Ok... how did you afford a first class plane ticket? I know many people are desperate to know (because I have been asked!). Trust me- this is something that I have never done before and my work in Academia doesn't exactly support the rich person life style. But when you are embracing solo status- you take advantage of the unique experience you have and sometimes just splurge!
At the beginning of 2018 I decided this was going to be the year of travel. So I set aside a large amount of money that I typically just put in savings to be devoted to trips- when October came around I had a lot of money still in the pot. I didn't actually make as many trips as I had hoped for over the year- I made a few: personally I got to Crete, Nashville, Tenerife, Annapolis, a couple trips to London, Prague, and including this big trip a bunch of cities in Vietnam and a couple in Cambodia. Professionally I made I made a to Dusseldorf, Salt Lake City, Prague, several places throughout the Scottish highlands, Bath, and a couple more trips to London. So when I found a 1st class ticket to Vietnam that was only 500 or so over the regular ticket cost it seemed like a no brainer...Unfortunately for me I think I awoke a monster in the process!! 1st class is amazing!
Imagine being able to actually sleep on a flight- can you? I couldn't either. Sure the hour flight here and there you can take a snooze.. but I am asking you to imagine really decent sleep that you wake up feeling like "oh.. I slept!" This can actually happen on a plane. I know- I didn't know it was possible either. The chairs really do recline into a bed that fit me perfectly horizontally.
Imagine getting on a flight and having someone offer you champagne, hot towels and put your bag up for you! I don't even like champagne but it some how tastes good when you are in a luxurious airplane seat.
Imagine being given a 3 course meal that doesn't taste like airplane food! Yeah.. it can actually happen too. You end up wanting to eat everything because its included. I know this is dangerous if you are on a diet- but I firmly believe that holiday calories do not count!
Oh you have a layover? You have to find a place to sit in the noisy airport- no no no! In first class you go to the lounge, take a shower, use a toilet that is cleaned basically after each use, and have more food, more drinks or have a sleep in a quiet room.
Now one observation of the 1st class lifestyle is that 1st class people are messy people... they leave stuff everywhere and the cleaners are chasing messes and scrubbing carpets everywhere (hands and knees no lie)! So this very well could mean that 1st class people are messy people, obviously used to other people cleaning up after them. However, I had another thought (a not so nice thought) that maybe all airport people are messy people and that there are just not that many cleaners in other parts of the airport making the places I normally sit really dirty!! Hmm.. ok, lets just assume 1st class people are messy people- its a nicer thought for my/our future travel plans.
So yeah.. the 1st class experience sure does make you realise how badly the folks in the cattle car are treated! I used to only imagine what happens beyond the curtain and fortunately or unfortunately now I actually know. When I used to think to myself "it can't be that great up there" bubble popped- it can be! It is really great up there! So for obviously reasonsI may have changed my dating criteria of simply finding a nice guy to well.. simply finding a rich one.
Below are some pictures of food, hot towels, leg room and cocktails.