Traveling with friends who have less financial freedom

Hi all,

I am considering asking two of my close friends to go on a trip with me to celebrate my 35th birthday. I am currently single, and would prefer to not celebrate a milestone birthday alone; it’s difficult being a 35 year old woman without a husband and kids as it is.

Anyway, some family circumstances allowed me to inherit a rather large sum of money (I’m not taking about obscene wealth but I have a lot more financial freedom than many of my peers do). Because of this, I kind of want to travel in style and not cut corners like I’d do in my twenties. My friends don’t have this luxury, and I want to pay for them to join me. I’ve known them for two decades, so initially I didn’t feel weird about doing this. However after talking to my mom, she said this might make them feel uncomfortable. I definitely don’t want to do that, but I also want to have a really great trip with all the amenities I choose. I want my friends to enjoy it with me.

Has anyone ever been in this situation?