We’re all high-minded individuals in the Going Global Community. We travel because we have to for business and because we love to for pleasure. We are serious elite travelers and don’t publish selfies from far off locations to make friends envious and we never use our knowledge of frequent flyer rules and regulations to find and book trips to exotic lands just to prove we can. Ok well just a little. It’s the art of the top tease.
C’mon lets confess, most people reading this get a kick out of being that person at a cocktail party that has been to more countries than anyone else. We like being able to tell our friends with a dismissive wave that Bali can be crowded but Ubud is always serene, or that the best restaurant in Bogota fills up months in advance but that you have connections and can always get a table. We’re not bragging just enjoying the fruits of our labor… curating a life all about travel.
One of the true joys of being an elite traveler is building up the frequent flyer miles and hotel points so that you can book the trip of a lifetime, even if this happens to come once or twice a year. Most people in our community have their bucket list of must visit places and when they cross off most of those destinations they head further afield. Recently our camera crew met a woman in an airport lounge at Heathrow who was headed to Maputo, Mozambique on points for the only reason that she had the miles and always liked the Bob Dylan song Mozambique. We like her style.
Sunrise over the temples in Bagan
The truth is that those of us who travel for business also travel for leisure. And when we do, we have many motivations. On another chance encounter with a fellow traveler we meet a lawyer from Brooklyn who was on his way to trek across Nepal for 10 days. As he said, “I work 60 hours a week and so when get any time off laying on a beach isn’t going to do it for me. I want a trip that’s life affirming, life changing.” This may putting a lot of pressure on a getaway, but we applaud his lust for life.
In the end all travel is an inward journey. Yes we may be excited to brag a little to our friends on Facebook by publishing pics of our trip to Myanmar ,but it’s the self realization you feel watching the sunrise over the temples in Bagan that really changes you. We all crave Likes on Instagram for our food porn shots but what really sticks with us is the feeling of connectedness we feel when we meet a kind stranger in a Yakitori joint in Tokyo. Travel changes us for the better whether we are motivated by a desire to show off our exploits or a need to grow as a person.
But enough talk, we’re off to research possible mileage runs to kickstart our elite qualifications for the year and are looking for a destination that will drive our friends crazy with jealousy. What are the beaches like in Vladivostok this time of year? We hear it’s the new Miami and a great place to use your Instagram account to trip tease your friends.
