Antarctica or the Amazon? Tailor-made travel eclipsing luxury package tours

A refined and bespoke approach has replaced opulent and brash five-star hotels on the well-trodden tourist path, which inevitably would have included an expensive trophy from a high-end shopping mall.

Today, a trip to Antarctica or a night in a private castle in Germany is associated with the kind of privilege once attached to products such as a Birkin bag or a Rolex watch. These experiences are quickly surpassing fashion items and the status they once represented, and travellers are increasingly favouring intimate and enriching experiences.

“Luxury travel has often been seen (especially in the past) to be about lavish service, huge rooms and massive facilities,” says Alex Malcolm, founder of Jacada Travel. “What we’re seeing now is that people find the greatest reward in authentic experiences that reconnect them with the world. Travel is about so much more than just smooth arrangements and fancy hotels. You’re crafting the most important experiences in people’s lives, the time they spend their life working for.”

Malcolm started Jacada Travel when he was living in Rio de Janeiro. He wanted to give travellers more of an insider’s take on a destination, just as he did when friends and family visited him in Rio. His company has offices in Hong Kong, London and Cape Town.