Single friend refuses his Europe vacation buddies’ demands he sleep on a couch while couples get private rooms, the couples instantly back off when he suggests upgraded accommodations: ‘I don’t like sharing bedrooms, we are not children’

If you ever want to watch your adult friends regress to the politics of middle school gym class, just suggest a shared vacation rental and wait for the bedroom negotiations to begin. The couples in this friend group claim territorial rights faster than you can say “queen-sized bed.” And single traveling members of the group are handed the couch with the enthusiasm of a consolation prize, and anyone who hints at wanting their own space is accused of threatening group unity, fiscal prudence, and possibly world peace.

The mere mention of private rooms for all will cause these penny-pinching travel buddies,cost-conscious and the self-appointed “trip organizers,” to clutch their spreadsheets in horror. Somehow, the concept of every adult having a door that closes is suddenly the height of extravagance, while expecting three grown individuals to stage their own sleepover in a glorified bedroom closet is passed off as “adventure.” The myth is that couples are entitled to privacy by default, while singles should be thrilled to spoon with near-strangers if it saves ten bucks a night.

What rarely makes it into the trip itinerary is how these unwritten rules quietly declare that your comfort is contingent on your plus-one status. Heaven forbid you suggest hotels or five bedrooms, because then you’re not just picky, you’re apparently staging a revolt.