Clients occasionally ask me why I call myself a luxury travel advisor. Do you know the definition of luxury? What defines luxury travel? You may be surprised to learn that the perception of luxury can be different for every traveler. What you consider ordinary, I may consider to be extraordinary. There is a common checklist that most agents use when a traveler requests a luxury vacation. This is what it usually includes: 

  First class flights 
  Butler service 
  Five-star gourmet cuisine 
  Breath-taking views 
  Plush accommodations 
  Champagne and cocktails 

The list of luxury inclusions can be even longer, but to me, luxury is NOT checking off all the items on the luxury list. It is about creating an amazing experience that will be remembered forever. The travel advisor is the creator of the magical memories, whatever they may be. 

Luxury travel might involve exclusive spas around the world and being pampered with spa treatments. It can be resort hopping from one villa to the next in the Caribbean. It could be relaxing on a hotel barge cruise down a scenic canal in France, stopping off in quaint villages along the way to sample wines and cheeses. Or it might be exploring ancient chateaus and castles. Luxury can be a rail tour from Prague to London, dining on gourmet cuisine in an elegant dining car and sipping on Bellinis in the afternoon. Luxury travel could be hiking in a new destination with a porter carrying your pack, who then sets up your tent while your guide cooks your dinner. Or luxury travel could be an African safari where you barely lift a finger except to photograph the wildlife wandering past the front porch of your lodge. It might be a personalized guided tour or a soft adventure like sipping champagne while floating along in a hot air balloon. Luxury travel could also be zipping about on a helicopter tour or zooming down slopes on ski adventures. Luxury can include adventure with lots of action or none at all. 

The travel advisor creates a luxury experience every time they book a client a special experience that means a lot to them. When a traveler has their dreams turned into reality and creates a forever memory, that truly defines luxury. So if you don’t consider yourself to be a luxury traveler, think about these things the next time you contact your travel advisor. What unique experiences would you like to have in your destination? If you can say that your vacation was an extraordinary lifetime experience, you have just taken a luxury vacation!