PERSONALISED TRAVEL
What is a luxury travel adviser? Essentially, they are professionals who specialise in organising high-end trips for clients. They go far beyond travel arrangements, however, designing custom-built adventures and handling all the logistics down to the smallest detail. Every aspect is hyper- personalised, from organising bespoke excursions and activities to booking specific hotel suites with a particularly impressive view. While many luxury tour operators such as Black Tomato and Audley Travel have a team of expert advisers, there’s been a noted rise in demand for personal travel consultants in the past few years. These independent advisers don’t necessarily associate with one travel company, but have contacts in several, often using their first- hand knowledge of destinations to give insider recommendations and advice.
What exactly do they organise? The short answer: anything. After a personal safari tour in a private concession searching for an elusive species? Tom booked one couple a session with a renowned wildlife photographer off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. Or are you looking for a guide with expertise that matches a niche interest? He also organised a tour of a geothermal plant in Iceland so a client could learn from engineers how the energy is keeping the country green. “We have long-established
alliances with our partners,” he says, “and they tailor services specifically for us to meet the needs of clients.” They also take care of the finer details. For example, one family mentioned their child had forgotten their swimming goggles, David Walker from Not Just Travel had a pair delivered so that they were waiting in their hotel room for them.
What travel trends are they forecasting for 2025? Chloe McDonald at Audley Travel reports an increasing desire for remote excursions, while Black Tomato reports that around 25% of its clients are motivated by a desire for dramatic escapism to disconnect from daily life. Off-grid getaways and extreme physical challenges, such as crossing the wilds of Svalbard, Norway, and rafting in Peru’s remote Ancient Valley of the Incas are becoming popular choices for those seeking a complete break from reality. There’s also a rising demand to visit the world’s serene expanses, like Alaska and Namibia, in search of tranquillity. Virtuoso, a global network of luxury travel advisers, meanwhile, has seen a surge in requests for ultra-exclusive experiences such as skiing with former Olympians, a racing lesson with a Formula 1 driver or a private dinner with a celebrity chef.
What types of accommodation are advisers being asked to book? A recent survey by Deloitte shows 68% of luxury travel advisers are focusing on privacy, booking private islands and yachts to ensure their clients’ seclusion. Similarly, Black Tomato’s Blink camp set-ups in remote locations have seen a 40% increase in bookings since 2021. The luxury tented accommodation is erected exactly where customers want it, often in some of the world’s most remote and untouched landscapes. Here, travellers can experience the world as nobody has done before. Elsewhere, Chloe from Audley
Travel has seen increasing demand for authentic hotels that reflect the culture of the country in question. Examples include the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, the Dewalokam Homestay in India, the Blackrock Resort in British Columbia and Shinta Mani Wild in Cambodia. In Europe, Pippa O’Keefe, of Pippa Rose Travel, has also noticed a growing desire for intimate, family-run places: “There’s less demand for chain hotels and more requests for family-run accommodation with history and a narrative, with hotels such as Les Sources de Caudalie [France] proving popular for its gastronomy, wine tasting and spa offerings.”
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER – LUXURY COLLECTION 67
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