3 Jobs in Luxury Travel
Let’s talk about luxury travel — this isn’t flying first class, this is flying private, staying in exclusive homes, and being a tour guide, or facilitator for high- and ultra high-net-worth individuals.
Private Jet Inflight Crew
Whether your dream is to be a pilot or cabin crew, working for an individual or a private aviation company requires school and training. Being a pilot is a highly technical job and deserves its own article as it is an exciting way to see the world through private companies or international carriers. While working as a cabin crew is no less integral to the private aviation experience there are jobs beyond flight attendants such as private chefs and butlers. A competitive market, going through flight training school is only the beginning. You need to realize this is not a 9–5 office job. There are not set weekends, and while you will have allotted vacation time, you will also have the chance to explore the exotic and sometimes mundane destinations of your passengers. Which can cause difficulties in maintaining romantic relationships. Second, already speaking or investing in learning other languages can be a huge asset in applying.
Job duties include security, safety, comfort and creating an excellent onboard experience. Before takeoff, you will work with a team to coordinate with personal assistants to ensure all considerations such as food, drinks, flowers, seat layout, children, and animals which all need to be in compliance with the destination county’s immigration and customs policies. One veteran private flight attendant interviewed on How to be Cabin Crew, compares it to operating a 5-star hotel in the sky where you need to take into consideration every minuscule detail to ensure an optimal gate-to-gate experience for the passenger.
Does this sound like you? Visit these sites for more detailed information.
Luxury Tour Guide
You have to have a passion for travel, an eye for luxury, a sophisticated sensibility, and top-notch customer service skills. To be a luxury tour guide, you should have in-depth knowledge of the places where you will be conducting tours. Where are the best spas, which restaurant offers authentic cuisine and Zagat-worthy service? Where are the local designer’s boutiques and what is the history behind the giant obelisk? It helps if you have previously lived in the region and speak the language(s).
The people for whom you will be providing this service are paying top dollar for a once in a lifetime experience. Many of the agencies will offer on the ground training for new hires. You may be based out of a major city such as New York or London so that you may take each group from “home” to the destination and back — making sure their every need is tended. The best candidates are familiar with the cultural highlights and the history of many countries within a region as well as luxury hotels and resorts. Travel industry experience is not necessary to apply for agency jobs, but you do need to be a natural communicator and capable of expressing your passion for luxury travel and articulating your passion for cultural travel.
- Luxury Travel Specialists at Artisan of Leisure work one-on-one with affluent travelers to customize private international tours based on firsthand travel expertise and experience.
- Experience Architects at Bespoke Experiences create and conduct fully customized luxury private tours for intimate groups.
- Butterfield & Robinson Guides provide small or solo travelers with the biking and walking routes in the world’s most incredible places combined with charming hotels, amazing culinary experiences, and state-of-the-art equipment.
Luxury Travel Advisor
This is the path for those with a more entrepreneurial spirit. To start with consider completing some training courses from internationally accredited tour guide and/or travel agent schools. These will provide you with practical foundation skills. The next step is to join industry associations and subscribe to trade publications which can provide valuable insights into trends, upcoming regional offerings, and changes in government regulations. However, the most important part of this job is the client base. Do you have a little black book of people who want and can afford customized private vacations? Do you know how to tap into C-suite corporate networks who would use your services for high-end retreats? An outgoing person you need to network with these individuals and providers such as private aviation companies, luxury spas, and 6-star hotels. How can you recommend places and activities in which you have never partaken?
Industry organizations
