My vacation at a Club Med for the 1%

[razz]

What fun to see another approach to life! Glad that you enjoyed it and came home to feeling at peace with your own life.

[mm1970]

That's an interesting weekend for sure. I have a friend from when I was in the military with her husband, and she and I were in grad school together. She's a down to earth girl from upstate NY. Her husband is from a wealthy Filipino family, and then he went on to become a lawyer.

On one hand, I've met her on vacation in San Diego. They stay at condos that are $700 a night, and make that trip a few times a year. They travel to Europe, the Caribbean, and all over, really. Their kids go to far-away summer camps. They are building a massive mansion with all sorts of fancy curved stairways, stained glass windows, etc. Really opulent and over-the-top. Like, I just can't relate to it at all.

But 2 years ago we happened to be in NY at the same time (hubby is from the same general area as where she grew up), and we met for lunch. Aside from buying gifts for my boys "just because", she was the same old down-to-earth girl she's always been, wearing shorts and a polo.

[Tussiemussies]

What a neat experience Catherine. Great that you were able not to judge how others live and that you were able to go with the flow and enjoy the experience.

As others have mentioned it would be hard for me to continually live in that environment but it might be right for some seen in the context of the evolution of consciousness. This is where their consciousness is now and what is needed for them to go through.

Chris

[lhamo]

I'm in Hong Kong for the weekend and about to meet up with an old friend for drinks. The last time we saw each other a few weeks ago she was in Beijing for business, and treated me and some friends of mine to dinner at a top end restaurant at a top end hotel. It was quite the night! The bill was several hundred dollars, but she was able to write it off as a business expense. We met when we were both in grad school planning to become academics. She did for awhile, with a Ph.D. from Harvard, but then went into law (JD from Columbia) and now is a corporate lawyer. She currently makes beaucoup bucks as staff attorney for a major private equity firm -- she closed a multimillion dollar deal when we were having dinner the last time. She is still just as awesome as she was when we met, though. I am very happy for her and her successes. Neat to see a glimpse into her lifestyle, though I don't think I'd want the workload that comes with it (she regularly updates her Facebook feed after pulling all nighters at the office -- I can't imagine still being able to work all night.....

[pinkytoe]

I don't think I'd want the workload that comes with it

My older brother is in that echelon and his wife bemoans that at 72, he is still taking red eye flights to conduct business on both coasts. She on the other hand stays busy maintaining their three homes and socializing. Their grown children are carbon copies - working 60 hours a week, vacationing in exotic places, kids in exclusive private schools, constantly upgrading...some people have a drive that is inexpicable to most of us. And that's OK just not my thing to be super-charged all the time.

[jp1]

I must be a lazy slacker. I only have to go to the east coast maybe once a year for work. but I never take a red eye. I take a whole day for travel. Truthfully I just can't be on my game after a night of just a few hours lousy sleep on a plane so I figure it's worth it to my employer for me to take the time and an extra hotel night. And I'm nowhere near 72 years old.

[catherine]

I must be a lazy slacker. I only have to go to the east coast maybe once a year for work. but I never take a red eye. I take a whole day for travel. Truthfully I just can't be on my game after a night of just a few hours lousy sleep on a plane so I figure it's worth it to my employer for me to take the time and an extra hotel night. And I'm nowhere near 72 years old.

I'll take red eyes depending on my workload. Sometimes I like "wasting" a day in the air and other times I don't. If I come home and take a two hour power nap from 8-10 I'm usually good to go in the afternoon.

But I'm not supporting 3 houses and private school and the "right" this or that to feel secure in my social status. I'm just trying to manage my time.

[jp1]

Maybe if I were going home at the end of a trip a red eye would be ok. But getting to ny at 6:00 and then diving into a long day of meetings/presentations just isn't something I will do. I will, however, do a full day of meetings in ny, catch a 7:00 pm flight home and be back in the office the next day.

[catherine]

Maybe if I were going home at the end of a trip a red eye would be ok. But getting to ny at 6:00 and then diving into a long day of meetings/presentations just isn't something I will do. I will, however, do a full day of meetings in ny, catch a 7:00 pm flight home and be back in the office the next day.

Definitely!! Working from home makes all the difference. And when I travel internationally, I ALWAYS travel on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I don't know how my colleagues can travel on Sunday night and then sit in a dark back room (watching qualitative research behind a one-way mirror) all day long. I've fallen asleep at my keyboard when I've tried it.