Why ultra-rich travellers are splurging on extreme experiences, from exotic trips to the Arctic Circle or African safaris, to dropping US$300,000 on an opera show

Oct 27 , 2022

Fancy resorts aren’t enough for today’s ultra-rich travellers, who are seeking out more and more extreme experiences. Photo: @scottdunn_travel/Instagram

Luxury travel planners like Scott Dunn Private and Women’s Adventure Travels have noticed an uptick in ultra-extravagant bookings, with Singita being particularly popular

An American Express travel report shows that travellers are prioritising dream holidays, with one man spending US$300,000 to watch Andrea Bocelli for just 30 minutes

Luxury travel planners say their clients are seeking more extreme experiences than pre-pandemic times, with hard-to-access places like the Arctic Circle and Galapagos Islands topping bucket-list travel hotspots. This pent-up demand and newly acquired wealth are pushing some travellers to go all out, even as the economy sours.

Safari operator Singita houses properties across Africa, with some rooms costing up to US$18,880 a night, sleeping 10 people. Photo: @singita_/Instagram

The pandemic was a boon for the already well-off, with the top one per cent of Americans adding around US$4 trillion to their wealth in 2020. It’s no wonder, then, that many of the financially elite are undeterred in their spending on high-flying opportunities even as a recession threatens the economy.

These well-off wanderlusters have helped create a travel industry boom, with pent-up demand pushing bucket-list travel into this year’s shoulder seasons. And the most spendy of globetrotters are going all out – perhaps even more than usual – to ensure an unforgettable holiday.

Rock House is located in the Caribbean islands’ Turks and Caicos. Photo: @rockhouseresort/Instagram

Take one East Coast big spender who flew 20 of his closest friends to Rock House, a US$655-plus per night hotel in the Caribbean island chain Turks and Caicos, for an all-expenses-paid long weekend over the summer. Throughout the four days, top-shelf liquor and US$600 bottles of wine flowed freely. He paid US$120,000 to the resort alone, said Nikheel Advani, the COO of Rock House’s owner, Grace Bay Resorts.

Rock House opened in May with 46 oceanfront, villa-style accommodations.

Grace Bay Resorts is a developer with properties across the Turks and Caicos islands. Photo: @gracebayresorts/Instagram

Then there’s the man who, as an anniversary surprise for his wife, planned to book a private palazzo in Venice for a performance by opera legend Andrea Bocelli at the cost of about US$300,000 for a half-hour, and then jet to the Dolomite mountains for a romantic picnic. (The grand plans were foiled by a bout of Covid-19, said the trip’s organiser, Jules Maury, who works for Scott Dunn Private, an ultra-exclusive, invite-only arm of a United Kingdom-based luxury-travel company.)