Urvshi Marwah, founder and owner of The Suite Sojourn offers her professional insights into what clients, and the wider UHNW market, desire when it comes to travel preferences this year. Designed for the World’s Most Discerning Travelers. Read on to discover more.
In 2026, ultra-high-net-worth travel is defined by precision, privacy, and purpose. UHNW clients are no longer interested in generic luxury. Today’s elite travelers seek journeys that feel intentional, deliver privileged access, cultural relevance, and exceptional personalization. Here we explore four trends that represent how elite travel is evolving for those who value rarity over recognition and experience over extravagance.
1. Event-Based Travel: Access, Prestige and Cultural Capital
Image courtesy: Masters
Event-based travel has become one of the most powerful drivers of UHNW journeys in 2026. These trips are built around global moments of cultural, sporting, or artistic significance, where presence itself signals privilege, discernment and insider status.
For UHNW clients, the event is not the trip; it is the anchor. The journey is curated entirely around access, comfort, and seamless logistics.
What it Involves
Highly personalized itineraries designed around invitation only events, world class premier sporting occasions, private performances, and global cultural moments, paired with bespoke travel experiences before and after the event.
Popular destinations among UHNW travelers
- London during Wimbledon paired with Debenture Seats, private club access and heritage estate stays
- Monaco, Singapore, Abu Dhabi for Formula 1(®) with Paddock Club access or yacht-based viewing during the Monaco Race Weekend either on a private yacht, or on an exclusive position in Monaco’s legendary Port Hercule aboard Explora Journeys.
- Scotland & the U.S. for iconic Golf tournaments, such as The Open, and The Masters
- Global cultural capitals for private concerts, opera premieres, and art world events
- Winter Olympic host regions, such as the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with discreet alpine chalets and private security
- Private hospitality suites and invitation-only lounges
- Unrestricted access to courtside, pit lanes, or exclusive clubhouses
- Private jet or helicopter transfers synchronized to event schedules
- Behind-the-scenes access made possible through trusted personal networks
Why It Resonates with UHNW Travelers
Event-based travel delivers social capital and emotional resonance. These journeys place clients at the center of global moments, creating stories, connections, and memories that cannot be replicated.
2. Luxury Train Travel: The Return of the Grand Journey
Image courtesy: Belmond
Luxury rail travel is experiencing a renaissance among UHNW travelers who value discretion, heritage, and time as the ultimate luxury. In 2026, trains represent a return to a refined form of slow travel, where privacy, scenery, and service are paramount.
Multi-day or extended rail journeys featuring private suites, dedicated onboard staff, and curated cultural excursions, often combined with exclusive hotel stays and private transfers.
Popular destinations among UHNW travelers
- European Grand Tours through France, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria aboard Orient Express rail journeys offer iconic, luxurious travel experiences, evolving from its historic Paris-to-Istanbul route (1883) into modern luxury services like the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE), featuring Art Deco elegance, fine dining, and routes from London/Paris to Venice, Prague, and beyond, alongside new ventures like the Italian-themed La Dolce Vita Orient Express.
- Asia’s heritage railways connecting historic cities and natural wonders. The Eastern & Oriental Express (E&O), a Belmond luxury train, offers opulent journeys through Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand) with vintage charm, featuring elegant cabins with en-suites, fine dining with local flavors, and unique excursions into exotic landscapes like rice paddies and rainforests, providing a nostalgic, five-star travel experience akin to its European sister, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
- Exclusive use of an entire carriage or full train buyouts for families or private groups
- Private chefs, sommeliers, and onboard wellness practitioners
- Off-train experiences including private museum access and estate visits
- White-glove luggage handling and door-to-door logistics
- Bespoke interior design and personalized in-suite amenities
Why It Resonates with UHNW Travelers
Luxury train travel offers privacy without isolation, allowing clients to move elegantly through regions while remaining insulated from crowds. It appeals to those who value craftsmanship, nostalgia, and the journey itself as a form of art.
3. Luxury at Sea: Absolute Privacy with Boundless Exploration
Image courtesy: Four Seasons Yachts
Luxury at sea has become one of the fastest-growing categories for UHNW travelers in 2026. Whether via private yachts, ultra-luxury vessels, or expedition ships, the ocean offers unparalleled freedom, privacy, and access to the unreachable.
Ocean journeys designed around exclusivity and exploration, ranging from fully crewed private yachts to luxury hotels at sea with the upcoming launch of Four Seasons Yachts
Popular destinations among UHNW travelers
- Mediterranean & Adriatic coastlines explored by a private yacht
- Nordic fjords and Arctic regions aboard expedition vessels
- Remote archipelagos in the Pacific and Indian Oceans
- Antarctica and sub-Antarctic regions for extreme exploration
- Fully customized itineraries with flexible routing
- Personal dive masters, marine biologists, and expedition leaders
- Helicopter access directly from deck
- Spa, wellness, and medical-grade health programming onboard
- Dining- curated to client preferences
Why It Resonates with UHNW Travelers
Luxury at sea offers absolute control: privacy, security, and autonomy. It enables UHNW clients to explore the world’s most remote places without compromise, crowds, or fixed schedules.
4. Coolcations: Climate-Led Wellness Escapes
Image courtesy: Getty
Coolcations have emerged as a defining luxury trend for UHNW travelers who prioritize comfort, wellness, and harmony with nature. These journeys focus on traveling to cooler climates with pristine landscapes, and deeply restorative environments.
Bespoke travel to temperate or cold-climate destinations that offer natural beauty, mental clarity, tranquility, and physical rejuvenation, often during traditional peak travel months.
Popular destinations among UHNW travelers
- Scandinavia & Lapland
- The Swiss and French Alps
- Scotland, Ireland & Northern Europe
- Canadian Rockies & Alaska
- Patagonia & Southern Chile
- Northern Japan & the Japanese Alps
- Exclusive use of Private wilderness lodges
- Helicopter access hiking, glacier exploration, and heli-skiing
- Nordic thermal rituals and personalized longevity programs
- Midnight sun or Northern Lights viewing from private estates
- Expedition cruising with five-star service and scientific experts
Why It Resonates with UHNW Travelers
Coolcations redefine luxury as space, silence, and climate comfort. These journeys support well-being while offering rare natural phenomena and deeply private environments, the ultimate antidote to overstimulation.
Read more about Coolcations here
The UHNW Travel Mindset in 2026
For ultra-high-net-worth travelers, luxury in 2026 is no longer defined by excess. Luxury is defined by intention and precision. The most valued journeys prioritize:
- Access over opulence
- Privacy over visibility
- Personal relevance over popularity
Whether attending the world’s most exclusive events, traversing continents by rail, exploring the oceans, or retreating to cool, untouched landscapes, UHNW travelers are seeking experiences that are unrepeatable, deeply personal, and flawlessly executed.
To begin designing your next extraordinary journey, book a consultation with our preferred partner The Suite Sojourn.
