By Laura Adams, Certified Travel Advisor & Wellness Travel Specialist
The most luxurious moment of my last trip wasn’t a private plunge pool or a seven-course tasting menu.
It was silence.
The hush of the coast at sunrise. The stillness of the water, broken only by the slow, graceful movement of gray whales passing by on their migration north. I sat on the terrace of my villa, tea in hand, watching quietly as they surfaced one by one—no camera, no agenda, just the moment. No notifications. Nowhere else I needed to be.
That’s when it hit me: this is what luxury really feels like.
It’s a moment that asks nothing of you. A moment that offers everything.
As a travel advisor, I’ve planned more itineraries than I can count—some filled with bucket-list adventures, others wrapped in spa robes and candlelight. But more and more, my clients aren’t asking for the biggest suite or the most exclusive dinner reservation. They’re asking for something else entirely: space. Stillness. A feeling of being gently held by their surroundings without needing to perform.
Not long ago, a client reached out feeling overwhelmed by the usual options. She didn’t want a city tour or a checklist of must-sees—she wanted to breathe again. We planned a five-night stay at a quiet mountainside retreat in Europe, where her days were spent journaling in the sun, soaking in thermal baths, and curling up by the fireplace with no set agenda. I’ve had several clients come back from similar trips with the same sentiment: “I finally felt like I could hear myself again.”
That, to me, is the heart of quiet luxury.
What is Quiet Luxury?
Quiet luxury isn’t about price tags or flash. It’s about presence. It’s about feeling completely comfortable in your surroundings and in yourself.
It’s staying in a beautifully designed space where everything has a purpose—and nothing tries too hard. It’s a private sailing with a wellness chef who asks how you feel instead of just what you’d like to eat. It’s a long, unhurried lunch under a fig tree in the hills of Istria, where time stretches and conversation flows.
It’s not performative. It’s not loud. And it often leaves the most lasting impression.
5 Ways to Invite Quiet Luxury Into Your Journey
This kind of travel looks different for everyone, but here are a few ways I help clients embrace quiet luxury in a way that feels authentic to them:
1. Start with simplicity
Skip the packed itinerary. Choose just a few meaningful experiences, and leave space around them. The most memorable parts of a trip often happen between the plans.
2. Stay longer, go slower
Instead of hopping between three cities in six days, settle into one place and let it unfold. One of my clients spent a week in a seaside village in Portugal doing nothing more than walking, reading, and tasting fresh bread each morning. She called it the most restorative trip of her life.
3. Make room for ritual
Whether it’s morning tea on a balcony, a breathwork practice before dinner, or a walk before bed—small rituals help ground you, even when you’re far from home. These touchpoints add richness to your day and keep you present.
4. Let your senses lead
Quiet luxury is deeply sensory. Notice the sound of distant waves, the warmth of your cup in hand, the softness of a linen robe. When you travel through the lens of your senses, the whole world opens up differently.
5. Work with someone who truly sees you
A well-designed trip should feel like it fits—not like you’re trying to keep up with someone else’s idea of adventure. I always tell my clients: your time is sacred. Treat it that way. Let someone else handle the logistics so you can focus on simply being there.
Why It Matters
I think quiet luxury resonates now more than ever because so many of us are tired—of being busy, of being constantly connected, of trying to do it all. Travel used to be about escape, but now I see it becoming more about return—a return to self, to rhythm, to simplicity.
The most fulfilling journeys are often the ones where we slow down enough to notice how we’re feeling and what we need. They’re not about seeing it all—they’re about feeling whole.
And that shift doesn’t have to come with compromise. Quiet luxury still honors quality, beauty, and intention. It just delivers it in a softer, more grounded way.
There’s a kind of richness that doesn’t announce itself.
It doesn’t post. It doesn’t perform. But you feel it deeply when you wake up slowly, walk barefoot to breakfast, and realize there’s absolutely nothing you have to do today.
That’s the beauty of quiet luxury.
And it’s the kind of travel I hope more of us choose.
Laura Adams is a Certified Travel Advisor and Wellness Travel Specialist, and the founder of Telamon Travel, a boutique agency that curates luxury and wellness-focused journeys around the world. A guest advisor for Wander, she specializes in creating soulful, restorative travel experiences that feel deeply personal.
