The ability to invest in travel is an overarching status signifier — and it's a multi-layered expression that extends far beyond the classic idea of a vacation.
Nowadays, the super-rich are taking months-long, multimillion-dollar trips to recharge or reconnect with family, Business Insider's Katie Warren previously reported. Often, it's because they're burnt out from overworking. Luxury travel agency Original Travel saw these sabbatical trips spike in 2018. Many clients are "looking for an escape," co-founder Tom Barber told the Guardian.
"For others, it's 'braggability,'" Barber said. "They want to use their money to open doors that normal people can't and to tell their friends all about it."
These trips range from extreme adventures to luxurious getaways, Warren reported. They can also take shape in wellness escapes and educational excursions. Rich parents take their kids on enriching trips to the Galápagos, according to Pan, thereby imbuing their travel with a subtly educational note.
And, on a not-so-discreet note, plenty of top-dollar, high-end boutique hotels are designed, as Business Insider previously reported, specifically to be photogenic — because taking to Instagram is the perfect way to display the access that wealth can buy.