Time is luxury, and having it all means squat without the calendar space to enjoy it. For ultra-high-end travel operators, the search for lost time has led to demand for a product that may sound slightly down market: package itineraries.
“More and more, travelers are looking for immersive, personalized, and worry-free travel experiences,” says Marc Speichert, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at the Four Seasons.
There is, however, one massive difference between these package itineraries and the geriatric-themed bus tours of yore: They’re by private jet, yacht, and Bentley.
For years, the Four Seasons has offered a Private Jet Experience, which Speichert says is about creating “a seamless end-to-end journey with our legendary comfort, service, and amenities.”
In a similar vein, White Desert speeds up Antarctic exploration by replacing the multi-day southward cruise with a private jet, a luxury whip.
“Many of our clients are company owners or entrepreneurs with highly pressurized jobs,” says Mindy Roberts, the company’s CMO. “When it comes to leisure travel, they’ve said they enjoy that the decision-making has been taken away from them and they can completely relax and be on holiday.”
Another factor driving growth in ultra-luxury, pre-planned, package bookings is their ability to facilitate slow travel. Both the Four Seasons and White Desert offer tours lasting upwards of three weeks, leaving plenty of time to explore each stop thoroughly.
Kalindi Juneja, CEO of U.K. firm PoB Hotels, says its guests are increasingly opting for longer stays in fewer destinations—its longest curated itinerary is 12 days. The brand is “prioritizing depth over breadth in their exploration,” says Juneja. “‘Authenticity’ drives guests to explore off-the-beaten-path destinations, engage with local artisans, savor traditional cuisine, and participate in cultural activities unique to each location on their itinerary.”
Below is a look at some of the most extravagant planned holidays on the market today and all the wild perks they offer.
Around the World in 24 Days
Image Credit: Courtesy of the Four Seasons
Four Seasons offer a wide range of itineraries using the private-jet service it launched in 2015, with eight tours taking place each year and varying between 13 and 24 nights in duration.
The World of Adventures tour begins in Seattle, spending a couple of days exploring the city and getting to know your jet-mates for the next three weeks, before heading to Kyoto for the first of eight stops. Along the way you will experience an immersion in Japanese tea culture, unwind in the incredible tropical nature of Bali and the Seychelles, and re-energise amidst the buzz of Bogotá.
The stand-out experiences, however, are the time spent among wild mountain gorillas in Rwanda, observing these extraordinary animals at breathtakingly close quarters, and sailing on a specially chartered yacht around the Galápagos Islands. This trip has it all, from vibrant cities to truly remote wilderness—and by the time you reach your final leg in Fort Lauderdale, consider extending for a couple of days more to catch your breath and reflect on all you’ve seen.
From $215,000 per person
Seven Continent Completist
Image Credit: Kelvin Trautman
Having seen huge success with its South Pole trips—including its Echo Camp being named as one of Robb Report’s Top 50 Luxury Hotels in 2023—White Desert has created an expanded tour dubbed White Desert World that takes guests to all seven continents.
Meet your group in Mexico City for a day before shoving off for 21 days of flying gradually eastwards. You’ll take in the majesty of Easter Island, the orangutans of Borneo and tigers of Jaipur, and the eclectic buzz of Istanbul before heading south through Namibia and South Africa and eventually arriving at Wolf Fang runway for a day spent on the planet’s most southerly continent. Those with more of an appetite for cold can opt to spend a further five days in Antarctica (there won’t be any nighttime there at that point in the year), exploring the whole of the landscape, meeting the local penguins, and witnessing some of the most astounding beauty our world has to offer.
From $188,000 per person; optional Antarctica extension $37,500
Britain by Bentley
Image Credit: Courtesy of Bentley
You may not immediately associate a luxury car brand with travel bookings, but that’s exactly why Bentley wanted to create this Extraordinary Journeys experience.
Bentley has led trips in destinations across the world, but the flagship route is in its home country, the United Kingdom. The week begins with a tour of the factory in Crewe followed by a dinner on the very line where each Bentley is handmade, with the models currently in production suspended above your head. An early start the next day lets a fleet of Bentleys—all provided by the brand, with the option for you to swap models each morning—begin the journey to the Highlands of Scotland and the home of partner brand the Macallan. Lunch and refreshment stops call in at some of the finest properties in the U.K., and routes are specifically plotted to provide maximum driving enjoyment. The crescendo is an incredible whisky tasting and dinner inside Macallan’s distillery—don’t worry, the chauffeurs will drive you afterwards.
From roughly $18,900 per person, based on double occupancy
A Gracious Grand Tour
Image Credit: Courtesy of Rocco Forte Hotels
A few hundred years ago it was customary for the wealthy young men of Europe to complete a Grand Tour after their education. They traveled to the most cultured cities on the continent with the goal of expanding their horizons and becoming more well-rounded, “worldly” individuals.
Rocco Forte Hotels, taking inspiration from that period, have leveraged its network of luxury hotels across Europe to create an itinerary that reflects the most popular spots of the 17th century, from Scotland to Sicily. The trip begins in Edinburgh at the legendary Balmoral hotel. You’re invited to spend two nights first in the Scottish capital and then in London before heading through the channel tunnel to Brussels. From there, you’ll travel through Germany and Italy to eventually arrive in Sicily.
In total, eight of Europe’s most cultured cities are on the menu, with experiences arranged in each to showcase the local art scenes. Travel from point-to-point is on first-class rail, catering to the taste for slow travel and allowing you to enjoy not just the cities you’ll stop in, but the landscapes between them as well.
From roughly $8,600 per person
Best of British
Image Credit: Courtesy of PoB Hotels
The PoB Hotels group has more than 50 properties all across the British mainland in its portfolio. Members include country retreats, like the Fife Arms and Glenapp Castle in Scotland, as well as city spots such as west London’s the Hari. The group’s PoB Breaks tour allows you to join up stays at multiple hotels, creating a road map for exploring the hidden pockets of Scotland, England, and Wales.
Options range from a short four-day tour of northern England based on the recommendations of a local celebrity chef to an extended 12-night exploration of the west coast of Scotland. And if the line-ups PoB have chosen don’t completely meet your requirements, simply use the interactive map on its booking site to create your own bespoke itinerary from scratch.
Rates depend on properties chosen
Fjord Like a Nord
Image Credit: Thomas Ekstrom
The utter seclusion of the Norwegian fjords make them an ideal destination for those looking to escape the stresses of modern life. Local experts 62 Nord have curated a series of Drive the Fjords trips around the most opulent hotels in the region.
You’ll drive between each hotel along some exceptionally exciting roads in a Porsche Taycan. Dramatic scenery, world-class accommodation, and the chance to drive the legendary Trollstigen are among the attractions of this itinerary, but there is plenty more to discover along the way.
From roughly $9,000 based on double occupancy
The Set Collection Grand Tour
Image Credit: Courtesy of the Set Collection
Another tour based on the wanderings of the aristocracy is the Set Collection Grand Tour. It’s a condensed version of the historic tour that visits the three founding members of the luxury hotel group.
The trip begins in London at the magnificent Hotel Café Royal before heading to Paris and Amsterdam. At every stage, the best of the art and culinary scenes in Europe’s most cosmopolitan cities is highlighted. You’ll spend three nights in each city, and the concierge team in each hotel—Hôtel Lutetia in Paris; Conservatorium in Amsterdam—works with you ahead of time to plan a bespoke agenda of experiences. Booking into suites includes private use of a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce or Mercedes for 10 hours each day, meaning your exploration of each city will be as opulent and relaxing as your accommodation.
