'I'm going on vacation with the girlfriend of the guy my ex cheated on me with.' UPDATED 3X

People hate getting a taste of their own medicine, which is why it can be the best give you'll ever give them.

In a popular post on the Relationship Advice subreddit, a man shared his plan to go on vacation with the ex-girlfriend of the man his ex cheated with. He wrote:

"I'm (22M) going on vacation with the girlfriend (20F) of the guy my ex (20F) cheated on me with."

So a month ago I (22M) found out my now ex (20F) had been chatting with a guy she’s known previously (not the first time) we have broken up since then and our 3 year anniversary would have been next week.

For our anniversary I had planned and booked this luxurious vacation for a week in the Tropics (she had known about this). Well, come to find out the guy had a longtime girlfriend (we will call her Beth 20F) who I had gone to school with and we compared notes on what each other knew about our ex’s communication. Since then both of us are recently single and trying to get over our breakups.

While I was contemplating canceling as I have no interest in going alone, I would lose a good chunk of the deposit away and it would be beneficial to just go. As Beth and I have stayed in contact we discussed the option of going together and have made the arrangements for that to happen. My question here is how should I prepare and deal with the flack I will receive from my ex.

I know I am not in the wrong and quite frankly she has no right to be upset but did I just open up a can of worms? Thank you in advance

TL;DR: Going on vacation with the the girlfriend of the guy my ex cheated with on me and am wondering how to deal with the flack.

The internet had a lot of comments and questions to add.

deklawwed wrote:

This is petty. Go on the trip and don’t look back. Enjoy yourself for the freedom, not revenge. That’s childish thinking. Also, don’t tolerate “flack” from your ex…don’t even talk to her. You’re exes. The best “revenge” is to move on.

PurpleGimp wrote:

Maybe both of you can send a, "wish you were here" postcard to each of your respective ex's, for the sake of balance.

😁

jimboTRON261 wrote:

Although hilarious, this would give her the satisfaction of knowing you thought about her.

Just move on and don’t communicate with her.

dazylynn wrote:

Yes, please go high on this. More often, the revenge route doesn't even feel good, it just feels cruel and unnecessary after the initial surge of power.

Go on the trip with no expectations of anything from lady B other than enjoying a fun vacation. Have a fabulous time, both of you deserve it!

Not long after posting, OP added a few updates/clarifications in the post.

EDIT: As a lot of people are questioning why I am in contact with my EX…I am not she is blocked on all socials (she asked for that not to happen but oh well) We share many mutuals, both have made friends with cousins in each others family etc…as they live much closer to her around her UNI and am curious on how to navigate that aspect.

EDIT 2: Thank you for all the advice and movie plots…to calm some I did not decide to go on this trip so I could have rebound s*x, that can be done much more discreetly, cheaper, and less headache. I am really trying to find some happiness after this whole ordeal as really brought me down. I am truly concerned about how to navigate incoming questions and comments as I tend to be a deer in headlights.

The comments kept rolling in.

clearheaded01 wrote:

This can of worms you should enjoy! Do it! Your ex and Beth's ex will be pissed!! It should be GLORIOUS!! Look... you owe your cheating ex NOTHING... Ihope you're NC with her, yes??? Update after??

OP responded:

Been no contact for about 3.5 weeks to her dismay… (granted I gave her an in after the initial breakup and she declined so I have no idea) can definitely provide an update if one necessitates…both of our ex’s are very immature emotional people so we shall see.

BudgetAttention9268 wrote:

Go on vacation and post as many pictures of you and her together as you can. Big f**kin deal if your ex gets upset. She chose to step out. Also, keep it cheap in the future dude.

OP responded:

Fortunately I am financially in a position where I can do these types of things, she was at Uni a few hours from where I lived, I would do hotels 2 times a week to see her as she did not enjoy (obviously) being apart…unfortunately I let myself get taken advantage of.

mountaindew711 wrote:

OMG, why honey why? First of all, was she cheating or chatting? Because you said both, and it's not super relevant to this particular situation, but GOD, I hope you don't think they're the same thing. Second, you should not be taking this random broad on vacation with you in the hopes of annoying two people who are not in your life. That's dumb. Really, really dumb.

Why are you worrying about how to "explain" this to your ex, when the only reason that you're doing it to piss her off? Why would you even be explaining anything to her? Why are you still talking to her? Don't talk to any of these people!

Don't talk to your ex, that dude who she may or may not have cheated with, or his ex. Stop creating drama! Take your best friend or your mom with you and get over this nonsense.

OP responded:

Well… both…8 months ago it was just chatting and I believed it, she agreed to block him. This time it was cheating however you would like to picture that. This post needs an edit I really wasn’t expecting this many comments but as to Beth we went to school together and while we were not close we knew who each other were and had some mutual friends so it’s not random.

We’ve also in the last few months have been going back and forth on a variety of topics surrounding the situation. I have not spoken to my EX since breakup, she’s blocked on socials it is the fact we have many mutuals including family friends etc. that is the flack I am worried about. I was planning on canceling but would not receive the 40% deposit I had placed, hence the decision to go.

Two days later, OP shared another update.

As I was trying to come up with some solutions on how to deal with potential blowback from mutuals I will leave you all with this update. We changed resorts and times and have just arrived in our island today, we are having an absolutely incredible time, and it truly is an experience of our lives.

Shared the post with her and we’ve been laughing at all the comments the entire flight…thank you all this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience and it is so refreshing to be able to experience it with someone who has no expectations, I can be myself around, and can truly enjoy the moment! I will potentially post a update when we return if necessary…thank you again!

The internet was happy to hear such a positive update.

DocJekl wrote:

Thanks for the update. We all wish you well and have a safe and happy trip!

tonidh69 wrote:

Awesome! Hope you both have a great time!

Taylor5 wrote:

Dude, have you both posted to socials yet?

I would. It would be a period of hell for them both. Periodically post cheesy pics also. Have a great time.

funkyzebra1999 wrote:

Depending how the holiday goes, you might find it is not a 'once' in a lifetime experience.

Good luck to the both of you. Have a great time.

FivarVr wrote:

That's awesome dude, you're the best! I can see two very happy people💕 and two very unhappy people🤬😭. Remember to plaster the happy holiday pics all over social MEDIA, and MOST important...SEND THAT POSTCARD to remind the exes of the happiest breakup eva 🤣🤣🤣 This needs to go into the Reddit Hall of Fame!

This arc seems to be relatively positive, hopefully OP and Beth have a great time.