As a child, I remember watching TV shows and being in awe that the President (and other rich and famous people) had mobile telephones in their cars.
Today, many 5th graders from families of even marginal means run around with mobile phones far superior to anything the President had in the 1970s.
This is how luxury products evolve.
As it pertains to travel, here are a few things Bob and I have been experimenting with lately, which may have traditionally fallen into the “luxury” (translation: “out of reach for most people”) category:
Car Service – Uber has been an improvement over taxis (for the most part), but limo and sedan services have been around for decades. Now a private sedan often costs only a few dollars more than a taxi (and it’s pretty cool to have someone standing at the airport baggage claim holding a sign with your name on it!).
This isn’t only the case with local trips. Recently, we used a car service to get between Seattle and Vancouver for a cruise. The two cities are about 120 miles apart (and with an international border). The car ride was about $300 total for the two of us – much less than two plane tickets… and much easier too, especially given how awful air travel is right now.
Luggage Service – You can have your bags shipped ahead to your hotel or cruise ship, and it is immensely easier than carting it to the airport, checking it in, and then waiting at baggage claim, hoping it actually arrived at your destination. We recently used this service to ship a bag to Spain. The cost was about $300, but you need to deduct from that the fee the airline would have charged to check the bag AND the expense and hassle-factor involved if the airline had lost that bag (a distinct possibility with the current state of the aviation biz). We chose to do it because we were travelling in Morocco prior to our cruise, and the two trips required completely different clothes.
Premium Economy Air – Note: we do not have this upgraded class of service domestically (this is NOT the first 3 rows of the economy section where they charge you an extra $100 for an extra inch of legroom). Premium Economy is available on overseas flights and is the equivalent of Business Class domestically. You get a wider seat, more leg room, priority check-in and boarding, and usually upgraded meals service and an extra checked bag.
The cost: to Europe it’s usually between $800 and $1000 per person more than Economy. Yes, this is a lot of money, but I’ve decided that $50 per hour is a reasonable price to ensure I’m NOT jammed into the economy section between two sumo wrestlers.
Airport Lounge Access – You get this if you fly Business Class, or if you possess certain credit cards. However, in most cases you can also buy your way in. The cost in US airports ranges between $50 and $75 per person, and if you’ve got a layover of more than 2 hours, it might be worth considering – especially if you think there’s a chance of taking a delay. They’ll feed you in there, so you can deduct the extortionate cost of an airport lunch from whatever you pay to get into the lounge.
Private Shore Excursions – On our recent trip to Europe, we paid about $500 for a private shore excursion. At first, it sounds like a lot of money, but when you consider there were four of us, and a similar group shore excursion would have cost about $150 each, it was actually cheaper on a per person basis to take the private excursion. We felt it was great value.
Global Entry/Nexus – The cost for this service is about $50 for 5 years, and it allows you to use the priority airport screening lines in the United States and Canada, as well as expedited customs clearance. To see the value in this, you only ONCE need to land right behind a 747 full of people coming in from Hong Kong. Given the marginal cost, I’m really surprised more people don’t do this.
Private Airport Transfers – Many cruise line transfers are group transfers, meaning you might wait for 40 – 60 minutes until the bus is full enough to warrant a trip to the ship. Given what they charge for these, often a private transfer might only be $20 or $30 more. After you’ve been on plane for 6 or 8 hours, it’s sure nice to be whisked away to your destination without having to wait for others.
Private Aviation – OK – this one is still mostly the purview of the rich and famous. However, if you’re travelling with a group of 6 or 8, and you were all going to fly commercially in business class, the cost would be very close to charter your own plane. It’s certainly not cheap, but if the incremental cost is only a bit more, then it might make sense to at least consider a private plane.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
EXPLORA JOURNEYS
Explora Journeys is a brand-new luxury lifestyle brand, with their first journey scheduled for May 2023. Bob and I are on the advisory board for Explora Journeys, passing along our ideas and feedback as high-producing travel advisors. This has also allowed us to be among the first to hear about breaking news as it applies to Explora Journeys, and to share in the general excitement that comes with launching a new brand.
Check out this article we wrote about them a few weeks ago: https://pamperedcruiser.com/your-personal-invitation-to-meet-explora-journeys/
This is NOT just another cruise line. Their goal is to re-define the luxury cruise category. Explora surveyed more than 20,000 travellers (including a large proportion of non-cruisers) before they started imagining their ships. As a result, you’ll notice the onboard spaces resemble those found in a luxury hotel, and there’s a striking absence of features commonly found on cruise ships (i.e. there’s no large theatre or “main dining room”). Instead, you’ll find a comfortable “home at sea” with multiple specialty dining options, lounges, and bars. You may never want to leave your suite though, because it’s so large and comfortable…. with a HUGE private sun terrace that brings you closer to the ocean.
These short videos explain it better than I can:
https://youtu.be/3eX62nXE0xw [what the suites are like]
https://youtu.be/2aWvlaZ4H_o [what it’s like on board]
They’ve got some cool itineraries too. The itineraries were designed to provide the perfect blend of celebrated destinations and less-travelled spots. The way they do this is by embarking/disembarking in major ports (so guests have easy access to major airports) and then quickly going off the beaten path to smaller ports. You’ll also see a lot of ‘overnights’ in ports where there’s a lot to do.
The itineraries are also arranged so you can “stack” them (at a discount) to create a longer journey… WITHOUT repeating any ports (see the examples below).
Athens round-trip (6 nights):
- Depart June 11th, 2023
- Fares from $4600 per person for a suite with a terrace (veranda)
- Visit Athens, Patmos, Bodrum, Kastellorizo, and Santorini (overnight)
Athens to Barcelona for (8 nights):
- Depart June 17th, 2023
- Fares from $5450 per person for a suite with a terrace (veranda)
- Visit Mykonos (overnight), Gozo (Malta), and Ibiza (overnight)
COMBINE the 2 journeys above – Athens to Barcelona (14 nights):
- Depart June 11th, 2023
- Fares from $9500 per person for a suite with a terrace (veranda)
If Northern Europe is more appealing, here’s another combination:
London to Glasgow (9 nights):
- Depart August 24th, 2023
- Fares from $6050 per person for a suite with a terrace (veranda)
- Visit Edinburgh (overnight), Newcastle, Invergordon, Stornoway, Greencastle (Ireland), and Liverpool.
Glasgow to Reykjavik (7 nights):
- Depart September 2nd, 2023
- Fares from $3950 per person for a suite with a terrace (veranda)
- Visit Fort William (UK), Portree, Kirkwall, Shetland Islands, and Faroe Islands.
COMBINE the 2 journeys above – London to Reykjavik (16 nights):
- Depart August 24th, 2023
- Fares from $8950 per person for a suite with a terrace (veranda)
Click here for a full list of itineraries: https://explorajourneys.com/us/en.html
[Please DON’T book directly with Explora Journeys. Allow me to make the reservation for you so I can add extra perks].
Note: you can save 10% on any voyage by paying in full up-front, rather than choosing the typical deposit + final payment option.
In contrast to other cruise lines, Explora’s pricing strategy is to INCREASE prices as the departure dates gets closer. They want to reward people who book early.
EGYPT WITH UNIWORLD
We have seen a lot of interest in Egypt over the past several months, and 2023 departures are filling up quickly. Uniworld has two ships on the Nile, and there’s still some space left for the first half of 2023.
See itinerary details here: https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/river-cruise/egypt/nile/splendors-of-egypt-and-the-nile/2023-cairo-to-cairo
Prices (per person) for a French Balcony (12 days):
- $6699 January
- $6999 Feb/Mar
- $6499 April
- $6199 May
Includes: 2-nights pre-cruise in Cairo, and admission to the Egyptian Museum there; flight to Luxor to board the ship; 7-nights aboard; tours all along the route (conducted by an experienced Egyptologist); an authentic Felucca Ride and afternoon tea at Aswan flights back to Cairo for 2-nights post-cruise; and visits to the Sphinx and Pyramids at Giza.
There are also extensions available to visit Jordan OR the Red Sea.
WEBINAR INVITATION – OCEANIA 2025 “AROUND THE WORLD VOYAGE” PREVIEW
The folks at Oceania are getting ready to release the details of their 2025 World Cruise and Grand Voyages on September 7th. It doesn’t go on sale until September 14th, but if you’d like a sneak preview, they are putting on a webinar for our clients and you’re invited.
Register here: https://ocievents.com/voyagepreview/register
[There are 4 events on Sept. 7th so you can choose the time that suits you best].
They’ll ask you, “Are You Working with a Travel Agency Advisor” [choose YES]
- Advisor Name = Sue Bradley
- Advisor Email = Sbradley@smartflyer.com
Here’s a little bit of information to hold you over:
- The World Cruise departs Miami on January 5th, 2025, and sails for 180 or 200 days depending on where you choose to leave the ship.
- If six months is too long, there are several Grand Voyages – meaning you can choose segments of this world cruise, sailing between 50 and 111 days. Once again, Oceania is offering choice.
- The world cruise (and Grand Voyages) vessel holds 680 guests – so a nice, intimate sized ship.
- There will be visits to South America (including the Amazon), Africa, the Indian Ocean and SE Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
Register here: https://ocievents.com/voyagepreview/register
See you on the webinar!
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
