Malibu made the headlines in the Wall Street Journal, informing readers about “a new boom in Malibu.” Making WSJ news are oceanfront mansion rentals, luring “overseas oligarchs and others” who pay up to $750,000 per month during summer.
At those rates, leaving Malibu for a month or so on a customized cultural cruise, private jet tour or exclusive escorted private tour makes getting away a provocative choice.
Confronting travel privately opens more than a world of customized exploration for intrepid travelers with more on their mind than cookie-cutter cruises and air travel. The Malibu Times took a closer look at a trio of travel opportunities worth considering.
Ponant
Ponant cruises’ collection of unique cruises flies in the face of cruise lines that shuttle passengers (often by the thousands) port to port.
“The one ingredient missing,” Cindy Kjaergaard, a self-styled globetrotter, said, “is the cultural aspect. Casinos and chorus lines do not compensate for world heritage and culture.”
That is where Ponant fills the bill. They are the only ships in their class certified as “clean ships.” A signatory of Charte Bleue d’Armateurs de France and member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operations, their clean ships ply the seven seas with a clear conscience. Case in point is their South Atlantic Collection, including South Africa and the Seychelles. Both cruises focus on culture, visiting age-old Zulu villages and taking African safaris.
From king penguins and black-browed albatross in South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, to the gallant giant tortoises in the Seychelles, this style of travel challenges conventional cruises.
Reserve the owner’s suite on Ponant’s Le Lyrial ($20,770 per person) for 15 nights, April 2-17, 2017, and discover the difference when you cruise with culture on your menu.
ponant.com
Abercrombie & Kent
Abercrombie & Kent, a name well known to ardent travelers, has its own spin on customized tours. This classic tour operator, known for its local connections at destinations, enhances your special interest from musical and artisan connections to culinary and market. It all comes together with a Kenya and Tanzania: On Safari 11-day tour.
Abercrombie & Kent tours are ideal for a family summer vacation. Jackie Prince has traveled with the tour operator for nearly 20 years.
“From the time your representative meets you at the airport, you are on an educational adventure — have your children take notes,” Prince said.
abercrombiekent.com
TCS World Travel
For a blast to the past to Cuba by private jet, check out TCS World Travel for its Oct. 7-27 Cuba and South America tour.
Explore Cuba before the influx of tourism has the chance to eclipse an authentic cultural immersion with a former diplomat serving as your guide. Check out Havana’s iconic vintage cars, well preserved through Cuban mechanical ingenuity.
This offbeat private jet tour checks in at $69,950 per person via TCS customized Boeing 757 aircraft, seating no more than 80 passengers in creative comfort, adding every convenience from an iPad and a Bose noise canceling headset to VIP luggage service and an alluring expedited customs and immigration.
tcsworldtravel.com.
Follow Pamela Price at forbes.com/sites/pamprice.