Go inside Elite Traveler’s exclusive dinner with National Geographic Expeditions, where guests discovered the brand’s around-the-world private jet journeys.
On a recent summer evening in Manhattan, the doors to the private dining room of New York’s most exclusive members club, Coco’s at Colette, opened to welcome an intimate group for an evening of discovery courtesy of a brand that’s become synonymous with the word over its storied 138-year history: National Geographic.
The soaring skyline views from the 37th floor of the General Motors building were particularly suited to the evening’s main topic of discussion, with the assembled guests gathering to learn more about National Geographic Expeditions’ flagship itineraries, in partnership with Elite Traveler, of around-the-world journeys by private jet. Even among the seasoned luxury travelers in attendance, the unique perspective of a continuous multi-week trip to the most fascinating, breathtaking, and historically significant destinations across the globe – including 12 UNESCO World Heritage sites – was a continuous source of wonder.
See also: “Once in a Lifetime” Happens Every Day on National Geographic Expeditions by Private Jet
“Most private jet programs sell access, whereas National Geographic Expeditions sells understanding, and I think that’s a key difference,” said Andrew Nelson, longtime travel correspondent and guide for the magazine as well as the evening’s featured speaker. “The guests we’re talking to understand luxury; it’s what they’re getting for their money that money can’t buy. That’s perspective shaped by more than 100 years of National Geographic’s engagement with the world and all that’s in it.”
Befitting the event’s theme of An Evening of Exploration: Journeys Around the World, the food and beverage team at Coco’s at Colette developed a menu that ranged across continents, incorporating elements of Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Peruvian, and Moroccan cuisines, from sweet potato hummus with dukkha and tuna tataki canapés to an entrée of striped bass featuring turmeric beurre blanc, dill, mint, haricot verts, and Fresno peppers. Between courses, Nelson held forth on everything from the effects of social media on luxury travel to the common trait he notices in the explorers he most admires (hint: don’t be afraid to cut against the flow of the crowd). His role, as he sees it, is “teaching people how to see the world. Not simply where to go, but how to understand what they’re experiencing once they get there. We can stand before the pyramids, watch wildlife in Africa, or walk ancient streets in Asia, but proximity isn’t the same thing as connection. We provide context – historically, culturally, artistically.”
See also: Three Globe-Circling Private Jet Trips that are Greater than the Sum of Their Destinations
As desserts of mandarin orange givree were served, talk turned to the nitty-gritty, with National Geographic Expeditions SVP and general manager Nancy Schumacher stepping in to answer the type of detailed queries that can only come from an Elite Traveler-caliber audience, from relationships with celebrated local guides – try Explorers-in-Residence Maeve and Louise Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, in Tanzania – to contingency plans for unforeseen mechanical issues (a longtime partnership with Icelandic Air means a backup jet is always primed for delivery should the first become grounded). But again and again, discussion returned to the spectacular opportunity to weave together a singular, globe-spanning travel narrative unrivalled in its depth and access – particularly at a time when, according to Nelson, “the world has become easier to visit but in some ways harder to understand.”
“The best hotels, cities, landscapes, and cultural experiences act as portals into larger stories – they help us understand a place, not merely visit it,” he explained. “Anybody
can go somewhere, but far fewer people know what they’re looking at when they arrive and then return home with a deeper understanding of why places matter. The greatest travel object isn’t a souvenir; it’s a new way of seeing the world.”
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