There's an old quote that says "Time is a rare luxury which can never be purchased at any cost." But, in the world of high end travel – think private jets and destination clubs – if you have the money, then you can find ways to create valuable time. We'll certainly agree with Benjamin Franklin who said "Lost time is never found again". Here are a few stories of how people are finding that extra time.
Philippe Bourguignon, CEO of destination club Exclusive Resorts, recently said "What we are hearing today is that the ultimate luxury is time. More time with family. More time to refresh. More time to laugh. Today, nothing is more luxurious than time. By removing the hassles and complications and creating personalized services to suit the way people travel today, we give our members the luxury of more time to do the things they want to do." If time is indeed the ultimate luxury, then how does joining a destination club or using private aviation help save time?
The main joy in belonging to a destination club comes from the time spent with friends and families, building shared memories. Members can save enormous amounts of time both before they travel and also during their vacation. As a member you don't have to search through rental and review websites to find the perfect vacation place. And you don't have to worry and spend time on the maintenance and upkeep, of a second home.
The club travel advisors and concierges can assist with flights, activities, tickets, and ground transportation. According to David Kallery, President of Inspirato, "As a member of a destination club, luxury travelers not only have a curated portfolio of beautiful vacation homes to choose from but they also have access to travel professionals, such as destination concierges and personal travel planners that will do the heavy lifting when it comes to crafting the perfect, hand-tailored vacation - at Inspirato we call this the "luxury of certainty." Destination club members are guaranteed flawless accommodations and the resources to make the most of their vacations, with the added bonus of not having to take the time to do the extensive research themselves."
Showing Up and Having Fun
Equity Estates owner WJ Poston, noted "Hearing my neighbor complain about the maintenance on his lake house last weekend made me smile. There is nothing better than just showing up and having fun." While Jack London, another Equity Estates member, discussed the planners and local concierges saying "What's great is they'll arrange our itinerary, make restaurant reservations, and even make sure whatever food we want is stocked at the house in time for our arrival."
One of the biggest benefits of private jets and private aviation is the amount of time that it saves. With over 5,000 private airports (versus 500 commercial airports), you are more likely to be able to use an airport closer to home and to your destination. Private aircraft fly to your schedule, allowing you to arrive and depart when you want to and there are no long security lines or delayed stopovers.
A Full Day of Stress-Free Quality Time
As Andrew Collins, president of Sentient Jet states, "When compared to commercial flights, flying private with Sentient can add almost a full day of stress-free quality time to a vacation. From bypassing traditional airport security to actually enjoying their time in the air, our clients start their vacations on the plane and arrive at their destinations relaxed and ready to continue their travels."
NetJets Owner Scott Vinson notes "for both business and pleasure we've gone to multiple cities in a day and it worked out great........it allowed us to really do what would have taken commercially about two and a half days and we were able to do it all in one day."
Spend Time With My Boys
"The greatest gift on a personal and emotional level for me, has been the ability to get home and spend time with my boys... it's allowed me, to instead of being gone for 3 or 4 days at a time, to be gone a day or two at the most" said AirSprint owner Blair McKeil.
Of course if you use a private jet to fly out to your destination club or private residence club home, then you're combining the time saving from both of these worlds.
As the business leader and best-selling author Harvey MacKay said "Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back. " Or in very simple terms, to quote the renowned Benjamin Franklin "Time is money."
So if time is the ultimate luxury, the time savings associated with belonging to a destination club and/or flying private aircraft may well be worth it.
