My book shows how easy it is to travel even if you are not affluent. Even though I have tried to teach family and friends about my points hobby, it has not been warmly received by all.
Here is another excerpt from my book Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong . . . Including Mine describing what may happen to you should you also engage in this points hobby:
It’s not all smooth sailing when it comes to traveling, even if by plane. Jet-setting will expose you to your fair share of haters. This is especially true if you Tweet your every move while trotting the globe (Be sure to follow @ThePointsOfLife for the latest updates.) Additionally, those same skeptics will minimize your travel accomplishments equating the use of points to the use of performance enhancing drugs. For the record, I have never doped.
Following another post showcasing my travels, a former Facebook friend of mine (#SpiteErased) commented, “Maybe you’ll get a ‘real job’ one day so that you don’t have to travel with points.”
His comment is significant for two reasons:
On the one hand, these words are misguided because they fail to take into account the reason you accumulate points in the first place- to break the monotony of Cubicle-ism. Partaking in a travel adventure to some remote locale creates a sharp contrast between your daily life at home and valiant explorations abroad. Travelling opens your eyes to new possibilities, bolstering your drive to succeed. Such radical departures from the norm are out of the question given typical budget constraints. The liberation from, not assimilation to, your regimented routine, i.e., the ‘real job’, is the reason you take that trip today. Do not wait for all the pieces to come together perfectly before starting your life.
Versus
On the other hand, the words ring true. Living a life of temporary opulence does not mean you have been granted full-time access to the first-class lounge of life. Although you will be able to fly around the world for virtually nothing by using points, wouldn’t you rather charter your own Gulfstream G650? Similarly, you will be able to stay at an amazing 7-star resort for free, but wouldn’t you rather rent your own mansion style villa? #Points is merely the appetizer of the mouth-watering entrée that awaits you if you stay hungry. Do not overlook this is only Step 1 out of 10.
Well maybe the 7 star hotel is not that bad compared to my dorm in the infamous Red Light District in Amsterdam:
But you get the point . . .