By Jay Martin

Whether it's fiction or real life, few travel experiences conjure up a sense of mystery and intrigue like the Orient-Express. The famous train is perhaps best known as the setting of Agatha Christie's 1934 story Murder on the Orient Express, and was the de facto carrier of spies, celebrities, and royalty from the East to the West in the early 20th century. Although the original Orient Express no longer exists, well-to-do travellers of today can relive the train's heyday of the 1920s and 1930s by chartering the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE), which operates a variety of European routes on the original, restored Compagnie International des Wagons-Lits traincars that saw so much European history nearly 100 years ago.

The Venice Simplon Orient-Express was founded by James Sherwood, who built the company after purchasing two of the original Orient-Express carriages at auction in 1977. The train made its first London to Venice trip in 1982, after Sherwood spent 16 million USD on additional carriages. The VSOE is not to be confused with the Orient-Express that runs regularly between Strasbourg, France and Vienna, Austria, and is the true descendant of the original line.

Guests on the VSOE can expect their own personal steward to greet them the moment they step onto the train. French chefs and Italian waiters serve the three Restaurant Cars and the Maitre D' visits guests in their own cabin to take lunch and dinner reservations. The sleeping compartments are nearly identical to their original form, complete with rich wood and brass. A truly authentic touch, VSOE compartments lack showers or bathing facilities, but have original washbasins with hot and cold water.

While the original Orient-Express took travellers from Paris to Istanbul, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express of today offers more options, including a route from London to Venice via Paris and Verona (USD 4680 per person, round-trip, double occupancy). Guests can still travel from Paris to Istanbul through Budapest and Bucharest on a one-way Premier Journey at a higher price of USD 9190 per person, double occupancy.

For most of us, USD 20,000 for a 6-day, one-way journey would be the trip of a lifetime. Wealthy travellers with more to spend can purchase a private charter of the VSOE from London to Florence for 120 guests at a price of £250,000. The package, called La Dolce Vita, is an overnight journey that ends at the Hotel Villa San Michele in Florence, and includes an overnight stay and lunch for all 120 guests. In addition, the host of the journey receives a jewellery box containing a gold and diamond train bracelet and a pair of gold and diamond cufflinks delivered in advance and in person by a liveried British Pullman steward.

For many travellers, taking a train is a way to cover a lot of ground fast and see a country from a different angle, all without the hassle of renting a car and navigating tricky, foreign roads. Modern train travel is nothing like it was a hundred years ago. Blue jeans and backpacks are more common than dinner jackets and evening gowns. But for the right price, one can travel back in time to an era when travel itself was a luxury, and when travellers expected a level of service and attention to detail that cannot be found without spending a year's salary.

WHO TO CALL: Orient-Express Hotels Trains and Cruises – For the phone number of the regional sales office closest to you, visit www.orient-express.com.

Photo Credits: The Orient Express in Sinaia by energeticspell; Orient Express by Feuillu; Wagons Lits carriage by Train Chartering & Private Rail Cars. All images via Flickr (Creative Commons).

By Jay Martin

When you have lots of money, a charity will inevitably find out and you will be approached to donate to their cause. Often you get nothing for your good deed, except for that warm feeling that comes with doing something good for others. Travel agencies and non-profits, seeing an opportunity to add value to charities, have begun offering trips and travel packages centred on charitable giving. They have found a segment of the wealthy that is looking for ways to use their money not only to help others, but to help expand the meaning of travel and to make themselves more aware of the world.

This developing trend in the luxury travel market seems to have followed close behind the rising popularity of gap-year "voluntourism". While most charity tourism involves physical labour on a project, organisations that cater to travellers with cash to burn usually only ask that their donors part with their money. The vacation is instead used as an opportunity to show the donors the tangible results of their giving and to encourage and retain their funding, not to get them swinging a hammer.

Although the parents of young voluntourists can spend a lot of money sending their children to see and save the world, the experience rarely comes with air conditioning, clean sheets, and a private chef. Luxury philanthropic travel blends both worlds; the wealthy can experience a new culture and simply pay extra to fund local charitable works, leaving the backbreaking work to their neighbours’ children. Philanthropic travel packages can run as high as 1,000 USD per day or more, depending on whether the donation is built into the price of the trip, and that price tag ensures that the guest is afforded nothing but the best amenities when it comes to their stay.

Exquisite Safaris, based in Pacifica, California, creates personalised philanthropic travel itineraries, and states on its website that its trips "are intended to be a learning experience rather than a service experience." They donate 250 USD per traveller to each humanitarian project visited, on top of what the guest decides to donate. Their mission is to sustain and cultivate wealthy donors by showing them firsthand where and how their money will be spent, which is important to many donors concerned with the number of charitable organisations that waste money or defraud donors.

Although it may seem like a cop out to give money in lieu of hard work, international aid organisations rely on wealthy private philanthropists to keep their projects moving forward. Also, with the image of a wealthy businessperson interrupting their day of pampering to visit an impoverished village, many are quick to claim hypocrisy. But maybe that is exactly what luxury philanthropic travel agencies are hoping for. The increased likelihood of someone donating to a project that they have seen with their own eyes shows that some are eager to refute the image of the luxury traveller as elite and uncaring. And with most of Exquisite Safaris’ African destinations on a 12-month waiting list, it is clear that their strategy is working.

WHO TO CALL:

Exquisite Safaris - Tel: 1(888)434-6205 (toll free within the US), those outside the US can call toll-free via the online service Jajah at http://www.jajah.com/exquisitesafaris.com ; Website: http://www.exquisitesafaris.com.

Travelers' Philanthropy – 1(202)347-9203; Website: http://www.lab00.com/travelers; Email: staff@ecotourismcesd.org.

Photo Credits:

1) Bwindi Orphanage by chrisdrury

2) Sun City by abmiller99

3) Ella checking out the African village by mrowka

By Jay Martin

Island getaways are a dime a dozen, but to truly get away, you have to make everyone else go away. This can be accomplished by purchasing a private island, or if you don't feel like dealing with all that paperwork, you can simply rent one. While some tiny islands like Croatia's Porer Island rent for as little as 124 EUR per week, the truly wealthy can pay more than 300,000 USD for seven days at a private Caribbean retreat.

One high-profile rental, Necker Island, lies in the British Virgin Islands and is owned by Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire head of the Virgin empire. Branson purchased the undeveloped island more than 25 years ago for 180,000 GBP, and now charges well over that for a one-week stay – 322,000 USD. On the island's official website, daily life is not described in words. Rather, Branson uses photos of lavish tables set for twenty, picnic lunches on the beach, white linens and pillows, and bedroom curtains that billow open to reveal the painfully blue sea. Prospective guests can see exactly what it is like to escape the real world for a week and live in paradise.

Not all island rentals are in the Caribbean, however. Off the coast of Ibiza, Spain lies Isla de sa Ferradura. A safe-haven for pirates during the 17th century, the island boasts a network of caves and tunnels adorned with stalactites and stalagmites. Highlights of the resort include a health and wellness centre – built into a cave - complete with a vitamin bar, Turkish bath, solarium, hairdresser and bar. Guests can swim through a waterfall from the cave into a subtropical lagoon. There are six suites to choose from, and each has a different theme to make for a unique stay on the island. More affordable than Necker Island at 147,000 EUR (plus VAT) per week, Isla de sa Ferradura offers an alternative to those looking to branch out past the private Caribbean getaway.

Most lavish private islands come with a full staff that includes captains and pilots for the various boats and planes that might be included in the price. The all-inclusive nature of the stay can accommodate a large family reunion, wedding, or a simple honeymoon for two. While many would be surprised at how affordable some island rentals are, most would be floored to see the bill for a week at one of the world's most exclusive and secluded private islands.

For the wealthy, renting an island isn't about the amenities. One can easily find great views, crisp linens, and attentive staff at almost any luxury resort in the world. Renting an island is about status and showing your friends and family that you have attained a special place in the social strata, and that place is meant to be shared. That's why most expensive private islands can accommodate upwards of 40 of your closest friends and family. Because who rents an island to spend a week alone?

WHO TO CONTACT:

Necker Island Reservations Office – 0800 716 919 (toll-free, UK); 877 577 8777 (toll-free, USA); Website: www.neckerisland.com; Email: enquiries@virginlimitededition.com.

Isla de sa Ferradura – +34 971 410 015 / 6; Website: www.islaferradura.com; Email: info@islaferradura.com.

Private Islands Online - Website: www.privateislandsonline.com.

Photo Credits:

1) Musha Cay by alancf via Flickr (Creative Commons).

2) Necker Island by russelldavies via Flickr (Creative Commons).

3) Summer and Champagne by Damiel via Flickr (Creative Commons).