Luxury travel experiences are the desire of a lot of travelers. An opulent hotel room, an exclusive dining experience, or even an ultra-comfortable flight with an impressive on-board bar sounds like a dream. And what if it was actually within reach? What if you could book one of these experiences for even less money than you thought? Wouldn’t that be a wish come true?  

Well, I’m here to tell you that luxury travel is within reach and doesn’t always have to break the bank. A few years ago, while planning a trip for my family and me to Australia and New Zealand, I checked out all the flights between every city in both countries. I found that Emirates offered a nonstop flight between Auckland and Melbourne for $560 per person! Now, this flight happened to be on the famous Emirates A380 airplane with the lush seats and the on-board bar.

But Emirates, one of the world’s top airlines, is based in Dubai, not Australia or New Zealand—so how is it allowed to fly between those two nations? Emirates (and other airlines) offer “Fifth-Freedom Flights” at a deep discount. These flights carry passengers between two countries that are different from the airline’s home base operating the flight. These routes are allowed as long as the flight begins or ends in the airline’s home country. (The first leg of Emirates’ route starts in Dubai.)

Mind you, it was a one-way flight. Still, at that moment, I realized that a dream of mine to have my very own fancy lady, in-flight bar experience was actually within reach!! All I had to do was reroute our trip a smidge, and it was completely worth it.  

And finally, the pièce de résistance:
the mandatory picture behind the bar…

To put things in perspective, for this route, flying in economy on a low-cost carrier will set you back at least $150 after fees. We ended up paying about $400 extra per person for this treat. It was decadent, for sure, but I honestly feel like it was worth the extra money. Exceptional service, incredible seats, a delicious steak for lunch. I couldn’t ask for more. And to think that a one-way flight on this airplane from Los Angeles to Dubai would typically cost $5,500! To be able to have this luxury experience for less was an amazing opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. 

As a Luxury Travel Advisor, my goal is to offer a paramount travel experience for my clients. Having a few money-saving options in my back pocket means that I can help my clients stretch their dollar a little farther to create an opulent adventure with memories for a lifetime. 

Start your travel process with me here.