6 lavish ways ultra-wealthy travellers say ‘I love you’
Elite travel agents reveal some luxurious romantic requests – such as booking the Tower of London – where ‘literally anything is possible with money’
The Taj Mahal was built as a love letter.
Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631 to honour his teenage bride, who had died in childbirth, its construction involved the work of 22,000 labourers and a thousand elephants.
The Indian monument still stands as perhaps the world’s greatest display of affection.
To which we say, game on.
While today’s ultra-wealthy may not be commissioning timeless monuments to show how much they love their spouses, they are producing extravagant epics in the form of over-the-top, hyper-personalised holidays.
In conversations with a half-dozen travel agents and celebrity-event producers who specialise in destination weddings, honeymoons and celebration trips, one thing became clear: you can create a private, romantic experience for your loved one anywhere under the sun – even in the Pope’s private garden – if you’re willing to pay for it.
When you look at some of the great stuff being done in our industry, it’s all about privatising something … Literally anything is possible with money
“When you look at some of the great stuff being done in our industry, it’s all about privatising something,” says Harlan DeBell, who runs the award-winning, honeymoon-focused agency the Travel Siblings, with his sister, Kara.
(The company’s tagline is: “Luxury travel for the fabulous.”)
“Any museum or any store – it could be Louis Vuitton or Baccarat or the Musée d’Orsay, you name it – can be turned into a setting for a private dinner,” he says.