Every vacation doesn’t have to be luxurious, but sometimes you want to go all out and spare no expense to make a trip as memorable as possible. Be prepared to spend much more than you would on a regular trip if your goal is to live in the lap of luxury for the duration of your holiday.
There are many ways to make a vacation feel more luxurious without spending a lot, so if you’re willing to actually dip into your savings and splurge, you’ll find that there’s no shortage of luxury travel accommodations to satisfy your desire to spend.
With that said, here are the top 10 ways you can make any vacation more luxurious:
#1. Rent a Private Jet
You might think that private jet rental prices are out of your price range, but they’ve come down a little bit in recent years. There are many companies that will let you book a private jet flight online at a relatively low cost and with minimal hassle. For example, Paramount Business Jets provides private jet charter rental services through a convenient online interface that lets you compare private jet hire prices just the same as you would compare commercial flight ticket costs on a typical airline site. Be prepared to pay thousands per hour to fly with such privilege and privacy, but compared to first class, private jet charter prices are not unreasonable at all.
#2. Choose the Right Resort
Of course, your experience will only be as great as the hospitality venue that you choose to stay at. Be sure to take your time comparing all of the luxury resort options in the area you’ll be visiting. Upgrading from a 4-star hotel room to a 5-star penthouse suite will be no cheap feat, but it will provide the opulent atmosphere needed to have a vacation fit for a king or queen. Alternatively, you could go the natural luxury route and opt for a more secluded and rural resort that has fewer amenities. Sometimes, excellent scenery is all you need to boost the luxuriousness of a vacation, which brings us to our next point.
#3. Increase the Sightseeing
People often tend to box themselves into a situation where luxury can only mean spending money. We think we need to eat at a fancy restaurant, shop at a mall, or stay at the finest hotel in the city to experience luxury. However, a truly luxurious vacation will need to have plenty of time set aside for taking in the scenery. After all, what’s the point of traveling to an exotic destination if you’re just going to bounce from building to building without seeing the true natural beauty of the place?
#4. Hire a Photographer
Sure, you could just use your smartphone’s excellent camera or bring an actual camera for your own photography fun, but that won’t be nearly as luxurious as having a photographer on standby to help you take the most stunning shots possible. Having an extra hand around who knows how to take great pictures will make it easier for you to take long-distance portrait pictures that couldn’t be easily done with a standard selfie stick or camera countdown feature. Let’s face it, if you want to feel like a royal for the duration of your vacation, you’re going to need plenty of hired help.
#5. Book A Private Tour Guide
Sure, you could cram yourself onto a bus with a bunch of other people and pay for a public tour guide, but the reduced cost will come with the trade-off of being crowded and having a generally impersonal experience. If you really want to feel like royalty on your vacation, why not hire a private tour guide to accompany you at certain points in your trip? This gives you the added benefit of bringing another personality to the table for socialization, while also providing their knowledge and expertise.
#6. Do Your Own Travel Planning
You can save a bit of money and have greater control over your itinerary by doing your own travel planning. While that may make the time leading up to the vacation a less convenient process, once you arrive at your destination, you’ll have a more hands-on understanding of where you’ll be going and how much everything will cost. Managing your own trip schedule also gives you the liberty of throwing in spontaneous changes and additions to your agenda as you see fit.
#7. Hire Musical Services
Picture an evening at a 5-star restaurant with your significant other accompanied by a surprise visit from a local band or musician. Bespoke musical services can add a layer of luxury to any environment, whether you’re enjoying a romantic meal or just admiring an amazing sunset with your toes in the sand. Having good live music on standby is something that everyone can’t say they’ve done. Furthermore, the element of surprise really tends to generate smiles when people show up and suddenly start playing beautiful music.
#8. Rent a Luxury Vehicle
You can’t really feel like you’re having the most luxurious time when you’re relying on public transportation systems and taxi cabs. Consider renting a luxury vehicle so you can have the freedom of moving about as you please without sharing your space with strangers. There are plenty of options available in this regard, so you should have no problem finding a vehicle that suits your needs and preferences. You could also rent a larger vehicle like a van or shuttle that will be able to accommodate your full group and all the hired help as well.
#9. Schedule an Exciting Activity
Luxury isn’t always about buying an item or paying for a service – sometimes it’s just about having as much fun as you possibly can. After all, what’s the point in shelling out thousands if you’re not going to be having the time of your life in the process? Take a look at some of the fun activities that the area has to offer, such as zip lining, parasailing, or jet skiing, for example.
#10. Buy Local Souvenirs
Souvenirs can be inexpensive, but they still carry an air of luxury to them because of their sentimental value. Furthermore, the amount of craft and effort put into the creation of many souvenirs often makes them completely unique and rare artefacts that will serve as a long-standing representation of your journey for years to come. If you really want to go back home feeling like you left no stone unturned, you’ll need to get some souvenirs before you leave.
Luxury Isn’t Always Expensive
By definition, we tend to think of luxury as being a description of material value. In reality, the term luxury can just as easily describe an experience or a feeling that a place gives you. If you’re trying to make the most of your trip budget and you can’t reasonably afford to do all ten of the recommendations above, try starting with a couple of the less expensive tips and go from there.
Plus, many of the products and services that you might think are out of your price range have actually become more affordable in recent years as competition in all travel-related industries has increased. Thus, don’t be afraid to go the extra mile when considering things you may do or buy on your trip.
