For UHNW travellers, the journey begins long before departure. As global mobility has increased, luxury travel has experienced a fundamental shift. Traditional destinations hold less appeal, with tastes moving towards trips offering exclusive access and a sense of rarity.
Planning is an integral part of creating this kind of memorable experience. The companies entrusted with this process play a pivotal role, shaping not only where clients go but how they experience their destination.
Those selected for the 2026 Spear’s Travel Index operate at the highest level of hospitality. They are capable of translating their clients’ lifelong ambitions and dream experiences into meticulous itineraries across multiple countries.
For many UHNWs, exclusive access is key. Companies such as Scott Dunn Private have planned out-of-hours access to landmarks, including the Pyramids of Giza and Niagara Falls. Others, such as Abercrombie & Kent, stand out here as the pioneers of the luxury safari experience, refining the logistics of remote travel so that guests can experience wildlife first-hand.
Related
One recent trend shaping the luxury travel community is the increased appetite among travellers for rare and off-the-beaten-path experiences. LiNGER specialises in sabbatical-style trips that unfold over the course of a few months, while new addition Rvival takes a more immersive approach, teaching clients (among other skills) traditional foraging and hunting methods in the Scottish wilderness.
Explore the 2026 Spear’s Travel Indices:
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Depth of knowledge remains a key attribute among advisers at our featured companies. Having lived in Argentina for almost 20 years, Plan South America’s founder Harry Hastings is adept at finding local hidden gems, offering exclusivity and a sense of discovery. Even destinations often considered inaccessible, from Antarctica to the Galápagos Islands, are, for those featured, a question of timing and execution.
Each provider makes the planning process just as much of the journey as the trip itself, with every stage approached with care and an unwavering attention to detail. What unites those featured in our 2026 edition of the Index is a clear understanding of what matters to UHNW travellers today: meaningful experiences that are expertly delivered.
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- Methodology
- The best luxury travel companies: some names to know
- The best luxury travel companies: the complete list
- Contact us
Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
[See also: A guide to The Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
The best luxury travel companies: some names to know
Berkeley Travel
- Focus: Bespoke itineraries
- Ranking: Top Recommended
International travel concierge firm Berkeley Travel prides itself on delivering a ‘faultless service’ that’s built on cultivating ‘deep partnerships’ to give clients unparalleled service at ‘advantageous rates’. Bespoke touches – VIP welcome notes from hotel owners, complimentary breakfasts and access to the finest spas – are always included.
Whether they are after sun, snow or snorkelling, guests look to Berkeley to spotlight the best luxury hotels, lodges and resorts across the globe, including Greece, Mexico, Switzerland, Bhutan, Zanzibar and the Maldives.
In association with an array of private aviation companies, Berkeley can also make transfers seamless, while sister company Berkeley Lifestyle is a full-service concierge service that can assist with everything from art dealing to real estate.
Read Berkeley Travel’s full profile at Spears500.com
Scott Dunn Private
- Focus: Seamless tailored travel
- Ranking: Top Recommended
Headed by travel expert Jules Maury, Scott Dunn Private has earned a stellar reputation for its understanding of the sensibilities and desires of globe-hopping UHNWs. Scott Dunn Private is strictly members-only, and the firm’s 24/7 advisory service helps discerning holiday-goers to plan ‘out of the ordinary’ excursions and itineraries with ‘limitless possibilities’ in destinations around the world.
Members can enjoy beach villa stays, safaris and adventures off the beaten track, while resting assured that the Scott Dunn team, who are seasoned travellers themselves, are handling the logistics. Members are even given private chauffeurs from their homes to and from the airport for an added layer of comfort.
Read Scott Dunn Private’s full profile at Spears500.com
Leo Trippi
- Focus: Elite ski experiences
- Ranking: Top Recommended
First established in 1882, Leo Trippi helps holidaying HNWs to source their dream chalets, both in the ski season and in summer.
With access to over 400 properties across 33 ski resorts, including in popular destinations such as St Moritz and Verbier, the firm boasts a team of travel agents with ‘unparalleled destination knowledge’. In addition to hunting down properties with elegant spa facilities in glittering snowscapes, the firm can help attendees of the World Economic Forum to find suitable accommodation around the Davos event.
Headed by CEO Oliver Corkhill, a leading travel adviser who has been featured in Condé Nast Traveller, the firm has taken the prize for the world’s best ski travel agent at the World Ski Awards for 11 years running.
Read Leo Trippi’s full profile at Spears500.com
Gray & Co
- Focus: Active travel
- Ranking: Recommended
Gray & Co, an active travel agency strictly for the ‘discerning traveller’, was founded by Cari Gray in 2009.
Described as an ‘insatiable explorer’, Gray ensures that every part of a client’s experience has been curated according to their needs and preferences, valuing discretion while ensuring each traveller feels valued and that their interests have been heard. This often involves providing guests with in-house massage therapists, turn-down services, luxury jets and helicopters and chauffeur-driven SUVs – even in the most remote locations.
Destinations span six continents, and opportunities for an exciting holiday are nearly endless. The company is especially popular with those who are looking for adventurous tours where they aren’t afraid to ‘sweat on an uphill, hike a glacier, ride a camel, bargain in a market or dine like a local’.
Read Gray & Co’s full profile at Spears500.com
Abercrombie & Kent
- Focus: Experiential travel
- Ranking: Top Recommended
Since 1962, Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) has been redefining the luxury travel sector, offering exceptional experiences for clients who have an insatiable taste for adventure.
The travel company first began offering luxury safaris in Africa that were designed by the firm’s founder, Geoffrey Kent; now, A&K offers trips and experiences in all seven continents, from cruises down the Amazon to expeditions around Antarctica and journeys through Bhutan. Guests, similarly, come from all walks of life and include captains of industry, royals, world leaders and A-listers.
The firm still stays true to its heritage and ensures that trips are considerate of, and sympathetic to, local communities, wildlife and the environment. Each trip booked with A&K supports A&K Philanthropy, a fund that benefits indigenous communities to aid sustainable travel.
Read Abercrombie & Kent’s full profile at Spears500.com
Unforgettable Travel Company
- Focus: Personalised travel experiences
- Ranking: Recommended
Unforgettable Travel Company specialises in built-from-scratch, tailored getaways for a discerning UHNW community.
The travel services firm, founded in 2016, looks to curate ‘ultra-luxury’ holidays. Led by co-founder and head of private client services Graham Carter, Unforgettable Travel allows clients – who have included prominent industry leaders and celebrities – to realise their dream holidays via a range of activities, from exploring glaciers in Norway to spotting wildlife in Bali or embarking on an ocean cruise around the Caribbean.
Clients can also turn to the firm to charter a jet or yacht, or arrange a milestone birthday party. Private clients also have access to the global events calendar, which facilitates VIP access to some of the world’s most coveted events, including the Monaco Grand Prix and the Vanity Fair Oscars Party.
Read Unforgettable Travel Company’s full profile at Spears500.com
Winged Boots
- Focus: Doing travel properly
- Ranking: Recommended
Winged Boots is an end-to-end travel concierge service that caters exclusively to a UHNW and HNW community.
Founded and led by managing director David Ox, the firm arranges everything from villa rentals and hotel stays to private jet transfers, yacht charters and private tours. Its travel management offering caters to the individual requirements of corporate clients, family offices, sports teams, and TV, film and music production crews.
Indeed, clients have included famous sportspeople, media personalities and prominent industry leaders, all of whom have looked to Ox and his team for an incredible luxury holiday. Destinations offered cover six continents and hundreds of breathtaking landscapes; Winged Boots members can also take advantage of the firm’s relationships with Rosewood, Jumeirah and Four Seasons hotels around the world.
Read Winged Boots’ full profile at Spears500.com
The best luxury travel companies: the complete list
Click on the individual names to be directed to more detailed profiles on Spears500.com. The table is ordered by ranking and then alphabetically.
Contact us
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