Ridiculous Luxury

This post was inspired by Mel and Suan’s post, ‘Luxury traveling reaching new heights‘ on their blog, ‘Traveling Matters to us‘, which is very informative and inspiring.

“For the price of a down payment on a new house” I can experience Emirates’ best of the bests up in the air. Obviously, I would not be living in a house which required that little down payment. It just wouldn’t make sense.

If I had so much money, I can rub shoulders with the other upper crust!

But why spend that much when you can buy your own private jet?

These travelers probably have their own private jets but want to mingle with those who are not quite on their level and must still make more money for the private jets — to feel better. I don’t know. When I get there, I will let you know. Say, before I turn 150.

Once upon a time, I traveled for business in style. This was during the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 to early 2009. People asked if we didn’t get the memo about the economic crisis worldwide. No, we didn’t. My computer was one of those outdated ones so some communication got lost in transit.

Private Jets

The first aircraft was a Citation. It served its purpose. I should have been scared because it was rather tiny, compared to a massive and stable Boeing 747, but I was a grown up flying on a private jet.

Business Travel – Private Jet (Citation)

Business Travel – Private Jet (Citation)

Business Travel – Private Jet

The Citation might have been too old and/or too small so the boss got a second plane, the Learjet, which is faster. This Learjet accommodates six to seven passengers. It made sense to have two for when one is grounded for maintenance. 🙂

Sometimes though, some things are not enough. People need bigger and better. There is a call and it must be answered. It was deemed to have been a requirement. So, this baby arrived. It was definitely the apple of the boss’ eye because we even had a party in the hangar to celebrate its arrival.

Business Travel – Private Jet | The Challenger arrived

Business Travel – Private Jet | The Challenger arrived

Business Travel – Private Jet | The Challenger arrived

Business Travel – Private Jet | The Challenger arrived

It was too exciting and the plane was such a beauty, even I was overjoyed. There was no point getting jealous.

And we flew to sites and properties with the magnificent Challenger, which has sufficient space for 10 to 11 passengers.

Please excuse my paranoia. I am sure it is easy to find out who my employer was at this time but at least I am not giving away so easily the name of the wealthy. 🙂 And I purposely excluded the boss from the pictures although he was quiet a sport letting me take so many photos.

(I should have done the same when we celebrated the completion of his palace with a dinner and tour of the place, which is complete with a moat around the “house”, tower, etc. Pity we got stuck in the elevator when the electricity went off and the generator for the whole place kicked in without us realizing we were on emergency power, or we wouldn’t have taken the elevator.)

(Above)
The boss is the one almost cropped out of the pic.
I'm posing with the boss' good-looking friend
and my assistant.

(Above)
My favorite pilot, Willem

(Above)
Good ol' Johan had a meal served to him
by the loveliest flight attendant ever.
Note this was on a 2-hour flight. 🙂

(Above)
So business-like; for meetings 🙂

(Above)
Flight back; it was casual Friday. 🙂

My work life, as can be expected, was minimally exciting and the ridiculous luxury that was present was negligible. It was more like this:-

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I must say though that I did enjoy my work and until my hubby, no romantic relationship was prioritized over work. I know I gave up this work for a chance on a relationship (marriage) but I would not mind a work like this again and perhaps having gone through the past six years, the man would recognize this was the better work (compared to now). Indeed, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Lol!

I miss the traveling – this kind of business traveling! 🙂

© Anna Jailene Aguilar-Van Der Merwe, ‘Food | Travel | Tour’ [www.foodtraveltour.com], 2015-2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any content/material of this blog, including but not limited to images and texts, except those not belonging to the author/site/owner and are expressly reflected as such and source credited, without express and written permission from the author/this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Anna Jailene Aguilar-Van Der Merwe and ‘Food | Travel | Tour’ [www.foodtraveltour.com] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.