Once you’ve flown on a private jet, there’s no going back. I just landed in Cancun, on a Bombadier Challenger 605. And it’s all thanks to card tricks. My flight bag is loaded with six decks of Tally-Ho cards, a purseful of antique silver dollars, one red silk hanky and two false thumbs. Try explaining that to Customs at the Mexican border.

Immigration at the private jet terminal, though, were easily swayed. My client, a billionaire oil magnate arranged for an easy arrival, and quiet mention to the chief officer helped us avoid an inspection of my other case.

Good thing too, since that case contains my magic tea kettle for the classic “Think-a-Drink” trick. If Immigration forced me to open it in front of the thirty two other guests in our group, one of the all-time greatest magic secrets would’ve been exposed. As usual, money talks, and I was ushered through with a simple nod.

My show tomorrow night is at the Rosewood Mayakoba resort – definitely near the top of the list of gorgeous places I’ve presented Chamber Magic. The show is a solid ninety minutes of magic, mindreading and storytelling. Think Mark Twain, delivering an after-dinner speech in the home of his wealthy patrons. That’s what I do, with the addition of magic tricks. Basically I’m a gun for hire, but instead of a rifle, I carry a magic wand – a nice one too. It’s custom spun from ebony, with tips made from 4,000 year old mastodon ivory tusks.

Like many other trips before this one, I’ve been invited by a high net-worth client who needs to impress a group of hard-to-impress friends. For people at the top there are not many surprises left. When everyone in your circle is super-wealthy, it becomes increasingly harder to find ways to dazzle them. That’s when they call me.

The oil magnate – or “wildcatter,” as he calls himself – sat next to me on the van ride to our resort. His mobile phone rings. It’s a colleague in Dubai who wants to talk business, a hostile takeover apparently. He deflects serious business, explaining that we just arrived in Cancun. The colleague asks if he’s come to Mexico to dig for oil. His response: “The only oil down here, John, is the tanning oil on the girls at the beach…”

Upon arrival at the resort, I’m given full celebrity treatment. The resort manager introduced me to my private butler, Luis. Apparently they’re excited to have a magician staying on property.

A private jet, a private butler and an all-expenses paid trip to the Mayan Riviera. Even if I wasn’t being handsomely paid to perform, I’d still be living out my childhood dream.