In earlier, simpler times luxury travel was easily defined. It meant including the accoutrements traditionally associated with luxury, such as expensive hotel rooms with cushy furnishings, fine dining in high-end restaurants and in every arena, the most expensive choices. But now, providing a luxury vacation is a much more complicated proposition. Tour operators are competing fiercely to provide the best, most unique and imaginative trip components within the overall ambiance of luxury travel. Often those components are not plush comforts at all, but rather are experiences or qualities — intangibles.

“Luxury is no longer just about creature comforts,” says Karin Jones, president of Anastasia’s Africa. “Now luxury means having things just the way you want them.” Luxury today is in large measure about choice, having the power to choose the kind of vacation clients really desire in their heart of hearts.

Exceeding expectations

But tour operators have to balance that element of choice with something more, going beyond the consumer’s choice in order to exceed their expectations. Apple founder Steve Jobs was the master of this principle. It’s not just about responding to consumer demand, he said, “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

The tour operator, like the expert in any field, must know more than the customer, must remain a few steps ahead in regard to what is available and what can be done. Tauck, an escorted tour operator with a history that traces back to 1925, is an expert in applying Jobs’ principle. In Tauck jargon it is the “lagniappe,” an Acadian word meaning “something extra.” Tauck people use the word to describe the unexpected surprises that set the stage for unforgettable, transcendent experiences that keep clients coming back for more.

“What we are seeing is more of the same principles, but more heightened and more insistent,” says Jennifer Tombaugh, Tauck president.

“People want insider access, experiences they can’t have on their own, being able to skip the line. But there is also a feeling of ‘take care of it for me.’ It’s less about feeling helpless as just the fact that we are all time impoverished. There are only so many hours of the day, and people want, need time to reinvigorate themselves.”

Service Defines Luxury

People may not like the idea of “hand-holding” and may want to feel independent. But they still want service. And what sets luxury tour operators apart is their ability to provide the best, most complete, most nuanced service. Sometimes good service means knowing when to leave clients alone, but to be there when needed. When it comes down to it in a foreign destination, you need the support of someone you can trust.

“Nowadays, with all the technology, the spam ads and information overload, there is still always that question: ‘Who can I trust in all of this?’” says Tombaugh. When you are thousands of miles away from home in a strange destination, not having someone you can trust can make the difference between safety and danger, comfort and hardship, a well-spent vacation and a bad time.

Also high on the list of clients’ desires today is authenticity, getting beneath the surface of a destination and engaging with the local people, immersing oneself in the culture. To pull off the ideal vacation on the high end requires support, a very specialized kind of service.

“Having someone who had been thinking about it, giving it foresight and thought versus me trying to deal with my children with my guidebooks,” says Tombaugh. “Overall it’s people saying, ‘I don’t have the time and I frankly don’t want to plan out every step on my own.’ Sometimes it’s nice to do it on your own, but we’re certainly seeing more people come back to a guided solution.”

Here’s a look at what’s new in luxury tours for 2014.

Abercrombie & Kent is offering 15 new luxury small-group journeys for 2014, including “The Great Migration Safari in Style,” which can be taken in the luxury lodge version or the luxury tented camp edition. Also new is a trip to Myanmar and the Ayeyarwady River; a tour of China, Tibet and the Yangtze; a program in Sicily; a new Costa Rica tour; and a new river cruise and safari in Botswana and Zambia. Visit www.abercrombiekent.com.

Avanti Destinations is seeing, “a strong and continuing trend in the market focused on flexible, independent travel with special services tailored to the affluent traveler,” says Harry Dalgaard, president. Avanti offers private driver/guides in countries throughout Europe and Latin America to meet that demand.

The company is also offering new semiprivate tours that are well suited for multigenerational family vacations. Avanti is building up its portfolio of activities and excursions designed to provide an authentic experience of each region, such as private tours of areas known for their history and genealogy, restaurants that feature fresh local cuisine and visits to vineyards. Visit www.avantidestinations.com.

General Tours has made virtually all of its 25 Small Group Journeys available as Private Journeys. The Small Group Journeys travel with a maximum of 16 guests in the group. But now practically all can be booked as “travel any day” programs for any private party of any size.

For example, General Tours’ “China Sampler” is a 10-day trip that is priced from $2,999 per person as a Small Group Journey, but can be taken as a Private Journey for $3,499. Other popular programs available as private departures are “Land of the Maharajahs,” “Peru Explorer,” “Magic of Morocco,” and “Journey to South Africa and Victoria Falls.” Visit www.generaltours.com.

Isramworld added an India program this year to its Orient Flexi-Pax brand. Isram’s special high-end Elite Travel Collection brand will create custom packages in any of the destinations where Isram’s brands offer programs. Also new for 2014 are “Greece: Athens and Cruising the Greek Islands by Yacht,” “London and Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle),” “Off Road Patagonian Expedition by Jeep,” “St. Petersburg and Moscow by Private Car,” and “China Deluxe — A Small Luxury Group Program.” Visit www.isram.com.

Journese, the luxury brand of Pleasant Holidays, is seeing a strong trend toward private retreats and yacht charters. The company is also featuring new programs in Cozumel, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Journese offers luxury products in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Fiji, Tahiti, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, the U.K., Turkey, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico. Visit www.journese.com.

Tauck is responding to the demands of the evolving market by continuing to build up its catalog of events. For 2014 the company is introducing new events created in partnership with filmmaker Ken Burns: one event explores baseball, and one in Chicago looks at themes from several Ken Burns films, including “Prohibition,” “Jazz,” and “Frank Lloyd Wright.” It is also offering special Tauck events in Rome and London, and at the Kentucky Derby and the Rose Bowl.

Tauck has new programs coming out in partnership with filmmakers at BBC Earth, notably its “Walking with Dinosaurs: A Journey through Time.” In December, the company will operate a special event in Yosemite National Park that includes the traditional Bracebridge Dinner at The Awhahnee. And the company just announced a special New Year’s event in Paris. Visit www.tauck.com.

Travcoa is marking its 60th anniversary with three new special programs, including the “60th Anniversary President’s Journey” to Indochina, traveling along the Mekong River through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The 17-day trip is hosted by Travcoa’s president, Jerre Fuqua. The “Ultimate Africa by Classic DC-3” is a 20-day trip, using the convenience of air travel aboard a classic DC-3 piloted by the legendary Captain Flippie Vermeulen and covering 5,600 miles to experience a wide range of African adventures. This trip is also hosted by Fuqua. And Travcoa’s third 60th Anniversary trip is the 10-day “Incredible Peru by Private Plane.” Visit www.travcoa.com.

Wendy Wu Tours last year introduced a new luxury line called Premier Collection, a variation of its Classic Tours, but with higher-grade hotel accommodations, such as Shangrila and Peninsula properties, and with more independence built into the itinerary. Wendy Wu’s Private Tours are based on the Classic and Premier templates, but are geared for families or small groups of friends.

Wendy Wu also offers its Concierge product, a custom-made product made up of whatever the client wants. For 2014 Wendy Wu launched tours to Indochina and Japan. Visit www.wendywutours.com.