their way at all. 

This dubious father of three thought that he could hoodwink his younger brother, a property owner of a nice little cabin by the lakeside. By ignoring his refusal of a free stay, the eldest decided that he was entitled to a free vacation at his sibling’s expense. Forgetting that his brother originally denied him because he trashed his cabin the first time, this brother felt that his family shared everything, despite their long-standing, terrible track record of disrespectful behavior. 

Some holiday home dwellers want to freeload off of their family members, but because of the property owner’s surveillance cameras, remote utility switches, and his smart thermostat, this vacation got the cold shoulder.