June 1, 2020
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with travel dates on or after
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with effective start dates on or after
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A butler serves you cocktails and sets up your tent in the middle of the Australian outback. Or, on a trek through Denali National Park, your guide expertly cleans and cooks the salmon you just caught. He even remembers to bring a fresh lemon. That’s how many people define a luxpedition: enjoying comfort in the middle of the wilderness.
There’s more to it, however. Luxury expeditions remove the logistical obstacles to adventure. “A Luxpedition makes even the most challenging journey into the unknown achievable without the inconveniences,” according to the London-based luxury travel firm Brown + Hudson.1 Let’s say you’ve always wanted to explore some of the remote reaches of the Amazon. A luxury expedition might make it possible with a chartered boat, a local captain and an expert guide.
The third facet of luxpeditions is making your wildest travel dreams come true. Maybe you’ve dreamed, since you were a kid, of riding a WWII-era motorcycle across Europe, just like in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Luxury expedition planners can make it happen. (Getting Sean Connery to sit in your sidecar, however, might not be an option.)
Is a luxury expedition on your travel bucket list? Here are some of the possibilities.
Be aware, however, that travel insurance may not cover luxury expeditions if they include foreseeable risks or high-risk activities. Read your plan documents carefully to find out what’s excluded from coverage, and understand that an activity may be excluded even if it’s not specifically named in your plan. Please contact Allianz Global Assistance if you have questions about what’s covered.
Traditional African safaris involve some discomfort. Biting flies, mosquitoes, pit toilets, dust clouds and long, bumpy rides are all par for the course — unless you opt for a luxury safari expedition. To minimize driving and maximize the wildlife you see, consider an air safari. Scenic Air Safaris offers a 13-day journey that carries you more than 1,500 miles, from the Okavango Delta in Botswana to Nairobi, Kenya. Fly over Victoria Falls, see your fill of elephants and lions, and sleep in a gently rocking houseboat on the Chobe River.
Or, if you’d rather stay in one place, check into the exclusive Singita Serengeti House in Tanzania, which hosts no more than eight guests at a time. Head out on a game drive, take a walking safari, or visit the nearby anti-poaching post. Then, relax with a dip in the infinity pool, a spa treatment, and a cocktail on the veranda as you survey the sweeping expanse of the Serengeti.
If your dream is getting face-to-face with a whale or an elephant, a luxury expedition can make it happen. Big Animals Global Expeditions specializes in giving people the chance to see and photograph some of the world’s most awe-inspiring animals. One 16-day expedition takes travelers into the Himalayas near Ladakh, India, to search for the rare snow leopard. (This trip is more adventure than luxe; while you have a guide, sherpas to carry your gear, and staff to bring you lunch and hot drinks while you wait for leopard sightings, you shouldn’t expect any cushy beds or hot baths.)2 Other expeditions let you snorkel with narwhals off Baffin Island; dive with Nile crocodiles in Botswana; and swim with humpback whale mothers and calves in Tonga.
Keep in mind that travel insurance may not cover trips like these, depending on the activities they include. You aren’t covered for any loss that results directly or indirectly from participating in extreme, high-risk sports. Interacting with dangerous wild animals is certainly high-risk, and losses likely would not be covered if an incident were to occur.
What sets a luxury trek apart from a regular hiking expedition? At the end of the day you’ll still have sore feet and a rumbling tummy — but you may also enjoy the services of a massage therapist, a hot shower and a gourmet meal. Some favorite destinations for luxury trekking include the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru; the Torres del Paine in Patagonia; and the Himalayas.
Regular hiking may be covered by travel insurance, but mountain climbing and any other high-altitude or high-risk activities are excluded from coverage.
Dreaming of an expedition to the very edge of human experience? In 2018, luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent announced an adventure like no other: a 12-day journey to the South Pole with company founder Geoffrey Kent. This luxury expedition includes summiting a mountain never before climbed by any human, visiting one of the continent’s largest emperor penguin colonies, exploring ice tunnels and seeing a research station. The best part is, you’ll be cozy! Guests sleep in “luxury space-age pods” and enjoy fine food, wines, and coffee. The price tag: around $185,000.3
If you want to go even farther, Space Adventures is the best-known space tourism company offering private spaceflight experiences. For around $5,000, you can experience a zero-G flight in a modified Boeing 727, which flies in parabolic arcs that create temporary weightlessness in its passengers.4 For quite a lot of money, you can take a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station and live there for 10 days alongside its astronauts.5 And, for the ultimate adventure, Space Adventures is planning a circumlunar mission in the early 2020s: a journey with a professional cosmonaut on a flight around the far side of the moon, including the astonishing sight of an earthrise over the moon’s horizon.
You’ve probably guessed this already, but travel insurance from Allianz Global Assistance does not cover space travel, polar expeditions or other high-risk activities.
A luxury expedition — no matter how well-planned — still involves risk and effort. You’ll have to be in good physical condition and ready to endure tough conditions. While your guides will do their utmost to take care of you, the expedition outfitter won’t pay for emergency medical care, should you need it. That’s why you need travel insurance with emergency medical and dental benefits and emergency medical transportation benefits. Read your plan documents carefully, however, because risky activities — such as caving, mountain climbing, extreme skiing and hang gliding — are not covered.
The OneTrip Premier plan is our recommended option for luxury vacations (maximum trip cost of $100,000.) Need more travel insurance options for a high-value trip? Contact Allianz Global Assistance to talk about the options.
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Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Please see your plan for full details. Benefits/Coverage may vary by state, and sublimits may apply.
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