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Experiential travel has exploded in popularity in recent years. More and more travelers are eschewing the traditional tourist destinations in favor of off-the-beaten track, lesser visited places. Indeed, Expedia's Unpack '25 survey shows 63% of consumers plan to make their next trip a so-called detour destination.
Equally, the allure of lying on a beach or touring the typical sights is fading. Overtourism and overpricing are contributing factors, but so too is the disconnect such vacations typically create. Instead, people are searching out unique, more connected experiences related to people, culture and environment.
For those with deep pockets and big expectations, a new sector is also emerging, promising 'unrepeatable' experiences. Think extraordinary destinations, insider access, exclusive curated experiences that only lots of money can buy. Slowly but surely, these kinds of experiences are reshaping luxury travel.
"More and more, our members are telling us they simply won't queue for hours just to get a glimpse of a famous site, shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of others," explains James Turner, founder of 360 Private Travel and Forbes 2025 Travel Professional of the Year. Instead, ultra-exclusive, insider-only experiences are the new travel currency.
"We've seen demand for these types of experiences quadruple over the past three years. What was once considered rare is now closer to expectation among luxury travellers. It isn't your typical idea of exclusivity, like first-class flights or five-star hotels anymore... [it's] access to places and experiences that feel intimate and genuinely once-in-a-lifetime."
"These experiences represent a fundamental shift in luxury travel, from purchasing comfort to purchasing impossibility. For travelers who can go anywhere, the new luxury is experiencing what others simply can't."
Private flights, helicopter transfers and exclusive islands are all well and good, but there's much more to luxury travel if you have the imagination and the means.
One of the world's most immediately recognizable landmarks, the Christ the Redeemer statue towers over the mayhem of Rio de Janeiro far below. It sees more than two million visitors crowd around its base annually, reaching over each other to snap a shot of the extraordinary panorama below.
What room there is inside is strictly off limits to visitors. Or rather, most visitors. Around 50 guests a year are granted access inside the monument itself, making it an experience reserved for the very few and the very lucky.
The experience begins with a private helicopter to the summit, bypassing the crowds traveling by foot, road and rail. On arrival you'll be taken inside to explore the monument's inner framework and -- best of all -- access unique viewing points to cast your eye on uninterrupted views of the sprawling favelas, pristine beaches and epic mountain ranges from angles few people have ever seen. Just don't forget to take plenty of photos.
Portugal's vibrant 'second city' is also one of its most spectacularly set, sprawled across hillsides straddling the scenic Douro River. The city is famed of course for its love affair with Port wine, but it's also an architectural marvel -- moody and cozy in its old streets and lanes; stop-you-in-your-tracks stunning in its many blue-tiled churches.
There are few better ways to take it all in than from above. And there are no better places to do that than from the secret dining spot hidden in an archway in the Dom Luís I Bridge, missed by nearly all of the 30,000 pedestrians who walk across it daily.
You’ll be guided to your concealed dinner spot just before sunset, when the soft evening light casts long shadows over the city’s expanse of terracotta rooftops. As the sun fades, the city lights turn on, twinkling and reflecting off the river below. Dinner includes a traditional Porto francesinha and, of course, a glass or two of vintage port.
Venice needs no introduction for its allure to the rich and famous, as Jeff Bezos so recently demonstrated with his not exactly low-key wedding celebrations taking over a fair chunk of the city. Nothing quite so over here -- instead, the opposite.
Step away from the crowds and enjoy a private opera in one of Venice’s most famous palazzos. Step into this 15th century masterpiece overlooking the Grand Canal, while internationally-acclaimed opera singers perform timeless arias exclusively for you (and your guests should you feel so inclined to invite anyone else along.)
The setting is truly unrivaled. Original frescoes, glittering chandeliers, historic rooms designed for intimacy and an experience modern concert halls just can’t replicate. The long history of one of the world’s cultural capitals laid bare for you to enjoy in all its decadent glory.
As iconic and instantly recognizable as Rio's Christ the Redeemer, the Taj Mahal sits as one of the most famous buildings on Earth. It is a landmark of India telling a story of love, wealth and power -- an ivory-white mausoleum and 42-acre complex holding the remains of the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan and his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Its fame is also in many ways its downfall. It draws millions of visitors every year and is almost constantly busy, noisy and overwhelmed by crowds. Unless that is, you take a private dawn access tour to explore it in near silence.
Guided by esteemed historian and conservationist Amita Baig, you’ll tour not only the marble palace but also its history as Baig guides you through its architectural secrets and tells the stories of Shah Jahan’s vision.
The most populous city in North America, Mexico City has no shortage of extraordinary experiences and attractions to dive into. Few if any can match the behind the scenes experience at Casa Azul, when the house-come-museum quietens and its half a million annual visitors have retreated to the city's many bars, restaurants and hotels.
Once the masses have left, you can take a private evening tour of Frida Kahlo's casa -- through her bedroom, family spaces and, perhaps most excitingly, her studio where she painted many of her most recognizable and valuable artworks.
Once you've explored, head for the garden to feast on a three-course dinner in the same courtyard where Frida and Diego Rivera once entertained guests and revolutionary ideas on politics, art and gender conformity. A truly surreal and unique brush with their artistic and cultural legacy.
To explore these and other "unrepeatable" travel experiences, visit 360 Private Travel.