As a Luxury Travel Advisor, part of my job is to identify travel trends. Over the past few years, I have pinpointed certain essential elements that make up a luxury travel experience. While each clients’ needs are unique and requirements vary, there is always one or more common denominators, amongst others:
Private jets and helicopters.
Exclusive private transfers via luxury vehicles, and private tour guides.
Gorgeous accommodation in far-flung places and exotic cities.
Exceptional culinary tours and cooking classes with private chefs.
Shopping opportunities.
Experiences only money can buy!
Then, 2020 happened! I am sure everyone will agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world view. So how does this affect what the Luxury Traveler will be looking for going forward? That is the million-dollar question.
Michal Luxury Travel has used our forced downtime to reassess what luxury means to us and what we anticipate luxury travelers will be looking for going forward. While the aforementioned elements still apply, we feel additional requirements will now influence travelers. Our aim is to adjust our product offering to meet these changing needs:
The need for remote and wide-open spaces - choosing destinations that entail less interaction with other people and more with nature. (Safaris in South Africa, Desert Safaris in Morocco and Dubai, etc.)
The option to design your own journey with more flexible and unstructured itineraries to set the pace of the day. While many tours are structured and set for morning visits, we have the option to choose an early private showing before a monument opens, or after-hour visits.
More family-orientated, exclusive-use accommodation - private villas with private chefs, or small boutique hotels with fewer rooms.
Ease of travel to get from A to B with the least impact on you and your environment. This entails chartering to avoid large airports and multiple stops and direct flights from destination to destination.
The security of having our own local partners in each destination, that will "have your back" when you're traveling; they will be there for you every step of the way.
No one has a crystal ball, but one thing is for certain, travel as we know it has and will change going forward. Our goal is to be there for our clients and to constantly adapt to the new!
I guess you can tell I am very excited about this new way of travel. I would suggest when planning your next private tour to any destination, you first include a more traditional experience, with the precautions we mentioned above, especially for first-time travelers. This will allow you to get a sense of what luxury travel is all about, and on your next trip get a more in-depth experiential trip.
