“It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed.
~Kin Hubbard
I recently had the pleasure of flying first class. Having made the first leg of my journey in the back of a plane it was an unexpected delight to be bumped to first class for the longest stretch of my flight home. Let me just say…wow! From start to finish it was a wonderful experience and one I hope to repeat in the future. I am now officially spoiled and I can totally live with that 🙂
I admit I savored everything from the warm, damp towel to freshen up with to dinner served on china with linen napkins. When offered my choice of dessert I chose ice cream with candied nuts and smiled to myself to have it in a glass bowl. This was a huge difference from the $9 sandwich I’d bought when seated in the more economical part of the plane. Okay, fine – the cheap seats.
Of course, every experience can be fodder for writing and this was no exception. The difference between classes could not have been more obvious and I realized I have the perfect opportunity to explore this divide in my current WIP.
Lyra D’Kir has a lot of responsibility resting on her shoulders, but has been surrounded by wealth and privilege her whole life. How is she going to cope when circumstances thrust her into a situation where sleeping on the hard ground and being asked to carry her own weight are temporarily the new normal? Will she rise to the occasion or be defeated by it?
By the same token, how does a former soldier react to the wealth and privilege he finds himself surrounded by? Burke Wulfric has little sympathy for his latest charge, but can he appreciate the finer things in life or will he be too busy comparing the differences in their lives and circumstances to see beyond the glitz to the real person underneath?
Interesting questions, right? I guess we will see what happens 🙂
kyliewolfe.com 
Kylie,
Glad you got to experience this. You deserve it!
The DH and I had this happen on our way home from Hawaii a couple of years ago. We were quite pleased … with the leg room for one thing, lol. And the service was divine also.
I think this is one of the reasons I write–my heroines get to experience all the things I may never (except vicariously) They can have the danger and pain, but along with it they get the perfection of fictional riches and homes, and those alpha heroes.
Lucky girls!
Cathryn Cade
Hi Kylie,
So nice that you were able to enjoy first class! Perhaps again in the future you’ll be able to!
Viola
Hi Viola. I sincerely hope I get to travel first class again. Everyone should experience and enjoy it. Being spoiled is lovely 😉
Hi Cathryn! I have found that every new experience I have is a little richer because I am aware I just might be able to use it in a story somewhere. It keeps me more in the moment and that is a total bonus. 🙂
Hi Kylie,
I’ve flown first class and it is a fantastic experience! and certainly makes traveling a much more positive experience. IMHO a glass of wine/champagne helps erase the icky feeling of going through security and being patted down. And I totally agree that all of life’s experiences have a bit of a glow to them because they do infiltrate a story in subtle ways.
Hi Judith! Getting through security isn’t as bad as it could have been, but settling into that large, comfy seat certainly helped me relax before take-off. One of the more interesting gifts of being a writer has been the sharper awareness of experiences. I think we all mine those to add depth to our characters.
So can we write off first-class travel on our taxes as research? 🙂
Brilliant idea, Jessa! The best part about my recent trip – I didn’t have to pay for first class 🙂
First class is lovely, isn’t it? I fly business class back and forth between Abu Dhabi and Chicago once a year and one year I got bumped up to first. The plane got stuck on the tarmack for an hour and I just leaned back in my giant seat and said, “Can I have another drink while we wait?”
Nice! Sometimes the universe gives us a lovely gift, doesn’t it? I imagine the stress of being stuck on the tarmack just melted away 🙂
You should try flying in a corporate jet. Those are really nice.
Something to aspire to for sure, Liza! That has to be the ultimate in luxury. One can dream 😉