- [Narrator] Three years ago,
luxury travel agent, Roman Chiporukha,
couldn't sell his clients on a big opportunity,
a chance to visit the International Space Station.
- I literally talked to everyone for two years straight,
telling them about space.
And initially, the response was, "No, thank you,
I'm not interested."
- [Announcer] Four.
- [Narrator] But two years later,
he sold a ticket for $50 million.
- [Announcer] Ignition, lift off.
- [Tourist] It's a great looking photograph.
- [Narrator] That trip to the ISS
is just one example of a trend
that some high-end travel agents are seeing.
Their wealthy clients want a dose
of adrenaline with their luxury.
Here's what's behind the trend
and why some experts are concerned about the risks.
Tourists have been visiting Antarctica since the 1950s,
but in the last few years,
companies have built infrastructure
to make these trips more appealing to the ultra-rich,
like these so-called Sky Pods.
- And those experiences that they wanna have,
prior to the pandemic might not have even been on the radar
are now sort of front and center and on the bucket list.
The concept of YOLO, you only live once,
I think has really sort of settled into the mindset
of post-pandemic travelers.
- [Narrator] Tour operator, White Desert,
has built three camps on the continent,
the newest can only be reached by private jet.
Clients can rappel down cliffs, explore ice caves,
and hike among fledgling emperor penguins.
- So the bucket list trip
has become a trip to do immediately,
and those folks that have done all of these things
are looking for more intrepid
and truly unique and enriching experiences.
(ice crunching)
- [Narrator] For these travelers,
the cost can be over $100,000 for seven days.
- Both the polar and Antarctic regions are,
I would say that they are booming,
and it's not just the regions themselves,
it's the near Arctic and near Antarctic.
- [Narrator] But the polar regions
are under threat from climate change.
The world's ice is melting faster than ever.
- We're finding parts of the ice sheet are melting now,
and possibly going into irreversible melting.
- [Narrator] And in 2022,
a paper found that each Antarctic tourist corresponds
to about 83 tons of snow loss.
(suspenseful music)
Some travel agents say that despite risks,
clients are looking for the next adventure,
and more travelers are willing to spend
to reach these extreme destinations without the hassle.
The CEO of adventure travel company, Untamed Borders,
said one client wanted to climb K2,
but didn't have the two weeks it takes to hike to base camp.
Since private aircraft aren't permitted so close
to the disputed border of Pakistan and India,
Untamed Borders rented high altitude helicopters
from the Pakistani Army.
What would've been a 14-day trek took just four hours
in the air and cost $40,000.
As clients take on more risk, some are seeking extra support
from companies that specialize in stepping in
when things go wrong.
Dan Richards' crisis response company, Global Rescue,
is expecting more than 100,000 calls in 2023
with 2,000 missions and rescues.
The company saw 221% growth from 2019 to 2022.
Richards warns that travelers should take risks seriously.
- I think that some of our, you know, traveling members
have a very firm grasp on what the risks might be,
but then there are others
that get swept up in the excitement of it
and don't necessarily consider
whether or not they're sort of a good fit
for what it might be that they're encountering.
- [Narrator] And on some of the most extreme trips,
tourists are beyond rescue.
- If you're, you know, 10,000 feet under the ocean
or you're, you know, five miles up in the atmosphere,
we're not only not gonna be able to get to you,
nobody's gonna be able to get to you.
- [Narrator] Richards recommends that travelers
do their due diligence.
- It's wonderful that adventure travel is booming, A,
B, I think people really should do their research
and do their homework and try and find the experiences
that are really good fits for them.
- [Narrator] Despite the dangers to themselves
and the planet, many ultra-wealthy tourists are undeterred.
- We keep wondering
whether or not things are gonna start to subside,
and the boom just continues.
So we're seeing strong growth,
basically, across the entire sector.
(suspenseful music)