By Richard Jarocki
Originally published May 21, 2025. Updated September 2026.
From supercars to suitcases, I’m working toward a life that gives my love of cars, food and travel more room to grow. After twenty-five years in automotive, I still love cars. I’m also ready to give more of my working life to the interests that keep pulling me toward another reservation, another flight and another conversation with someone who cares deeply about what they do.
I’m still in the automotive industry. Alongside that career, I’m building RJVIPGP through my own travel, restaurant experiences, photography and writing. The ambition is real, and the transition is still underway.
Eventually, I want to sell my home, work remotely in the travel industry and have the freedom to spend more of my life in different countries. “Luxury nomad” is probably the most honest description of what I have in mind.
Getting there will take an opportunity that makes sense professionally and financially. I’ve spent twenty-five years building a career, and I want that experience to have a meaningful place in what comes next.
When Loving Cars Becomes Working in the Car Business
There is a particular feeling that comes with being around a car you admire. You notice its proportions, its engineering, the way it sounds and the decisions that went into making it. Working with brands such as Ferrari and BMW gave me plenty of reasons to appreciate those details.
But a career in automotive brings an entirely different set of responsibilities.
Much of my career was spent with Nissan, working my way through sales, finance and management. I also had opportunities with Ford, BMW and Ferrari. Over time, more of my attention went toward running the business: managing inventory, financing, deliveries, staffing and customer concerns. My days increasingly revolved around hitting month-end targets, growing gross profit, building value in what we were selling and finding ways to bring more customers into the showroom.
Those responsibilities matter. They are how a business operates and how people earn a living. They also change your relationship with something you once enjoyed simply because it interested you.
A car can gradually become a unit in inventory, a financing decision or a delivery that needs to happen before the end of the month. After enough years, it becomes difficult to look at the industry without thinking about the business behind it.
I’m grateful for what that career has given me. It taught me how to work with people, handle responsibility and keep moving when circumstances become difficult. It also gave me opportunities to travel and experience things that have helped shape the direction I want to take now.
I want to make a change while I still have the curiosity and energy to build something substantial.
Reigniting the Spark
Ferrari and BMW helped remind me why cars interested me in the first place. Their history, design and engineering gave me something to appreciate beyond the day-to-day demands of the job.
I want more room for that enjoyment.
There are still automotive experiences I would love to have: driving a Ferrari F8 around Modena, getting behind the wheel of a McLaren Senna, or taking a BMW M car or Mercedes-AMG to the Nürburgring. Those are ambitions, and part of their appeal is the chance to enjoy remarkable cars in memorable settings.
A journey can give a machine a different meaning. The roads, the surroundings and the memories become part of how you remember driving it.
Formula 1 has already helped me make that connection. Working with Ferrari introduced me to the sport, and following it gave me more reasons to travel. A Grand Prix provided a destination and a date. Once I arrived, my curiosity kept taking me beyond the circuit.
Moving from supercars to suitcases still leaves room for the cars that first caught my attention. I want to enjoy them through travel, motorsport and the stories surrounding them, with more freedom to follow the interests that brought me into that world.
What Twenty-Five Years in Automotive Taught Me About People
Working in automotive has taught me how much trust sits behind a major purchase. People want clear answers, someone who listens and confidence that the details will be handled properly.
Different brands bring different expectations, but taking care of people matters across all of them. You have to understand what someone values before you can help them find the right fit.
One client wants every technical detail explained. Another needs help working through practical decisions. Someone else already knows exactly what they want and expects you to respect their time. Recognizing those differences is part of doing the job well. As a salesperson, I also appreciate knowing where I stand. A clear answer—even if it’s a no—is more useful than being left waiting and wondering. Honest communication respects everyone’s time.
It also means following through. A promise creates an obligation. When a problem comes up, you need to communicate, take responsibility and work toward a solution. That is where a relationship can become stronger or fall apart.
I notice those same qualities when I travel. I remember the hotel team that makes things easy, the bartender who recognizes me when I return and the restaurant staff who can explain an ambitious menu while making me comfortable enough to enjoy it.
At The Liquor Store in São Paulo, they remembered me when I returned—or had excellent record-keeping. Either way, I felt welcome. Being recognized somewhere thousands of miles from home means something.
That experience is part of what draws me toward hospitality professionally. I enjoy the details, and I care deeply about how the person receiving the service feels.
I would bring decades of experience serving clients, leading teams and being accountable for results. I want an opportunity to put that experience to work in an industry that increasingly holds my attention.
From Supercars to Suitcases: How Travel Changed My Direction
I first went to São Paulo for the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2024. The race gave me a reason to book the trip, but the city gave me reasons to return.
Kazuo was my first meal there. I sat at the counter while Chef Kazuo Harada kept placing courses in front of me, and I kept finding room for them. The freshness and variety immediately made me pay closer attention to what eating in São Paulo could offer.
That meal was an introduction. Each return trip has added something to it.
Evvai has become my favorite restaurant in the world. I still have the illustrated course cards from my visits. The cooking gives me plenty to remember, but so does the personality of the experience: the explanations, the humor and the feeling that an ambitious dinner can also be a very good time.
At D.O.M., unfamiliar ingredients gave me an opportunity to learn something about Brazil through dinner. I ate insects there and at Metzi during the same weekend. A tasting menu can take me toward something I might never have ordered on my own, and I enjoy that willingness to be surprised.
Meeting Eduardo Ortiz before dining at Metzi added another dimension. We talked, shared connections to New York, and I liked his energy. Later, eating at the restaurant, I could recognize something of his personality in the food and the attention to detail.
Those encounters help explain why travel has become so important to me. A reservation can lead to a conversation. A conversation can change how I understand the meal. That meal can give me another reason to return to a city.
Barcelona reinforced that feeling. I went for Formula 1, and the restaurants, cocktail bars, architecture and time spent walking through the city became substantial parts of the trip. Mont Bar became one of the best meals I’ve had.
Ivan at Mont Bar interacted with us throughout the meal, and we’ve stayed in touch on WhatsApp since. We still exchange messages, and I appreciate that the connection continued after the trip. That is another part of what makes travel meaningful to me: getting to know the people behind the experiences and keeping those connections alive after I’m home.
The more I experience, the more I want enough time to explore properly. I want to return to neighborhoods, follow recommendations and spend longer in places that interest me. That desire is a large part of the life I’m working toward.
Read my personal guide to restaurants in São Paulo.
What Luxury Means to Me Now
I enjoy beautiful hotels, exceptional meals and thoughtful service. I’m comfortable admitting that. Those things can add a great deal to a trip when they deliver what you hoped for.
Travel has also made me more particular about what deserves the money.
A beautiful room matters, but so does how the hotel handles a request. An ambitious tasting menu matters, but so does whether I feel comfortable at the table. A place can have an impressive reputation and still leave me feeling that the experience could have been better.
At Botafumeiro in Barcelona, the man looking after us showed me the kind of European hospitality that stays with you. From chilling our wine and cava glasses to keeping a watchful eye on the dining room, he seemed aware of every detail. We never had to look around for service. He made us feel looked after, and I could see that his attention extended across the room. That level of care is part of what makes an experience feel luxurious to me.
Formula 1 has given me another perspective on that. I have experienced hospitality and grandstands, and I increasingly appreciate the camaraderie in the stands. Sharing the race with other fans, seeing the action and having people around me who understand the excitement adds a great deal to the weekend. My current budget plays a part, too. Right now, I would rather put more of my travel budget toward memorable meals than hospitality tickets. A grandstand seat lets me enjoy the race and the atmosphere while leaving more room for the restaurants I’m excited to experience. That balance suits how I want to travel now.
I want to make room for those differences when I think about travel professionally. The most suitable experience depends on the person taking the trip. Understanding what they care about is where the work should begin.
That is also how I approach my own spending. I want the experience to justify the price, and I want to be honest when it doesn’t.
The Life I’m Working Toward: Becoming a Luxury Nomad
Yes, I want to sell my home and build a life that gives me the freedom to spend more time in different countries.
“Luxury nomad” describes both the freedom I want and the standard of experience I enjoy. I want comfortable places to stay, restaurants I’m excited to try and enough time to get to know a destination beyond a brief visit.
I also want to earn a living that allows me to keep experiencing those things.
The practical part matters just as much as the dream. Taking the step from supercars to suitcases means finding work that can move with me. My goal is remote work in the travel industry. I would still have responsibilities, clients, deadlines and a working day. The freedom would come from having more choice over where I build that life.
São Paulo is one of the places I can imagine spending more time. I already return with restaurants I look forward to, people I’m pleased to see and a growing sense of familiarity. Staying longer would give me room to deepen those connections and discover more of the city.
I would also like the flexibility to explore elsewhere without fitting every experience into a short stretch of vacation. Some places deserve a return visit. Others make me want to stay long enough to develop a routine.
That is the appeal of a more mobile life: being able to spend time somewhere because it interests me, while continuing to do meaningful work.
I’m still working toward that arrangement. Selling a home and changing how I earn a living are substantial decisions. I want the professional foundation to support the lifestyle, so I can enjoy it with confidence.
The Opportunity I’m Ready For
I would welcome the opportunity to work for a high-end travel agency or luxury travel company.
There is a great deal I would need to learn about the industry: booking systems, supplier relationships, destination knowledge and the operational work behind delivering a trip. I’m prepared to put in that work.
At the same time, I would bring substantial experience in sales, finance, client relationships and leadership. Moving into a new industry should give me an opportunity to apply those skills while developing the knowledge specific to travel.
The right role could involve sales leadership, client experience, business development or helping a company strengthen the relationships that bring customers back. I am interested in where my experience would be useful and where I could continue to grow.
The financial reality matters. I have spent twenty-five years building my career and earning capacity. Starting again on an entry-level salary would make the life I’m working toward harder to achieve. The move needs to make sense in its responsibilities, compensation and long-term potential.
My eventual goal is remote work that supports a more mobile lifestyle. Getting there may involve stages, and I’m open to an opportunity that helps me build the right foundation.
What I want is a serious chance to contribute, learn the business and develop a lasting career in travel and hospitality.
Building RJVIPGP Along the Way
RJVIPGP is where I’m documenting my move from supercars to suitcases, one trip and one article at a time.
My own trips give me something concrete to share. I can explain what I ordered, what surprised me, what disappointed me and why I returned. Writing about an experience makes me examine it more closely.
Would I spend the money again? Did the service contribute to the evening? Who would enjoy this place? What would I want to know before booking?
Those questions matter because someone reading my work may be deciding how to spend a limited amount of vacation time and money. I want my experience to help them make that decision with more confidence.
The restaurant reviews, hotel experiences, cocktail bars and Formula 1 trips also show how my interests fit together. A race might bring me to a destination, but the people, food and hospitality often determine how I remember it.
I’m developing that work through writing, photography, video and relationships with people in the industry. Each trip gives me more to learn, and each article gives me an opportunity to communicate it better.
Over time, I would like to develop the experience and professional foundation to plan travel and events for others on a broader scale. Working with an established company could be an important part of that path.
For now, I can keep doing the work in front of me: traveling, paying attention, producing useful content and looking for opportunities to turn that growing experience into a sustainable career.
Read why Formula 1 keeps bringing me back to travel.
From Supercars to Suitcases: The Next Chapter
Twenty-five years is a substantial amount of time to spend in one industry. I’ve built a career I can respect, and I want to give my next chapter the same level of effort.
Travel has become too important to me to leave entirely at the edges of my working life. I enjoy researching a destination, planning the details, experiencing it for myself and putting what I learned into words. I want the opportunity to make that work a larger part of how I earn a living.
The goal is ambitious. A more flexible life still requires discipline, income and responsibilities that can be managed from wherever I am. I’m willing to take that seriously because the life it could support matters to me.
I still love cars. I want to keep following Formula 1, exploring destinations through their food and finding places that make me want to return. I also want to bring my professional experience into work that gives those interests room to grow.
That is what “From Supercars to Suitcases” means to me now. I’m building toward a life in which the career, the travel and the things I care about can fit together.
If you work in luxury travel or hospitality and see a place for that combination of experience and curiosity, I’d welcome a conversation.
And if you’re following along for the restaurants, cocktails, hotels and Formula 1, there is plenty more I want to share.
Follow me on Instagram @Richard.Jarocki for my latest experiences and the next steps along the way.
Completely Unnecessary. Absolutely Worth It.
