What Is Authentic Luxury Travel?
Luxury in the African bush with Norman Carr Safaris, Zambia.
What is authentic luxury travel?
When I first started writing about Authentic Luxury Travel no one seemed to know what I meant. Most folks thought that ALT was synonymous with five-star resorts and high-end cruise ships. In those days, I spent a lot of time defining “authentic” as it applies to travel.
But times have changed, and now a whole lot of people endorse the concept while acknowledging that it doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.
Carsten Becker arranges custom itineraries in Germany and other parts of Europe through his company i2c Tourmanagement and believes that “luxury always depends on the viewpoint of the customer.”
“For one of my clients from New York (living in an apartment in Trump Tower and owning a villa on the Bahamas) it was pure luxury to be taken to a hot dog stand at Frankfurt train station and eating a Polish sausage with homemade mustard.”
Sean Flynn, a luxury travel consultant in Brazil (sean.britagent@gmail.com) says “Some might think a luxury holiday is going somewhere where it is quiet and getting away from the day to day slog of the big city and their job, while others think it’s going to a spa to be pampered.”
Glynn Burrows who offers custom tours in England says “Luxury is the ability to do what you want when you are on holiday. I hate being told when to get up and how long I have to look around a stately home, museum, or antique shop. If my guests see something interesting, we take a detour.”
Then he added “Luxury for our Queen would be the ability to walk down the High Street and look around the shops on her own or with her daughter, but no amount of money can possibly buy that for them.”
Patrizia Antonicelli, who arranges travel adventures in New Mexico and the American Southwest through Seven Directions, says “Luxury is twofold. It’s about self-indulgence and pleasure, but not only. Discerning travelers are ready to spend money for learning experiences, excellent service, and personalized programs.”
Nanci Benefiel of Cabo Vacation Rentals says “Luxury is much more than spas and resorts. It’s that special experience and individualized service.”
NV Yacht Charters’ Nancy Van Winter agrees: “It’s all about attentiveness and personalized service.”
And if you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you know what I think: Authentic Luxury Travel means having real experiences – not being a tourist, but savoring the local culture without sacrificing comfort and convenience. Sure, five-star lodging is often a part of this, but I think attentive service and custom itineraries that allow for spontaneous detours are just as important.
So now it’s your turn. What is your definition of Authentic Luxury Travel? Please share your ideas by leaving a comment below.
Thanks – and happy travels.
Photo credit: ADAMS / HANSEN STOCK PHOTOS
Category: Authentic Travel
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Sites That Link to this Post
- Cruise The World in Luxury - Authentic Luxury Travel | August 3, 2012
- Travel Trends & Hot Topics - Authentic Luxury Travel | August 17, 2012
Great info Elizabeth. I particulary appreciate your highlight what authentic luxury travel is. I will be following you….
Luxury is about the experience#44; not appearance.
Amen to all the comments here. BeautifulPlaces is an experiential and villa rental company with exceptional properties in the top food and wine regions of the world. Everything we do is personalized from home selection to custom activities — everything is strictly confidential as we assure our guests the highest level of security and privacy.
We watched authentic luxury travel grow from niche to full category.
Hi Elizabeth,
we completely agree that high-end authentic and trasformational travel experiences are definitely the way forward!
You may already know this, but at PURE we are solely dedicated to Experiential and Transformational Travel, which we define as ‘A journey away from home, involving a truly memorable and powerful experience (active,cultural, natural,social or spiritual) that will enrich a person’s life and improve the way they connect with both loved ones and with the world’.
Your post is also greatly interesting because you’ve included other experts’ opinions on high-end authentic travel experiences. Listening to what experts have to say about their field is often the best way to learn!
“It’s the difference between looking and seeing.”
I love that Patrizia.
Thank you for commenting.
Given what is happening in Australia at the moment having a toothbrush and toothpaste will be a luxury for a lot of people. The enormity of the floods and the cyclone damage is incomprehensible.
Excellent information
Excellent information Elizabeth. I salute you for being the top sleuth for defining AUTHENTIC Luxury Travel.
The difference between travel and authentic travel stands in the desire of experiencing what you do and see,becoming active by meeting people and participating in the local life rather than looking and taking photos just for the sake of it. In a nutshell it’s the difference between looking and seeing!
No! I didn’t know about ALT. Personalizing travel is of utmost importance to me
Luxury Travel means so many different things to us, something as simple as a coffee pot and a small refigerator in the room. We love Europe and go there to experience the small towns and love to go to the outdoor cafes and people watch and also interact. Flying at least business class is a must and since we cruise a lot we usually get a balcony suite. Travel has to be comfortable for us since we both have health issues, so having our basic needs attended to#44; like carrying luggage#44; is important to us. We have done the 5 star hotels and the castles, but many of the smaller hotels in Europe are fantastic and meet our needs.
Ray and Verna
This is a great topic!
I agree with you all – after 10 years in travel industry in Vietnam & Indochina, I realize that travelers to Vietnam & Indochina want to get involved and gain some insight, some understanding of the people and their cultures.