Private Jet: Ultimate Luxury Travel

There are so many luxury destinations to choose. The world is full of fantastic luxury hotels and resorts, luxury flights are available. If you don’t like to fly you can always take a luxury train or luxury ship.

For most people though there is a weak spot. Although a first-class air ticket will guarantee you a painless check in and a comfortable lounge to wait in there is nothing much the most airlines can do about the intrusive security regulations particularly in the US, Europe and Australia. Its a down-to-earth moment when the luxury traveller has to remove their shoes and remove their laptop for scanning.

Scheduled airlines have issues too: a flight delay may seriously disrupt your holiday: the cruise can’t wait, the train will be gone: you loose your first night’s dinner reservation.

Now there is an solution. Abercrombie and Kent, who modestly bill themselves as the “epitome of luxury travel”, are offering a range of around the world 25-day around the world adventures is a luxury private plane. The price of happiness: just a shade under US$100,000, an extra $10,000 if travelling solo: all gratuities included. That’s not even that expensive compared to first class hotels and air tickets.

Abercrombie and Kent have been in the luxury tour business for a long time, but their private jet charters concept is inspired. The entire entire journey will be in a luxury private 757-200, commissioned for Abercrombie and Kent. The plane, on loan with its pilots and cabin crew from Icelandic Air, can carry 230 economy passengers, but Abercrombie and Kent have gutted it and replaced the sardine configuration with one more appropriate for such an expensive trip.

With only fifty-two leather seats there is more than enough leg room for everyone. The only plain cloth economy seats on the plane are reserved for cabin crew! There is lounge / dining areas where guests can relax with canapes (prepared by one of the two chefs on-board), drink French champagne and expensive brandies. Overall the staff/guest ratio is an impressive 10 to 1, and includes a “luggage manager”, an engineer and four escorts provided by Abercrombie and Kent, who assist the guests with planning their jaunts into whatever native wonderland they find themselves in.

Oh and all that pesky immigration stuff? Well guests are escorted through express immigration while their luggage travels separately to meet them again in their hotel room.

Here a couple of Abercrombie and Kent’s 2009 private jet itineraries: but hurry some are already booked out!

Africa: Desert Kingdoms and Natural Splendors: New York > MADEIRA Funchal > ETHIOPIA Addis Ababa, Lalibela > TANZANIA Serengeti > MAURITIUS > SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town, Kruger > ZIMBABWE Victoria Falls > MALI Bamako, Timbuktu > MOROCCO Marrakech > New York

Nine World Wonders: Miami >, PERU Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu > EASTER ISLAND > SAMOA Apia > AUSTRALIA Sydney > CAMBODIA Angkor Wat > MYANMAR Schwedagan Pagoda > INDIA Jodhpur, Taj Mahal > OMAN Muscat > JORDAN Petra, Wadi Rum > EGYPT Cairo, Pyramids > New York