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’.
The world’s first plastic-free flight is here – but will other airlines follow?
The world’s first plastic-free flight took to the skies just after Christmas, operated by a Portuguese airline that says it can “no longer ignore” the impact the single-use material has on the environment. Hi Fly, a company that wet leases aircraft in Portugal and Malta, replaced plastic cutlery and containers with bamboo and compostable alternatives crafted from recycled material… [read more]
The rise of millionaire tourism
My greatest experience was standing in the Makgadikgadi salt pan in Botswana, which, as far as you can see in all directions is absolutely flat and white. Then the sun goes down. All of us have seen beautiful sunsets, and then there’s the glow and all of us have seen that. But then, there’s a kind of… grey pause. And then, the real sunset begins… [read more]
Great plates: 15 new restaurants to try in 2019
From Miami to Tokyo and Brisbane to New Delhi, some of the world’s hottest new restaurants in the coolest locations will have global gastronomes salivating as they add them to their culinary bucket lists for 2019. While a number of the chefs behind them are genuine Michelin-starred legends, others are exciting upstarts doing things their way… [read more]
Holidaymakers flee £3,000-per-night luxury Maldives hotel after devastating fire
One of the top luxury resorts in the Maldives has been hit by a devastating fire which tore through the property on Wednesday night. Seven overwater villas and one of the restaurants at Gili Lankanfushi – an exclusive private island resort in the North Malé Atoll, which is rated number one in the country on TripAdvisor – were destroyed in a blaze that raged for six hours before firefighters were able to bring it under control… [read more]
Super-rich sabbatical: the boom in luxury long breaks for the 1%
The super-rich are going on sabbatical. It turns out having bucket-loads of money can be stressful, leading some of the world’s richest people to take a break for a month or so, or even a year, to escape the pressure of managing their businesses or personal fortunes… [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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12 Comments
Regarding the Forbes report on millionaire tourism I’ve had a similar sunset experience just across the Botswana border in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. Watching the sunset in silence is a surprisingly spiritual experience, some people were in tears. At that point money is irrelevant, it just doesn’t matter how much you’ve paid. Admittedly money gets you into that very fortunate position but suddenly cash is irrelevant when it is you and a setting sun in a remote vast landscape.
Similarly, I believe that luxury is also being able to attend some of the world’s great cultural and sporting events. I have been privileged to watch the Sydney Piano Competition at the Opera House and Die Fledermaus at the Vienna Opera House.
Recently a friend of mine flew from Singapore to Australia to watch England beat Australia 3- 0 at rugby union in their own back yard. He flew economy and had a standard seat way up above the action. For him that experience was a luxury even though his feet were only on Australian soil for 30 hours.
Gender stereotyping?!?
Every week it is a picture of a man with the Luxury Travel News.
How far do we want to take gender stereotyping on this one? He looks to be a white middle-aged male. Surely other groups get to enjoy luxury travel too?
It’s just a single stock image we use for this particular series of posts. There is no gender stereotyping – look around the site and you will find we have plenty of images of women enjoying luxury, too… today’s post about Africa’s most exciting new openings is a case in point. And, of the seven posts published so far this year, men feature 13 times in the images, and women also 13 times… so I’m confident that we have a fairly even balance.
I’ve always felt that there’s a fair gender balance on ALTB and those figures provide plenty of evidence for me.
15 new restaurants eh? It would be interesting to see if they all survive for 2 years. The restaurant industry is highly competitive and very intense – which is good news for all of us diners. Menus have to keep adapting and settings developing if they are all going to remain in business.
It is a pity that the developing definition of luxury is somewhat buried in the article on millionaire tourism.
I like the idea of redefining luxury from top of the range stuff. There are whole swathes of us now who don’t really care whether our sheets are 5 million thread Egyptian cotton or that our wine glasses are made from finest crystal.
For many travellers now it is about the experience. I’d rather have ten minutes talking to a former miner at Big Pit in Wales than the finest steak in an upmarket Sydney Restaurant.
Millionaire tourism – are the rich spending more on travel? And there’s a theory that the millennials prefer to spend on experiences rather than safe for a deposit for a flat. A lot of my friends don’t have a holiday budget, they just spend to get the holidays they want without getting into too much debt.
Anyone know the stats? Is the travel spend increasing?
Talking about the picture with the bath with the sea view I’ve stayed in a few places like that.
There is something both decadent and primeval about taking a bath so close to the waves, once you’ve got over the fear that the outside world can see in.
One of my baths was so huge that I could actually float on my back and “swim” half a metre. The only problem was that the water was already getting cold by the time I got in.
All in all I’d like to see more bathrooms like this.
How many times do you check into a hotel, throw down your case and instantly head for the pool of the bar of the restaurant?
The fire in the Maldives is a warning to us all. Just because you are staying in five star luxury the hefty price you’ve paid doesn’t make you immune to natural disasters.
Take that minute to read the fire instructions. See if there are contingency plans for tsunami warnings and evacuation routes. Travel safe.
The world’s first plastic-free flight is here – but will other airlines follow?
The world’s first plastic-free flight took to the skies just after Christmas, operated by a Portuguese airline that says it can “no longer ignore” the impact the single-use material has on the environment. Hi Fly, a company that wet leases aircraft in Portugal and Malta, replaced plastic cutlery and containers with bamboo and compostable alternatives crafted from recycled material… [read more]
The world’s first plastic-free flight is here – but will other airlines follow?
The world’s first plastic-free flight took to the skies just after Christmas, operated by a Portuguese airline that says it can “no longer ignore” the impact the single-use material has on the environment. Hi Fly, a company that wet leases aircraft in Portugal and Malta, replaced plastic cutlery and containers with bamboo and compostable alternatives crafted from recycled material… [read more]
The rise of millionaire tourism
My greatest experience was standing in the Makgadikgadi salt pan in Botswana, which, as far as you can see in all directions is absolutely flat and white. Then the sun goes down. All of us have seen beautiful sunsets, and then there’s the glow and all of us have seen that. But then, there’s a kind of… grey pause. And then, the real sunset begins… [read more]
Great plates: 15 new restaurants to try in 2019
From Miami to Tokyo and Brisbane to New Delhi, some of the world’s hottest new restaurants in the coolest locations will have global gastronomes salivating as they add them to their culinary bucket lists for 2019. While a number of the chefs behind them are genuine Michelin-starred legends, others are exciting upstarts doing things their way… [read more]
Holidaymakers flee £3,000-per-night luxury Maldives hotel after devastating fire
One of the top luxury resorts in the Maldives has been hit by a devastating fire which tore through the property on Wednesday night. Seven overwater villas and one of the restaurants at Gili Lankanfushi – an exclusive private island resort in the North Malé Atoll, which is rated number one in the country on TripAdvisor – were destroyed in a blaze that raged for six hours before firefighters were able to bring it under control… [read more]
Super-rich sabbatical: the boom in luxury long breaks for the 1%
The super-rich are going on sabbatical. It turns out having bucket-loads of money can be stressful, leading some of the world’s richest people to take a break for a month or so, or even a year, to escape the pressure of managing their businesses or personal fortunes… [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.
Regarding the Forbes report on millionaire tourism I’ve had a similar sunset experience just across the Botswana border in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. Watching the sunset in silence is a surprisingly spiritual experience, some people were in tears. At that point money is irrelevant, it just doesn’t matter how much you’ve paid. Admittedly money gets you into that very fortunate position but suddenly cash is irrelevant when it is you and a setting sun in a remote vast landscape.
Similarly, I believe that luxury is also being able to attend some of the world’s great cultural and sporting events. I have been privileged to watch the Sydney Piano Competition at the Opera House and Die Fledermaus at the Vienna Opera House.
Recently a friend of mine flew from Singapore to Australia to watch England beat Australia 3- 0 at rugby union in their own back yard. He flew economy and had a standard seat way up above the action. For him that experience was a luxury even though his feet were only on Australian soil for 30 hours.
Gender stereotyping?!?
Every week it is a picture of a man with the Luxury Travel News.
Women can do luxury too.
How far do we want to take gender stereotyping on this one? He looks to be a white middle-aged male. Surely other groups get to enjoy luxury travel too?
It’s just a single stock image we use for this particular series of posts. There is no gender stereotyping – look around the site and you will find we have plenty of images of women enjoying luxury, too… today’s post about Africa’s most exciting new openings is a case in point. And, of the seven posts published so far this year, men feature 13 times in the images, and women also 13 times… so I’m confident that we have a fairly even balance.
I’ve always felt that there’s a fair gender balance on ALTB and those figures provide plenty of evidence for me.
15 new restaurants eh? It would be interesting to see if they all survive for 2 years. The restaurant industry is highly competitive and very intense – which is good news for all of us diners. Menus have to keep adapting and settings developing if they are all going to remain in business.
Such a great initiative to free the world from harmful and toxic plastics. And thanks for sharing great news like this.
It is a pity that the developing definition of luxury is somewhat buried in the article on millionaire tourism.
I like the idea of redefining luxury from top of the range stuff. There are whole swathes of us now who don’t really care whether our sheets are 5 million thread Egyptian cotton or that our wine glasses are made from finest crystal.
For many travellers now it is about the experience. I’d rather have ten minutes talking to a former miner at Big Pit in Wales than the finest steak in an upmarket Sydney Restaurant.
Millionaire tourism – are the rich spending more on travel? And there’s a theory that the millennials prefer to spend on experiences rather than safe for a deposit for a flat. A lot of my friends don’t have a holiday budget, they just spend to get the holidays they want without getting into too much debt.
Anyone know the stats? Is the travel spend increasing?
Talking about the picture with the bath with the sea view I’ve stayed in a few places like that.
There is something both decadent and primeval about taking a bath so close to the waves, once you’ve got over the fear that the outside world can see in.
One of my baths was so huge that I could actually float on my back and “swim” half a metre. The only problem was that the water was already getting cold by the time I got in.
All in all I’d like to see more bathrooms like this.
How many times do you check into a hotel, throw down your case and instantly head for the pool of the bar of the restaurant?
The fire in the Maldives is a warning to us all. Just because you are staying in five star luxury the hefty price you’ve paid doesn’t make you immune to natural disasters.
Take that minute to read the fire instructions. See if there are contingency plans for tsunami warnings and evacuation routes. Travel safe.