Luxury travel often conjures images of couples at five-star resorts or families on cruise ships. But an under-the-radar breed exists: the solo luxury nomad. Unencumbered by companions, they craft bespoke trips rivaling the extravagance of a king’s entourage, minus the crowds.
“I never could have had these experiences with other people holding me back,” says James Wilson, 38, an art curator turned full-time nomad after selling his gallery in Boston. “Alone, I’m free to be spontaneous. I can change plans anytime, chase experiences that speak only to me.”
Last year, James crisscrossed the globe chasing eclipse vibes and diving ship wrecks between meditation retreats at Indian ashrams and an impromptu fashion shoots on a superyacht. He buys first class tickets at whim, guided purely by desire. He says, “At some point my cash will run out and I’ll need to return to reality, but in the meantime, all is good.” He says he’ll spend more on flying than hotels or dining because he loves that experience.
Emily Harris, 27, who recently graduated with a Masters degree and a part-time DJ, spends weeks immersed in Aboriginal art, crashing in remote eco-lodges between snorkling tours of the Great Barrier Reef. “Friends said visiting Australia solo was insane, but I’ve met amazing people by just trusting my intuition,” she says. Emily concedes a family gift upon graduation is paying for her travels, but insists after years of working to get into and graduating an Ivy-league school, she’s earned it.
For two years, Michael Davies, 41, a techie-turned-travel influencer, mapped the most exotic coffee in the world, combining private tastings by Yemeni sultans and Ethiopian tribes with Insta-worthy harvest experiences at Kopi Luwak plantations in Bali. His hand-foraged brews are served at exclusive beach shacks and lavish bush campsites in between.
“I’m addicted to discovering coffee rituals unknown to the world,” Davies says. His obsessive quest lead him from Moroccan deserts to Sri Lankan jungles to hidden fincas in Guatemala. “Going solo lets me fully nerd out on my passion without worrying about boring companions,” he laughs.
Rather than ticking sites off some list, true luxury nomads curate personalized quests. Sarah Miller, 33, an HR professional on sabbatical, combined her passion for haute cuisine and adventure by foraging truffles in Italian forests before sampling them at Michelin-starred restaurant. Her journey culminated in a helicopter journey of the Amalfi coast after meeting a likeminded traveler in Florence.
By escaping groupthink, solo travelers design the unimaginable—booking chefs to remote private islands, chartering luxury trains through seldom-seen wilderness, even shopping via seaplane. Daily schedules morph fluidly like jazz compositions. With infinite flexibility and bespoke designers, anything becomes possible.
Intrepid but pampered, oriented around desire not destinations, the luxury nomad’s exclusive world spans the globe yet remains unknown. Until Now!
Perhaps you’ll join this elite cohort someday, sipping Cristal in the Maldives after hot air ballooning over the Serengeti. For now, just daydream and envy their Instagram posts between conference calls. But if you dare, the world awaits. And with some planning, luck and savings, you could join this exclusive cohort.
