Welcome to NomadicAir Flight 281. Would you like to upgrade to Non-Business Class?

I boarded the flight—281 NomadicAir to Sofia, Bulgaria—with a stuffed backpack and my second passport of the year. The first one was out of pages. I had a brief pause in my travels while getting a new one from the government.

My backpack is probably one of my biggest investments. It fits enough business tops (who needs pants for meetings anymore?), athleisure for my yoga classes, and tiktok-influenced makeup to make me feel confident and glowy on my Zoom calls.

But the best part about this backpack? It converts into a desk. Out of the back fabric pops a wooden table engraved with my initials that extends upward and even tilts so my laptop screen rests at a comfortable angle for my eyes and cramped-from-typing hands. It used to be a great conversation starter, but now it seems like everyone has one, so I need to find a new statement piece.

“Would you like to be upgraded?” I hear a freelance flight attendant ask the thick-rimmed glasses guy getting ready to sit down next to me.

“You’re on your 100th flight; congratulations!” The guy instantly nods, picks up his backpack (just like mine, but in blue), and follows the freelance flight attendant to Non-Business Class, where there is no Wi-Fi, and he is able to relax and disconnect from his clients for a few hours.

I’m not jealous — quite the opposite. I have so much work to do. And I am so close to having enough frequent flier points to upgrade to Non-Business Class when I desire. This flight is not one of those times where I have the leisure of slacking off.

I place my Sonic Soul noise-canceling headphones over my ears and push the button so they clamp down and attach to my skin. I cannot hear anything now, not even the thunderous takeoff of the plane carrying over one hundred freelancers to their next destination and beyond.

I’ve been to Bulgaria before, but only for flight transfers to other parts of Europe. Honestly, it didn't interest me to go here before. But prices for coworking hostels are now more than the Mandarin Oriental, and cash flow has been a bit stunted. But I’m not worried. Now that Apple has announced that they’re laying off all their employees, and hiring contractors only, I’ve thrown my hat in the ring and am hopeful that my friend who I met at a coworking bar in Amsterdam put in a good word for me. After all, I lent him my laptop charger during one of his most career-defining meetings.

I connect to the ultra-speed plane FlyFi and hop on my first call of the flight. I’m ready for another day of freelance life.