Travel is changing. More and more people – millennials in particular – are seeking ways to get off the beaten track, away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist crowds. Rather than a tan, people want to return home with a story to share.
As we learn more about the world, its various environments, cultures and wildlife, we are able to see how much is yet to be explored. There is still so much wilderness: islands have been discovered within the last 20 years; new species within the rainforest much more recently than that; and many regions, where hotels and lodges are non-existent, remain unreachable by car or foot. Antarctica, the Kuril Islands, and Svalbard – to name a few.
The only way to properly explore these wild and lesser-seen places is by private yacht or motorboat. Whether island-hopping around Raja Ampat in Indonesia on a luxurious single-cabin, 30m sailing boat – perfect for honeymooners – or dodging icebergs inside the Arctic Circle on-board the likes of Aurora and Firebird, yachts open up a world of opportunity; a totally different experience to travelling on land.
Expect close encounters with wildlife, access to uninhabited islands and, perhaps the rarest luxury of all, absolute privacy.