What It Is
The idea behind the platinum service is relatively simple. An exclusive lodge or property is booked and used as a base from which to explore Africa. Doing away with traditional safari models, it offers a multitude of possible itineraries, all at the behest of the client, all operating from a single fixed point.
Such a service requires an extremely sophisticated and wide ranging back-up operation. It provides the client with a very private home, one that caters for every need, while, at the same time, it is prepared for any eventuality, any adventure, and can plan and execute a journey in a matter of hours. This way the client 'moves in' just the once, and the shape of the itinerary is that bit more easily controlled.
How It Works
Our platinum service begins with the client’s express desire that the itinerary be built around Will Jones’s personal involvement. Prepared to fly anywhere in the world, Will meets with prospective clients in the comfort of their own homes, helps draw up the outlines of possible itineraries, and introduces the service in greater depth. It includes:
Advanced safari preparation. As well as the private consultation, and the drawing up of the safari itinerary, Will designs – and alerts interested individuals, companies and border controls – a door-to-bush schedule. This includes wing-to-wing transfers, and ensures that clients arrive at their initial destinations with the minimum of fuss.
Support Network. Throughout the journey, clients will have at their exclusive disposal an unprecedented level of support. This will include ground vehicles, light aircraft, VIP airport assistance, helicopters, pilots, guides and hosts. The team – assembled for the express purpose of a given itinerary – is highly flexible, highly skilled, and extremely well-connected.
Platinum Accommodation. Journeys by Design represents a handful of private houses and ranches whose owners open their doors to a very select group of travellers. The accommodation is outstanding in every respect, and guests receive a level of attention normally reserved for heads of state.
Platinum Destinations. Every safari will take place in areas guaranteed to provide clients with an experience that is authentic, personal and private. These destinations’ lodges, camps and ranches operate the lowest ratios of travellers to square kilometres of land found anywhere in Africa. They are all world leaders in the kind of sustainable tourism we support.
Open Black Book. Depending on individual requirements / interests, clients are provided with unrivalled access to the makers and shapers of wild Africa. This may, for example, include a private meeting with palaeontologist Dr Richard Leakey, or attending a seminar chaired by historian Dr Richard Pankhurst. These contacts come from Will Jones. They are his colleagues, the friends and acquaintances he has made since beginning his work in East Africa. They are a small, significant group
of men and women whose reputations precede them, and upon whom the
future of wild Africa rests.
Long Range Support. In addition to an on-the-ground support team, clients will have access to an assortment of leading medical, administrative and legal organisations. This will include 24 hour contact with our offices in the UK and the US.
After Care. The return journey is planned and executed with as much care as the rest of the trip, and every effort is made to ensure that clients arrive home fresh, invigorated and inspired.
Bespoke philanthropic opportunities. The thinking behind our clients experiencing the very best of wild Africa, and in arranging contact with leading conservationists and policy makers, stems from the belief that we are all – the safari industry, its clients and the host communities - important stakeholders in the maintaining of Africa’s wildernesses. Travellers may discover that they are in a position to contribute – intellectually, professionally or materially. If this is indeed the case, then Will would be able to help, either generally, in an advisory capacity, or more specifically, by way of an organisation – Nomadic Professionals (www.nomadicprofessionals.com) – set up as a means of channelling good will effectively. |
