The luxury travel glossary.

The EU regulation that entitles passengers to cash compensation — €250 to €600 — for long delays, cancellations and denied boarding on covered flights, on top of any refund. Distance and delay length set the amount.

The legal defence an airline uses to avoid paying EU261 — events genuinely outside its control, like severe weather or air-traffic strikes. Technical faults and crew shortages usually don’t qualify, so many refusals are beatable.

The UK’s post-Brexit copy of EU261, keeping near-identical compensation bands in pounds for flights touching the UK. Which rule applies depends on your route and the airline’s home base.

A company that pursues your flight-compensation claim for a cut of the payout, typically on a no-win-no-fee basis. Worth it when an airline stonewalls; unnecessary when a claim is straightforward and you have time to file it yourself.

A one-way private flight repositioning without passengers, sold at a steep discount to fill the seats. Cheap, but rigid: you take the operator’s date, route and timing, and it can be cancelled if the paying leg changes.

Pre-purchased private-jet flight hours at a fixed hourly rate, drawn down over time. Simpler than owning, more predictable than ad-hoc charter — and only worth it above a certain number of hours a year.

Buying a share of a specific aircraft — typically a sixteenth and up — for a set number of hours a year, plus monthly and hourly fees. It sits between chartering and outright ownership.

Fixed Base Operator — the private terminal you use instead of the main airport. It handles your arrival, ground transport and the aircraft, so you can go from car to cabin in minutes rather than queues.

The charge for flying the jet to and from your departure point when it isn’t already based there. It’s one of the biggest hidden line items on a charter quote — and the reason a nearby aircraft is cheaper.

The itemised price for a private flight, covering aircraft time, repositioning, crew, fees and taxes. Two quotes for the same trip can differ sharply depending on where the aircraft starts and what’s bundled.

Getting one loyalty programme to grant you elite status because you already hold it elsewhere — often instantly, and free. The fastest way into a chain’s top tier without earning the nights.

A hotel or airline loyalty tier that unlocks upgrades, lounge access and late checkout. Earned through nights or flights — or shortcut via a co-branded credit card or a status match.

Entry to airport lounges, usually via a premium card’s membership (Priority Pass, or a network’s own lounges like Centurion). Which card you carry decides which doors open — and whether guests get in.

A booking channel — like Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts or Virtuoso — that adds perks to a luxury-hotel stay at no extra cost: room credits, breakfast, upgrades. Same room, more included, if you book through the right door.

A crewed charter comes with a captain and staff; a bareboat you skipper yourself. Crewed buys a holiday you don’t have to run; bareboat buys freedom and a lower price — if you hold the qualifications.

A private rental that comes with staff — typically housekeeping and often a chef and concierge. It trades a hotel’s services for space, privacy and a home that’s wholly yours for the week.

A small-ship voyage built around remote landings — polar regions, the Galápagos, wild coasts — with naturalists and Zodiacs rather than casinos and shows. The destination is the experience, not the ship.

Residency granted in exchange for a qualifying investment — property, a fund, or a business — in the host country. It buys the right to live there; it is not the same as a passport.

A second passport granted for a qualifying investment or donation, giving full citizenship rather than just residency. Costlier and rarer than a golden visa — and it comes with a nationality, not only a place to live.

Residence is where you live now; domicile is your long-term “home” in law — and the two can differ. The distinction often decides how — and where — you’re taxed, especially on worldwide income and inheritance.

A digital SIM built into your phone, letting you load a local data plan on arrival without swapping a physical card. The simplest way to avoid roaming charges — if your phone supports it.

Cover for illness and injury while abroad, distinct from trip-cancellation insurance. For long-term and repeat travellers, subscription-style policies often beat single-trip cover on price and flexibility.