Luxury clients are moving their top bucket-list trips into bookings for 2027 and later, and at Pavlus Travel and Cruise, Antarctica leads a list of seven trip types that runs from Norway’s Svalbard and the Galapagos Islands to in-depth U.S. touring. The Albuquerque, N.M., agency, a Travel Leaders Network member, drew the list from its late 2026 inquiries and bookings.
What’s On Your Client’s Bucket List
What has changed is timing, not interest. “Often they’ve dreamed about this trip for years, but they’re now telling our personal travel planners that they want to make it happen,” said Craig Pavlus, founder and CEO, in a press statement.
Antarctica is by far the most requested, and clients choose between crossing the often rough Drake Passage from South America, which some want for the bragging rights, and a fly-cruise using charter flights to King George Island. Either way, clients typically board a small expedition ship from lines such as National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, Ponant, Seabourn, Silversea or Viking.
Several other requests center on wildlife. On Viking’s 15-day Iceland and Norway’s Arctic Explorer, from $7,999 per person, double occupancy, clients look forward to two full days on Svalbard. Galapagos options include Silversea’s Silver Origin and G Adventures‘ 16-night Complete Galapagos, while safari formats include ocean cruise port calls in Kenya or South Africa and escorted programs such as A&K‘s 18-guest, 14-night Ultimate Great Migration Safari, from $17,995 per person, double occupancy.
Grand Voyages are increasingly requested as top luxury lines add options, and the Northwest Passage has been one of this year’s most requested. The National Geographic Resolution sails 24 days between Nome, Alaska, and Nuuk, Greenland, on July 29, 2027, from $59,000 per person, double occupancy. Many repeat South Pacific travelers now want longer trips there, such as Tauck‘s 20-day Grand Australia and New Zealand, and the agency’s World Cruise bookings, for voyages of four to six months, have risen significantly this year.
“Not every bucket-list inquiry involves traveling overseas,” said Pavlus in the press statement. “This fall, we’ve noticed that many potential travelers have asked about in-depth, themed vacations closer to home.” Options include Tauck’s 12-day In Freedom’s Footsteps: New York to Washington, D.C., a Ken Burns-inspired escorted tour from $7,590 per person, double occupancy, and Globus‘ 10-day Nashville to New Orleans tour for fans of jazz or blues.
Why It Matters
The list tracks closely with Virtuoso’s 2027 Luxe Report, in which advisors ranked expedition cruising the No. 3 travel trend for 2027 and named Antarctica the top adventure destination, while 75 percent of respondents expect leisure travel demand to rise.
For more information, visit pavlus.com.
