Only done one cruise, going on another in a month. I would NOT go if we didn’t have a balcony.
We are outdoor type people. We spend as much time as we can outside. A cube inside a ship would drive us both crazy. My Wife is also a bit claustrophobic, hates elevators. I guess the stairs are good exercise.
Satellite radio. I have a bad habit of changing the station very frequently, and I like to have a lot of choices to run through before deciding everything sucks! And then I find something interesting I haven’t heard in a while.
Mentioned elsewhere: a mini-hotplate-style warmer for my cup of coffee, that sits next to me at the breakfast station.
No longer do I have to get up and take my cup over to the microwave to heat up coffee like a medieval peasant.
That wouldn’t be a luxury for me. I can’t stand coffee that has been sitting on a heat source for any length of time.
Artisan bread and butter. There are a few good bakeries around these days - a good loaf will cost you around $7. And it has to be Netherend Farm butter, at around $7 for 250g.
Aside from that: I love smoked salmon and Islay malt whisky. I like my pitta breads semi-leavened - expensive and hard to find.
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I bet I’m the only Doper to say this: A top quality judo uniform. A budget uniform runs in the $35-50 range, new. I paid close to $300 for the last couple I bought. There’s very little practical difference other than a better fit. The quality uniforms are more durable, but I don’t work out hard enough to put even the cheapest brands to the stress test anymore. I just like the fit and feel - plus the fancy-pants label and cachet - of the higher quality uniforms.
I was forced to buy Coach sneakers for $150, which is more than twice as much as Air Monarchs, but the last 4 pairs of Air Monarchs literally fell apart within 2 weeks of me wearing them, and the Coach sneakers are the closest I can find to Air Monarchs, being leather and thus with a modicum of resistance to water, and with some comfortable padding. Just standing around for a few minutes it’s even more comfortable than Air Monarchs, since they are even more stable than Air Monarchs very kind of sort of,which are already quite stable compared to most shoes. But when doing a lot of walking, the Air Monarchs were more comfortable due to being slightly more softly padded.
If these wear out I am planning on getting another pair.
My travel luxury is food in a hotel. Doesn’t matter if it is room service, a sit down restaurant, or even a marked-up frozen meal, I can drive 12+ hours in a day but when I get to my hotel I don’t want to navigate surface roads to go get food. If there isn’t food in my hotel or it doesn’t seem appetizing to me, if the weather is good and there are food options less than a mile away I will walk to them rather than drive once I park at the hotel.
Home delivery of my groceries.
A good mattress, which is a health care expense. Basically anything for health I will spend on if it works and helps.
I used to be a shoestring traveler and reveled in being able to travel dirt-cheap and putting everything together myself. After spending the money to join guided trips in South America a couple times, and have a complete itinerary put together for us in Alaska, I am hooked on just paying someone else to work-out all the details. All I have to do each day is show-up, and everything is already taken care of: transportation, lodging, entry to sites/museums, most meals, etc. As a planner myself, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed not having to worry about anything.
vacations. yes, they are expensive, but my work and the family schedule does not allow for much time for vacations, so when we do go on one, I make sure we do not skimp on hotel, food, activities, etc. first class all the way and I rarely regret doing it.
I did that about a year ago. Totally worth the minimal cost and effort to install.
We splurged on business class for our trip to NZ earlier this year. We will now do that on all future flights over a couple of hours.
Yes. It’s not exactly cheap, but well worth it, IMO.
Not judo specifically, but for my martial arts, iaido and (many years ago) kendo, you get the quality you pay for. More expensive gear is usually just better overall, and lasts longer to boot. I bought a used set of kendo armor that had been custom made for another fellow, and even after ten years or so of use, it wasn’t scratched or disfigured at all.
I still have the first iaito I ever bought, almost 40 years later. I don’t use it regularly, but I do loan it to new people every now and then. It’s still solid.
I don’t travel any longer, but since 2009 it’s always been first class. I could afford it and it was worth it to me.
Cooking ingredients and high quality kitchen tools and equipment.
When I was still doing woodworking, I bought the best tools I could. A cheap tool is a bad idea for at least two reasons.
We spent a lot on our furniture and after 15-20 years it’s still in perfect condition.
I would not be able to afford kendo!
Yeah, both iaido and kendo have high barriers to entry. Swords 'n shit are expensive! Might as well buy the quality.
And I just thought of another one. A really solid balcony/deck sliding door. I recently moved into a new place, and the balcony door is just fuckin’ solid. Slides smoothly, the handle is solid, and it’s just so nice not to have to fight with my balcony door.
High quality sunglasses, preferably with rose lenses. I take long road trips every year and good sunglasses are a must to reduce glare and enhance the view. I fell in love with Maui Jims more than 20 years ago and I’m nursing my current pair of (discontinued) Typhoons as long as I can.
I like a nice hotel downtown in the city I’m visiting. I want to walk out the hotel and be in the middle of it, not a subway ride away.
I live a fairly luxurious life and enjoy every bit of it. I’ll spare you the tiresome details.
I can enjoy a scruffy honky tonk or workin’-class sports bar as much as the next guy, but only rarely. And usually with indigestion afterwards. In fact did that just last night.