Kuoni Travel is celebrating its centenary this year with a collection of one-off travel packages that target travellers with a sense of adventure and a large bank balance.
Centenary Journeys is a series of eight 'travel experiences', each of which is limited to 20 people. Packages retrace the footsteps of some of the world's best-known explorers, including Marco Polo, and incorporate luxury travel with nostalgia and, occasionally, ruggedness. The idea is to encourage travellers to rediscover a passion for travel, explore paths less travelled and view famous sites from fresh angles.
'The luxury of travel is in knowing where to go, and not always in the accommodation,' said Kris Van Goethem, general manager of tour operating for Sky Travel, which is owned by Kuoni.
Nevertheless, accommodation at some of the best hotels at each destination is part of the deal, so travellers will always have home comforts at the end of each day.
Adventures in ancient Greece and South America are two trips planned for the coming months. The former is a 10-day trip which departs Hong Kong on September 27. As its name suggests, ancient architecture of Greece features prominently in the trip, which visits the Parthenon, Corinth, Olympia and Delfi.
Highlights include a visit to the Statue of Zeus at Olympia - one of the Seven Wonders of the World - and to Mystra, site of the first Olympic Games. Other stop-offs include a visit to the site of The Holy Trinity in Meteora, a Unesco World Heritage site, and Athens. The trip costs HK$39,198 a
