GLOBETROTTING

By TM The Luxury The Luxury Traveler Traveler

Who is the luxury traveler? In my conversations with families over the years planning experiences and balancing budgets for vacationing, the subject of luxury always comes up. Many people think that luxury travel means expensive travel; this is not necessarily so. What does luxury mean to you? For many it means paying a premium price for an exclusive experience. Others have interesting outliers that influence their decisions on where to stay, who to stay with and how much of an investment constitutes a “luxury” experience.

Over the years I have been able to identify some characteristics that help me create the perfect experience for my travelers. It is a match making of sorts creating experiences that then are talked about in families for a lifetime, and it is an important part of my job to correctly understand what each client wants. These are my four types of vacations, all different and all luxury. The Exclusive: If you want the best of travel, and every aspect of the experience must be both unique and well-appointed, this might be you. Exclusives want to be in isolation with extra pampering and private experiences. They demand the best in food, drinks, boating tours and transfers. They want to be with those who think the way they do and have high expectations for their accommodations and specific locations at the resort. They are affluent in real time and are not interested in showing that off but rather desire to be with others of the same status. The Status Seeker: If you know a guy who knows a guy who went to a particular place that “everybody who is anybody” goes, this might be you. Status seekers want to be seen and be able to brag about where they are vacationing. They are brand conscious, and they value appearance for appearances sake. If a travel expert told them about the new “it” destination, they would hop on that plane as fast as they could pack their bags. They spend what they earn and are not necessarily wealthy.

The Bargain Hunter: If you want to go someplace that is expensive, they better be giving away some extra “stuff!” These travelers are keen on what is quality, having scoured the internet for every price drop, and they demand high value for their money. They will never pay full price for a vacation. Many of these people always forget that using a travel agent costs them nothing and are disappointed to realize that they could have gotten even more value for their money by leaving the hunting to the experts in the industry.

The Experienced: If you have already traveled the world and know what brands you best identify with and are now seeking an adventure, this might be you. Having already experienced glitz and glam, these guys are wanting an authentic experience that in many instances involves a philanthropic component. They have specific goals for their experiences and are willing to pay only if the adventure meets their criteria.

As you can see, there are many characteristics with the luxury traveler. There are zillions of places to stay in this beautiful world and with only a handful of opportunities to experience a vacation, it’s very important to properly match budgets and motivations to create the perfect vacation for everyone.