11/20/06

Accent - The Magazine Of Luxury Living

Grand Tours: Elite Travel Packages Redefine The Tour Group Concept

By Donald Charles Richardson

At every major tourist destination you’ll see people hoisting a tall staff adorned with a flag, number or balloon. Followed by obedient hordes, these individuals shout out encouragement, instructions, and indicate, with a bored wave of the hand, the historic sites. For many people this constitutes a tour.

For the rest of us, there are better, and considerably nicer, ways to see the world. There is more to a wonderfully planned and organized trip than great hotels and expert guides. Specialized escorted tours (for groups from four to 20), combining extraordinary accommodations, experts guides, private jets and yachts, and access to usually private places, are a growing segment of the travel industry.

Abercrombie and Kent, the premier upscale adventure travel “agency”, offers fully orchestrated, escorted trips (from $6,000 to $45,000) to many places you’ve probably never dreamed about (or perhaps even heard of): canal voyages through the wine country of France; excursions to Tibet, Aboriginal Australia, or Dubai; visits to the chic cities of South America; private jets to the South Pole or Leptis Magna (a Roman city buried for centuries under the sands of Libya and only recently uncovered); and, of course, the original Africa safaris that made Abercrombie and Kent famous.

The 14-day A&K East African Hemingway Safari is total “luxury in the wilderness”. The 28-foot tents that make up the mobile campsites feature a front verandah, sewn-in floor and mosquito netting windows. Furnishings include tables and camp chairs, two single beds with bedside tables, a dressing table with mirror and wash basin, and a private en suite bathroom with, amazingly, a flush toilet and hot-water shower. There’s a staff-to-client ratio of 2 to 1 that includes a personal safari guide, driver behind the wheel of a custom designed four-wheel-drive Land Cruiser or Land Rover, bar stocked with your personal selections, a chef (trained by Jorie Butler Kent, Vice Chairman of A&K, to make things like Beef Wellington and fresh bread over an open fire or gas stove) and even and efficient in-camp laundry service. If you don’t have time for the full fortnight, but still yen for highly organized adventure travel, check out A&K’s Just a Week Away program.

International Expeditions also explores the natural world in style. The company employs scientists and historians to guide small groups or independent travelers through some of the great wildlife and cultural destinations, primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. There nine-day trip to the Amazon (recognized by National Geographic Adventure as on of the “25 Greatest Adventures in the World”) is a riverboat expedition that includes off-boat excursions through nature reserves, dugout canoe trips to river villages, and the sights and sounds of the rainforest.

Of course, not all tour groups are about discovering mountain peaks or exploring the jungle. Art enthusiasts should check out Travcoa’s impressive nine-day “Carnival in Venice” trip that includes shopping in Milan, an opera at Teatro La Fenice, and accommodations at the amazing Hotel Danieli. Meanwhile, On Point Sports could just be a sports fan’s fantasy come true. This company will take you to the Super Bowl, World Cup Soccer, the World Series, Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby, the Olympics, Grand Prix, or just about any other sporting event in complete luxury. Arriving by private jet, you receive premium tickets, luxury accommodations, invitations to celebrity parties, and a meet-and-greet with athletes and coaches. A 24/7 limousine or town car service with private chauffeur is available, and an on-site concierge will supply anything from additional tickets and hard-to-get restaurant reservations to directions. A party of five can hit next year’s Super Bowl for about $119,000.

You don’t even need to leave the U.S. for extravagant excursions. Though Eric Weiss, president of TourJete, can arrange tours anywhere in the world, the company’s American “themed excursions”—combining travel with art, music, food, and wine—are particularly unique. “Cooking With Renoir” is a five-day journey beginning at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, where you receive a private, escorted tour of the Renoir collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, followed by a creative “Renoir dinner” at Bayards. A private jet flies you to Lenox, Massachusetts for two days at Wheatleigh, a 20-room mansion converted to a luxury inn. While there, you’ll visit The Clark Institute in Williamstown, home to one the most impressive Renoir collections in the world.

TourJete’s amazing $2.5 million (yes million) “The World is Your Oyster” tour begins with a Global Express jet from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island where you stay at The Chanler on CliffWalk, visit famous houses and museums, and dine on oysters, shellfish, and champagne. That’s just day one. The next day you’ll enjoy an afternoon sail on-board the yacht Gleam, a 1937 America’s Cup competitor, take spa treatments at the Viking Hotel and enjoy dinner at The Chanler’s restaurant, Spiced Pear. Other highlights include two nights at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Naples, Florida for spa treatments and golf. A return visit to New York City features Broadway tickets and a six-course dinner at four-star Le Bernadin. The final day starts with an oyster and caviar brunch, followed by a helicopter trip to the Hamptons for dinner in the wine cellars of the Bedell Vineyard. You’ll return to the St. Regis in time for cognac and cigars. The next morning you’ll jet back home. To top off this astonishing expedition, at every stop you’ll receive opulent gifts.

Sure beats following a flag on a stick.

In the News 01/21/06 01/26/06 04/30/06 07/05/06 11/20/06 03/01/07 04/29/08 11/01/08 04/06/09 Press Releases Media Contacts Company Fact Sheet First Name: Last Name: Email Address: unsubscribe		View cart Print 11/20/06 Accent - The Magazine Of Luxury Living Grand Tours: Elite Travel Packages Redefine The Tour Group Concept By Donald Charles Richardson At every major tourist destination you’ll see people hoisting a tall staff adorned with a flag, number or balloon. Followed by obedient hordes, these individuals shout out encouragement, instructions, and indicate, with a bored wave of the hand, the historic sites. For many people this constitutes a tour. For the rest of us, there are better, and considerably nicer, ways to see the world. There is more to a wonderfully planned and organized trip than great hotels and expert guides. Specialized escorted tours (for groups from four to 20), combining extraordinary accommodations, experts guides, private jets and yachts, and access to usually private places, are a growing segment of the travel industry. Abercrombie and Kent, the premier upscale adventure travel “agency”, offers fully orchestrated, escorted trips (from $6,000 to $45,000) to many places you’ve probably never dreamed about (or perhaps even heard of): canal voyages through the wine country of France; excursions to Tibet, Aboriginal Australia, or Dubai; visits to the chic cities of South America; private jets to the South Pole or Leptis Magna (a Roman city buried for centuries under the sands of Libya and only recently uncovered); and, of course, the original Africa safaris that made Abercrombie and Kent famous. The 14-day A&K East African Hemingway Safari is total “luxury in the wilderness”. The 28-foot tents that make up the mobile campsites feature a front verandah, sewn-in floor and mosquito netting windows. Furnishings include tables and camp chairs, two single beds with bedside tables, a dressing table with mirror and wash basin, and a private en suite bathroom with, amazingly, a flush toilet and hot-water shower. There’s a staff-to-client ratio of 2 to 1 that includes a personal safari guide, driver behind the wheel of a custom designed four-wheel-drive Land Cruiser or Land Rover, bar stocked with your personal selections, a chef (trained by Jorie Butler Kent, Vice Chairman of A&K, to make things like Beef Wellington and fresh bread over an open fire or gas stove) and even and efficient in-camp laundry service. If you don’t have time for the full fortnight, but still yen for highly organized adventure travel, check out A&K’s Just a Week Away program. International Expeditions also explores the natural world in style. The company employs scientists and historians to guide small groups or independent travelers through some of the great wildlife and cultural destinations, primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. There nine-day trip to the Amazon (recognized by National Geographic Adventure as on of the “25 Greatest Adventures in the World”) is a riverboat expedition that includes off-boat excursions through nature reserves, dugout canoe trips to river villages, and the sights and sounds of the rainforest. Of course, not all tour groups are about discovering mountain peaks or exploring the jungle. Art enthusiasts should check out Travcoa’s impressive nine-day “Carnival in Venice” trip that includes shopping in Milan, an opera at Teatro La Fenice, and accommodations at the amazing Hotel Danieli. Meanwhile, On Point Sports could just be a sports fan’s fantasy come true. This company will take you to the Super Bowl, World Cup Soccer, the World Series, Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby, the Olympics, Grand Prix, or just about any other sporting event in complete luxury. Arriving by private jet, you receive premium tickets, luxury accommodations, invitations to celebrity parties, and a meet-and-greet with athletes and coaches. A 24/7 limousine or town car service with private chauffeur is available, and an on-site concierge will supply anything from additional tickets and hard-to-get restaurant reservations to directions. A party of five can hit next year’s Super Bowl for about $119,000. You don’t even need to leave the U.S. for extravagant excursions. Though Eric Weiss, president of TourJete, can arrange tours anywhere in the world, the company’s American “themed excursions”—combining travel with art, music, food, and wine—are particularly unique. “Cooking With Renoir” is a five-day journey beginning at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, where you receive a private, escorted tour of the Renoir collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, followed by a creative “Renoir dinner” at Bayards. A private jet flies you to Lenox, Massachusetts for two days at Wheatleigh, a 20-room mansion converted to a luxury inn. While there, you’ll visit The Clark Institute in Williamstown, home to one the most impressive Renoir collections in the world. TourJete’s amazing $2.5 million (yes million) “The World is Your Oyster” tour begins with a Global Express jet from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island where you stay at The Chanler on CliffWalk, visit famous houses and museums, and dine on oysters, shellfish, and champagne. That’s just day one. The next day you’ll enjoy an afternoon sail on-board the yacht Gleam, a 1937 America’s Cup competitor, take spa treatments at the Viking Hotel and enjoy dinner at The Chanler’s restaurant, Spiced Pear. Other highlights include two nights at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Naples, Florida for spa treatments and golf. A return visit to New York City features Broadway tickets and a six-course dinner at four-star Le Bernadin. The final day starts with an oyster and caviar brunch, followed by a helicopter trip to the Hamptons for dinner in the wine cellars of the Bedell Vineyard. You’ll return to the St. Regis in time for cognac and cigars. The next morning you’ll jet back home. To top off this astonishing expedition, at every stop you’ll receive opulent gifts. Sure beats following a flag on a stick.