Travel & Adventure
Places to go and new modes of getting there for the intrepid globetrotter.
By Mark Ellwood
The 10-day TCS World Charter Mountains of the American West itinerary by private plane includes stays at top accommodations like Amangiri in the Utah desert and Dunton Hot Springs deep in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. Fish for native trout in pure streams, water ski and wakeboard at Lake Powell, or try via ferrata climbing outside Telluride. Contact Luxury Card Concierge® for exclusive details. From $49,900/person; tcsworldtravel.com
With no expiration date or repositioning fees and available in increments from 15 to 100 hours, the Nicholas Air Blue Jet Card is the ideal way to gift a private-plane-to-anywhere experience. The Mississippi-based company founded in the 1990s is a pioneer of the fractional jet concept. Contact Luxury Card Concierge® for exclusive details on a $6,500 account credit for first-time Blue Jet Card purchases. nicholasair.com
Book an extreme backcountry ski package with Eleven Experience in the adventure travel operator’s flagship Scarp Ridge Lodge in Colorado. Guests will have exclusive access to nearby cat skiing haven Mount Irwin, with more than 1,000 skiable acres and terrain ranging from bunny slopes to black diamonds. $15,700/10 guests/night, all-inclusive; elevenexperience.com
The fastest motorcycle on the market, the Ducati Superleggera V4 rides like a racing bike made for the street with its carbon-fiber frame, swing arm, and rims. Biplane wings much like the MotoGP maximize aerodynamics so the compact powerhouse can generate 234 hp and a dry weight of 350 pounds, offering a record-breaking ratio of 0.66 hp per pound. Just 500 units are available worldwide. $100,000; ducati.com
Take a surfing lesson with Big Wave World Champion Makua Rothman. This package with the new ESPACIO hotel in Waikiki includes transport to a secret beach on the island and a one-on-one, half-day surf session as well as a three-night stay in a suite and dinner with Rothman on the resort’s roof at sunset. From $19,620; aquaaston.com
The Triton 7500/3 personal submersible can travel more leagues under the sea than any other acrylic-pressure-hull sub thanks to a proprietary plastic that makes it both tougher and clearer than any rival models. Up to three people can go down at a time to watch elusive ocean animals living at depths of 7,500 feet. Price on application; tritonsubs.com
The new Inspirato Pass is like Rent the Runway for vacations. Without paying additional fees, subscribers may travel as often and as spontaneously as they like (up to 48 hours before departure) to the company’s international portfolio of vacation homes, partner hotels and resorts, and experiences like safaris. $2,500/month; inspirato.com
With the Elewana SkySafari Private Plane experience you’ll commute between camps in East Africa in a nine-seat executive class Cessna Caravan. It’s convenient and adds COVID-19-era security while visiting either the best of Tanzania (Mount Kilimanjaro, the Great Migration, the Ngorongoro crater) or Kenya (the Loisaba Conservancy, the Elephant Corridor). From $12,865/couple/seven nights; skysafari.com
With the 2021 launch of its eco-friendly electric polar ship the Ponant Le Commandant-Charcot, the French cruise ship operator will be able to cut through ice floes up to 7 feet thick and sail to more isolated spots. One itinerary follows the same route as the ship’s namesake, Jean-Baptiste Charcot, who explored Antarctica’s icy waters in 1909. Optional excursions include balloon rides, polar dives, and expeditions aboard mini hovercrafts. From $13,930/person; us.ponant.com
Zero Halliburton’s light, aluminum cases launched in the 1930s and subsequently kept moon rocks safe en route back to earth in 1959. Having just undergone a radical design upgrade, the Zero Halliburton Pursuit Aluminum Continental Carry-On Case features new high-tech details, including Y-shaped corner caps to better brace the sides for impact, a chassis system that keeps the wheeled cases off the ground, and an easy-grip handle for smoother retrieval from overhead compartments. $945; zerohalliburton.com