Look, I’m not suggesting I’m Mr. Moneybags here and that I have a bottomless budget to fund my travels, but whenever I go on a trip I make sure to have what would probably be considered quite a bit more than what one needs for the specific trip. That’s really just because I don’t put weeks and weeks of planning into every next trip — it usually all just happens on a whim, often starting out as either Santi or my brother Rory curiously mentioning how they wonder just how a specific place is.
I think I’m one of those guys who would have travelled even back in the days when one couldn’t simply jump online and organise every last aspect of their next trip, you know, those people whom everybody wonders just how they managed to travel back when going through a travel agency was somewhat mandatory?
So between the hostels, backpackers’, camping grounds and dodgy modes of transport one would probably look in and label us as budget travellers, which we gladly transform into once we arrive at the destination. Just because you have a budget of maybe 100 per night for accommodation that doesn’t mean you have to spend the full 100 on an up-scale hotel. The true essence of a place can seldom be found in five star hotels and other elements of travel which are considered to fall under the category of luxury travel. You meet way more ordinary, local folk at say a hostel than a five star joint.
So it can safely be said that I’m more of a budget traveller, but it really helps to have money available in case of emergencies. The downside to being a last-minute packer and a last-minute trip organiser however (although I doubt that’s going to change anytime soon) is that often one finds themselves having to pay a little bit extra than they otherwise would have, had more planning gone into the trip.
But that’s how I stumbled upon the world of luxury travel in that on one occasion the only flight available was a business class flight and on a separate occasion, this one hotel for miles in a certain town only had their upper-scale (pronounced, “expensive”) rooms available.
I’ll tell you now — it’s something else, this world of luxury travel and to a certain extent I understand why it’s mostly the employees of companies under some sort of business deployment who are booked into luxury hotel rooms and fly business class. They don’t need to worry about the many elements of travel which can be a cause for some distress and irritation — they need to arrive in the right frame of mind to essentially just do their job.
So the guy in economy class isn’t necessarily “poorer” than his counterpart flying business class — it’s just a matter of what the trip is all about — are you going on a vacation or are you under some business deployment?
Increasingly, people have started exploring the world of luxury airline travel, sometimes even on a budget. While it was natural in the past for business travel to include business class flights or even private jets sometimes, people going on vacation may now be able to afford flying first class, if bookings are done in advance or during the off-season. In fact, some travelers may even consider getting a jet charter once they find out private jet cost and the best times to book them at lower prices. While it may still cost more than the average economy class flight, traveling in a private jet is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and people want to have the freedom to explore the luxury!
A way to luxury travel but still get the feel of the place you’re visiting is by staying in vacation rentals. Vacation rentals are typically rented out by locals, and therefore you get a real experience of how it would feel to live as a local. These rentals are usually fully decked out however, with all the amenities and comfort of home, plus a little extra to offer that vacation vibe and all with reasonable prices.
I guess that’s what luxury travel is all about — making the process of travelling easier for people who are travelling to work.