The New York Times and Abercrombie & Kent have joined
forces to create an around-the-world private jet journey that will be hosted by
Times reporters. Tours will take an in-depth look at current events throughout
the world.
The 26-day itinerary, “Around the World by Private Jet:
Cultures in Transformation” will take place from Feb. 8 to March 5, 2018, and
will include destinations making headlines such as Cuba, Colombia, Myanmar,
Iran, Morocco and Iceland.
Alan Riding, a former Times foreign correspondent, will
travel with the group to Cuba and Colombia to take a closer look at Latin
American writers’ influence on the region, on the legalization and taxation of
drugs, and issues of wealth and poverty.
Elaine Sciolino, writer and former chief diplomatic
correspondent, will travel to Myanmar, Iran and Morocco to help explore the
history of the Iranian Revolution and the creation of the Islamic Republic, the
status of women, and U.S.-Iranian relations.
Cornelia Dean, former editor of the Times’ Science Times
section, will travel to Morocco and Iceland to speak about climate change,
among other scientific topics.
The itinerary also includes Easter Island and Sydney,
Australia.
The idea was to create an itinerary that would appeal to
Times readers, according to Alice Ting, vice president of brand development,
licensing and syndication for the New York Times.
The trip will begin in New York with a private brunch in the
New York Times building in midtown, where Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr., publisher
of the Times, will greet guests.
For its private jet journeys, A&K charters a Boeing
757-200ER that has been configured to have 50 lie-flat seats. The plane has a
crew-to-guest ratio of 1:8. There is an onboard executive chef. The plane is equipped
an espresso maker, and passengers have access to Bose noise-canceling
headphones and iPads loaded with music and movies.
Travelers will be accompanied by an Abercrombie & Kent
tour director and will explore each country in groups of no more than 16 people.
The trip starts at $135,000 per person, based on
double occupancy.