Here’s a round-up of luxury travel stories that have caught the eye this week. To make sure you receive these new weekly alerts in your web browser, please click on the red bell icon in the bottom right hand corner of the page and click ‘subscribe’ (works on desktop only – for other ways to subscribe, please click here). This will also alert you to any other posts on the blog. Should you wish, you can unsubscribe at any time, by clicking on the icon again and selecting ‘unsubscribe’.
We’ve been warned about drones but can we prevent another Gatwick?
Waiting at the airport in Antigua on Friday evening with her 10-year-old son, Shemar, Shemika Simon must have wondered whether she would ever make it to Britain in time to spend Christmas with her family. Earlier in the week, Gatwick airport, her intended destination, had been plunged into chaos by the sighting of a drone hovering near its runway. Its reappearance on Friday did not bode well… [read more]
For $255,500 you can ring in 2019 twice
What’s better than ringing in the new year with a champagne toast and fireworks? Doing it twice. Yes, private jet company PrivateFly is offering an over-the-top New Year’s Eve package where you will ring in 2019 two times in one evening. How? Since the world rotates at 1,038 miles per hour and the time change between Sydney and Los Angeles is 19 hours, you can make it two both cities before midnight with a long-range private jet… [read more]
28 places our travel specialists say you should go in 2019
I’m sending my travelers to the Caiman Ecological Refuge in the Southern Pantanal to see and photograph jaguars. This spectacular freshwater wetland is the habitat of the largest population of wildlife in the Americas. The floodplane is a birdwatcher’s paradise, home to some 650 species; it’s also inhabited by thousands of varieties of butterflies and more than 250 species of fish. The Caiman Lodge’s Oncafari Jaguar Project allows you to see majestic creatures in the wild… [read more]
Spaceships and submarines: unique ways to get to your latest travel destination
The race to space for paying punters is coming to a climax. News has emerged that Virgin Galactic is finally months – rather than years – away from the launch of its first commercial flight to space. Rival Blue Origin says it will sell tickets for its own offering in 2019, with trips departing the following year. Seats on both will cost $200,000-$300,000 (£150,000-£230,000) per person… [read more]
5 things to look out for in the China luxury market in 2019
China’s unique and continually evolving market creates exciting opportunities. Rather than try any crystal-ball predictions, here’s my summary of what this year can show us about the next, and what to look out for. D&G – and the backlash over its promotional videos labelled racist and sexist, and anger over subsequent abusive comments by its co-founder Stefano Gabbana – should finally serve as the wake-up call for any brand “not listening” to their people who are in China… [read more]
We really enjoy hearing from our readers and would love to hear your views on any of these stories! Please click on the comments below and share your thoughts. Thank you.
Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us for details.
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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7 Comments
Talking of the 28 hotspots for 2019 you can add my vote to the Yucatan. Isla Holbox is classic Robinson Crusoe Desert Island territory, palm trees and hammocks, but with a trendy vibe too. One to watch …
Ring the New Year in twice? I could have done it a few years ago and would have jumped at the chance. Nowadays I don’t think I could take a double hangover, I’m not the man I used to be.
I fear that we are only at the beginning of the drone stories. As concerns regarding pollution and global warming increase we are likely to see more direct action from environmentalists. The growth of regional airports is simply giving them plenty of “softer” targets.
More alarming is the opportunity for terror organisations to harness the power of the drone. At the moment drones are in their infancy, undoubtedly terror organisations will work on making them a threat beyond the immediate vicinity of an airport where airplanes are at low altitude.
The government seem to have been rather taken by surprise regarding the Gatwick drone incidents. Going forward increased anticipation is essential and airline passengers should be prepared to pay for increased levels of security.
I fear that you are probably right though it will be a pity if legislation ends up meaning that amateur hobbyists are not able to own and use drones. There are some great “Drone Courses” on offer where kids learn a lot about both programming and aviation basics whilst building their own drones. Fun while learning etc… Also, I’ve seen some brilliant photos taken by drones it would be such a pity if we were to lose that innocent pleasure.
Now that the level of disruption has been clear, I could also foresee people taking similar actions. I wouldn’t call Gatwick a soft target – more than 100,000 people were due to travel on the main day where flights were affected – and yet I was surprised by the apparent lack of response and inability to deal with the problem. I think it’s clear that stricter legislation is required and my own view is that a maximum sentence of 5 years for someone causing that level of disruption is really not enough of a deterrent. I would be surprised if we didn’t see that change also.
Although the Condé Naste piece on the 28 places to go justifiably recommended Jerez and then heading east and inland there’s another option too. The Costa Luz the Light Coast is a remarkably unspoilt Costa. It’s great for wind-surfing as strong winds blow in from the Atlantic. So it has got a vibrant yachting scene, popular with the sailing fraternity.
We’ve been warned about drones but can we prevent another Gatwick?
Waiting at the airport in Antigua on Friday evening with her 10-year-old son, Shemar, Shemika Simon must have wondered whether she would ever make it to Britain in time to spend Christmas with her family. Earlier in the week, Gatwick airport, her intended destination, had been plunged into chaos by the sighting of a drone hovering near its runway. Its reappearance on Friday did not bode well… [read more]
We’ve been warned about drones but can we prevent another Gatwick?
Waiting at the airport in Antigua on Friday evening with her 10-year-old son, Shemar, Shemika Simon must have wondered whether she would ever make it to Britain in time to spend Christmas with her family. Earlier in the week, Gatwick airport, her intended destination, had been plunged into chaos by the sighting of a drone hovering near its runway. Its reappearance on Friday did not bode well… [read more]
For $255,500 you can ring in 2019 twice
What’s better than ringing in the new year with a champagne toast and fireworks? Doing it twice. Yes, private jet company PrivateFly is offering an over-the-top New Year’s Eve package where you will ring in 2019 two times in one evening. How? Since the world rotates at 1,038 miles per hour and the time change between Sydney and Los Angeles is 19 hours, you can make it two both cities before midnight with a long-range private jet… [read more]
28 places our travel specialists say you should go in 2019
I’m sending my travelers to the Caiman Ecological Refuge in the Southern Pantanal to see and photograph jaguars. This spectacular freshwater wetland is the habitat of the largest population of wildlife in the Americas. The floodplane is a birdwatcher’s paradise, home to some 650 species; it’s also inhabited by thousands of varieties of butterflies and more than 250 species of fish. The Caiman Lodge’s Oncafari Jaguar Project allows you to see majestic creatures in the wild… [read more]
Spaceships and submarines: unique ways to get to your latest travel destination
The race to space for paying punters is coming to a climax. News has emerged that Virgin Galactic is finally months – rather than years – away from the launch of its first commercial flight to space. Rival Blue Origin says it will sell tickets for its own offering in 2019, with trips departing the following year. Seats on both will cost $200,000-$300,000 (£150,000-£230,000) per person… [read more]
5 things to look out for in the China luxury market in 2019
China’s unique and continually evolving market creates exciting opportunities. Rather than try any crystal-ball predictions, here’s my summary of what this year can show us about the next, and what to look out for. D&G – and the backlash over its promotional videos labelled racist and sexist, and anger over subsequent abusive comments by its co-founder Stefano Gabbana – should finally serve as the wake-up call for any brand “not listening” to their people who are in China… [read more]
We really enjoy hearing from our readers and would love to hear your views on any of these stories! Please click on the comments below and share your thoughts. Thank you.
Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us for details.
Talking of the 28 hotspots for 2019 you can add my vote to the Yucatan. Isla Holbox is classic Robinson Crusoe Desert Island territory, palm trees and hammocks, but with a trendy vibe too. One to watch …
Ring the New Year in twice? I could have done it a few years ago and would have jumped at the chance. Nowadays I don’t think I could take a double hangover, I’m not the man I used to be.
I fear that we are only at the beginning of the drone stories. As concerns regarding pollution and global warming increase we are likely to see more direct action from environmentalists. The growth of regional airports is simply giving them plenty of “softer” targets.
More alarming is the opportunity for terror organisations to harness the power of the drone. At the moment drones are in their infancy, undoubtedly terror organisations will work on making them a threat beyond the immediate vicinity of an airport where airplanes are at low altitude.
The government seem to have been rather taken by surprise regarding the Gatwick drone incidents. Going forward increased anticipation is essential and airline passengers should be prepared to pay for increased levels of security.
I fear that you are probably right though it will be a pity if legislation ends up meaning that amateur hobbyists are not able to own and use drones. There are some great “Drone Courses” on offer where kids learn a lot about both programming and aviation basics whilst building their own drones. Fun while learning etc… Also, I’ve seen some brilliant photos taken by drones it would be such a pity if we were to lose that innocent pleasure.
Now that the level of disruption has been clear, I could also foresee people taking similar actions. I wouldn’t call Gatwick a soft target – more than 100,000 people were due to travel on the main day where flights were affected – and yet I was surprised by the apparent lack of response and inability to deal with the problem. I think it’s clear that stricter legislation is required and my own view is that a maximum sentence of 5 years for someone causing that level of disruption is really not enough of a deterrent. I would be surprised if we didn’t see that change also.
Although the Condé Naste piece on the 28 places to go justifiably recommended Jerez and then heading east and inland there’s another option too. The Costa Luz the Light Coast is a remarkably unspoilt Costa. It’s great for wind-surfing as strong winds blow in from the Atlantic. So it has got a vibrant yachting scene, popular with the sailing fraternity.
I’ve always said that Cordoba is one of Europe’s top destinations. I’m glad that Condé Naste agree with me.