Of course all pple want to go on vacation. If these pple offered to pay for the entire thing, no one would care. Good for them. But, if they are asking strangers to give them $800 so they can vacation for 10 days when they can’t even afford $30 for food for the week in their current situation, it’s just a bad financial decision. They will not be working for those 10 days so if they live paycheck to paycheck as they say, how much further will they get behind? They totaled one of their cars and need another car to work, why would they use the little money they have to go on what is ultimately a luxury? And, as someone who has used miles, etc., you need a LOT of purchases and flights to get free air tickets and hotels. It’s a big assumption to assume it was zero costs to the friends. I know someone who works in Disney corporate and they get several tickets for a day pass yearly but they don’t just get 5 day passes or annual passes for 4+ pple. If their roommates/friends really wanted to help, asking them on a luxury vacation, knowing they don’t have the money to afford food, necessities, transportation is crazy pants. Help them get food, help them get a beater car so they can work. OOP says they’ve been homeless but it’s more important to go on a trip than work to make sure they aren’t homeless again which is a risk if they don’t work for 1/3 of the month living paycheck to paycheck. I don’t think that this is a poor pple don’t deserve nice things. It’s that this trip is simply a bad financial decision and out of reach. Even if they managed to raise $800, it won’t be nearly enough to cover the additional costs for food, essentials and transportation. The friends will have to help cover/loan additional costs and after they go home to 10 days of missed work. If they want to go on this trip, they need the $800 plus some more AND the lost income from both of them for 10 days. The math just aint mathing for the trip to work.