<p>@megpmom - I don’t know how other kids do it, but S1 paid his own way in 2010 through gift money and a job with the U.S. Census Bureau. The trip was through a company that ran a bus from here to Panema City Beach, FL. for kids to stay in a designated condominium. The company advertized through his school but the trip was not sponsored by them. I don’t remember exactly how much he paid but he did share a penthouse condo with 5 other boys. I don’t think he saw the beach at all - he was too busy watching the entire Star Wars saga and staying out all night. But it was his money and his trip. And for the record, none of the kids he traveled with were overprivileged, spoiled or rich and all of them earned at least some of the money for the trip themselves.</p>