Richard Turen
As I begin my fourth decade of doing what I do in lieu of seeking gainful employment, I am thinking of journeys still to take, of rivers and mountains and slices of ocean that still beckon -- only now a bit more urgently.
It occurred to me that those who are not travel consultants but work in the supplier side of the industry would be most surprised, as I was when I launched our business, by the extraordinarily high percentage of clients who come to us asking, "Where should I go next?" Even those who think they know are open to being talked into something else. As we enter a new year of travel, with new challenges facing us, I thought I would note some of my favorite "worthy of your consideration" tours and cruises. This is the bucket list I am passing on to my clients this year and next.
• There is a private journey for two, arranged by Travcoa, that takes in Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet over 17 days. This trip is called Journey to the Himalayas, and it is a truly unique luxury adventure to the top of the world. Guests will be led by local experts as they explore cultures that are distinct but united in their search for serenity and understanding.
This is a true journey but it is also bound to be spiritual, too, as meditation plays an important role in these societies. With internal air and the Bhutanese "happiness tax" of $550 included, the trip begins at $10,895 per person and includes time in Paro, Thimphu and Punakha, Bhutan; Kathmandu and Pokhara, Tibet, and Lhasa, China. This trip has temples and tigers and some of the Earth's most incredible vistas. But this needs to be a cardiologist-approved experience.
• Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic will offer a series of three cruises called Land of the Giants: Patagonia. For our New York readers, it is going to be a nice, little trip out to Staten Island -- but not the one in your backyard.
Isla de Los Estados, known as Staten Island, is called the island at the end of the world. It was cut off from tourism for decades, and it is a pristine, mythical destination of great beauty. These voyages from eight to 20 days will span portions of Patagonia, a land that really has no official borders but encompasses portions of Chile and Argentina.
What is most intriguing about this part of the world is the ability to traverse snow-covered Andean peaks, the pampas, forests, glaciers and some of the world's most imposing fjords. The wildlife sightings and interaction add another dimension to these itineraries.
• SeaDream Yacht Club has teamed with TCS World Travel on a 20-day tour that will take travelers to Africa on a private Boeing 757 following a Mediterranean cruise. The 52 guests will pay $107,000 each for top-flight accommodations and safari experiences that take place in Rwanda, Botswana, South Africa and Morocco. Other countries visited during the trip are Spain, France, Italy and Monaco.
It is interesting to note that when I ask my around-the-world clients why they want to do this type of traveling, the most common response is that they feel it is "a great value." It is, I think, hard to understand how a six-figure trip can be considered a value, but many of these travelers have worked the numbers and realized how many times they would have to pack and unpack and fly commercial to see all of these places. They figure in deluxe hotels and all sightseeing costs and special one-of-a-kind events. They look at the quality and variety of the dining offered and the virtual elimination of jet lag concerns. And finally, they can work a spreadsheet and see what taking one longer around-the-world trip by private jet costs compared with multiple future trips duplicating the same general itinerary.
• The travel writer Paul Theroux once said that he "never heard a train go by and not wished I was on it." With the possible exception of certain segments of the Long Island Rail Road, I share those sentiments. In a world that goes too fast, where the rivers are too restrictive and the bus rides too long, train travel is still a wonderful alternative to other more popular forms of tourist transportation.
One of my current favorites is not as well known as some of its siblings, but the Danube Express is a great option for those who wish to see Prague; Vienna; Berlin; Belgrade, Serbia; Sarajevo, Bosnia; and Trieste, Italy, a part of the world referred to by Europeans as "Mitteleuropa." There are three itineraries aboard a train fitted with private suites, comfortable coach accommodations and some excellent dining for no more than 65 guests.
Some of the cars once served the final communist president of Hungary, and opulence prevails. This is a train experience that rivals -- but is less costly than -- the better-known Orient Express. There are also private bathrooms in the top two categories, something you won't see on the Orient Express.
Exeter International can help set up the entire trip for your clients. But make certain that they buy travel insurance as this train will not operate unless it has enough booked guests to make it profitable.
• The Seabourn Encore will be doing an 18-day cruise they call Jewels of India & Arabia, departing from Singapore on March 22, 2018. I have my eye on this kaleidoscope of fascinating places such as Port Klang and Penang, Malaysia; Sabang and Pulau Weh, Indonesia; Galle, Sri Lanka; and Mangalore and other stops in India. These are the places of travel dreams, exotic locales inhabited by modern-day maharajas, incense and burning candles, meditative sanctuaries and seductive tandoori ovens.
The second half of the cruise takes in more modern displays of wealth and 21st century finance, visiting the Arab Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sir Bani Yas Island and Muscat in Oman. This is one for the dreamers, with pricing starting at just under $10,000.
• Some trips sell themselves by title alone. I imagine being transported to experience Mir's The Silk Route 'Stans by Private Train: Eastbound.
This is for those who feel they have seen it all. It begins in Moscow where guests get to play bare-chested pingpong with Russia president Vladimir Putin. Wait! I may have misread the brochure.
After some time in Moscow guests board the luxury Golden Eagle train, which visits the former Stalingrad, Russia, before rolling into Kazakhstan, then the Kyzylkum desert. From there, the train crosses into Uzbekistan and the modern city of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan's capital. The train then moves on to Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent in Uzbekistan, a great place to visit if one is a fan of Soviet-style architecture -- and who isn't?
The 13-day adventure ends in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city. Imagine how well primed your clients will be for their next cocktail party after they've trekked the Silk Road and explored the 'Stans.
• Peter Mayle's first book, "A Year in Provence," took us into France's Luberon, home to some of the most beautiful hilltop villages on Earth. That is why I love Butterfield & Robinson's six-day Luberon's Hilltop Villages and Valley Vineyards biking tour. Participants stay in small, quality boutique accommodations including a 17th century convent while visiting hidden gems of villages such as Forcalquier and Pierrerue.
Butterfield & Robinson provides 24/7 support services, which means that if guests get tired, the van will pick them up within minutes. This is a tour that takes bikers inside the Provence of residents such as the fragrance laboratories of the L'Occitane and the red-tinted houses in Roussillon. Any of Mayle's tributes to his adopted Provence will beautifully prepare a client for this $5,395 experience.