The type of epic journey you’d only embark upon once in a lifetime, combining all the places you’ve kept stashed away in your mind for “someday”.
Planning a round-the-world trip is not for the faint-hearted. It takes hours and hours of meticulous planning and organisation. We know because we were recently asked to plan this type of explorative adventure for a Nota Bene client taking a year-long sabbatical to see the world. In the greatest of comfort, I might add.
How does this look? Well, there are myriad variations, depending on personal interests and preferences, but here’s an outline:
Starting in New York City, the first stop is Mexico City, followed by Panama City with its unique mix of colonial and high-rise buildings, around a large bay on the Pacific Ocean. Cartagena is next on the list – easy on the eye with its pastel-coloured buildings and turquoise Caribbean sea.
Journey south from Chile’s capital city of Santiago, and embark on the ultimate adrenalin-filled expedition, setting sail from Ushuaia for Antarctica where the sheer sense of space and remoteness is simply mind-blowing.
Explore two of South America’s most exciting cities, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, before flying to Cape Town. Take in the wineries and exquisite scenery of the Cape Garden Route, before we take you to Botswana’s Okavango Delta for the ultimate wildlife adventure.
Northwards to Marrakech, one of the world’s most intriguing and contrasting cities, combined with remote desert at the gateway to the Sahara, for traditional music, camel riding, Bedouin culture, and nights under the stars.
A private boat trip on the River Nile, the pulse of Cairo and a visit to Egypt’s astonishing Pyramids, offset by the comparatively gentle pace of Rome with exquisite restaurant choices and help with personal shopping.
Perhaps you’ll coincide with Fashion Week in Paris and we’ll access seats at one of the shows and plan a private visit to Versailles. Spend a few nights at our favourite hotel in London’s regenerated Mayfair neighbourhood and take our advice on all the top art, dining and luxury boutiques in the area.
India’s New Delhi – a juxtaposition of old and new, explosion of colour, first-rate hotel and dining experiences, ancient monuments, yoga, and rickshaw rides through the old part of the city. Onwards to the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, on the Himalayas’ eastern edge, with its range of valleys, mountains and plains.
See the highlights of Cambodia, including the temples of Angkor Wat, Hong Kong, Shanghai and the Great Wall of China.
The futuristic architecture of Tokyo awaits, with its neon lights, unique urban design, superb city hotels and dining experiences. Then, fly on to Sydney for seats at the Opera House and a day trip by helicopter to the Blue Mountains. Take in the highlights of New Zealand’s islands, North and South, with their other-worldly scenery and endless opportunities for sailing, hiking, heli-skiing and exploring remote wilderness terrain.
The journey winds down with rest and relaxation in French Polynesia, before concluding in Los Angeles via Hawaii.
We’ve managed to summarise this in a few hundred words. But while it might look simple on paper, the effort that goes into a trip like this is monumental. There are very few travel services that can undertake such a task with genuine knowledge, passion and aptitude. If this type of one-off travel odyssey is something you’re considering, please SCHEDULE A CALL with me directly.