True luxury is invisible. At least, usually.
Videos by TravelAwaits
In the realm of travel, the term luxury is used liberally—but you know an experience or a product is truly luxurious for a few reasons.
First, the level of service should be unmatched. Second, that service should be barely noticed by guests (remember, invisibility is important). Lastly, there should be world-class brands involved, whether a private car, a set of sheets, or a plane meal.
There’s one last way that you know you’ve encountered something truly luxurious in the travel world: there’s no price listed.
If you’ve ever wanted to take a peek behind the curtain to see what luxury travel experiences actually cost? Here’s a quick overview from a private tour company that operates in South America, Kuoda. (If you check out their destinations and packages, you might notice they don’t list their prices. Wink, wink.)
Here’s how much ultra-luxury travel experiences actually cost, from Kuoda
The study from Kuoda takes into account private experiences in the luxury travel sector. The full study compares experiences based on things like monthly search volume, Instagram hashtags, personalization level, average starting price, how far out people make bookings, and trip duration.
The most intriguing element is the price tag, which might surprise you. Here’s what the world’s most expensive travel pursuits cost on average, ranked from most expensive to most affordable:
- Private jet trips / average cost: $181,000
- Private island buyouts / average cost: $175,000
- Private yacht charters / average cost: $49,000
- Private castle & palace buyouts / average cost: $32,000
- Private safari wildlife experiences / average cost: $14,000
- Heli-skiing retreats / average cost: $10,000
- Polar expeditions / average cost: $7,000
- Mountaineering expeditions / average cost: $6,000
- Private wellness retreats / average cost: $4,000
- Northern Lights excursions in Scandinavia / average cost: $1,000
