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“The traveller was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes ‘sightseeing’,” once said Daniel Joseph Boorstin, American historian, Pulitzer Prize winner and 12th Librarian of the United States Congress.

Today, everyone would rather be a traveller and experience things only reserved for a select few. And of the thousands of tour companies out there, those that offer top-of-the-line VIP services are a minority.

These modern luxury-travel curators belong to a species that has quietly but surely reached our shores, as demand for the inaccessible continues to be insatiable. These are providers with perspicacity, to whom the privileged turn to when in need of expert-led, once-in-a-lifetime world itineraries.

“The definition of luxury travel has really evolved,” says Louen Tang, consultant at bespoke travel specialist Scott Dunn Hong Kong. “It used to mean flying first class and staying in expensive six-star hotels.”

The company makes all manner of things possible: shutting down a pyramid in Egypt; hosting a private dinner for a special guest; or organising a wedding ceremony in a hot-air balloon over the Masai Mara plains of Kenya.

It has also just launched a brand-new collection of unbeatable, once-in-a-lifetime trips called “Seriously Special – The Experiences”, such as snorkelling between tectonic plates in Iceland, glamping in remote India, and quad-biking on the Makgadikgadi Pans of Botswana.

Such tailor-made expeditions are often sought by those in the 40-50 age bracket, but millennials aren’t far behind. They comprise the largest rising demographic for heavily curated trips that combine uniqueness with adventure, sprinkled with many “wow” Instagrammable moments.