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’.
Stylishly sustainable 200-foot-long superyacht points towards the future
During my previous life as a long distance sailor and “yachting journalist”, I sailed on, and competed against, numerous Philippe Briand designs. So when I found out the award-winning designer was working on a 200-foot-long sailing superyacht concept, I was not surprised to learn that it was that was intended to outperform all other yachts in its class. But I also learned it’s designed to be more than just fast… [read more]
Pilots sat back and watched a plane take off entirely on its own as Airbus gets one step closer to fully self-flying aircraft
Airbus released photos on Wednesday of a flight test it conducted last month that may be the next step in making fully self-flying planes a reality. The flight tests successfully sought to have one of its newest aircraft, the Airbus A350-1000 XWB, take off from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France completely on its own, aided by imagery from the aircraft’s camera… [read more]
Luxury hotels around the world are auctioning off stays to benefit Australia bushfire relief
The tragic wildfires in Australia have captured the world’s attention, as reports have come out about the millions of acres burned, billions of animals lost, and long-term devastation to the continent. The travel industry, too, has been deeply affected by the blazes; the iconic Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, for example, has been completely lost, though thankfully no staff or guests were harmed… [read more]
At $11 billion and counting, Trump’s border wall would be the world’s most expensive
President Trump’s border wall comes at a staggering cost: $11 billion, or nearly $20 million per mile. It’s already the most expensive border wall in the world, and the costs keep piling up… [read more]
New research shows strong outlook for luxury travel
Strategic Vision’s 2020 Pulse of the Industry Survey talks to CEOs, presidents and senior executives at top luxury travel management firms, revealing the overall sentiments of the industry. This year’s survey finds an overwhelmingly positive outlook with a strong economy that is prevailing over concerns about global instability… [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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8 Comments
Will these self-flying planes always be self-flying? What if the technology is down? We all know that technology has bad days. Will reserve pilots have acquired the skills necessary? I had a horrendous landing at Heathrow recently, in a sudden gale, which obviously took a lot of skill and experience from the pilot.
Very encouraging that these hotels are taking action to raise funds through auctions.
Though you’ve got to wonder about the long-term future of Australian tourism and sometimes we forget that although it’s a vast country it has a relative small population. Some of the smaller towns are really reliant on the tourist Aussie dollar.
Already I’m hearing some of my friends who had been planning trips sometime between November to February next year talking about changing their plans. They are still thinking of travelling but it could change the patterns.
I get the feeling too that some people think that these huge fires are going to be repeated.
I enjoy my regular insights into the world of luxury travel news. What amazes me is that it seems that every week there’s yet another super yacht story. There’s just so much high tech stuff going on. Demand just doesn’t seem to be letting up no matter what the prices.
I wondered what was so interesting about that first one with the 200ft super yacht. It’s a ‘green’ one using underwater turbines as a means of charging the onboard batteries. Pretty cool idea. I imagine all forms of transport increasingly gearing towards being more eco friendly and utilising renewable energy sources. It’s interesting that there’s more focus on nature and eco friendly features for some things, while others are focusing more on high tech. Like the self-flying aircraft, which I for one would not like to be on!
Good to see travel is still on the up and holding its own. I think the easier it becomes, the more appealing it is. It’s a lot more convenient these days, especially as it’s so convenient now to be able to compare your options online, to browse and find good deals and reviews and generally feel more confident in taking trips. There are less limits. And there are so, so many gorgeous places in the world to see with fantastic hotels and restaurants and tours and such. Eventually the concern over the environment will translate better into action and sustainability will be expected in everywhere we go and everything we do, rather than seen as a bonus.
That boarder is utterly ridiculous. I don’t think I’ve seen any comments anywhere in favour of it. Like, in theory, a wall keeps things out. But come on, how much is it really going to achieve other than to deliver a message of annoyance and intolerance? That’s some serious bucks to waste. 576 miles… wow. There are no words. If nothing else I guess you could say at least Trump does follow through on some of the things he says and the promises, no matter how stupid, he makes.
I’ve read about celebs coming forward to donate towards the Australia wildfire appeal. And Phoebe Waller-Bridge auctioned off a suit. It’s great luxury hotels are doing what they can, too.
Admittedly my memory isn’t great but I thought one of Trump’s election promises was that Mexico would be paying for the wall. Isn’t that happening then?
Stylishly sustainable 200-foot-long superyacht points towards the future
During my previous life as a long distance sailor and “yachting journalist”, I sailed on, and competed against, numerous Philippe Briand designs. So when I found out the award-winning designer was working on a 200-foot-long sailing superyacht concept, I was not surprised to learn that it was that was intended to outperform all other yachts in its class. But I also learned it’s designed to be more than just fast… [read more]
Stylishly sustainable 200-foot-long superyacht points towards the future
During my previous life as a long distance sailor and “yachting journalist”, I sailed on, and competed against, numerous Philippe Briand designs. So when I found out the award-winning designer was working on a 200-foot-long sailing superyacht concept, I was not surprised to learn that it was that was intended to outperform all other yachts in its class. But I also learned it’s designed to be more than just fast… [read more]
Pilots sat back and watched a plane take off entirely on its own as Airbus gets one step closer to fully self-flying aircraft
Airbus released photos on Wednesday of a flight test it conducted last month that may be the next step in making fully self-flying planes a reality. The flight tests successfully sought to have one of its newest aircraft, the Airbus A350-1000 XWB, take off from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France completely on its own, aided by imagery from the aircraft’s camera… [read more]
Luxury hotels around the world are auctioning off stays to benefit Australia bushfire relief
The tragic wildfires in Australia have captured the world’s attention, as reports have come out about the millions of acres burned, billions of animals lost, and long-term devastation to the continent. The travel industry, too, has been deeply affected by the blazes; the iconic Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, for example, has been completely lost, though thankfully no staff or guests were harmed… [read more]
At $11 billion and counting, Trump’s border wall would be the world’s most expensive
President Trump’s border wall comes at a staggering cost: $11 billion, or nearly $20 million per mile. It’s already the most expensive border wall in the world, and the costs keep piling up… [read more]
New research shows strong outlook for luxury travel
Strategic Vision’s 2020 Pulse of the Industry Survey talks to CEOs, presidents and senior executives at top luxury travel management firms, revealing the overall sentiments of the industry. This year’s survey finds an overwhelmingly positive outlook with a strong economy that is prevailing over concerns about global instability… [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.
Will these self-flying planes always be self-flying? What if the technology is down? We all know that technology has bad days. Will reserve pilots have acquired the skills necessary? I had a horrendous landing at Heathrow recently, in a sudden gale, which obviously took a lot of skill and experience from the pilot.
Very encouraging that these hotels are taking action to raise funds through auctions.
Though you’ve got to wonder about the long-term future of Australian tourism and sometimes we forget that although it’s a vast country it has a relative small population. Some of the smaller towns are really reliant on the tourist Aussie dollar.
Already I’m hearing some of my friends who had been planning trips sometime between November to February next year talking about changing their plans. They are still thinking of travelling but it could change the patterns.
I get the feeling too that some people think that these huge fires are going to be repeated.
I enjoy my regular insights into the world of luxury travel news. What amazes me is that it seems that every week there’s yet another super yacht story. There’s just so much high tech stuff going on. Demand just doesn’t seem to be letting up no matter what the prices.
I wondered what was so interesting about that first one with the 200ft super yacht. It’s a ‘green’ one using underwater turbines as a means of charging the onboard batteries. Pretty cool idea. I imagine all forms of transport increasingly gearing towards being more eco friendly and utilising renewable energy sources. It’s interesting that there’s more focus on nature and eco friendly features for some things, while others are focusing more on high tech. Like the self-flying aircraft, which I for one would not like to be on!
The forecasts for growth in the luxury travel
market are no surprise. Business confidence is booming as reflected by Dow Jones and FTSE numbers.
My friends in the know fear that we will hit a global recession eventually but most seem to think that we have a couple of good years yet.
Good to see travel is still on the up and holding its own. I think the easier it becomes, the more appealing it is. It’s a lot more convenient these days, especially as it’s so convenient now to be able to compare your options online, to browse and find good deals and reviews and generally feel more confident in taking trips. There are less limits. And there are so, so many gorgeous places in the world to see with fantastic hotels and restaurants and tours and such. Eventually the concern over the environment will translate better into action and sustainability will be expected in everywhere we go and everything we do, rather than seen as a bonus.
That boarder is utterly ridiculous. I don’t think I’ve seen any comments anywhere in favour of it. Like, in theory, a wall keeps things out. But come on, how much is it really going to achieve other than to deliver a message of annoyance and intolerance? That’s some serious bucks to waste. 576 miles… wow. There are no words. If nothing else I guess you could say at least Trump does follow through on some of the things he says and the promises, no matter how stupid, he makes.
I’ve read about celebs coming forward to donate towards the Australia wildfire appeal. And Phoebe Waller-Bridge auctioned off a suit. It’s great luxury hotels are doing what they can, too.
Admittedly my memory isn’t great but I thought one of Trump’s election promises was that Mexico would be paying for the wall. Isn’t that happening then?