I recently received a brochure from my alma mater, Georgetown University, entitled “Around the World by Private Jet: An Exploration of the World’s Greatest Treasures & Legendary Places” running from September 28 to October 19, 2010. The 22-day journey includes visits to Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Samoa, the Great Barrier Reef, Angkor Wat, the Pyramids, Tanzania, Morocco, and the Taj Mahal — all aboard your very own private Boeing 757. Besides traveling with your other fellow Hoyas, you are accompanied by Smithsonian scholars and even a dedicated physician. The cost per double occupancy, found tucked in the corner toward the end of the brochure, comes to $59,950. Single occupancy brings an additional fee of $7,950. “By joining the Around the World by Private Jet expedition,” the alumni executive director assures us, “you will automatically support efforts to enhance the conditions of the places and peoples we visit — there is no further commitment necessary on your part….” Really? You mean once we pay the $60,000, that’s it? What a steal! If I find out any of my classmates are on this trip, I will be sure to greet them at Dulles Airport with jeers, rotten fruit, and demands for redistribution of wealth.
