From deep sea expeditions to interstellar hotels, the ultra-high-net-worth market is
looking for travel experiences that are more immersive, more challenging and more meaningful than ever before
BY ALICE CAIRNS
Floating holiday home
All aboard Njord, the world’s largest residential private superyacht. With 117 luxury residences, this floating community of like-minded travellers will journey to some of the most remote corners of the globe, from ice floes and jungles to seaside cities and phosphorescent shores. A roster of experts will be welcomed on board to give talks about the culture, flora and fauna of each location, and a concierge will arrange tailor-made expeditions to shore.
The boat itself will be equipped with every luxury. The residences, designed by FM Architettura, will boast breath-taking ocean views, walk-in-closets and palatial open-plan living spaces. Co-founder Luca Boldrini explains “we didn’t want to create impersonal hotel rooms: we wanted to create real homes that would tell the story of the residents living there.” The yacht will also come equipped with two submarines, jet skis, private wine cellars and an extensive wellness centre and spa.
But Njord is more than just a pleasure boat. The yacht will also feature the latest green technologies, as well as a fully equipped oceanographic research laboratory. Njord’s developers, the Mayfair-based Ocean Residences Development Ltd., hope that their experiences on Njord will inspire residents with philanthropic urgency.
“As residents travel the globe, they are united in a philanthropic purpose, creating positive change where it matters most” says Kristian Stensby, founder and CEO. “They will explore the planet, enjoy it in all its glory, and at the same time, they may want to give something back.”
Shoot for the stars
Want a holiday that’s literally out of this world? According to Geordie Mackay-Lewis, CEO of space mission management company Stellar Frontiers, that dream could become a reality – and sooner than you’d think.
“Space travel will become just as commercial as the airline industry within our lifetimes” Geordie says. “I have no doubt that we’ll see a hotel brand in space in the near future.”
Stellar Frontiers works with commercial spaceflight companies to arrange private citizen space exploration, handling everything from astronaut training to your choice of spacecraft. Trips are tailor-made to suit each client, and can include entering low orbit, spending 10 days on the International Space Station, experiencing a space walk, and even embarking on a circumlunar trip.
Stellar Frontiers also offers some earthbound experiences for space enthusiasts who aren’t quite ready to enter orbit, including a three-day astronaut orientation experience and a more intensive training programme at Star City in Russia. You’ll meet inspiring astronauts, stay in a five-star hotel, eat space food designed by a Michelin starred team, and spend nights stargazing alongside expert astronomers.
“We want to make training luxurious, and also quite fun” Geordie explains. “Our aim is to make space simple – it may be rocket science, but it’s far more accessible than some people might imagine!”
And Stellar Frontiers also has a philanthropic mission. It works exclusively with clients who wish to positively impact the planet, whether that’s through scientific research, donations or education. All travellers will take part in a personalised mission planning programme which will help them to streamline their mission purpose, in an attempt to harness the existential revelations promised by space travel. Geordie says “everyone who goes into space returns determined to do good here on earth – which is all the more reason why we should be sending as many people into space as possible. We want to harness this extraordinary experience to change the world for the better.”
Floating holiday home
All aboard Njord, the world’s largest residential private superyacht. With 117 luxury residences, this floating community of like-minded travellers will journey to some of the most remote corners of the globe, from ice floes and jungles to seaside cities and phosphorescent shores. A roster of experts will be welcomed on board to give talks about the culture, flora and fauna of each location, and a concierge will arrange tailor-made expeditions to shore.
The boat itself will be equipped with every luxury. The residences, designed by FM Architettura, will boast breath-taking ocean views, walk-in-closets and palatial open-plan living spaces. Co-founder Luca Boldrini explains “we didn’t want to create impersonal hotel rooms: we wanted to create real homes that would tell the story of the residents living there.” The yacht will also come equipped with two submarines, jet skis, private wine cellars and an extensive wellness centre and spa.
But Njord is more than just a pleasure boat. The yacht will also feature the latest green technologies, as well as a fully equipped oceanographic research laboratory. Njord’s developers, the Mayfair-based Ocean Residences Development Ltd., hope that their experiences on Njord will inspire residents with philanthropic urgency.
“As residents travel the globe, they are united in a philanthropic purpose, creating positive change where it matters most” says Kristian Stensby, founder and CEO. “They will explore the planet, enjoy it in all its glory, and at the same time, they may want to give something back.”
Shoot for the stars
Want a holiday that’s literally out of this world? According to Geordie Mackay-Lewis, CEO of space mission management company Stellar Frontiers, that dream could become a reality – and sooner than you’d think.
“Space travel will become just as commercial as the airline industry within our lifetimes” Geordie says. “I have no doubt that we’ll see a hotel brand in space in the near future.”
Stellar Frontiers works with commercial spaceflight companies to arrange private citizen space exploration, handling everything from astronaut training to your choice of spacecraft. Trips are tailor-made to suit each client, and can include entering low orbit, spending 10 days on the International Space Station, experiencing a space walk, and even embarking on a circumlunar trip.
Stellar Frontiers also offers some earthbound experiences for space enthusiasts who aren’t quite ready to enter orbit, including a three-day astronaut orientation experience and a more intensive training programme at Star City in Russia. You’ll meet inspiring astronauts, stay in a five-star hotel, eat space food designed by a Michelin starred team, and spend nights stargazing alongside expert astronomers.
“We want to make training luxurious, and also quite fun” Geordie explains. “Our aim is to make space simple – it may be rocket science, but it’s far more accessible than some people might imagine!”
And Stellar Frontiers also has a philanthropic mission. It works exclusively with clients who wish to positively impact the planet, whether that’s through scientific research, donations or education. All travellers will take part in a personalised mission planning programme which will help them to streamline their mission purpose, in an attempt to harness the existential revelations promised by space travel. Geordie says “everyone who goes into space returns determined to do good here on earth – which is all the more reason why we should be sending as many people into space as possible. We want to harness this extraordinary experience to change the world for the better.”
In brief…
A jet for explorers
Lufthansa Technik has unveiled the Airbus A300 Explorer, a private jet that’s inspired by explorer yachts. The jet is big enough for up to 12 passengers, can travel long distances without the need to refuel, and will double as a comfortable base camp when you arrive at your destination.
Travellers can immerse themselves in remote locations with drinks on the retractable veranda, before retiring to a luxurious interior which includes guest bedrooms, a dining room, conference rooms and a wellness centre.
There’s also a top-of-the-range projection system which will allow passengers to customise the ceiling of the jet, choosing from day to night skies, immersive underwater scenes, or even disco balls.
Underwater adventures
A lucky group of ‘citizen scientists’ will have the opportunity to join a deep-sea mission to the wreck of the RMS Titanic (which only 250 people have seen in person since it was discovered in 1985). OceanGate Expeditions has launched an annual mission which sees a crew of archaeologists, marine biologists and Titanic experts study and document the wreck – alongside a limited number of additional crew members, who will receive intensive training so that they can take a hands-on role in the expedition. The submersible will capture ultra-high-resolution images of the site, creating an invaluable record of its state of decay and the marine life which surrounds it.
Pristine polar landscapes
Lovers of remote travel should know about Quark Expeditions, which specialises in trips to the polar regions. Quark’s fleet of luxurious small ships will transport travellers to hard-to-reach corners of the Arctic and Antarctic, where they can enjoy unique experiences including helicopter trips to glacial lakes, visits to penguin rookeries and polar plunges in the icy waters surrounding the North Pole. Each expedition will be led by a team of wildlife experts, glaciologists and conservationists, while ‘scientists in residence’ will join the trip to conduct research and share their knowledge with guests. Quark Expeditions is also committed to sustainability, running regular onboard auctions to raise money for polar environmental research.
