Hello guys,
Almost a month ago, in November, I joined a new company and have been WFH since then. So far everything is good, is not the bestest job in the world, but my colleagues seem like nice people, the pay is quite OK, and it has good benefits. The company is a big multinational, but my team is rather small, with only 5 people. I guess details do not matter much.
My team leader told me that there was a Christmas party onf the 1st of December and if I wanted to attend (at the city where the company is located, which is about 600 kilometers). I was a bit reticent at first, but as I do believe that it could have a positive impact in work relationships and I like getting to know the people I work with in person (even if it's once or twice a year), and the city where my company is located is a place that I wouldn't mind seeing, I agreed at the end, athough the company does not pay for transportation nor accommodation.
Now, here's the thing, I made a judgement error and didn't consider all the details. I live in a relatively cheap country, so I greately understimated what that would mean to my pockets.
I just looked up the trains and the tickets are 110 euros with return and it's a +5 hour trip (I though it was around 4 hours and the tickets would be somewhere around 60 total), and the hotels are also way more expensive than I thought. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to waste 2 entire days and spend +10 hours on a train to just go for the dinner, so I would have to go for at least two days and it would end up costing +200 euros + whatever I spend there.
I am new to the company, I want to make a good impression and meet my colleagues, but not at that cost, lol. The issue is, I already agreed, and it just looks bad to blow the whole thing off just 2 days before, and like I say, I am quite new to the company, so I don't want to start off the wrong foot, but now I reaaaally don't want to go all things consider.
I know, I am idiot and I should have said no from the beginning and they would understand because I lived on the other side of the country after all but… what can I say to them that doesn't look too bad? I can't just say now that it's too expensive, because I already agreed and I don't wanna look cheap either…