Spare me the spurious charity appeals and pay for your own holiday

Have you ever been asked to sponsor someone doing a fun run, hike or bike ride and thought to yourself: “But you were going to do it anyway, so why should I have to sponsor you?”

You then worry you’ll be branded a heartless git, before finally concluding that it’s probably best to cast your niggling scepticism to the back of your mind and just do it anyway. Begrudgingly, you transfer £20 through gritted teeth, ponder your moral compass, and wonder: “Am I a really terrible person?”

But where do we draw the line? A sponsored paddleboarding journey between bounty islands in the Seychelles, for example? Hiking the Inca Trail? Or perhaps a gruelling, 48-hour wine tasting in the Loire Valley? Are earnest causes sometimes used, manipulatively, as benevolent smokescreens to fund lovely overseas holidays?

I fear I’m not allowed to be this cynical, when raising money for charity is involved. Perhaps this subject is entirely off-limits. But when it comes to giving our hard-earned cash to worthy causes, are we ever in our right to say: “Hold on, you’re really taking the micky, now, aren’t you? Pay for your holiday yourself!”

This week, a pair of social media influencers have been lambasted by their followers for taking this conundrum to a whole new level. German Instagrammers Catalin Onc and Elena Engelhardt have launched a GoFundMe page to help finance their latest jaunt – a tandem cycle ride “towards Africa, and hopefully beyond.”

They’ll need “the bike and gear, food and accommodation, internet and SIM cards in every country to keep you up to date, insurance and emergencies.” Oh, and they’ll need the “funds now,” for “preparation as well as throughout the trip.”

Just “10,000 Euros” should do it – and their cause? Well, that appears to be a work in progress, but maybe “a text about mental health” or “stepping out of your comfort zone.” As they bravely put it, with the assistance of a few preachy capitals: “TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”

Perhaps their call to arms was lost somewhat in translation, but the unapologetic tone of it all has caused a stir online, and, once again, placed this controversial subculture in the limelight.

“Surely this is a joke,” posted one would-be donor to the rapidly growing threads at the foot of their GoFundMe and Instagram feeds. “No-one would have the audacity to post this for real. Please tell me it’s a joke.”

By the looks of it, no, this isn’t satire, but two so-called “influencers” who have reached a pinnacle of such overblown entitlement that they think it’s perfectly OK to post this sort of thing online. I mean, who would bother with the faff of a job and the inconvenience of saving for such a life-changing adventure these days, when you could simply get your underlings to pay for it in £5 instalments?

Instagram, especially, has helped breed a level of such barefaced gumption that was once unthinkable. Followers are currency. The more you have, the more of a diva, and more brazen, you can be.

But be you an influencer, or a mere mortal, this is the era of holidays masquerading as “sponsorship challenges” and “fundraising expeditions.”

By all means cycle to Cape Town on a tandem – good luck. But can we lose the shoehorned good causes?

Thankfully, Catalin and Elena’s 42,000 followers appear to have seen sense, and so far they’ve raised a measly 287 Euros. Enough to get to get a tad beyond Germany, maybe? But hopefully enough to still “MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”

Do you think it's ever acceptable to raise funds for a holiday by appealing to the public to help? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.