I know you are thinking one of two things, either, “Who doesn’t?” or the Austin Powers movie with your pinky next to your mouth. However, the point is there is a gray area that seems to be missing on the pathway to riches. The song by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars sings of not only sharing but living ‘the good life’ which includes travel and celebrity fame that would allow him close interactions one of the most powerful individuals in the world, the US president. (Although in my book King Kong is way more powerful and would be killer on the basketball court)

Can we really have both? Is enough ever really enough that we can accomplish all the desire and have enough left over to share with so many others? Is this ideology left only to those without, because surely those with have never dropped off a Mercedes to me or anyone I know. That isn’t to say the rich don’t give to a charity on occasion, but clearly not in the amount expressed in the song.

So after wondering what some of my fellow tweeps would do with a billion dollars, I decided to ask…

monica530 of A Pair of Panties and Boxers “If I were a billionaire I’d buy a house, start my own NGO, donate some $$$ to charity & travel of course!”

OverYonderlust of Over Yonder Lust “If I was a Billionaire? Have a house in NYC, Tokyo, Barbados, and a few other places & set up a college fund for peeps.”

Ayngelina of Bacon Is Magic “If I were a billionaire I’d send @CandiceWalsh on an RTW so she could forget her worries”

(Candice was recently laid off from work, read more about her adventures at Candice Does The World)

travelmaus “Give up job,go back 2 school & finally do what I really want in life! & ya know all those charity things 2 ”
When I think of it, I’d want to do some of the same things as well. Take care of my college loans, pay off my family’s debt then help others. There are a billion and one things that you could do, and hundreds of lives that you could change, but would we actually do it?

Money has a way of changing people, or so they say. I don’t believe it is necessarily the money, but more so those around them who change thus making one cautious, defensive and possibly bitter or resentful of others who have possibly befriended them only for their money. Often those who win the lottery end off worse off than they had before they won.

So would everyone stand buy what they said, I’d like to think so and for a few good reasons too. Travelers seem to be more in touch with people than the average Joe (or Jane – and yes that automatically makes me think of Tarzan) Most of these people are more interested with the stories of the people they meet and how their lives are touched by the stories and kindness of strangers. When disaster happens travel bloggers are all about providing relief or catching a flight to volunteer for over a month. There are also examples such as Passports With Purpose which worked through the support of travelers to build a school in Cambodia last year and will begin working on building a village in India this year. (Donations will open up November 15th, 2010)

Why is this so important, because most travelers don’t have much money to begin with – I’m sure you are thinking big deal everyone is struggling now adays, but travelers tend to penny pinch a little more. We pride ourselves on living on ‘X’ number of dollars a day, staying in super budget hostels and finding discounts and freebies like free WIFI across the globe. Some travelers left their lucrative jobs while others never had one, yet almost all travelers have a sense of service even if we don’t always act on it.

What would you do if you were a billionaire?

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Tags | Billionaire, Bruno, Bruno Mars, I Wanna Be A Billionaire, Monkey, passport with purpose, service, Travel, Travie, Travie McCoy