Which luxury travel companies are best for a once-in-a-lifetime trip?

These 30 luxury travel companies call a trip they sell once in a lifetime, a trip of a lifetime or a bucket list trip on their own websites. Of them, Quark Expeditions, Metropolitan Touring and SA Expeditions have the most Google reviews. Each card gives what the company's own website says.

Which luxury travel companies are best for a once-in-a-lifetime trip?

These 30 luxury travel companies use once-in-a-lifetime or bucket list wording for trips they sell; Quark Expeditions, Metropolitan Touring and SA Expeditions have the most Google reviews. Pick the trip that fits, then compare how each protects your money.

Every line below was read from the company's own website on 3 November 2026; each card links the pages it came from.

Which of these companies protect your money?

11 of the 30 name a scheme that protects guest payments on their own websites, such as ATOL for UK flight packages, ABTA or USTOA membership, or a trust account; the rest do not name one on the pages read.

• Carrier: ATOL number 2968 covers its flight-inclusive holidays. As an ABTA member (number V0391) it says bookings are financially protected under the Package Travel Regulations if it becomes insolvent.
• Cazenove+Loyd: Holds ATOL number 3208, issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.
• Cookson Adventures: ATOL number 12608 protects flight-inclusive packages on certain bookings, usually where clients are based or book in the UK. It may not protect all services.
• Four Seasons Private Jet Experience: Reservations are protected by surety bonds issued by Siriuspoint America Insurance Company; no ATOL, ABTA or USTOA number is given.
• Lightfoot Travel: Says each sales location has the maximum level of industry bonding possible, including ATOL membership in the UK, with licensing in Singapore and Hong Kong; no ATOL number is given.
• Mahlatini: Some flight-inclusive holidays are protected by the ATOL scheme. Guests' money is also held through its travel trust, Trust My Travel; no ATOL number is given.
• Natural World Safaris: For UK and EU clients, cover is included through ATOL or Trust My Travel. For clients outside the UK and EU it is available for a small extra fee through Trust My Travel; no ATOL number is given.
• Quark Expeditions: Is covered by the USTOA Consumer Protection Plan, which requires it to post US$1 million with USTOA to reimburse advance payments if it becomes insolvent.
• Steppes Travel: ATOL covers its flight-inclusive packages and ABTOT covers non-flight packages (number 5488). Money for ATOL-protected bookings is held in an independent trust account managed by Serenity Trust; no ATOL number is given.
• The Luxury Holiday Company: Holds ATOL and ABTOT licences, with ABTOT cover entered under Wexas Ltd number 52; no ATOL number is given.
• Wexas Travel: Holds ATOL and ABTOT licences, but where it acts as agent protection comes from the tour operator or cruise line; no ATOL number is shown.

Which other companies on this page fit a once-in-a-lifetime trip?

Quark Expeditions has the most Google reviews of the 30; these 4 have the most Google reviews of the rest.

• Metropolitan Touring: Peru tours of a lifetime
• SA Expeditions: Peru and Easter Island bucket list
• Boutique Japan: Japan trips of a lifetime
• Natural World Safaris: Safaris of a lifetime

Who to contact first

Start with the 11 companies on this page that name a scheme protecting your payments on their own websites, then add any other card that fits your dates.

• Carrier
• Cazenove+Loyd
• Cookson Adventures
• Four Seasons Private Jet Experience
• Lightfoot Travel
• Mahlatini
• Natural World Safaris
• Quark Expeditions
• Steppes Travel
• The Luxury Holiday Company
• Wexas Travel

What to ask each one to set out in writing:

• What the price includes and excludes, line by line: stays, guides, transfers, internal flights, park or entry fees.
• The deposit, when the balance is due and what you lose if you cancel.
• Which scheme protects your money and the number to check it.

Richard Jasinski · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · first published 4 November 2026 · updated 4 November 2026