A Comparison Between Stinkin' Rich People And The Average Joe
These people paid $36K for the same vacation I got for free.
In 2017, I was hired by Forbes Luxury Travel Guide to review a ridiculously extravagant Half Moon resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Although ultra luxury isn’t my style I had no problem pretending to fit into its opulence.
I ended up fitting in so well that I returned to the resort a week after my assignment to have a few drinks with the bartender and watch the jazz band I had seen a week earlier.
It was a Saturday night when I returned and in true Kristi fashion, I sat at the bar alone, chatting up the bartender. The one thing he and I had in common was that neither of us could afford to breathe Half Moon air if it wasn’t part of a job.
A few bar stools over sat two ladies who assumed I was a regular by how I interacted with the bartender, so they asked me how long I’d been staying at the resort. I told them I wasn’t staying there at all, I had just dropped in for the evening to watch the band.
I added that I had stayed a few nights the previous week to write the review for Forbes.
These ladies, a mother and daughter duo, were from England and through conversation it became obvious that they came from a LOT of money. They spoke of world travel, staying in excessively high-end accommodations, and living an incredible life of luxury.
Maybe I would do that too if I were wealthy. But probably not.
During conversation, the women asked how my review of the resort turned out, and whether I’d enjoyed it. Obviously, I gushed about it to them just as I did in the epic, multi-part miniseries I wrote on my destination blog.
Writing for Forbes does not permit gushing of any sort. Hence, I felt a burning desire to spew out what could have been a whole paperback to anyone who would listen.
Right after singing my praises about the experience, the first thing these ladies did was disagree and begin ripping into how terrible their experience at the resort had been so far.
I was mystified. It was all I could do to sit back and listen to wealthy people complain about one of the best experiences I’d ever had in my travel writing career. In fact, it was life-changing for me.
Throughout their tirade, I couldn’t help but feel awful for the bartender because even though I was free to disagree with snobby, rich people, he could do no such thing. It would be inappropriate. This resort was his entire career and livelihood.
As the evening progressed and the conversation continued, a stark realization hit me. These women had paid an astronomical amount for their experience at Half Moon whereas I got paid to be there.
They are used to luxury, I’m used to an average life.
They had expectations, I had nothing but gratitude.
Due to my budget, I was forced to stop drinking after two fifteen-dollar rums. They continued ordering drinks, paid for my entire bill, and even offered up the sofa in their cottage if I was too tired to drive back to my meagre little guest house.
We were coming at this luxury experience from completely contrasting sides of life and two wildly different perspectives. It made me wonder if I would have the same opinions they had if I were wealthy.
They eventually revealed that their two-week stay at the resort cost them $36,000 USD. I nearly fell off my bar stool and had a stroke. That’s a full-time annual salary in Canadian dollars, yet they were able to blow that on a couple of weeks’ worth of fun.
Perhaps if I had paid so much money to be there I’d be hyper-critical too. Instead, I was offended by their opinions and took it personally on behalf of regular people like myself.
I took it even more personally on behalf of the employees at the resort who work very hard to create the ambiance that their clientele demands.
Eventually, the ladies called it a night and made a move back to their cottage. I thanked them for taking care of my bill and wished them a great rest of their vacation.
After the women left, the bartender offered me a smile and a complimentary drink. I’m pretty sure it was a gesture of solidarity.
I kept a note on my desk for nearly six months after that experience as a reminder to write about the rich people at Half Moon. I procrastinated because, in addition to meeting those ladies, I had met several other couples during my stay who were absolutely head over heels for this place.
I even met one couple who told me they had been coming back to this resort for over twenty years because it’s like home for them. They treat the staff like family and devotedly said they would never go anywhere else on vacation.
Because I got to hear both sides of the story I had to respect both opinions. If I paid $36,000 for two weeks anywhere, I would expect nothing short of gold-plated, diamond-encrusted miracles.
As the happy and satisfied vacationers made it abundantly clear, they do experience miracles and they keep returning for more of the same.
Question for fun: Let’s just say you had the means to drop $36,000 on a two-week vacation. Would you do it? Or would you just buy a modest hut on a beach and call it a day?
Find out what it was like getting paid to sit at this resort!
What If The Money Sucks But The Payoff Is Outstanding?
If my name was Forbes and I offered you $100.00 USD today, would you fly to Jamaica and spend an afternoon touring a hotel for me?
And here’s the bigger picture on how I lived out this dream life on repeat for many years!
Why You Should Start Writing About Your Favorite Destination
Did you know that a hidden gold mine exists for people who write about their favorite destination?
They had nothing but expectations; you had nothing but gratitude. That kinda says it all. All it took for me was a trip to Kenya to realize that I am, relative to a whole lot of the world's people, already stinkin' rich. But to answer your question, if I had that kind of cash to drop on a vacay, I think I would — but only if it meant underwriting a get together for my whole family in some awesome location.
Reminds of my time in a 3 star resturant in the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as a busser. The part about working hard to create the right ambience for the clientele really hit home. I once did breakfast room service for former First Lady and President Gerald Ford at the El Tovar in 1995. I will never forget my funny coworkers and my boss Ms. Jablonski.