Mark and I went on the first of several honeymoons last December. I found a one-way flight for $240 from SFO to Tahiti and built the trip around that. Did you know that French Polynesia is only eight hours away from San Francisco? Yeah, me neither.
So, French Bee is a low cost carrier and flying with them comes with risks. About an hour before we were scheduled to leave for the airport, they delayed the flight…by 23 hours. That adjustment meant we would lose our day in Tahiti. Boo.
Please believe me when I say that this trip started out really cheap. $240 for an eight-hour flight is insane. Then we had to buy flights from Denver to San Francisco and back ($79 each; also reasonable). Then we had to find flights to and from Bora Bora and Tahiti ($368 each).
And then, your girl made a mistake. We bought an extravagant flight from Tahiti to San Francisco. This eight-hour chunk of time cost us $1,930. Each. Eeek! We might have flown business with the lay flat seats and the pods and the amazingness.
And you know what? Something inside of me broke. The one aspect of traveling that was less than ideal was always the flight itself. It’s hard to get comfortable. You feel a little like cattle. There’s not much room. I absolutely hate when I’m done eating my meal and need to wait twenty minutes for the flight attendants to clear it.
But flying business class seats completely eliminated those inconveniences. We didn’t have to wait in lines. We used the lounge before the flight that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to. I could eat on the plane whenever I felt like it. And yes, the flight attendants spirited away my tray as soon as I finished eating. It was glorious.
I’m ruined.
I spend way less than I’m “allowed” to spend each year per the four per cent rule, like, half. The power of compound interest made the amount a smaller percentage of my net worth. At what point can I say that business class is a reasonable regular splurge that makes my life so much better?
Because, in my opinion, upgrading on a flight is the ultimate splurge. It’s such a big reach financially for such a short amount of time and it’s really, really hard to justify.
But, oh, what a luxury. Being able to lie down in the air is a real treat when the flight flies overnight.
Since that Tahiti to San Francisco trip, we’ve flown business class once more going to Africa. Denver -> Istanbul -> Accra and back. It cost $3,000 round trip per person. For just about forty hours of flying.
I flew business class when I worked as a lawyer. We also flew business for our wedding to Cancun. It’s so hard going back to economy because, in my opinion, paying the extra money absolutely makes the trip at least three times better. The flight and the airport and the hours logged become an enjoyable part of the vacation and not something to just get through.
We’ve decided to take far fewer trips, but spend out on the trips we do take. So, my answer on how I justify business class seats really depends on the price. If it’s three to four times as expensive as economy class, I would consider it. If it was ten times more expensive than economy class, I probably wouldn’t. I could also see myself building trips around good business class seats that I find and then flying economy for the shorter legs.
This goes against my brand, but I do love this luxury. Don’t come at me. Travel is the only thing I spend money on.
My thoughts exactly. We only started flying business after I became 60. There is no going back. It is very difficult to justifie the cost, but I’ll never fly coach again on flights >5 hours. It’s’a gift I give to myself. And I like it.
I like it, too!
I’m wondering if they purposefully make flying so horrible that more and more people pay extra for business/first class. I haven’t flown for over four years and don’t miss it. Train journeys across countries are a lot of fun.
Mark is a big train fan! We want to do the Blue Train across South Africa eventually.
Completely agree! Anything over 5 hours and especially flying eastbound overnight it’s the difference between arriving destroyed or ready to hit the ground running.
Yes! That’s something I forgot to mention. You wake up refreshed and not exhausted with a neck crick.
Girl, I am so with you. One thing I have done is get the ATMOS rewards credit card. With my sign on bonus I was able to get 2 one way business class tickets home from Europe to Texas. The taxes for each flight were less than 100 bucks. Look into it. You have to be flexible but it is so worth it.
Oooh, I’ll look into this!
I don’t think it goes against your brand. This is clearly a thoughtful and intentional decision, which is very on brand in my opinion. Like you say, travel is a priority, and if what you have build up financially can support that (with a fairly low percentage too!) it makes more sense than not spending it just for the sake of not spending it. I recognize business class is expensive, so it’s not to downplay the cost of it, but at the same time, how incredible that you built this life for yourself and now can enjoy it in ways you choose! If anything, this would be a huge part of the results of long term investing, to finally, guilt free and intentionally, “splurge” on things that matter to you. I would 100% do the same, and wish nothing else than for you to enjoy it.
Love this comment so much. Thanks so much for posting it!
You are not alone. I have a 3x coach limit, and so far with a little patience I can usually find something. If not, premium economy where available. It’s not much of an upgrade, but it’s better than nothing for usually half (or less) of business.
Funnily enough, I’ve never done premium economy. I should try it.
Just came off a premium economy flight from Toronto to Vancouver to Sydney via upgrade. It’s, well, better than economy and not as good as business class. It’s fine for crossing the Atlantic, I find, but I would have much preferred business for crossing the Pacific westbound.
Direction really makes a difference in terms of tiredness.
I appreciate your thoughts on this. I’m still not there yet where spending 3x the amount is worth it. I like your idea of shopping for destinations based on business class ticket deals. Thank you for sharing – you are one of my favorite bloggers!
Oh yay! Thanks for reading. And you’ll get there!
No justification necessary! It’s your $$, your time, your life and you are the one that gets to make decisions about your life. It’s ok to change how you do things, how you adjust your spending habits to fit your lifestyle. Your life has changed immensely over the years as with all of us and adaptations are made many times within one’s lifespan. Your “splurge” has taken into account how you will adjust your travel in the future. It’s not like you’re recklessly spending $$. You’ve looked at this and examined how you can make adjustments to your budget and give yourself this thing that is important to you. Good for you!
Thanks for the permission! Really needed this and you’re so right!
Welcome to business class! I tried it some years ago and I absolutely believe it’s worth every penny, even on short domestic flights. Flying up front, the flight becomes part of the fun, to be enjoyed, not just endured. Go one step further and …. check your bags, so you don’t have to drag that stuff through the airport, on and off the plane. Plop down in your spacious biz class seat with nothing but a small backpack.
Yes! Checked bags really are such a luxury. I have completely changed my opinion on this. I used to like having my stuff close by and not having to stop at baggage claim. I still dislike having to stop at baggage claim, but often business class luggage comes out first. From my limited experience.
Being a frugal person most of my life I can understand the conflict of justifying business class. But with all the perks that come with it, it’s very hard to go back. We recently went to Madrid and the return flight was 11 hours…I was very pleased we opted for the upgrade…and as I approach 60 I justify it as I am now living in my “delayed gratification” years…haha! Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Oh man, delayed gratification years! That’s a splendid thought.
Fun!! I think it’s rad that you’re letting yourself grow and change. & sharing about it! I’m very similar to you and enjoy your little snippets.
Awesome! I’ll try to keep them coming. 🙂
The key here is that you’re already spending much less than your budget allows. You’ve already accomplished FI, now you get to spend it how you want! I still haven’t flown business class even though I’m in the same financial boat as you though. Maybe someday!
If you like to travel, I think it’s a nice upgrade. Even if you don’t like to travel, it’s a sweet upgrade.
“I’m ruined” hahaha…I was admiring the photo of you and Mark in business class then scrolled down slightly and saw that sentence lol. I agree with the other commentators saying it’s awesome you found out you value the experience and can spend the money on it! Seems super fitting given how much you love to travel. I like that it becomes an enjoyable part of the trip instead of something you have to suffer through to get to the good parts.
😛 Always appreciate your comments!
❤️