Imagine a holiday that would take you from Spain to Marrakech and Rwanda all in one trip. Ticking off a bucket list of exotic destinations is usually time-consuming and complicated, but a private jet tour gives travellers the chance to see far-flung corners of the world in one extended holiday.
Several firms now offer such luxury private jet tours, most of them lasting around three weeks and catering to between 50 and 80 guests.
Each jet is accompanied by service staff and a full-time baggage handler, as well as travel guides and lecturers to ensure guests get the most out of every destination.
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Journalist David Hochman, who travelled on a TCS World Travel tour from Hawaii to Nepal, describes in Forbes the in-flight pampering, which included "chilled face towels, warm blankets, fragrant roses, the latest Bose headphones and endless rounds of Perrier-Jouet".
On board the flight, there is not a Styrofoam tray in sight. Top-drawer chefs create in-flight meals, accompanied by wine and cocktails, that wouldn't be out of place in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Once the plane touches down, guests are whisked away to deluxe accommodation, which could be anything from a five-star hotel to glamping in the desert. Here they can put their feet up before exploring under the aegis of experienced guides.
There are dozens of different routes to choose from, including whistle-stop tours of the world's wonders and themed trips tailored to special interests.
The tours offered by TCS World Travel include Culinary Discoveries, International Intrigue and Hidden Wonders Around the World.
Abercrombie and Kent's 26-day Tropics to the Arctic tour has one of the most extensive itineraries. With each of the 50 spots on the chartered Boeing 757 costing $129,000 (£106,000), it's an expensive getaway, but one with an unrivalled variety of landscapes. Travellers touch down in South America, French Polynesia, Mongolia, Russia and Iceland on a round-the-world odyssey.
"You can circumnavigate the planet with less bother (and in grander style) than it takes for many people to get to their in-laws for Thanksgiving," Hochman writes. "Lapping the globe can be as comfortable as it is profound."
