Even the most seasoned traveler likely hasn’t traveled around the entire world. But a new exclusive world journey designed by a world leader in luxury travel, Abercrombie & Kent, in partnership with the private aviation experts at Flexjet, is about to provide the ultimate luxury world travel experience.
Abercrombie & Kent was founded in 1962 by Geoffrey Kent, who still runs the company. It remains a highly respected travel company and frequent award winner, and was recently named the World’s Leading Luxury Tour Operator at the World Travel Awards.
The custom journey, called Passport to the World, includes a variety of extravagant features:
- Up to 8 guests will travel to the most alluring destinations, including Japan, China, Hong Kong, India, Turkey, and France — the path is customized by you.
- Travel in a Challenger 605 business jet with large windows, the latest audio and video systems, global Wi-Fi, and leather seats that transform into beds that lay flat.
- Attentive service and insider access to the sites you want to see to ensure every encounter is unforgettable and inspiring.
“Traveling by private jet makes it possible to visit some of the most inspiring World Heritage sites in just two weeks, which under ordinary circumstances would be difficult — perhaps impossible — to see on a single trip,” said Geoffrey Kent in the recent press release.
The UNESCO World Heritage sites spotlight the most fascinating (and sometimes the most threatened) places and customs around the globe. It includes such places as the Kremlin and Red Square, Phoenix Islands, Cappadocia, the Borobudur Temple Compounds, and many others.
The 14-day Passport to the World starts at $1.5 million. The route is completely customized to the traveler who also chooses when to take their trip. It is being talked about as the ideal gift for weddings, anniversaries, and graduations.
There’s more than one reason to travel — the list of reasons is as long and varied as the travelers on the road — but some reasons may be more motivational than others. Interestingly, one reason to travel has to do with the effect it has on a traveler’s physical and mental state.
That’s right: Travel has a positive impact on your overall health.
Travel for the heart
One of the major areas travel tends to offer health benefits is the heart. According to the Global Commission on Aging (among other contributors), women who vacation only every six years or so experience a significantly higher risk of having a heart attack or a coronary-related death when compared with women who vacation at least twice a year.
And men, don’t worry, travel is good news for you, too: Men who did not take an annual vacation were shown to have a 20% higher risk of death and a 30% greater risk of death from heart disease.
Travel for the mind
According to experts, the health benefits of travel are almost immediate, too — just a day or two of travel equates to respondents reporting an 89% drop in how affected they are by stress. Furthermore, 86% of people who travel report being satisfied with their outlook on life, compared to just 75% of those who do not travel.
The mental health benefits of travel indicate that it’s not only rejuvenating and age-proofing, it’s also intellectually stimulating — and not merely because the traveler is temporarily out of their workplace.
Travel offers the opportunity to
- engage in new activities,
- hear and speak different languages.
All of these things help travelers view the world from a different perspective and even view their own world differently when they return home.
Travel is also reported to be a great way to strengthen relationships with those you already know. A study conducted by the U.S. Travel Association found that a vacation with a friend or loved one can help deepen the travelers’ bonds.
So what are you waiting for? It sounds like travel is just what the doctor ordered.
It’s never too early to plan your next adventure, and 2014’s unique luxury travel trends are full of great ideas to spice up your itinerary. Take a look at what this year’s luxury globetrotters are pursuing.
Foodie Travel
One of the more popular and growing trends is to focus your trip around authentic foods and wines in often what were previously considered to be unglamorous regions of the world.
Luxury travelers are no longer content with a simple Michelin-starred meal, but are looking for culinary adventures that include farm visits and interactive involvement in the production, such as grape stomping.
Also popping up are gastronomic pilgrimages to regions snagging international attention due to the World Cup.
River Cruises
With 25 new vessels hitting the European waterways, river cruises are gaining popularity as a more exploratory alternative to a traditional ocean cruise.
Luxury travelers can meander down a river and enjoy land and countryside views, as well as the ability to hop on and off the ship often in order to explore towns and villages before catching up with the cruise again at the next port.
Tack-on Destinations
As business travel starts to heat up again, individuals, couples, and families are tacking on destinations at either end of business trips or fitting them into longer layovers.
These mini-vacations allow the traveler to maximize airline ticket costs while fitting in a bit of fun to spruce up a week or weekend of work.
Fancy RVs
The old retirement standby no more, recreational vehicles (RVs) have had a major makeover and luxury travelers can expect to see mobile camping get glamorous (hence the term ‘glamping’).
Amenities now include entertainment systems, WiFi, instant hot water, high thread count sheets, and luxurious bath products. It’s 5-star comfort in a mobile package for travelers who want to cover a little more terrain.
Forget Western Europe
Many travelers are starting to find the whole western European scene a little “been there, done that.” Eastern Europe — Lithuania, Croatia, Estonia, Albania, and the like — are where the globetrotters will be in the coming year.
With beautifully preserved medieval towns and castles and bustling cosmopolitan centers, the mix of street life and the seaside make Eastern Europe more like the Mediterranean.
It’s never too early to think about your next adventure. Where will you go in 2014?
There is no shortage of people on the web claiming to have “expert” advice about travel: How to manage it, how to avoid problems, on and on. Like anything else you read on the Internet, it’s important to take travel advice with a grain of salt.
As examples, we found some of the most egregious and outdated tips:
- Book hotel reservations as far ahead as possible. — This tip is an unfortunate leftover from another time. These days, hotel rates and other travel costs change constantly. Making your reservations many months in advance could mean paying some obscene prices. However, wait until the last minute (especially for a destination that is hosting a particular event) and you could pay even more obscene prices. To find a happy medium, do some research on prices ahead of time, so you have a gauge. Then book when you see the prices are good.
- Exchange money in the U.S. before you leave. — This is another leftover that should have gone the same way as “carry traveler’s checks.” Exchange rates vary often, and the best rates are usually at the ATMs in the country where you are traveling. Plus, credit cards that waive foreign transaction fees are readily available.
- Carry lots of U.S. dollars. — While the word’s political troubles ebb and flow, and you will need some U.S. cash on hand, don’t bring more than you need to get yourself out of a jam. Unless all the ATMs and every single one of your credit cards fails or is stolen (hardly likely), the risk of losing all your cash in a mugging or robbery is a far greater concern.
- Travel when you’re young, rest when you’re older. — For some reason, this particular myth reappears every decade or so. On top of not being founded in any sort of fact, this idea can leave a bad taste in the mouths of older travelers. Anyone can travel at any age in their life, and that’s all that needs to be said about that.
- This is the real way to travel. — This tip assumes that every person should travel in a particular way, when it’s really more important to travel the way that you feel is right for you. Like the excitement and energy you find in hostels? Nothing wrong with that. Prefer the experience of a hotel? That’s your prerogative.
Every trip is important to each traveler for different reasons. Even the most mundane trip is an opportunity for an experience, a bit of adventure, and a lesson in something we’ve never experienced.
Looking for the perfect (and packable!) gift for your jet-setting friends and family? Check out these unusual, stylish, and useful stocking stuffers for the upcoming holiday season:
- Stay sharp for meetings around the globe with this travel shoe shine kit. It’s sophisticated and stylish and contains everything a traveler needs to keep their shoes polished and looking good.
- To stay cozy in cool aircraft cabins, give your traveler a cashmere throw. This premium cashmere throw is lightweight but delivers sumptuous all-over warmth, and you can find it in your friend’s favorite color.
- For the photographer on the go, try a real-time image editing camera from Olympus. With a 3-inch color LCD touchscreen, you can adjust color balance, brightness, and depth of field and immediately view your changes.
- The Frank Lloyd Wright floor globe is a great gift for architecture aficionados. This nifty floor globe was a concept intended for one of Wright’s Prairie Homes. It exhibits classic form-follows-function principles, strong horizontal lines, and simple geometric forms — all hallmarks of the Prairie School movement.
- Beautifully machined and constructed, we recommend these self-retaining cufflinks from HollenWolff. They’re ideal for the guy who normally doesn’t wear cufflinks. They’re turned from solid bars of steel and are brilliantly engineered with a push-button lock mechanism.
- You may think your pals would be less-than-thrilled to receive socks in their stockings, but these aren’t just any socks — they’re cashmere ribbed socks by Paul Stuart. These warm socks in playful designs make them an ideal stocking stuffer for the practical and stylish traveler.
Any one of these goodies would make a great last-minute gift purchase — or, you could consider getting all of them! That way you’d have an excuse to get something swanky for yourself to help you deliver all of your packages in style, like this Oak & Eddon bag by Libero Ferrero.
Happy shopping — and happy holidays!
For some people, Thanksgiving is a holiday to be celebrated at home with family. But for others, Thanksgiving is a chance to take a mini vacation and enjoy some much-deserved time off. This November, consider jetting to one of these great Thanksgiving destinations.
New York City
How about Thanksgiving dinner in New York City? You can enjoy the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The oversized balloons, lavish floats, performers, and marching bands have graced New York’s streets on Thanksgiving Day for 87 years. For the best views, consider booking a luxe suite on the parade route. The Mandarin Oriental, New York Hilton, and the historic Warwick hotels all boast unbeatable views.
You can even get some behind-the-scenes and watch the balloons being blown up the night before at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Eve Balloon Blow-Up at 79th Street and Columbus Avenue.
Plymouth, Mass.
If you’re interested in a historical Thanksgiving, point your jet toward Plymouth, where the 17th century colonists once lived in what was then a small English village. Starting on Nov. 22, there is a three-day celebration of Thanksgiving history that includes concerts, parades, and waterfront events.
Check out the costumed actors on the Mayflower II, a full-sized recreation of the real Mayflower, see the real — and surprisingly small — Plymouth Rock, and don’t forget to visit Plimouth Plantation, where you can learn about how both the pilgrims and the Wampanoag people lived in 1627 and enjoy a truly traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Washington, D.C.
If you’re in Washington, D.C. over Thanksgiving, you’ll have access to a variety of attractions to commemorate the history of the many people who have shaped America, from Washington to Lincoln to Jefferson and beyond. Many restaurants in the city host lavish Thanksgiving dinners, so you won’t have to miss out on your turkey and pumpkin pie.
And don’t miss the turkey pardon at Mount Vernon: Every year since 1989, the president has pardoned the turkey meant for the White House table, allowing it to live to a ripe old age on a farm.
Dallas, Texas
Texas might not seem like a destination that has much relevance to Thanksgiving, but you’d be surprised: They have an entire year-round park downtown dedicated to giving thanks. The park includes the Hall of Thanksgiving, which displays the history of Thanksgiving, among other attractions.
And if sports are more your speed, the Dallas Cowboys have a game every Thanksgiving, a tradition that’s been in place since 1966. Their new Arlington stadium cost $1.15 billion and watching the game from one of its fully-stocked suites would undoubtedly be a fun way to spend your Thanksgiving Day.
No matter where you spend your holiday, may it be full of good times, good food, and good friends and family. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Commercial airlines are trying to trim their costs wherever they can. Unfortunately, that usually means less amenities and more inconvenience for travelers. As the amenities on commercial airlines disappear, the perks of traveling in private aircraft are becoming more luxurious and state-of-the-art. Let’s look at some of the ways private jets are beating out commercial travel these days:
Your time
Commercial airlines
- Travel schedule must revolve around commercial carrier flight times.
- Lengthy layovers can increase travel time, increase chances of lost luggage, and cost valuable business time.
- Security hassles can add hours onto travel.
- Airlines are squeezing in more passengers to increase tickets sales for each flight, meaning the chances of getting bumped are higher.
Private aircraft
- Pick the time when you want to leave or arrive so travel happens on your schedule.
- Since your jet waits when you are running late and you don’t have to navigate security lines, you’ll never miss your flight.
Your luggage
Commercial airlines
- Limited to one carry on, forcing you to check more baggage.
- Checked bags incur huge fees, quickly increasing the cost of your flight.
- Checking bags increases your risk of lost luggage.
Private aircraft
- Far less size and weight restrictions for luggage.
- Don’t have to adhere to liquid limits, saving you a packing headache.
- Travel with large items easily, like sports and music equipment.
- Pets can travel on-board with you.
Your entertainment
Commercial airlines
- In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) is sparse on most flights.
- Some airlines offer in-flight wireless Internet, but you must pay for the service.
- No choice about what movies and television shows you’ll be watching.
Private aircraft
- Offer state-of-the-art entertainment systems with hundreds of movies and shows on-demand.
- View your entertainment on large, flat-screen televisions; some even offer 3-D technology.
- Wireless Internet is standard, making catching up on business a breeze.
Your comfort
Commercial airlines
- Seats have less leg room and force you closer to fellow passengers.
- Close proximity means a loss of privacy, making it hard to finish business in-flight.
- Food choices are limited and not always appealing.
Private aircraft
- Comforts like leather seats, in-flight showers, and full-size beds keep you refreshed and relaxed for the final destination.
- Comfortable and inviting dining areas offer gourmet meals served on real china.
- You have uninterrupted privacy, allowing you to work on sensitive materials without distraction.
While commercial carriers may offer inexpensive flights, the amenities and time-savings you gain from traveling by private jet are priceless. Plus, you’ll bolster your reputation as a successful and efficient businessperson when you arrive to your destinations on time, rested, and relaxed — things that are increasingly hard to attain with frequent commercial travel.
Ready to leave the growing hassles of commercial airline travel behind? Contact L&L International to start the process of finding a private aircraft that’s perfect for your needs.
We’re coming into peak leaf-changing season, and for the jet set crowd, this opens up the skies to an awesome vacation opportunity! The fall color viewing season in North America begins in about mid-September, and in some places it can last until late November. Early in the fall season you’ll find the best views high in the mountains. As the seasons goes on, however, you’ll find the best colors near the coastlines.
No matter how busy you are, you can find an awesome autumn leaf-viewing location that fits into your schedule. We’ve made it easy for you with this helpful guide.
Late September
Queensbury, New York. Queensbury sits in the Adirondack mountain range, which has one of the longest fall foliage seasons in the country. Colors are at their best early on, though. Catch the Adirondack Balloon Festival and watch nearly 100 hot air balloons take flight against the foliage around Lake George.
Early October
Columbia River Highway, Oregon. Once you fly in, you have the option of taking a car along the highway or flying from point-to-point. Either way, you’ll see some incredible fall colors along the highway. You’ll also be treated to the occasional waterfall just to sweeten the deal.
Late October
Waterloo Village, Stanhope, New Jersey. This year, autumn colors in New Jersey are predicted to arrive later in the season. See them in all their glory at Waterloo Village while also taking in the historical buildings and demonstrations. Allamuchy Mountain State Park is nearby for even more fall foliage viewing.
Early November
Leavenworth, Washington. Just down the road from Seattle, this coastal town has some of the best late-season fall foliage viewing in the country. The town has a strong Bavarian heritage that is celebrated though various festivals and beer gardens throughout the year, giving you something to do after you take in the scenery.
Take a break and fly to one of these amazing destinations this fall. Better yet, start early and see them all! Most of these locations celebrate their fall colors with great festivals and celebrations that your whole family can enjoy. You can find other leaf-viewing locations to enjoy by checking out The Weather Channel’s fall foliage guide.
Monday is Labor Day and the holiday is the unofficial end of the summer season. It’s also the weekend many people take advantage of taking one last summer trip. With an optimistic economic outlook, more people are taking trips this year and going farther from home. In fact, the American Automobile Association is predicting the highest number of travelers on the road since 2008. Over 33 million people are planning on taking a trip this Labor Day, and 85% of them will be taking it on the road.
That makes this an ideal weekend for a private jet getaway! There are many terrific U.S.-based locations that are within short range of an airport, so you can celebrate this all-American holiday without sitting in traffic.
Here are three great destinations that will get you out of the Labor Day crush and help you bid a fond farewell to summer:
- The Phoenician, Scottsdale, Ariz. — A trip to the desert in the summer? It sounds crazy, but trust us: The cool amenities at this luxury resort make up for the heat. It offers terrific golfing, spa treatments, tennis, pools, and planned activities for the whole family or just the kids. It also has an impressive $25 million art collection on-site, which makes this a great the trip for art lovers. Best of all, the resort is only 9 miles from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and car service is available.
- TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, St. Pete Beach, Fla. — If your family is hoping to say goodbye to summer beachside, this is the place to do it. Tampa International Airport and St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport are both only about 30 minutes away from this gorgeous locale. The resort recently underwent a $20 million renovation, making it better than ever. It offers plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained, including pool-side movies, a pirate show, and even programs that promise to be autism-friendly. The beach was recently named one of the top 10 best in the country by Parents magazine, so this has all the makings for amazing Labor Day memories.
- Otesaga Resort Hotel, Cooperstown, N.Y. — More interested in a getaway for two? Check out this resort nestled near the picturesque village of Cooperstown dubbed “America’s Most Perfect Village.” The hotel offers an ideal setting to relax and reconnect with your significant other. And check out the chef’s special Friday night dinners, which offer the freshest seafood fare. There is also music and dancing in the Templeton Lounge every Thursday through Saturday. If you can tear yourself away from the beautiful grounds of the resort, Cooperstown is also the home to the Baseball Hall of Fame. To get here, you can fly into one of the many small airports in the area, or if you’re interested in a longer scenic drive, then the Albany airport is about an hour and a half away.
These destinations offer plenty to do over the holiday weekend, and you won’t have to fight the crowds to get there. If you end up enjoying one of these great destinations, we’d love to hear about it.
You work hard, so celebrate this three-day weekend in style. Enjoy stress-free travel by staying off the roads and in your jet. Have a great holiday!
Businesspeople spend a lot of time traveling. It’s important to make that time as comfortable and healthy as possible. Cabin humidity contributes to passengers’ comfort level in flight.
The typical humidity of a business jet cabin is less than 5%, resulting in fatigue and jet lag, dehydration, and degraded immune function. And for passengers with respiratory issues, low-humidity environments can be dangerous.
To address the need for balanced humidity levels onboard, cabin humidification specialists CTT Systems create products that focus on safe humidity levels for aircraft and passengers.
The Cair System™ boosts the relative humidity in the cabin to around 20% — a huge benefit for aircraft passengers. CTT supplies these systems to aircraft manufacturers for installation during production of new aircraft and to airlines for existing fleets.
Currently, Cair is available for large aircraft, specifically Boeing and Airbus jetliners. However, the private jet market is an important sector for CTT Systems. According to Flightglobal, within the next two years, the company hopes to have a downsized humidification system available for more mainstream aircraft.
This is good news for private jet owners. People use their business aircraft frequently and to travel long distances. With so much time spent in the air, a higher-humidity environment will improve passengers’ wellbeing during and after their flights.
With solutions that increase passenger wellness, contribute to a better environment, and improve airline economy, it’s no surprise that CTT Systems is growing. Keep an eye out for the company’s future improvements to its humidification systems; it’s likely that business jet owners will be breathing easy in no time.
