Private jet holidays offer exciting adventures and true luxury

The gulf between travelling in economy class and first class on a regularly scheduled flight is immense. But even the luxuries taken for granted in an airline’s premier cabin pale in comparison with a tailor-made journey that circumnavigates the globe in constant five-star luxury aboard a state-of-the-art aircraft with an on-board chef and travel adviser, stopping in some of the world’s most iconic destinations.

This is truly travelling in style.

There are essentially two ways of travelling in such opulence, each with its advantages over the other. One option is to own, share ownership of, or hire a private aircraft, giving the traveller almost unlimited freedom, while the alternative is to join one of a growing number of tours offering around-the-world-by-private-jet experiences.

The one thing that they have in common is that they do require the traveller to be wealthy.

Abercrombie & Kent was one of the pioneers of private jet journeys, introducing the first Royal Air Tour in 1989 and stopping off at Honolulu, Bora-Bora, Australia, Bali, Hong Kong, China, India, Kenya, Egypt and England over a period of 35 days. Today, most its guests are professionals or entrepreneurs aged between 50 and 70 and “with an intense curiosity about the world”, says Geoffrey Kent, founder of the company.

The company is also seeing increasing interest in its journeys from “affluent Chinese travellers who enjoy their high-flying luxury lifestyle”, Kent says. High on their list of must-visit destinations are island escapes in southeast Asia, [and] Japan for “quality time with their families”, and Europe for fashion shows, garden parties and private viewings, he adds.

For many, the opportunity to mix with people with similar interests is often the reason they take one of these journeys because, as Kent points out, they are sufficiently wealthy to have their own aircraft.