Abbie Chatfield has ignited new debate around social media influencers, privilege and money with a series of questionable comments while travelling through Europe.
The former Bachelor star and her Bachelorette alum boyfriend, Konrad Bien-Stephens, jetted to Scotland last week and shared a series of Instagram posts about flying business class.
No one would begrudge the pair for enjoying the upgraded travel experiences, but Abbie raised eyebrows when she said she and Konrad abandoned the business lounge – where food and drinks are free – in favour of a mainstream airport bar.
She claimed the “vibes” were better there, but some fans noted that opting for pricey drinks at an airport bar over free options in the business lounge was “privileged” behaviour.
The reality TV couple are travelling through Europe after attending a wedding in Scotland.
(Image: Instagram)However, it wasn’t until Abbie and Konrad arrived in Venice, Italy for the next leg of their European tour that the backlash really began.
After showing off their upgraded hotel suite, which Abbie said hotel staff told her costs $15,000 per night, the couple headed to the luxe hotel restaurant for dinner.
But the couple seemed unimpressed by the expensive offerings, where are believed to be well outside the average Aussie traveller’s budget.
“Lesson learnt from this trip: Rich people and ‘rich’ experiences are boring. Just FYI. Get me to a gelato shop stat,” she captioned a disgruntled selfie.
Twitter users were unimpressed with Abbie’s “tone deaf” comments, some claiming that the social media star was trying to appear “relatable” while on a trip many of her fans could only dream of – and, in their opinion, it wasn’t working.
Abbie commented that ‘rich people’ experiences were ‘boring’ after a luxe night out with Konrad.
(Image: Instagram)“I like Abbie but this isn’t cool. Stop complaining about your super expensive trip! Just own it! This is not a ‘haha I’m so relatable’ thing,” one said.
Another chimed in: “Please just appreciate these things because there are so many of us who will never get the chance.”
Several pointed out that Abbie’s comments, while “questionable” on their own, were made more upsetting by the fact that international travel is still out of the question for many Australians.
Despite borders re-opening, travelling abroad is still restrictively expensive, even for Aussies who haven’t seen family overseas in more than two years.
WATCH: Abbie Chatfield says she’s in an open relationship. Story continues after video.
One writer tweeted: “I have no issue with flexing your wealth but if you’re gonna do it, own it, don’t then complain about your super expensive luxury travel not being as vibey as the way poor people travel? Especially when MOST people haven’t travelled in years and won’t for another few years.”
Abbie is no stranger to social media controversy, having sparked debate when she debuted her relationship with Konrad before Brooke Blurton’s 2021 season of The Bachelorette, on which he was a contestant, finished airing.
But this new wave of backlash has inspired fresh conversation about the way many social media stars try to walk the line of appearing relatable while also indulging in expensive travel, experiences and more that regular Aussies could never afford.
