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harry potter - Why did the Weasleys spend most of the money won in the lottery for a trip to Egypt?



As we know the Weasley family are quite poor. Not poor enough that they don't have anything to eat but still so poor that they have to buy second-hand clothes and books for their children.


Yet, when they win 700 galleons from the lottery they burn most of them on a trip to Egypt. While it must have been fun it seemed extremely unwise. Afterwards they are poor again - Ron has to wear a second hand and extremely old-fashioned robe on the Yule Ball.


So why did they spend so much money on a single trip?



Answer



I haven't pulled citations for this from the books themselves, but per the wiki article on Bill Weasley:



After graduating from Hogwarts, Bill went to work for Gringotts Wizarding Bank as a Curse Breaker in Egypt. During the summer of 1993, the whole Weasley family went to Egypt on holiday after his father won seven-hundred galleons in the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. Bill took his family on a tour of the Egyptian tombs while they were there.



It wasn't merely a vacation - they were visiting a member of the family. Given that he was working far from home, and he probably didn't see his parents and siblings very often, the family's choice of vacation in Egypt makes sense. After that time, we see Bill return to England on several occasions, but prior to his family's vacation he may not have come back as often. Even if he did visit home a few times a year, traveling to a foreign country where a friend or family member lives is a fine opportunity. Besides the benefit of Bill showing them around, he's got a prestigious job in an exotic location. The family would presumably feel pride and excitement at observing this firsthand.


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