Elite Traveler Summer 2024

LEADERS IN LUXURY TRAVEL

Broaden the mind

PONANT Founded in 1988 by French merchant marine o ffi cers, Ponant’s ‘Explore to Inspire’ motto is centered around travel to better understand, learn, share and protect. The operator’s expedition cruises are renowned for their propensity to combine pioneering specialist-led adventure to remote polar, tropical and subtropical regions with a level of re fi ned French elegance found nowhere else. Often collaborating with the likes of The Explorers Club and Smithsonian Journeys, guests can travel alongside world-leading experts for a deep dive into history, culture or nature — think: the coastal reaches of Belize and Honduras with a manatee conservation expert or circumnavigating Sicily with a detour to ancient Carthage accompanied by a professor of Mediterranean archaeology. Ponant lays claim to the world’s fi rst and only luxury icebreaker: Le Commandant Charcot . The hybrid electric polar exploration ship, which features grand suites and cuisine from legendary chef Alain Ducasse, is also a working research vessel with a laboratory, meteorological station and lecture theater. THE ONE TO BOOK Transarctic, the Quest for the Two North Poles is a 21-day research mission aboard the exploration vessel, tracing the path of the great Italian explorer and aviator Umberto Nobile to the northernmost point on the planet. Inaccessible to traditional ships, it will mark the fi rst-ever voyage along the transarctic maritime route. Setting o ff from the Bering Strait in the far reaches of western Alaska towards Norway’s snow-capped Svalbard via the fabled Beaufort Sea, you will attempt to reach both the elusive Magnetic and Geographic North Poles. Led by acclaimed adventurer Alban Michon and wildlife photographer Cindy Miller Hopkins, you will be joined by a multidisciplinary team of around 20 research scientists carrying out real-time investigations into one of Earth’s most elusive regions. As the ship breaks ice, you can follow their work while immersing yourself in shifting polar ecosystems alongside leading naturalist guides, learning about a world where few have gone before. From $49,990 per person. Contact bookings@ponant.com, +1 888 400 1082, us.ponant.com

It’s no secret that, as a society, we have become hooked on self-improvement. And this was only fueled by the pandemic, which for many was a period of forced introspection. Travel and a quest for personal betterment have long been two sides of the same coin: Yoga retreats in India, medical wellness clinics in Switzerland and strenuous boot camps in the US are now regularly accepted and highly desirable ways to spend our treasured vacation time. With wellness travel already booming pre-pandemic, it well and truly exploded post-lockdown, with a slew of new resorts and companies across the globe all promising the chance for positive self-development in picturesque locations. However, there is an emerging travel trend towards a di ff erent type of self improvement — one that is distinctly more educational and focuses less on the body and more on broadening the mind. Luxury British tour operator Elegant Resorts’s 2024 Luxury Travel Trend Report , created in conjunction with forecasting agency Globetrender and hotel group Kerzner International, noted an uptick in the number of travelers hoping to combine a getaway with learning a new skill or immersing themselves in a new culture. “We are seeing a massive rise in ‘enrichment journeys’ that provide travelers with mind-expanding learning opportunities and connections with local communities, by delving deep into the history and culture of each destination,” says Lisa Fitzell, the group’s managing director. Of course, learning comes in di ff erent forms and can range from the practical, such assur fi ng lessons with a pro or cooking classes with a renowned chef, to something less tangible, like immersing oneself in a society or setting very di ff erent from your own. Though we have yet to see mind-broadening travel adventures dominate the travel market quite like wellness has, a growing number of new and established travel companies are rising to the plate. The fi rmsyou’ll fi nd on the following pages are leaders in the fi eld and work with some of the planet’s most demanding clientele to ensure their voyage of discovery delivers.

by Emma Al-Mousawi