Each year, as we start anew, I like to reflect on who we are, what we do, and what truly defines luxury.
It isn’t that copper bathtubs or extensive wine lists are meaningless. After all, we have just replaced or upgraded our entire fleet of vehicles, introduced a helicopter at ol Donyo Lodge in Kenya, and expanded helicopter offerings in Botswana. Chef and guide training continues, and with new camps and complete refurbishments, Great Plains feels entirely refreshed.
All of this adds to the luxury. But real luxury is something quite different.
It is Space. It is Time. And it is something else—something I witnessed recently.
An elephant was walking toward one of our vehicles, and my attention shifted to a nearby family of four. I noticed the father, not watching the elephant, but instead watching his children’s faces as this gentle giant ambled by. After the bull had passed, the little girl turned to her mother, placed both hands on the sides of her face, and opened her eyes and mouth in silent awe.
In that moment, I saw the luxury of giving children the gift of a first experience in Africa—an experience that will last a lifetime. Both children immediately reached for their Great Plains Young Explorers backpacks, eagerly making notes and sketches of what they had just seen.
We run a serious Young Explorers program. It is complete with well-designed, professional learning tools that are also fun. Our chefs teach ‘small people’ how to cook, letting them surprise their parents with a meal later. Our guides and staff likely enjoy their time with the Young Explorers just as much as the kids do. But what greater gift is there than having the time to be with family? To see your young explorers run and jump into the mighty Zambezi, or watch them encounter a lion for the very first time?
Each Young Explorer who visits our camps silently supports a Young Explorer from a local community. A portion of the conservation levy contributes to our Great Plains Foundation-funded Children’s Conservation Camp.
Nature is precious. In my opinion, it is the right of every citizen of the world to have clean air, clean water, and access to Nature. It is all around us, and our job is to make it accessible to the next generation, to protect it, and to hand it down intact. Great Plains is ramping up this part of our offering—and our responsibility.
For us, that is our luxury.
