These days, travel companies are upping their game as bland white-glove treatment and mundane five-star decadence once prevalent in the market simply do not cut it anymore. There is a growing need for something more. A need for a taste of authenticity that deviates from the sea of homogeneity on offer all around us to which experiential luxury travel has proved a welcomed oasis of relief. Consequently, it is a trend sweeping and reshaping the industry for the better as the penchant for convenience and the thirst for exclusivity heightens with each morning light. From submarine rides to the Titanic and fighter jet exploits to the very edges of space, it’s safe to say travel companies are doing their best to keep up. Speaking of which, today we’ll be taking a look at five of the best in this regard so without further ado let’s get right into it:
1) Black Tomato
Aside from a travel experience incorporating the use of aerial drones to get you breathtaking shots from unrivaled vantage points, Black Tomato has done a lot else to better the singular experience. The most notable of their efforts come in the way of the endearing pop-up travel concept dubbed “Blink” whose mantra is to provide a “travel design by you, for you, and only for you”.
A stay at Giraffe Manor in Kenya will get you up close and personal with wildlife. Image: blacktomato.com
Akin to a wedding or a pop-up restaurant, the travel design is fleeting and fashioned exclusively for the traveler according to the blueprint of customer preferences. Once done with the experience, everything is torn down and the design recreated in line with the vision of a different customer. Nothing is ever repeated even if the location remains the same therefore each customer gets to savor a different environment each time. Day-to-day activities are also unique and so too are the foods, liquor, wine, floor rugs, silverware, beddings and pretty much every little nitty-gritty that goes into the detailing.
Website: www.blacktomato.com
2) Velocity Black
Velocity Black is an app-based travel company that literally brings the world into the palm of your hand availing life’s personal controller to mold the fate of your experience as you please. It’s like having a 24/seven digital personal assistant who knows all the best joints and attractions in your town of interest going as far as booking reservations to exclusive locations based on what you’re looking for.
Training with ninjas in Japan is just one of the “experiences” offered to members of Velocity Black. Image: velocity.black
That said, however, its experiential edge truly shines with regards to member-only events which gives you a peek behind the curtains of hard-to-reach territories where you’re likely to run into A-listers. Its signature exclusives which include swimming with Orca whales in Norway and out worldly adventures that take you into reaches of the stratosphere are certainly at the top of Velocity Black’s greatest selling points.
Moreover, the company also offers free upgrades on hotel rooms enabling you to inject your temporary home with a touch of your own style and personality. Other perks also include tickets to sold-out shows and bookings for private jets and planes just to name a few.
Website: velocity.black
3) Abercrombie & Kent
Tracing its root to the wildlife-rich winsome East African country of Kenya, Abercrombie & Kent was among the first companies to kick start the experiential age so many decades ago. It has since formed the reference for many modern-day travel companies.
A&K’s bespoke tours feature exotic destinations such as this spectacular Turkish region. Image: abercrombiekent.com
The company now has more than 50 offices in place scattered across the remaining continents providing customer-centralized service infused with the uniqueness of various attractions. To fuel exclusively authentic tours, the brains behind the operations combine first-rate dining, topnotch accommodation and elegant transport with the native theme which is spruced up by a touch of your own specifications. Client input is the major driving force of where, when and how trips are planned out ensuring you are in the driving seat of the adventure.
Their safaris- which are executed form a perspective where the experience not only revolves around the animals/nature but also around the clients themselves- are certainly at the heart of their triumph.
Website: www.abercrombiekent.com
4) Niquesa Travel
Niquesa Travel stands out for its tailor-made journeys which consist of client-specific itineraries around new and endearing concepts designed to deviate from the normalcy expected of typical luxury travel. This is evident across their services with the “Xbox Detox” a good example that sets the pace on what to expect. It offers families a two-week adventure across natural wonders all captured through the lens of a dedicated videographer. From dancing with Samburu tribespeople to tracking rhinos and lions across the Maasai Mara, the adventure takes enchanting experiences and sprinkles it with the pixy dust of exclusivity to make it unparalleled.
Cultural immersions: Niquesa Travel tours include itineraries such as learning survival skills in the Kalahari. Image: niquesatravel.com
Perhaps Niquesa’s success in the experiential travel industry all boils down to its achievements as a high-end lifestyle brand. Before it branched out to travel, the company was already a hit among celebrities and other high-profile names providing unique services in the way of jewelry among other suchlike luxury perks. Their background in understanding clients’ needs at a personal level has certainly played a part in their prowess.
Website: www.niquesatravel.com
5) Vivid travel
In a bid to race ahead of the competition, Vivid Travel executes tours that go beyond exhausted tourist hotspots venturing into less trodden yet equally appealing places. Intertwining local culture with attractions filtered out by your requirements, this travel company provides new views of Asia, Africa, Europe and other continents from a totally different angle.
Trekking the Great Wall is arguably the ultimate China adventure, an experience possible with Vivid Travel. Image: vivid.travel
Additionally, the travel designers on the ground who facilitate the tours have extensive knowledge of their native countries ensuring they can pick out idiosyncratic activities and accommodations in line with your description of magical. You can look forward to out-of-the-box adventures such as sailing aboard a Chinese junk ship and strutting the verticals of glaciers in the South Pole among other not-too-obvious delights. At the end of the day though, the company hands the steering wheel of the experience to the client only offering words of advice to point you in the right direction.
Website: www.vivid.travel
Presently, many aren’t too keen on experiencing the same thing that thousands of others have gone through which is why bespoke tours are increasing in popularity as people desire the undiscovered, the unique and the new. In that regard, this compilation affords your best bet at experiential luxury travel that, desirably, few others can relate to.
