Jon Morgan, co-founder of enterprise consulting agency, Venture Smarter, was mentoring a Gen Z entrepreneur when he seen one thing unusual about her life and the one she portrayed on-line.
His 23-year-old mentee had spent 1½ years crafting a luxury journey persona — one which urged she was dwelling a $500,000-a-year way of life, he stated. In actuality, her annual expenditure was nearer to $12,000, he stated.
“She would book $200 day passes at exclusive beach clubs in Miami [and] take 400 photos in six hours,” Morgan advised CNBC Travel.
Then she would put up the photographs over a span of eight weeks to provide the impression that she regularly stayed in luxury resorts.
For some, posting duplicitous journey photographs isn’t just about consideration, it is a money-making enterprise.
Klaus Vedfelt | Digitalvision | Getty Images
That was not all. Morgan stated she would strike up conversations with concierges at luxury lodges, providing them cash in change for letting her into the lodge.
“For $50 tips, they would let her access rooftop pools and lobbies at Four Seasons properties for 30-minute photo sessions,” he stated.
The phantasm labored. Her Instagram account grew to 85,000 followers, who have been drawn in by her seemingly extravagant way of life, he stated.
But the objective was not simply affect — it was earnings.
“She viewed her fake luxury content as business investment, eventually landing brand partnerships worth $180,000 annually,” stated Morgan.
Her fabricated picture on social media had morphed into a money-making machine.
Luxury funded by debt
Instead of documenting the entire journey, they spotlight solely essentially the most ‘Instagrammable’ moments.
Mohd Rizwan
Director at Travelosei
American property supervisor Daniel Rivera stated he skilled this with considered one of his tenants.
The 24-year-old tenant posted photographs of a $400 per evening Airbnb rental in Miami, regardless of being three weeks late on her $1,800 month-to-month hire, stated Rivera.
“She later admitted she split that luxury rental with six friends for just one night to get the perfect poolside shots,” he stated. “The photos made it look like a week-long luxury vacation.”
Rivera stated the housing functions he acquired from Gen Zs usually reveal particulars on how they afford their existence.
“During tenant screenings, I’ve noticed 30% more applications showing recent personal loan inquiries, often labeled as “trip funding” in their financial histories,” he stated, including that they usually have excessive debt-to-income ratios and maxed-out bank cards.
A thread on Reddit requested how Gen Zs pay for his or her frequent travels, particularly those that journey of their late teenagers and early 20s.
A Reddit put up revealed in March 2025.
Source: CNBC
One person commented on their choice to make use of debt to fund their holidays.
“Was it financially irresponsible? Yes. Did most people tell me I was wasting my money and that I should be saving my money? Yes. Would I do it again? 1000%,” the person wrote. “You prioritize what you want in your life and deal with the consequences.”
False framing
Other Gen Zs use loopholes to pay for journeys with out disclosing them on social media.
Rivera talked about different tenants who house-sit in rich neighborhoods in New Jersey, like Montclair and Short Hills. Though they have been there for a job, the tenants took pictures which gave the impression that they lived there, he stated.
Mohd Rizwan, a director on the New Delhi-based luxury journey firm Travelosei, stated he too has seen a shift in how youthful generations body their holidays on-line.
“Instead of documenting the whole trip, they highlight only the most ‘Instagrammable’ moments” which makes the journey appear extra extravagant than it’s,” he stated.