We are talking about trips to places that are actually only accessible to people with very high incomes.
Super-rich people often go to St. Barthelemy or Chalet Aspen for the Christmas holidays, rather than relax “at home on the couch.” According to Business Insider, at the end of the year, rich people around the world travel en masse on private planes and superyachts, choosing the most expensive and most closed destinations. This often happens in the company of the same billionaires.
“These are trips to places that are actually only accessible to people with very high incomes,” Winston Chesterfield, founder of the consulting company Barton, told Business Insider. According to him, wealthy clients are looking for private resorts that are far away from the rest of the world.
The Caribbean and Saint Barth are a magnet for superyachts
Many of the world’s largest yachts have already set sail for warmer waters. Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht, the Launchpad, is currently located in the Gulf of California near Cabo San Lucas. In the Caribbean, Jeff Bezos’s Koru, David Geffen’s Rising Sun, and Eric Schmidt’s Whisper are also present. Business Insider predicts that upon their arrival, many of these yachts will head to Saint Bart’s to celebrate the New Year.
“I always say, if you want to feel the sand under your feet and eat a croissant like you’re in Paris, go to Saint Barth,” said Elizabeth Brown, Director of Customer Service at the elite Knightsbridge Circle concierge service.
Those who don’t stay on yachts can pay more than $7,000 per night for a room or tens of thousands for a suite at hotels like Eden Rock or Cheval Blanc, both owned by billionaire Bernard Arnault’s LVMH group. The high price is part of the appeal.
“This is not a mass market at all. You can only get in if you’re really very rich,” Chesterfield said.
The Alps and Aspen are a great choice for winter enthusiasts
Other members of the ultra-rich elite, on the other hand, choose to spend their winter vacations in the mountains.
“Holidays in the mountains are even more of an escape from the mundane than even trips to private islands,” says Chesterfield.
In Europe, these are primarily the Alps: Gstaad, St. Moritz, Courchevel and Val d’Isère. Real estate prices there continue to rise. According to Knight Frank, a square meter in Gstaad can cost up to 47,300 euros.
In the United States, Aspen, Vail, and Carbondale in Colorado are among the favorites. According to Altrata, Aspen has the highest concentration of homeowners with a net worth of more than \$30 million in the United States and the second-highest in the world, after Monaco.
Among the owners of second or third homes near the resort are hedge fund mogul Ken Griffin, Walmart heir Rob Walton, and businessman Charles Koch. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos are also frequent guests.
“It’s as close as possible to the European après-ski culture,” says Brown, ” Great mountains, great skiing, top hotels and restaurants.”
Aspen has a restaurant by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Gucci and Prada boutiques, and private clubs Casa Tua and Caribou Club – all to make the ultra-rich feel at home. However, the main attraction is skiing: it is the sport that is the number one interest among Aspen’s ultra-wealthy homeowners.
Spiritual travel instead of resorts
However, not everyone chooses beaches or slopes. Some of the millionaires and billionaires go on “inland trips”.
“They’re going on psychedelic retreats,” said Charlie Garcia, founder of the private club for centimillions, R360, recalling trips to Peru or Costa Rica.
Perhaps, he muses ironically, it is this kind of “herbal medicine” that helps families get along better during the holidays.