Clyde and I occasionally amuse ourselves by talking about what travel options we’d explore after winning a lottery windfall.
At one point, we thought Holland America’s 130-day “Grand Voyage” around the world in the swanky Neptune Suite would be amusing. But at $85,000 per person for what would be, essentially, a swanky room in a ship we already know very well, we’ve decided that wouldn’t be a good value.
So … if one found oneself suddenly able to travel without financial constraints, what might one do?
I’m really drawn to National Geographic’s “Around the World” private jet tour. In the air, we’d be traveling with a maximum of 54 other people on a private, “converted for luxury” 757. On the ground, we’d stay in Four Seasons resorts. And while enjoying our exotic itinerary (Lima, Machu Pichu, Easter Island, Samoa, the Daintree Rain Forest, Angkor Wat, Chengdu (China), Lhasa (Tibet), the Taj Mahal, Tanzania, the Pyramids, and Marrakech), we’d be in the company of expert interpreters and scholars, enjoy a dedicated Four Seasons concierge staff, and have unlimited access to global, high-speed wifi.
The tour sets its own schedule, minimizing time spent in airports and avoiding layovers. The price? Just $70,000 per person. Compared to Holland America’s Grand Voyages offering, it’s a bargain … but, of course, this trip lasts just twenty-three days (and doesn’t include all meals!).
But since we’ve already been to Australia’s Daintree Rain Forest and Angkor Wat, perhaps we’d be better served by Four Season’s own “around the world” package, which includes more Four Seasons accommodations and travel to Kona (Hawaii), Bora Bora, Sydney, Bali, Chiang Mai, the Taj, Istanbul, and London. It’s just $88,000 per person.
And don’t forget Geoffrey Kent’s private around the world tour, in which you travel with the CEO of Abercrombie and Kent to see the Amazon River, Easter Island, Samoa, Papua New Ginea, Bali, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Kenya, and Monaco. Of all those destinations, we’ve only been to one (Monaco), so maybe we should pony up the $104,000 per person for the twenty-three day adventure.
Decisions, decisions. But it’s good to be thinking about this kind of thing, I think — just in case the Powerball jackpot comes bouncing our way.
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