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What’s hot in the world of luxury travel? A super-luxe Arctic camping trip for snow-loving adventurers, a homeopathic kit that could help jet lag and a pair of Land Rover Defenders kitted out for planet-watching in the Dark Sky Park.
Cold comforts
No one in their right mind would head out to camp in the Arctic alone. They might, though, with Henry Cookson. As part of the first team to reach the South Pole of Inaccessibility without mechanical means, and the winner in 2005 of the race to the North Pole, he knows how to survive in the extreme cold. From March to May 2023, when the Northern Lights can still be seen but it’s getting light, he’s setting up camp for groups of up to six in a remote wilderness, a four-hour snowmobile ride from Longyearbyen, in the Arctic Circle. From there, guests will have access to high-tech kit such as expedition snowmobiles and paragliders, plus traditional reindeer skin-covered sleds and skis, to go out and try to spot creatures such as Arctic foxes and ptarmigan as well as — on the east coast of Svalbard — seals and polar bears. Accommodation consists of rugged tents manufactured by Arctic specialists, with a shower and WC; a private chef will make Nordic dishes using ingredients from Svalbard, from fish and reindeer to lingonberries. Scientists can be brought to the camp for lessons in the environment, as can photographers to capture the adventure. Children over eight can also be accommodated and entertained with igloo-building, ice-cream making and games in camp with guides while adults explore the wilderness. Eight days from £230,000 for up to six (excluding flights), cooksonadventures.com
Bye-bye, jet lag
Very little — not even sipping a glass or two of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque on Korean Airlines (who knew they had some of the best wine lists in the air?) — can dull the pain of travelling across the skies in a metal cylinder for hours. Drinking litres of water helps, as does wearing breathable wool flight socks (bombas.com), setting your watch to your destination time as you take off and stretching regularly (for exercises, see healthytravelblog.com). Which is why Rosalind Milani Gallieni founded Jet Candy with leading homeopathic pharmacy Helios: a travel range of mini-products to help to balance the body using natural ingredients. Since the launch of her original (much-lauded) Plane Remedy — homeopathic pilules containing such ingredients as arnica to help fatigue, bellis perennis to aid healthy blood flow, cocculus for travel sickness and gelsemium for anxiety — she has created a travel essence to ease nerves, a relaxing aromatherapy oil to roll onto pressure points and a hospital-grade, rose-scented sanitiser to keep hands clean. Together, they not only help to relax your system but make you smell like roses. If she could only invent a time machine…
Into the Wild
Sometimes what’s needed is not a hotel room, haute cuisine and a hot shower but space, a lungful of fresh air and a sky full of stars. Which is why Northumberland Defenders has teamed up with Wild With Consent to create long weekends for luxe campers who don’t own the kit. The former hires out two types of smart Land Rovers — one seating four, one seating two — kitted out with every bit of high-end camping gear you could need, from a kettle and corkscrew to camp chairs and a fold-up tent on the roof. The latter sorts out private wild-camping sites on beautiful private estates, offering privacy, security — and, most importantly, no one else about. Cars can be picked up at Newcastle train station or airport; a three-day drive along the 254-mile Northumberland 250 route takes in spectacular scenery, the International Dark Sky Park, and sites such as Bamburgh Castle and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. From £499 for three days, plus fuel (northumberlanddefenderhire.com/defenders; wildwithconsent.com; northumberland250.com)
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