Household income: £300,000 – limitless funds

When you can go anywhere, go somewhere that nobody else can get to. That seems to be the mantra of the ultra-rich, who increasingly secure ultimate bragging rights by booking trips to destinations so out-of-the-way that camps have to be set up specifically to host them.

Bespoke travel company Cookson Adventures, which generally organises trips costing upwards of £150,000, is touting remote Greenland, lesser-visited parts of Papua New Guinea and the Yemeni island of Socotra as its top tips for 2024 (although the Foreign Office currently advises against travel to Yemen).

“People are looking for stories,” says

Archie Muir-Mackenzie, its head of projects. “And these are wild, remote places where the story hasn’t yet been told”.

The company sets up its own accommodation on Socotra, “an untouched island with incredible landscapes”, according to Muir-Mackenzie. “We’ve got two camps there, one on the coastline and one in the dragon blood tree forest. It’s really opened up the destination. It’s very logistically heavy and you need to have experts on the ground to be able to be immersed in that kind of place. Before you could only be in very traditional homestays or wild camping.”

There’s also a shift back to wellness holidays. In 2023, Cookson sent a group to a remote part of Iceland for “a fitness-focused, outdoorsy adventure”, says Muir-Mackenzie. “We’ve got a slightly younger generation of clients coming through who are more interested in longevity and maintaining fitness. They might be joined by a personal trainer or they might have guides who are very fitness-orientated.”

Looking after yourself extends to upgrading your aircraft too. “The average spend is going up as people use private jets or planes to cut down on excessive trave,” says Jules Maury of Scott Dunn Private.

Meanwhile, Greece will be the destination of choice for those with kids, according to Maury. “It has a few surprises, but the two new One&Only properties in particular have loads of facilities for families.” Set in Athens and on the nearby island of Kéa, these resorts will bring a dose of extreme polish to the region. The former comes with mid-century inspired bungalows and sprawling villas and offers the chance for guests to try their hand at leather sandal or jewellery making. There’s also a treehouse village kids’ club.

WHAT TO BOOK

For couples: Take to the skies on a 13-night private jet tour around the Mediterranean’s starriest spots, including Croatia, Monaco and the Italian Riviera. Abercrombie & Kent’s itinerary costs from a cool £30,809pp (abercrombiekent.co.uk).

For families: Spend May half-term exploring Athens with One&Only Aesthesis as a base (oneandonlyresorts. com). A week starts from £43,720 for two adults and two children when booked direct (rooms cost from £715 per night at other times).

For solos: Cookson’s solo trips are price on application affairs, starting from around £50,000. Among the trips it can arrange are travels along the Silk Road and conservation adventures in Africa (cooksonadventures.com).

i ‘When you can go anywhere, go somewhere that nobody else can get to’ seems to be the mantra of the ultra-rich traveller