What Are the Best Luxury Tours for a Post COVID-19 Trip?

With social distancing guidelines in force for the foreseeable future, can you join a luxury group tour safely in this coronavirus era? Our intrepid correspondent Julie Chang Murphy has curated a list of the best luxury tours, tour companies and group tour operators to help you plan a safe post COVID-19 adventure travel trip or family vacation.

the best luxury group tour operators and companies

Planning a trip these days practically requires an advanced degree in logistics and operations. There are so many moving parts. You need to keep up on the latest coronavirus outbreaks. You have to keep track of what spaces are open and actually operating. 

Not to mention, some people feel like they are already in foreign territory with all the elements of “The New Normal.” It’s a deeply unsettling time, dear reader, especially for traveling.

Who’s really ready to consider new destinations and activities you would have never dreamed of with all the new rules and restrictions, and the daily changes in where we’re all allowed to roam? It’s enough to make those with wanderlust feel lost before the journey even begins.

One way to take the stress out of planning is via a luxury tour operator who does all the legwork for you. These companies create bespoke travel experiences for individuals and small groups all around the world.

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, luxury group tours were a favored mode of travel for lots of people. The best luxury tour operators can make planning a vacation easy and stress-free. And some people love traveling with a group as way to meet new people, forge new friendships and share marvelous experiences with others.

But is such a trip possible in this post COVID-19 world?

We’ve identified some of the best immersive itineraries right here in North America. From walking and hiking journeys in the Great Smoky Mountains to multi-sport adventures in Baja to fine art tours via private jet. It turns out there is a luxurious way to travel (and maintain social-distancing) even in this crazy time.

Another perk? The best luxury tour operators can offer peace of mind as you plan your trip. Many are waiving normal cancellation terms and offering increased flexibility for a limited period, should your holiday be unable to proceed due to COVID-19.

Without further ado, here are ten of our favorite elite travel companies and the trips that we want to take right now.

1. All Roads North

All Roads North specializes and prides itself on offering luxury American road trips. Each itinerary is tailor-made by an area specialist. Itineraries are designed from the ground up to perfectly match the interests of each client. Not only do they provide the wheels, but each traveler also gets an U.S. mobile phone, pre-loaded with your itinerary, contacts and road trip playlists. Cool.

If you’ve always wanted to visit the awe-inspiring Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks, All Roads North will guide you away from the crowds on otherworldly drives and hikes. Highlights include learning about wolves from a leading naturalist, floating down the Snake River on a vintage drift boat, and taking a horseback ride through the stunning East Rosebud Valley.

2. Thomson Family Adventures

One of the hardest parts of planning a vacation is finding something that will please and accommodate multiple generations and children of all ages. Thomson Family Adventures builds custom experiences with that particular challenge in mind.

If you’ve got a particularly adventurous and daring brood, we love their Baja Multi-Sport Adventure, which features a week of surf lessons in Los Cerritos, swimming with whale sharks in Bay of La Paz, boating to a friendly sea lion colony at Isla Los Islotes, and snorkeling in the diverse and beautiful tropical waters of the Sea of Cortez.

3. Backroads 

Backroads is one of the leading luxury tour companies specializing in active travel. They take biking seriously, and outfit travelers from a fleet of custom-built titanium bikes as well as a pro carbon option from Cannondale. Trip Leaders know the least-trafficked cycling routes and also the most memorable stops.

Their Arizona bike tour will have you meeting Gila monsters, raptors and prairie dogs at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. And cycling past towering cacti in Saguaro National Park. Stay at tranquil boutique hotels and charming resorts in quaint artists’ towns. There are also luxury spa options for unwinding and recovery after a day of biking. Yes please!

4. Black Tomato

The buzzy, award-winning founders of Black Tomato create unique, perfectly-tailored travel experiences. The team is obsessive about making every moment of your precious time-off count.

For wildlife, wilderness and cities with a distinctly European feel, don’t overlook the magnificent possibilities in Canada. Black Tomato’s Alberta & British Columbia road trip itinerary supplies a luxury SUV upon arrival.

Drive from Banff down through Jasper and then on to Whistler, Vancouver and Tofino over the course of 12 days. Savor the journey as the stunning scenery rolls past the windows. This itinerary is complete with stays at the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a grand castle hotel. And also the rugged luxury of Wickaninnish Inn. An expert local guide will accompany the family on hikes and along the shore to track grizzly bears in their natural habitat. You can also take a whitewater rafting trip down the Cheakamus River.

5. TCS World Travel 

As pioneers in the private jet industry, TCS World Travel has developed and operated just shy of 300 luxury jet expeditions to more than 200 destinations. They are the most-awarded jet expedition company in the world.

Art lovers will want to indulge in the U.S Art itinerary, which stops in 6 cities over 12 days with stays at distinguished luxury boutique hotels like Gramercy Park Hotel in New York and the historic Cibolo Creek Ranch in Texas’ Chianti Mountains. Immersive art experiences include lectures and conversations with expert art guides, including art historians, professors of art, curators and critics.

6. Scott Dunn 

Scott Dunn arranges bespoke luxury holidays to amazing destinations (and the finest properties) around the world – completely tailored to your requirements and to your budget.

For a taste of the American South’s sparkling coastline, idyllic subtropical islands and white sand beaches, check out Scott Dunn’s Georgia and South Carolina itinerary. Expect to whip around salt marshes in a speedboat  while spotting wild dolphins.  Take a leisurely cycle along palmetto-lined streets, or just relax on powdery white sand beaches. Choose from properties like the historic Cloister at Sea Island and the prestigious Jekyll Ocean Club.

7. Classic Journeys 

Playing the role of well-connected friend, Classic Journeys links guests with their partners around the world: amazing guides, artisans, winemakers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, naturalists, and more.

Consider 6 days of walking and culture tours in the charming state of Vermont, where forests and excellent hiking trails are always just a few steps away. Waterfront walks along Lake Champlain; visits to a working farm and historic cider mill; crossing covered bridges on rambling country roads. The slower pace of life and peaceful atmosphere is authentic and the beauty is unmatched.

8. Abercrombie & Kent 

With A&K, travelers can book guided luxury tours with a small group of like-minded adventurers, or an intimate party of family and friends. Their signature family journeys especially cater to parents and kids, with exciting activities, fun local dishes and fabulous hotels that are welcoming to little ones.

Alaska beckons with its breathtaking fjords, glaciers, and wildlife. Kids of all ages will enjoy a private float trip down Portage River, cruising to spot humpback whales and harbor seals. You will also enjoy a guided glacier walk and learning about American huskies and dog sledding.

9. MT Sobek

For over five decades, MT (Mountain Travel) Sobek have been among the best originators, innovators and leaders in adventure travel. They offer more than 200 unique and once-in-a-lifetime trips that are designed to inspire and exhilarate, enliven and excite – all of them out in nature.

Get ready to be splashed while cresting more than 100 unforgettable rapids in 100 miles on their adventure down the middle fork of Idaho’s Salmon River. The trip is guided by professional rafters and includes deluxe camping accommodations. When you’re not rafting, spend afternoons relaxing in natural hot springs. Enjoy hiking, fishing, visiting ancient rock formations and cooling off in refreshing waterfalls.

10. Butterfield & Robinson 

B&R specializes in active travel for wanderers and bon vivants who have come to learn that biking and walking are the best ways to get a true sense of a region. They also distinguish themselves by searching out the most capable and genuinely friendly guides to craft your custom itinerary and escort you throughout your journey.

Now that Hawaii is lifting its 14-day quarantine for travelers who have negative coronavirus test results, check out their Hawaii Multi-Active itinerary. The trip will have you witnessing lava spewing in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; swimming beneath sky-high waterfalls; and exploring sacred lands in Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau Park. Opportunities to bike, kayak, hike, and snorkel abound – as long as you’re up for the adventure of a lifetime.

the best Luxury Tour companies and operators

As kids, we remember spinning a globe and placing a finger on a country to fantasize about where we would travel to. Things are not that easy now that we are grown-ups living with mortgages and pandemics. But where there’s a will (and some green), there’s a way. We would happily tag along on any of these itineraries from these top 10 luxury tour companies! What’s your top pick?

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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, and fitness. Julie lives in New York where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing. And spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.

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