that he announced the trip (meaning he already planned it before notifying you), you're under no obligation to spend any time worrying about how it affects his finances. That's a decision he made and IMO he shouldn't try to play on sympathies to get paid, especially when the contract agreement is in place already. As others have said, contract work gets paid for hours worked. It's not a full time job that accrues PTO.

It's foolish to me to knowingly go on a trip that's going to strain the budget. As an employee, he needs to sleep in the bed he made.

That doesn't mean you couldn't throw him a bone if you wanted, but maybe he works extra hours every week between now and then but gets to bill it during his time off.

Good luck with this one. Curious to hear what you decide