Jeri Clausing
When travelers began returning to the skies post-pandemic, an overarching emphasis in the luxury sector was on over-the-top adventures and private jet travel.
They are trends that, judging by the continued rollout and expansion of packages offering those options, show no signs of abating.
Citing soaring demand for its 2022 private jet journeys, Abercrombie & Kent this month said it would launch a second departure of its Cultural Treasures: Around the World by Private Jet itinerary aboard the company's Boeing 757.
The trip takes 48 guests around the world in 23 days and includes stops in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Kathmandu, Nepal; Petra in Jordan; and Sicily.
Additionally, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts recently announced it was expanding its lineup of 2022 trips aboard its 48-passenger Airbus A321LRneo.
"Late last year, we announced three awe-inspiring 2022 itineraries aboard the new Four Seasons Private Jet. The response was overwhelming, with record sellouts and extensive waitlists, signaling considerable pent-up demand for travel," said Christian Clerc, president of global operations for Four Seasons. "Now more than ever, guests are planning bucket-list trips to far corners of the world to make up for lost time. To meet this demand, we've introduced two additional opportunities to explore new and remote destinations with legendary Four Seasons service in the sky."
The new Four Seasons private jet trips include a 21-day Uncharted Discovery itinerary that features Antarctica; Machu Picchu in Peru; Bogota, Colombia; and Buenos Aires as well as the return of the company's 24-day World of Adventures journey that takes travelers to eight countries across four continents.
Over the past year, luxury hotel companies have also increasingly entered partnerships with private jet companies to ease travel to and between their properties as luxury travelers seek bucket-list trips across multiple destinations.
Among the newest options, Four Seasons this week announced it was working with luxury private jet charter provider ExecuJet to offer the option of private jet travel between its five Africa resorts as part of its new Safari and Islands Collection.
The collection offers customized journeys that combine the company's Safari Lodge in Serengeti with its pool villa resorts in Mauritius, its two Seychelles resorts and Four Seasons' hillside retreat in Johannesburg.
Adding the private jet option between the resorts, the company said, eliminates the need for international connections or overnight layovers, "allowing for the maximum amount of time soaking in the destinations themselves."