It’s one thing to book a lie-flat business-class seat to travel overseas with some added comfort. What might qualify as “next-level,” though, is doing so on a private jet that will fly you around the world, stopping on every continent (excluding Antarctica) along the way.
Tour operator TCS World Travel is out with its 2024 slate of excursions, each to be flown on its custom-configured Airbus A321 aircraft.
Though a spot on one of these high-end tours might be well beyond the budgetary limits for many of us, it’s certainly an intriguing way to consider traveling if you don’t want to use your points and miles to book your own around-the-world trip.
TCS World Travel is one of several tour companies offering these high-end around-the-world tours on retrofitted, commercial-size jets. Four Seasons offers its own similar tour on its custom-built version of the A321. And last year, TPG got a look at the all-first-class Boeing 757 used by tour operator Abercrombie & Kent.
A signature, 24-day “Around the World” tour with TCS World Travel includes visits to Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal, Egypt and Morroco (among other stops). The price tag is nearly $136,000 per person.
The trips are completely all-inclusive, from the flight and accommodations to the food and excursions on land.
But AvGeeks — and, really, anyone with an appreciation for luxury travel — will likely marvel at the means of transportation.
Custom Airbus A321 jet
TCS World Travel’s A321 aircraft seats a total of 52 guests. For context, that’s roughly half of what you’d find, for instance, on American Airlines’ three-cabin, transcontinental version of the jet and about a quarter of what its standard A321 holds.
Arranged in a 2-2 configuration, every seat on the plane is business class-style, with lie-flat capability and, as you can see, pretty ample legroom.
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An 18-person staff, including a chef and a physician, attend to guests throughout the trip.
TCS World Travel points out that its aircraft also burns 30% less fuel than the Boeing 757 used by many in the travel sphere.
Trips for 2024 and beyond
Along with the aforementioned “Around the World” tour, which departs from Orlando on Dec. 30, 2024, TCS World Travel offers a variety of other excursions.
There’s one called “Ancient Crossroads of Asia & the Middle East,” which starts and ends in London. It features stops at the pyramids of Egypt, Jerusalem, Bangkok, Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam and Oman, among other destinations.
The 23-day February 2024 trip will cost you nearly $150,000 per person.
There’s also a “Best of Africa” tour with a few stops, including Ghana, Victoria Falls, Cape Town, the Seychelles and Cairo.
Meanwhile, a “President’s Journey by Air, Land and Sea” tour in July 2024 starts and ends in Reykjavik. Tourists embark on a Greenland cruise and stop in places like Estonia, Copenhagen and Switzerland.
Both excursions also fall between $140,000 and $150,000 per person.
A full list of the company’s excursions and 2024 tour dates (plus some for 2025) is available on the company’s website.
Bottom line
The cost of an ultra-luxury private jet tour might put TCS World Travel’s menu of excursions out of reach for many of us. However, for those saving up for the trip of a lifetime who are comfortable traveling on a group tour (the lie-flat seats don’t hurt) and don’t want to have to worry about planning every detail of the trip, it’s a compelling option.
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