The catastrophe of the bathyscaphe "Titan", which repeated the fate of the Titanic ship and sank in the Atlantic Ocean, has once again raised the issue of extreme travel, which the rich entertain themselves with. After all, there were two wealthy tourists on board the submarine out of five passengers.

Business Insider publication decided to find out what else the rich use to tickle their nerves. Among these trips were not only dives into the depths of the ocean but also flights outside the Earth's atmosphere and other ultra-expensive trips to unknown places.

Flights into space

In 2021, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos took off to the mark where space begins via his aerospace company Blue Origin. Around the same time, his billionaire colleague Richard Branson made a similar journey with his own space tourism company, Virgin Galactic.

Blue Origin then auctioned off a ticket for the 11-minute flight for $28 million. And even earlier, in 2018, Reuters reporters estimated that these tickets would probably cost between $200,000 and $300,000 in the future. However, the price now is higher because competitors are selling a similar flight at a higher price as well. The mentioned Virgin Galactic announced that its first commercial flights will cost $450,000.

By the way, it is known that the British billionaire and traveler Hamish Harding, who died on "Titan" last year, already used the travel services of Blue Origin.

Climbing Everest

The planet's highest mountain also attracts wealthy travelers. It costs almost $220,000 to organize a three-week trek. The package includes a professional escort and a supply of oxygen, even in excess.

Compared to the standard cost of the climb it is a lot, because last year the climb to Everest cost from 40,000 to 100,000 dollars, according to National Geographic.

The Austrian tour operator Furtenbach Adventures, which handles such trips, attributed its price to the fact that the package includes conditions and services that, according to company founder Lukas Furtenbach, should provide an ideal safety record and a virtually guaranteed opportunity for paying customers to climb to the top. Even though such a climb lasts less than usual.

The trip that was named the Signature Expedition includes a generator and a tent in the package, which are sent to the client weeks in advance so that they can simulate the thin, high-altitude air conditions and adjust in advance. Furtenbach also says that spending less time in the mountains reduces the likelihood of encountering other dangers of the Himalayas, such as avalanches. So far, more than 300 deaths are known to have occurred while attempting to climb Everest.

Furtenbach also says a large part of the cost of the climb comes from providing the client with a supply of oxygen. The company hires Sherpas to carry oxygen tanks up the mountain in order to hide them there and carry them down.

Getting lost in the wilderness

Black Tomato offers its wealthy clients a service called Get Lost, which sends them to remote places on Earth for interesting experiences. The safety of such clients is monitored by specialists from a certain distance. The destination, meanwhile, remains a mystery until the person gets there. The company also offers clients the opportunity to choose how "lost" they want to be on the trip.

Travelers are given satellite phones instead of cell phones. And having an escort team nearby, albeit at a distance, removes some of their fear of the unknown. According to Brendan Drevnyani, director of communications for Black Tomato, they are positioning their trip as "digital detox in the most extreme form."

Such tours can cost anywhere from $15,000 per person for a few days to more than $100,000 per person, depending on the length and complexity of the trip. The escort team includes survival specialists and former Royal Marines commandos.

Antarctic adventures

A number of cruises are available to Earth's southern continent. The most expensive can cost from $30,000 per person. The voyage lasts three weeks. Those wishing to do so are taken around the Southern Arctic Circle and the infamous Drake Passage, which is known for its extremely rough waters. This is a relatively safe form of travel, which, however, can be affected by abrupt changes in the weather.

Previously OBOZREVATEL told about the unique natural phenomena that can be seen when traveling only in summer.

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