In very general terms, this holiday list is for a very special few from a very special few who, right now, are running out of time, not money. These are the special few who look at the calendar in September, and think, well, it’s a LONG time until the Holidays. Well, they are here: Santa Claus, Rudolph, Olaf, Frosty and others is bearing down right now!
Gifting for those who have everything and need NOTHING are the most impossible to shop for, so either you have forgotten them, or you have given up.
Well, hark! Do not lose hope. Here are some high end, fun, and unusual gifts for those who already have too much of everything. It is our guess they have none of the following.
1. The Gift Of A Great Travel Experience: Abercrombie & Kent Private Jet Journeys
Abercrombie & Kent has combined multiple iconic destinations into one exceptional private jet journey, so your gift recipients can travel to Machu Picchu, Easter Island, the Taj Mahal, and Angkor Wat all in one trip, from September 17-October 10, 2015. It will give your recipients time to pack.
Only 50 guests will travel on Abercrombie & Kent’s privately chartered jet – the first to feature fully lie-flat seats – for a luxury experience that begins and ends in the U.S. The travelers will see at the mysterious moai on Easter Island and celebrate at a traditional feast; enjoy dinner at the Sydney Opera House and attend a private performance. They will learn about Angkor Wat from a local archaeologist and explore the site after a champagne breakfast. The Taj Mahal will be visited at sunrise and sunset. They will see Istanbul’s great sites, including the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace – before the crowds arrive. Experience Morocco at A&K’s exclusive luxury camp, among the dunes of the remote Sahara Desert and discover Marrakech with A&K founder, chairman and CEO Geoffrey Kent as host. Price is $108,000 a person, double occupancy.
All of Abercrombie & Kent’s private jet journeys, feature a privately chartered Icelandair Boeing 757-200ER with 50 custom-designed, fully lie-flat Italian leather seats equipped with personal massage system, 4-way adjustable headrests and lumbar support, and a fully lie-flat bed more than 6.5′ long (79” pitch.)
In addition to this trip, A&K, offers regional programs: Africa is a great example. The private jet takes the traveler to seven countries in 19 days, from February 20 – March 10, 2015. $82,995 per person, double occupancy.
2. The Gift Of A Philanthropic Watch: The Fonderie 47 Inversion Principle Watch
Founded in 2009 by Peter Thum, the goal of this small enterprise is to reduce the number of destabilizing assault weapons in Africa, specifically the notorious AK 47. The solution he and his company devised is to buy as many of these instruments of destruction as they can and transform them into exclusive jewelry and watches that will inspire, and raise awareness about the need to destroy additional weapons. Recently, Fonderie 47 launched of their first horological product, the Inversion Principle.
Presented in a 42mm 18k white gold or red gold case and finished on a hand stitched alligator strap (brown leather for the red gold case and black leather for the white) with matching gold pin buckle, the Inversion Principle timepiece will be limited to just 20 pieces and will retail from US$195,000 with revenues from the sale of each timepiece used to fund the destruction of one thousand assault weapons in Africa. A watch like this will get 1,000 guns out of the country.
In a recent interview with NPR, Thum noted that more than 80,000 guns have been destroyed. As for his mission? “Let’s take a device that makes people dead and get rid of it.” Right.
3. The Gift Of Really Clean Teeth: The Reinast Luxury Toothbrush
The Reinast Luxury Toothbrush is one of a kind: a gift or a personal reward for someone whose lifestyle is defined by ultra-luxury items that very few can afford. It is a toothbrush that costs as much as 1000 (or more) regular toothbrushes. In other words, this toothbrush will cost you approximately $4,000 US. It is a great gift for those never thought of a toothbrush as an object of great aesthetic appeal with deeply practical functionality. Or made of Titanium.
Reinast’s designers wanted to emulate an elongated stick design, as they knew of the Miswak branch, which provided ancient Egyptians one of the earliest forms of tooth brushing. The toothbrush has evolved a long way since then, though the long stick design actually hasn’t. The person that receives the Reinast toothbrush appreciates the importance of great aesthetic form that follows practical, hygienic function.
4. The Gift Of A New Automobile – With A Difference : Icon 4X4: A Bespoke, Handcrafted, One-Of-A-Kind Car Company.
Icon is a company, begun by Jonathan Ward, that builds cars from classic prototypes. And builds cars from old models also. They run upward of $100,000, and are vehicles for accomplished people who do not need to show their status, but who love owning something that is unique, highly functional, and made just for them.
The ICON is for people who appreciate the intelligence that goes into the hundreds of choices made in its design and assembly, and how, in a vehicle costing upwards of $100,000, nothing is superfluous.
These are vehicles for those who resist commoditized mass production goods in favor of hand crafted US made products; and, is an experience of deep worth for people who still can feel thrill of classic design and modern performance working in concert.
5. The Gift Of Beautiful Protection: The William Henry Luxury Pocketknife
Pocketknives have been in existence since the first century AD in Rome, and have usually been considered a man’s provenance. For centuries after, the three things than men carried with them: their wallet, their keys, and their pocketknife. Now? Not so much, but the pocket knife archetype is evolving, due in part to the re-emergence of the luxury pocket knife, from William Henry, a purveyor and creator of luxury jewelry items for men, luxury pocket knives included.
These pocketknives have the dimensions of jewelry, but with a greater, functional definition. Like jewelry, they have facets of great design with design history, but unlike other personal accessories, the luxury pocket knife (still!) has multiple uses. It can cut rope, string, open letters, slice apples, and shave wood: diamond rings or cufflinks can’t do any of that.
The $25,000 Spearpoint ‘Lace’ features a hand-engraved handle with inlaid 24K gold by Mario Terzi. The blade is hand-forged ‘Boomerang’ Damascus steel by Chad Nichols; the one-hand button lock and the thumb stud are set with spinel.
The ‘Lace’ features hundreds of hours of microscopic hand-engraving, and hand-forged Damascus steel, which are the hallmark of William Henry’s most exclusive creations; an heirloom to be worn and used for a lifetime before bequeathing it to the next generation.
6. The Gift Of A Paddleboard With Soul: Tidal Roots Paddleboards
Tidal Roots paddleboards are made in Maine, and the two young founders believe there is soul in the Maine wood that is sculpted into their products. Tidal Roots builds one-of-a-kind stand up paddleboards (SUPs) on the coast of Southern Maine.
Their boards run between $2,750 to $7500, making the Tidal Roots paddleboards the least expensive of all of these gifts, and may be among the most fun.
Unlike a surfboard that needs waves to get going or a canoe that is best experienced in swift moving rivers, a paddle board needs just water. Typically, you stand upright on an SUP and using a modified oar you propel the board with forward momentum, and you can cruise through harbors, lakes, rivers, open oceans and just about any large water body. You can fish and fly fish from a paddleboard also.
Paddleboarding gives riders a better visibility of the horizon allowing them to see farther ahead along the water surface. It may be this perspective on water that accounts for much of the sport’s popularity.
According to a recent article published in the UK Daily Mail, paddle boarding is the fastest growing water sport in the world.
Article Written By Susan Kime
Susan Kime’s career combines publishing, editorial, and PR/Media Relations. She was the Destination Club/Fractional Update Editor for Elite Traveler, and senior club news correspondent for The Robb Report’s Vacation Homes. Her work has been published in Stratos, Luxury Living, European CEO, The London Telegraph, Caviar Affair, and ARDA Developments, and Luxist/AOL. She was the Editor-in-Chief of Travel Connoisseur, a high end magazine with a focus on the evolution of the private residence and destination club industries, until its closure in November 2008. In 2009, Susan served as the Content Editor for FraxFinder.com, writing travel club guides, and all forms of Destination Club, Private Residence Club and high end fractional news. Susan has done PR and content marketing consultation for Luxury Real Estate.com, the Weybridge Collection, Solstice, Charaf & Co., and Spring Creek Partners. She was chosen as one of the five best Luxury journalists of 2011 by the website Luxury Hub.com. Susan is regularily featured as a speaker at The Ragatz Luxury Fractional Interest Conference, and has covered, for many years, the American Express Luxury Summit. Susan lives in beautiful Logan, Utah with her husband and Beagle. Online atGoogle + and Twitter.
