Around the World with Geoffrey Kent: An Inspiring Expedition by Private Jet

Arrive in Seattle and transfer to the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, where you meet your tour leadership team and fellow guests over cocktails and dinner.

Board your private jet for your flight to Seoul, South Korea, crossing the International Dateline en route. Begin your adventure with a visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the official strip of land that creates the buffer zone between North and South Korea. A local expert prepares you with a briefing before accompanying you on the visit. Invited to lunch today are North Korean defectors living in South Korea, who share stories of their lives in the North and of their journey to the South. Later this afternoon, explore the Korean Stone Museum, which showcases the aesthetic beauty and significant cultural values of old Korean stone sculptures. The next day, visit historic Gyeongbokgung Palace and meet the director for an informative tour of the beloved royal landmark, and meet the resident tea master for an exclusive tea ceremony in Jagyeongjeon Hall. Choose to enjoy dinner this evening in the restaurant of your choice. On your last day, enjoy your choice of Design Your Day activities: Experience the City Highlights of Seoul with an experienced guide. Explore Nami Island and Learn Kimchi Making on a culinary experience. Join a Cooking Class led by a master chef in Korean cuisine. Take a Guided Shopping Tour with an expert local. Enjoy Your Choice of Spa Treatments at your hotel. Gather for a gala dinner with cultural performances this evening at the Sebitseom Floating Island Convention, the world’s first floating cultural space. Sebitseom, which means “three shining islands brightening the Hangang River,” is comprised of four artificial islands. The Some Sevit, a popular nightlife spot, reflects colorful LED lights off the Hangang River, making it also a popular filming location.

Your journey continues as you jet to Hanoi, Vietnam. Celebrate your arrival at a specially curated street food night market in the courtyard of Vong Thi Temple, where Hanoi’s culinary favorites are brought together for an exciting evening of entertainment. Travel to magnificent Ha Long Bay and visit a small rural village. Then, experience the wonders of the bay, sipping cocktails and Champagne aboard a private boat as you cruise among the more noted grottoes and islands. The next morning, tour Hanoi’s famous landmarks, including Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, the magnificent Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison, nicknamed “Hanoi Hilton” by prisoners of the Vietnam War, followed by lunch and a meeting with veterans from both sides of the conflict. The afternoon is yours to enjoy the Design Your Day activity of your choosing: Discover Local Life Up Close on a Vespa or cyclo excursion. Cycle Around the West Lake and enjoy lovely scenic views. Go Shopping on an Artisan Tour with a specialist guide. Visit a Private Art and Artifacts Collection, hosted by the curator. Attend a Cooking Class with a celebrity chef in their restaurant. In the evening, join your fellow guests for cocktails and a private dinner at the stunning Hanoi Opera House.

Reunite with your private jet crew this morning for the short flight to Luang Prabang, Laos. Transfer to Wat That Luang for a blessing by monks, and then continue by tuk-tuk to a former royal residence. Here, meet with artisans and specialists for a private exhibit of ethnic textiles, followed by lunch and a traditional baci welcoming ceremony. Then, fly to the beautiful Maldives, landing in the capital of Malé. Board speed boats for the 30-minute ride to your resort home for the next three days of unhurried leisure. Maldives Islands is an archipelago comprising 1,190 low-lying coral islands scattered across the equator, in groups of 26 naturally occurring atolls. Described as “the flower of the Indies” by Marco Polo, the unique and unspoiled islands are a tropical paradise of year-round sunshine, swaying palm trees and pure white beaches surrounded by crystalline lagoons of varying shades of blue. From the comfort of your luxurious surroundings, enjoy a tantalizing mixture of secluded serenity, thrilling water sports activities, soothing spas and relaxing beaches. Over the next three relaxing days, experience the breadth and beauty of the Maldives’ landscape and culture, choosing from a variety of Design Your Day activities such as diving, fishing, kayaking at sunrise, snorkeling or cruising among dolphins, as well as a cooking class or a pampering spa treatment.

Leave the Maldives behind as you fly to Izmir, your gateway to Ephesus, the best-preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean. The next day, choose from one of four Design Your Day options: Explore Izmir’s Lively Kemeralti Market, tasting special local treats and enjoying Turkish coffee and tasseography. Visit the Street of the Synagogues and pay a visit to a historic synagogue to meet someone from the Jewish delegation in Izmir. Explore Ionia, where Turkey’s modern-day civilization was born. Travel into the valley of the Meander River and explore the incredible Temple of Apollo in Didyma. Enjoy a Morning at Leisure to explore or relax on your own. After lunch, explore the ancient city of Ephesus alongside an expert. Later, enjoy cocktails at the Harbor Baths and then an exquisite dinner in front of the timeless façade of the Library and the South Gate, with musicians from the Izmir State Symphony providing accompaniment. Board your private jet the next day for the short flight to Cappadocia, an otherworldly landscape of soft volcanic stone carved by erosion into striking natural spires. This afternoon, pay a private after-hours visit to the Goreme open-air museum to view some of the ancient cave churches. Rise early the next day for a breathtaking hot air balloon ride over the spectacular Cappadocian landscape (weather permitting). Later, participate in one of several Design Your Day activities: Explore the Underground City of Kaymakli on a guided excursion. Visit a Rug Weavers’ Workshop and learn about this time-honored traditional craft. Pay a Visit to a Master Potter’s Workshop to see the making of authentic Avanos pottery. Embark on an Invigorating Hike in scenic Meskender Valley. In the evening, enjoy a fantastic private presentation of whirling dervishes from the local lodge.

Cross the heart of the African continent en route to Benin’s capital of Cotonou, where you are greeted with a rousing display of traditional drumming, singing and dancing. At Ouidah, one of the epicenters of African Vodoun, known in the West as Voodoo, tour the temple dedicated to the sacred python, which is believed to bestow vitality and protection. Delve deeper into the realm of Vodoun, a religion born in West Africa that migrated to the Americas with the slave trade. Attend an authentic Vodoun ceremony, and then roam through the Sacred Forest and Foundation Zinsou, a modern museum of contemporary art. Visit the historical Museum of Ouidah located in an old Portuguese fort built in 1721, its exhibits frankly recounting Benin’s role in the Atlantic slave trade. Then explore Ganvie, a sensational village on water, commonly referred to as the Venice of West Africa. A band and a dance troupe welcome you as you arrive. Watch as vendors in dugout canoes piled high with wares transact commerce. Take some time to shop the floating market, and then settle in for a relaxing canoe ride on the waterways of this exotic 300-year-old village. Head out from Cotonou to the nearby capital city of Porto Novo. Visit the Songhai Center for Sustainable Development and the King Toffa's Palace, a former royal residence and today a museum. Meet with the king and elders of Porto Novo for an interaction that lends insight into local traditions and history.

Set out across the Atlantic to São Luis International Airport in Brazil, where you board a small aircraft for a scenic flight over the Lençois Maranhenses National Park Dunes to Barreirinhas, your home for the next three nights. Explore its incomparable landscapes of white sand dunes dotted with greenish-blue ponds of crystal-clear waters, stopping for a delicious seafood lunch. Later, enjoy sundowners and dinner with lively musical entertainment. Pursue the Design Your Day activity of your choice the next day: You may wish to ride the trail through the Small Lençóis, stopping to enjoy the lagoons or swim from the beaches; take in the exuberant landscape, Preguiças mangroves and guará birds on the banks of the Preguiças River during a boat ride; enjoy a horseback ride through the dunes; take kite-surfing or paddle boarding lessons; or simply relax and enjoy the beach. In the evening, celebrate your amazing journey during a lively dinner with a cultural presentation.

Return to São Luis airport by local flight to board your private jet for the last time, and then wing your way to New Orleans for a festive, Mardi Gras-style farewell celebration. Depart the next day.