<prompt> Human: I go to college in a neighborhood surrounded by upper class suburban families. I recently returned a lost dog and got a 10k reward for it insane I know, Im still jittery from when I claimed the reward. I know that my parents would want me to put it towards a car, as we have discussed what Ill be saving up for with my summer job. The issue, as stated in the title, is that I want to put it towards backpacking through New Zealand with my brother, and paying off student loans.Right now they know about the backpacking trip and are okay with it, but Im worried if I tell them about the 10k, theyll want to allocate it elsewhere. Is there any way that I could slowly and unnoticeably pay off student loans, or prevent my parents from taking out loans next semester? And finally, any advice on how to keep this money separate from my family? I already opened up a chase checking account and deposited all the money in there.  <response>: Travel. Once in a life time. see the world. 