Luxury travel has evolved beyond typical tourist experiences, offering unique adventures for discerning globetrotters. This article presents expert-recommended, extraordinary journeys that promise unforgettable memories. From ancient craftsmanship to space exploration, these experiences redefine the concept of high-end travel.
- Immerse in Ancient Craftsmanship
- Curate Extraordinary Exclusive Experiences
- Chase Eclipses in Culturally Rich Destinations
- Live with Nomads on Mongolian Steppes
- Unearth History Through Private Archaeological Digs
- Embark on Spiritual Journey to Machu Picchu
- Island Hop Exumas by Private Yacht
Immerse in Ancient Craftsmanship
Opening the doors of busy ateliers and getting introductions to master craftsmen in their workshops using ancient methods – these are the types of experiences that make your dreams of France come true, and they are far from the typical tour experience. Take, for example, our New York guests who spent an entire afternoon in Kyoto’s ancient quarter mastering centuries-old glazing techniques. Over a conversation about the philosophy of craftsmanship, they drank tea out of the vessels the master had made decades ago; all thanks to our arrangement of a private ceramics workshop in the studio of a fourth-generation potter. It may have cost a bit more than standard tours to do something so intimate and personal, but it was a true artistic education and created personal relationships that informed their home decor decisions and instilled a lifelong love of the Japanese traditional look.
These backstage, craftsperson-only exchanges emphasize learning, skill, and cultural understanding for the participants and not just watching, yielding for travelers what ends up being one of the transformative experiences of a lifetime — those slices of time when you apprenticed, even just for a short moment, in the local ways that have been passed down from generation to generation. We concentrate on creating access to active studios, family workshops, and traditional craft centers open to ambitious students wishing to keep cultural traditions alive. There is nothing about luxury touches, with the exception of access to genuine cultural knowledge, and the building of personal relationships with artisans they might not otherwise meet. This method gives visitors an understanding of handicrafts and makes their lives more colorful with some handmade stories and perspective.
Yunna Takeuchi
Co-Founder & Cxo, City Unscripted
Curate Extraordinary Exclusive Experiences
When it comes to extraordinary experiences, I like to make sure experiences are precisely curated around my clients’ distinct styles and personal interests. Whether it’s the culture they crave, history that moves them, or a desire to simply indulge in something that feels completely out of reach.
At LaVon Private Luxury, we have arranged everything from access to a secret chamber of the Vatican’s art collection, well beyond the typical early-entry tour, to private cruising aboard a classic salon boat during the once-in-five-year event Sail Amsterdam, complete with a world-renowned Michelin-starred chef onboard. For the artisans at heart, we have even designed bespoke sessions at the Lladró Museum in Valencia, where guests can learn the delicate art of porcelain painting with master artisans.
Our philosophy is simple: if you can dream it, we can curate it—often with access that feels impossible to replicate.
Tiffany Layne
Founder & Luxury Travel Advisor, LaVon Private Luxury
Chase Eclipses in Culturally Rich Destinations
My top recommendation is eclipse chasing in remote, culturally rich destinations. In 2019, I arranged for a small group to witness the total solar eclipse from Easter Island. We weren’t just tourists with fancy telescopes but participants in an ancient Polynesian tradition. The Rapa Nui people have observed celestial events from this remote Pacific island for over a thousand years, and we experienced totality from the sacred ceremonial platform of Ahu Tongariki with local cultural guides sharing their ancestors’ astronomical knowledge.
What made this extraordinary wasn’t just the perfect viewing conditions but the profound cultural context. As darkness fell and the corona appeared, our Rapa Nui guide explained how his people had recorded similar eclipses through oral traditions stretching back centuries. We weren’t just witnessing an astronomical event but connecting with humanity’s oldest scientific observers.
For the August 2026 eclipse, I’m planning expeditions to northern Spain and Iceland. Spain offers the perfect combination of totality, clear skies, and rich cultural experiences in medieval towns like Burgos along the Camino de Santiago. Iceland provides dramatic volcanic landscapes and the possibility of combining eclipse viewing with Northern Lights season.
Here’s my advice for luxury eclipse travelers: Choose destinations where the natural phenomenon enhances rather than overshadows local culture. The most exclusive experiences happen when you can connect cosmic events with human traditions that have observed them for generations.
Katherine Butler-Dines
CEO, Women Travel Abroad
Live with Nomads on Mongolian Steppes
For luxury travelers who want something truly special, I would suggest a private overnight stay in a traditional Mongolian yurt with a nomadic family out on the steppes. It’s one of those experiences you simply can’t get anywhere else. You’re literally living with one of the world’s last nomadic cultures. During the day, you can opt to ride horses, help prepare traditional meals, and listen to their stories around the campfire at night. What I love about these types of experiences is how they strip away all the usual touristy barriers, where you’re not observing from behind glass, but you’re actually part of daily life. There’s no WiFi or room service. It’s just you, the wilderness, and an amazing family who’ve kept their traditions alive for centuries. It’s the kind of trip that changes how you see the world.
Camiel Duff
Founder, Ellusive & Co Inc.
Unearth History Through Private Archaeological Digs
One of the most unique experiences I suggest for luxury travelers who want to be transformed is a private archaeological dig, complete with an on-site historian in a destination like Sicily, Petra, or the Cycladic Islands. These tours are not your average guided tours. Rather, they offer exclusive access to active dig sites or off-limits zones — guided by an archaeologist who may be working on the excavation in question. This is not just viewing history, but rather touching history, asking questions on site as fragments are unearthed and directly confronting the process of discovery.
Why do I recommend this? Because today’s luxury travelers aren’t just collecting passport stamps — they’re collecting perspective. Yes, the ultra-wealthy can buy access, but what they actually want to accomplish is meaning. A bespoke archaeological immersion provides this mystical trifecta of heady intellectual stimulation, exclusivity, and storytelling. This is the kind of experience that makes dinner-party talk really sparkle.
A retired investor from San Francisco, one of our repeat travelers, once confided to us that a private dig on Crete — arranged by a local cultural preservation trust — had changed the way he thought about civilization. He stayed in a villa nearby — which we manage; it’s a restored 18th-century merchant’s house — with a private chef and a concierge. Each day, he came back from the site dusty but glowing. “I didn’t simply go to Crete,” he said to me, “I helped reveal it.”
When travelers start to view their vacations as portals into what is larger than themselves, they also forge emotional connections to the places they see. That’s the holy grail of hospitality, and that’s the future of luxury travel.
Tim Choate
CEO & Founder, RedAwning
Embark on Spiritual Journey to Machu Picchu
This is not a sightseeing trip to Machu Picchu! It’s a spiritual journey. We designed this for those drawn to ancient mysteries, sacred rituals, and to bring about meaning beyond everyday luxury.
The trip starts with a private helicopter flight over the high-altitude sanctuaries of the Sacred Valley: Cusco and Moray. The guests are guided by a renowned archaeologist whose fieldwork has uncovered temples, tombs, and hidden chambers throughout the Andes. They also gain access to newly discovered spaces within the citadel—areas not typically open to the public. Additionally, guests receive insights into the spiritual blueprint that shaped one of humanity’s most mysterious wonders.
This experience is built for a different kind of traveler.
Mel Suntal
Founder & CEO, Axonall
Island Hop Exumas by Private Yacht
Travelling by private or chartered yacht to the Exumas and island hopping along the way offers a unique experience for the elite traveler who has been there and seen it all. The Exumas is one of the world’s best-kept secrets and offers a rare mixture of both seclusion and privacy as well as postcard views. With its pristine turquoise waters and private islands, you can wake up each day to a new untouched island. With no schedule. No crowds. Just blue water and white sand. It’s an unforgettable experience and the best way to unplug while also experiencing culinary delights with a private chef, or perhaps a massage or yoga. I highly recommend it.
Jacqueline Salcines
Founder, Attorney at Law, SALCINESLAW