A while ago, I was reading this BuzzFeed post about activities that the ultra-rich do that regular people "don't even know exist," and I was fascinated. The stories were so juicy, I had to read more. So, I decided to ask our very own BuzzFeed Community about "rich people activities" that the peasantry seldom even think about. Here are some of the most interesting answers:
1. "Whenever I go to Disney World, there [are] always, like, one or two families who take advantage of the 'VIP' service there. They get escorted to the front of the lines [and get] special backstage access; it’s like they are royalty. I always wonder what is it those families do for a living."
2. "Giving expensive gifts without a thought. I had a scholarship to an expensive school, and these kids all had the best name brand clothes, bought and sold horses, and already owned land."
"On Valentine's Day one of the girls bought the whole friend group the most beautiful flowers and $50+ professionally wrapped gifts. At any birthdays (and other random celebrations) all the presents were amazing and worth hundreds.
I starved that year and could never give any of my friends any of the nice gifts they gave each other. It was embarrassing, but I know now I shouldn't be ashamed by it."
3. "I once had a rich classmate that jetted off to Hong Kong during a school day just because she wanted to eat dim sum."
4. "In-home services. My mom is wealthy, and she has her manicurist come to her house once a week to do her nails and pedicures. Her personal trainer comes three times a week and trains her in her in-home gym."
"She has a cleaning person [who] cleans her house, and yard people to take care of her yard. She loves to cook, so she doesn’t have a chef come prepare her meals, but I know other rich people [who] do.
Basically anything other people have to do themselves or leave their house for, rich people can have done for them in their own homes."
5. "Collectibles. I'm not talking Funko Pops and Breyer horses, either. Think antiques, rare books, and art. Fossils, too. Not as investments, just collecting for fun because it's something they like... Particularly stuff that takes special care and handling to ship."
6. "Air taxis. [Being rich is] not only owning private jets and having memberships to jet clubs; you can also organize a 'taxi' — for example, a six seater plane between two small airports."
7. "Well, I had this one friend in high school. Her parents made them dress up as 'pets' at their 'pets night.' It was so weird. I was a lion, by the way, this one time. Even their relatives showed up and fed them. Weirdest thing I ever did."
8. "Annual ski trips to resort areas like Vail or Aspen. One day of lift tickets is easily $500/person, to say nothing of flights, lodging, restaurants, gear. Or even knowing how to ski at all!"
—Anonymous
9. "Sending your dog to regular, private sheep herding lessons."
10. "Having dog psychics, dog chefs [to] do meal prep, etc., and not blinking an eye. This is in SoCal."
—Anonymous
11. "[Owning] second (or third!) homes, and the 'work' that goes into maintaining them. A whole other home furnished to high standards, that still needs the gutters cleaned and the deck stained, windows washed and landscaping."
12. "I used to be a teacher at a private school abroad in Istanbul. I had all types of different parents: influencers, real estate moguls, investors, actresses, and even mafia families."
13. "In the south, 'Cotillion' is a common upper class activity for young teens. [It's] essentially an extracurricular in etiquette and ballroom dance class."
14. "I attended an Ivy League school and was blown away when I first saw my peers cash in on parental names. I knew that it was a 'thing' but not the extent. Free penthouse hotel stays, 'Daddy's friend will give us a ride in his plane,' and 'my mom called ahead, we each can get a couple outfits.'"
—Anonymous
15. "Maybe not so much a hobby — I wouldn't even know what to call it — but whenever I'm around my sister's husband's family (for a birthday or family event) during racing season, they will find a TV to view the races and will stand there on their betting apps, placing bets all day."
16. "Not owning shampoo because someone washes your hair. There are NYC buildings like this."
—Anonymous
17. "Freshman year of college (like 2005), I lived with six other randomly selected girls in a dorm-like setting. One of the girls ended up being the daughter of the founder of a super famous restaurant chain. She was actually incredibly kind and thoughtful, but there were moments when I remembered she came from money."
18. "My dad's friend is a rich guy. He has a neighbor who is also a rich dude. This neighbor has an obsession with one type of car. Only four were made in the world. He's already bought three of them, and is now on a mission to buy the fourth and final one."
19. "Flying to different countries to watch a concert or to eat the local food there because it's more 'authentic.'"
20. "My first college roommate cried when Obama was elected because her 'family would get taxed and she would become poor like me.'"
21. "This was 12 years ago. I am a professional psychic — back then, it wasn’t so fashionable — and I told a movie star client to take a role she didn’t want to, in a script she didn’t like. Well, it became a huge hit… So, she flew me and a few of her friends to a gorgeous beach house in the Mayan Riviera."
22. "Real rich people have paintings of themselves in the house in addition to photographs. And not the modern types of paintings where a computer sorts out a photo and applies an acrylic filter to it. No, they have portraits that they sat for [where] a real artist applied paint to canvas."
23. "Airplanes. Rich people fly their own airplanes [and] can afford to spend time and money getting a pilot's license."
24. "After my beautiful mother passed recently, I did some [research into my] family history and found out she had come from a MUCH posher background than I’d ever dreamed. My grandfather, her dad, blew through the equivalent of $20 million in his lifetime in wine, women, and song. But mostly wine and women."
Well, these were wild, and made me very grateful I had a normal childhood. If you've ever witnessed some unbelievable things the rich people you know have done (or if you are a wild rich person yourself), tell me about it down in the comments. Or, if you want, you can share via this anonymous Google form. Your story may be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.