Luxury curated travel back with a bang post coronavirus-induced lull

Companies catering to a well-heeled niche report higher than pre-pandemic demand for cruises, road trips in India and abroad

For A N Rao, post-retirement life began in the ice caps of Antarctica. In December 2018, the former official of an IT multinational took a flight to Argentina with his wife, and embarked on a cruise ship to the white continent as part of a curated journey by The Q Experiences.

Rao, who is based in Hyderabad, was busy globe-trotting until the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020. It limited his options to domestic road trips. This week, he and his wife will set off for the other end of the globe, the Arctic, on a trip organised by the luxury travel