Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent has long set the luxury travel bar with its epic continent-hopping private jet journeys—and now it’s launching one of its best offers yet. Travelers who book the 25-day Ancient Kingdoms & Dynasties: A Journey by Private Jet itinerary will get a complimentary nine-night pre-trip cruise with its sibling company Crystal Cruises.
“This unprecedented collaboration … offers travelers a unique opportunity to experience the pinnacle of both air and sea adventures in one extraordinary experience,” said Ann Epting, Abercombie & Kent’s senior vice president of product development, in a statement to Travel + Leisure.
The free, nine-night prequel to the main event starts on Sept. 25 in Barcelona aboard the Crystal Symphony and will sail through Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with stops in Ibiza, Cartagena, Málaga, Gibraltar, and Casablanca, before ending in Lisbon. Passengers will have the chance to enjoy the ship’s spacious Sapphire Veranda Suite, which comes with perks like a private veranda, butler service, and complimentary laundry.
Guests will then kick off their private jet journey with a night at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon before jetting off to Fez, Morrocco; Zanzibar, Tanzania; Salalah, Oman; Udaipur, India; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Luang Prabang, Laos; Istanbul, Turkey; and Malta. Some highlights on the itinerary include a chance to explore Tanzania’s historic Stone Town, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman, the City Palace in India, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. At the final stop in Malta, travelers can learn the art of falconry from a local expert, tour Villa Bologna, and attend a musical parade thrown in their honor.
Accommodations throughout the trip are top-tier and include stays at properties like Raffles Udaipur; Palais Faraj Suites & Spa in Fez; Zuri Zanzibar; Corinthia Palace Hotel; and The Peninsula Istanbul—the T+L’s World’s Best Award winner for the Turkish city.
Along the journey, travelers will have plenty of opportunities to learn and enrich themselves. A&K brand ambassador, who was born and raised in Portugal and spent six decades traveling the globe, will share his experiences and thoughts throughout the journey. Foreign correspondent Martin Regg Cohn will also be along for the ride, providing lectures about his time spent reporting in more than 40 countries and interviewing world leaders ranging from the Dalai Lama to Benjamin Netanyahu. Cohn says he’s especially excited to join this globe-trotting trip.
“It reminds me of what I found so appealing as a foreign correspondent—traveling to get a closer look at our cultural roots while also seeing the historical roots of today’s conflicts,” he said. To him, the itinerary is a way of figuratively “connecting the dots on the map.”
No doubt a highlight of the trip is A&K’s private jet itself, a 48-seat Boeing 757. (I was lucky enough to experience it on a birthday trip to Iceland in 2023.) On board, every passenger is treated to a first-class, lie-flat seat with an iPad and noise-cancelling headphones. They’ll also feast on elegant meals throughout the journey.
The full trip (including the cruise) runs from Sept. 25 to. Oct. 28. Prices start at $147,950 a person based on double occupancy, with a $7,498 single supplement—that’s 50 percent off the normal fee. Check out A&K’s website for more details or booking. You can also reserve your spot by calling 800-554-7094.
